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thoughtportal · 4 months

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The Congo’s role in creating the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was kept secret for decades, but the legacy of its involvement is still being felt today.

“The word Shinkolobwe fills me with grief and sorrow,” says Susan Williams, a historian at the UK Institute of Commonwealth Studies. “It’s not a happy word, it’s one I associate with terrible grief and suffering.”

Few people know what, or even where, Shinkolobwe is. But this small mine in the southern province of Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), played a part in one of the most violent and devastating events in history.

More than 7,500 miles away, on 6 August, bells will toll across Hiroshima, Japan, to mark 75 years since the atomic bomb fell on the city. Dignitaries and survivors will gather to remember those who died in the blast and resulting radioactive fallout. Thousands of lanterns carrying messages of peace will be set afloat on the Motoyasu River. Three days later, similar commemorations will be held in Nagasaki.

No such ceremony will take place in the DRC. Yet both nations are inextricably linked by the atomic bomb, the effects of which are still being felt to this day.

The Shinkolobwe mine – named after a kind of boiled apple that would leave a burn if squeezed – was the source for nearly all of the uranium used in the Manhattan Project, culminating with the construction of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

But the story of the mine didn’t end with the bombs. Its contribution to the Little Boy and Fat Man has shaped the DRC’s ruinous political history and civil wars over the decades that followed. Even today the mine’s legacy can still be seen in the health of the communities who live near it.

“It’s an ongoing tragedy,” says Williams, who has examined the role of Shinkolobwe in her book Spies in the Congo. She believes there needs to be greater recognition of how the exploitation and desire to control the mine’s contents by Western powers played a role in the country’s troubles.

Mombilo too is campaigning to raise awareness of the role played by the Congo in deciding the outcome of World War Two, as well as the burden it still carries because of this. In 2016, the CCSSA’s Missing Link forum brought together activists, historians, analysts, and children of those affected by the atomic bomb, both from Japan and from the DR Congo. “We are planning to bring back the history of Shinkolobwe, so we can make the world know,” says Mombilo.

Out of Africa

The story of Shinkolobwe began when a rich seam of uranium was discovered there in 1915, while the Congo was under colonial rule by Belgium. There was little demand for uranium back then: its mineral form is known as pitchblende, from a German phrase describing it as a worthless rock. Instead, the land was mined by the Belgian company Union Minière for its traces of radium, a valuable element that had been recently isolated by Marie and Pierre Curie.

In no other mine could you see a purer concentration of uranium. Nothing like it has ever been found – Tom Zoellner

It was only when nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 that the potential of uranium became apparent. After hearing about the discovery, Albert Einstein immediately wrote to US president Franklin D Roosevelt, advising him that the element could be used to generate a colossal amount of energy – even to construct powerful bombs. In 1942, US military strategists decided to buy as much uranium as they could to pursue what became known as the Manhattan Project. And while mines existed in Colorado and Canada, nowhere in the world had as much uranium as the Congo.

“The geology of Shinkolobwe is described as a freak of nature,” says Tom Zoellner, who visited Shinkolobwe in the course of writing Uranium – War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World. “In no other mine could you see a purer concentration of uranium. Nothing like it has ever been found.”

In a deal with Union Minière – negotiated by the British, who owned a 30% interest in the company – the US secured 1,200 tonnes of Congolese uranium, which was stockpiled on Staten Island, US, and an additional 3,000 tonnes that was stored above ground at the mine in Shinkolobwe. But it was not enough. US Army engineers were dispatched to drain the mine, which had fallen into disuse, and bring it back into production.

Under Belgian rule, Congolese workers toiled day and night in the open pit, sending hundreds of tonnes of uranium ore to the US every month. “Shinkolobwe decided who would be the next leader of the world,” says Mombilo. “Everything started there.”

All of this was carried out under a blanket of secrecy, so as not to alert Axis powers about the existence of the Manhattan Project. Shinkolobwe was erased from maps, and spies sent to the region to sow deliberate disinformation about what was taking place there. Uranium was referred to as “gems”, or simply “raw material”. The word Shinkolobwe was never to be uttered.

This secrecy was maintained long after the end of the war. “Efforts were made to give the message that the uranium came from Canada, as a way of deflecting attention away from the Congo,” says Williams. The effort was so thorough, she says, that the belief the atomic bombs were built with Canadian uranium persists to this day. Although some of the uranium came from Bear Lake in Canada – about 907 tonnes (1,000 tons) are thought to have been supplied by the Eldorado mining company – and a mine in Colorado, the majority came from the Congo. Some of the uranium from the Congo was also refined in Canada before being shipped to the US.

Western powers wanted to ensure that any government presiding over Shinkolobwe remained friendly to their interests

After the war, however, Shinkolobwe emerged as a proxy ground in the Cold War. Improved enrichment techniques made Western powers less dependent on the uranium at Shinkolobwe. But in order to curtail other nations’ nuclear ambitions, the mine had to be controlled. “Even though the US did not need the uranium at Shinkolobwe, it didn’t want the Soviet Union to get access to the mine,” explains Williams.

When the Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960, the mine was closed and the entrance filled with concrete. But Western powers wanted to ensure that any government presiding over Shinkolobwe remained friendly to their interests.

So important was stopping the Communist threat, says Zoellner, that these powers were willing to help depose the democratically elected government of Patrice Lumumba and install the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1965 for a decades-long reign of ruinous plutocracy.

Attempts by the Congolese people to negotiate better conditions for themselves were attacked as Communist-fuelled sedition. “The idealism, hope, and vision of the Congolese for a Congo free of occupation by an external power was devastated by the military and political interests of the Western powers,” says Williams.

A wound unhealed

Mobutu was eventually toppled in 1997, but the spectre of Shinkolobwe continues to haunt the DRC. Drawn by rich deposits of copper and cobalt, Congolese miners began digging informally at the site, working around the sealed mineshafts. By the end of the century, an estimated 15,000 miners and their families were present at Shinkolobwe, operating clandestine pits with no protection against the radioactive ore.

Accidents were commonplace: in 2004, eight miners were killed and more than a dozen injured when a passage collapsed. Fears that uranium was being smuggled from the site to terrorist groups or hostile states vexed Western nations, leading the Congolese army to raze the miners’ village that same year.

Stories abound of children born in the area with physical deformations, but few if any medical records are kept

Despite the mineral wealth present at Shinkolobwe, since Union Minière withdrew in the early 1960s there has never been an industrial mine that could safely and efficiently extract the ores and return the proceeds to the Congolese people. After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, any interest in extracting the uranium for civilian use withered away. “Uranium, even in its natural condition, resists control,” says Zoellner. “Right now Shinkolobwe exists in a limbo, a symbol for the inherent geopolitical instability of uranium.”

The ongoing secrecy around Shinkolobwe (many official US, British and Belgian records on the subject are still classified) has stymied efforts to recognise the Congolese contribution to the Allied victory, as well as hampering investigation into the environmental and health impacts of the mine.

“The effects are medical, political, economic, so many things,” says Mombilo. “We’re not able to know the negative effects of radiation because of this secrecy.” Stories abound of children born in the area with physical deformations, but few if any medical records are kept. “I had a witness who died with his brain coming out of his head, because of the radiation,” says Mombilo. “In all these years, there is not even a special hospital, there is no scientific study or treatment.”

Many of those affected by Shinkolobwe are now campaigning for recognition and reparation, but knowing who should receive them – and who should pay – is compounded by the lack of information made available about the mine and what took place there.

“Shinkolobwe is a curse on the Congo,” says Mombilo.

But he adds that for over a century, the country’s rich resources have made possible one global revolution after another: rubber for tyres made automobiles possible, uranium fuelled nuclear reactors, coltan built the computers of the information age, and cobalt powers the batteries of mobile phones and electric vehicles.

“Our world is moved by the minerals of the Congo,” says Mombilo. “The positive thing I can say is that in all these advanced technologies, you’re talking about the Congo.”

The Congo’s impact on the world has been immeasurable. Recognising the name Shinkolobwe alongside Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be the first step to repaying that debt. {read}

#article #BBC #history #war crimes #atomic bomb #congo #world war 2 #world war ii #colonialism #colonization #us imperialism #mining #Hiroshima

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kny111 · 1 year

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New York would create a commission to consider reparations to address the lingering, negative effects of slavery under a bill passed by the state Legislature on Thursday.

"We want to make sure we are looking at slavery and its legacies," said state Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages before the floor debate. "This is about beginning the process of healing our communities. There still is generational trauma that people are experiencing. This is just one step forward."

The state Assembly passed the bill about three hours after spirited debate on Thursday. The state Senate passed the measure hours later, and the bill will be sent to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for consideration.

New York would be following the lead of California, which became the first state to form a reparations task force in 2020. That group recommended a formal apology from the state on its legacy of racism and discriminatory policies and the creation of an agency to provide a wide range of services for Black residents. They did not recommend specific payments amounts for reparations.[1]

The New York legislation would create a commission that would examine the extent to which the federal and state governments supported the institution of slavery.[2] It would also address persistent economic, political and educational disparities experienced by Black people in the state today.

According to the New York bill, the first enslaved Africans arrived at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, then a Dutch settlement, around the 1620s and helped build the infrastructure of New York City. While the state Legislature enacted a statute that gave freedom to enslaved Africans in New York in 1817, it wasn't implemented until 10 years later.[3]

"I'm concerned we're opening a door that was closed in New York State almost 200 years ago,"[4] said Republican state Assemblymember Andy Gooddell during floor debates on the bill. Gooddell, who voted against the measure, said he supports existing efforts to bring equal opportunity to all and would like to "continue on that path rather than focus on reparations."[5]

In California, the reparations task force said in their report that the state is estimated to be responsible for more than $500 billion due to decades of over-policing, mass incarceration and redlining that kept Black families from receiving loans and living in certain neighborhoods. California's state budget last year was $308 billion.[6] Reparations in New York could also come with a hefty price tag.

The commission would be required to deliver a report one year after its first meeting. The panel's recommendations, which could potentially include monetary compensation for Black people,[7] would be non-binding. The legislature would not be required to take the recommendations up for a vote.

New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who is the first Black person to hold the position, called the legislation "historic."[8]

Heastie, the governor and the legislative leader in the state Senate would each appoint three members to the commission.[9]

Other state legislatures that have considered studying reparations include New Jersey and Vermont, but none have passed legislation yet.[10] The Chicago suburb in Evanston, Illinois, became the first city to make reparations available to Black residents through a $10 million housing project in 2021.[11]

On the federal level, a decades-old proposal to create a commission studying reparations has stalled in Congress.[12]

Some critics of reparations by states say that while the idea is well-intentioned, it can be misguided.[13]

William Darity, a professor of public policy and African and African American Studies at Duke University said even calling them reparations is "presumptuous," since it's virtually impossible for states to meet the potentially hefty payouts.[14]

He said the federal government has the financial capacity to pay true reparations and that it should be the party that is responsible.[15]

"My deeper fear with all of these piecemeal projects is that they actually will become a block against federal action because there will be a number of people who will say there's no need for a federal program," Darity said. "If you end up settling for state and local initiatives, you settle for much less than what is owed."[16] K, Blog Admin notes: [1] This is useful because it's attempting institutionalization of the divestment in needing money to solve the issue of slavery reparations and instead aims to provide a means to account for such a system by way of adhering to necessities. This seems like a legislative path to that. A formal apology is well overdue so the creation of these institutions, paired with divestment in money (which are literal enslavement notes) makes for said apology more effective and honest.

[2] Correct, slavery is handled and supported to this day at a state and federal level. Any strategies aimed at changing this enslavement system requires changes at both state and federal levels, otherwise what's the point? [3] Legislature like the one in 1817 what it did was make enslavement go covert while continuing to operate with the same engine. Which is why we need to correct any semblance of it existing by abolishing institutions that were created from slavery and repurpose ones sabotaged by past and existing pro slavery legislature. Reparations fixes itself to do just that.

[4] Read [3] because slavery's door was never shut. There's never been enough evidence, something I hope this legislature corrects, with regards to presenting when this "end of slavery" ever occurred. As far as everyone experiencing this god awful system is concerned slavery continued just fine.

[5] Slavery as a system created such a historical inequivalence for all involved that a path has never honestly been formed to claim we're all equal. How can we "continue" on something we've never even established?

[6] Translation: The enslavers who own this system over us and invested so much in slavery can't put their money where their labor is. This is our issue how? Legislature like this will help correct that.

[7] I would hope that this conversation around monetary compensation and reparations from enslavement systems involves a divestment plan from a currency note that has factual connections to and will continue to be looked at as an enslaver note to those who study slavery historically. So this might look like an institution that can help communities divest from ever even needing to use money due to their systemic connections to slavery.

[8] This legislature is needed and overdue, I wouldn't call it historic yet. People within government tend to have a low bar for what's historic and epic.

[9] Not enough people. 3 is not enough. This is a ridiculously low amount considering how easy it can be to sabotage this work as they have in the past, this increases that chance. They need more community input. Otherwise, what's the point?

[10] Further implicating these states with systemic slavery.

[11] Not enough for similar reasons that a slaver creating their own paper and telling you to live off of it is not enough to stop slavery.

[12] So the one thing that did have a semblance of working, you let it rock there, doing nothing? Seems like an institutional trend.

[13] How? Explain using evidence in the same way we abolitionists use evidence to prove slavery is not needed.

[14] Agreed, and they don't have the capacity to make their enslaver dollars mean much into the future. Money temporarily becomes pay outs which are like the apology letter you include system changes with otherwise its just enslavers recycling their image.. AGAIN.

[15] Agreed, but I hope this doesn't mean shift in focus from what needs to structurally change at a state level and what these types of legislature can do. I think federal changes should come with state strategizing as well.

[16] see [14] and [15]

#reparations #thoughts #news #policy #legislature #trans atlantic slave trade #slavery #abolish slavery #abolish police #abolishment #black lives matter #new york #nyc #new yorkers #black new yorkers

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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 months

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This day in history

#20yrsago Amazon discloses many reviews written by insecure, sniping writers https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/14/us/amazon-glitch-unmasks-war-of-reviewers.html

#15yrsago 700 comments tell the FTC “No DRM!” https://memex.craphound.com/2004/02/13/dd-to-be-reissued-by-wotc/

#15yrsago FTC gets an earful from the public on DRM, practically all of it anti- https://web.archive.org/web/20040314030944/https://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=11796&mode=thread&order=0

#15yrsago Flashbake: Free version-control for writers using git https://memex.craphound.com/2009/02/13/flashbake-free-version-control-for-writers-using-git/

#10yrsago Self-published ebooks: the surprising data from Amazon https://memex.craphound.com/2014/02/13/self-published-ebooks-the-surprising-data-from-amazon/

#10yrsago Tell the IRS that mountains of DVDs are a stupid way to distribute public records https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL0E1-5IhYE

#5yrsago Tracking down Dick Davy, a mysterious “lost” comedian who once championed civil rights and antiracism https://stolendress.com/comedyonvinyl/episode-291-family-albums-episode-6-finding-dick-davy/

#5yrsago Chuck Schumer’s general counsel, once a Goldman Sachs lobbyist, won’t disclose the names of 95% of his former clients https://theintercept.com/2019/02/13/chuck-schumer-mark-patterson/

#5yrsago Burning Man purges one-percenter camp that charged up to $100K, littered like crazy, and ripped off its attendees https://journal.burningman.org/2019/02/philosophical-center/tenprinciples/cultural-course-correcting/

#5yrsago Ios and Android app stores both host Saudi government app that lets men track their spouses’ movements https://www.techdirt.com/2019/02/13/google-apple-called-out-hosting-saudi-government-app-that-allows-men-to-track-their-spouses-movements/

#5yrsago Blizzard/Activision celebrates record revenues by laying off 800 employees https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/kiss-my-ass-activision-blizzard

#5yrsago Teen journalists profile each of the 1,200+ US children killed by guns since Parkland https://sinceparkland.org

#5yrsago Leak: Apple is demanding 50% of the revenue from its “Netflix for news” product https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/12/18222281/apple-news-subscription-service-50-percent-cut-publishers-media-deal

#5yrsago Phone scammer tried to con William Webster, the only person ever to serve as director of both the CIA and FBI: it did not go well https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/02/12/william-webster-ex-fbi-cia-director-helps-feds-nab-jamaican-phone-scammer/

#1yrato Obama's turncoat antitrust enforcer is angry about the Google breakup https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/13/the-last-man-to-die-for-a-mistake/#dont-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-ass-on-the-way-out

#pluralistic

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alldancersaretalented · 8 months

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Most first place wins at Jump per Studio

Only includes Studios with three or more wins!

JumpStarts:

Club, Larkin (12)

Stars (8)

Dance Town (7)

CSPAS (6)

Dance Unlimited, Southern Strutt (5)

Danceology, NorthSide Dance Project, Studio L Waldwick/Hoboken, The NINE Dance Academy, The Rock (4)

Danceplex, Elite Feet Artists Company, Evolve Dance Complex, Expressenz Dance Center, Legacy Dance Studio, Maries Dance Studio, Modern Conceptions of Dance, The Pointe PAC, Yoko's Dance (3)

Minis:

Stars (28)

Club (27)

Evolve Dance Complex (17)

Larkin (11)

Danceology, Westchester Dance Academy(10)

Project 21 (8)

Academy of Ballet and Jazz, The Rock (7)

Prodigy Dance and PAC, The Pointe PAC, Williams Center Rhythms Factory, YYC Dance (5)

CSPAS, Maries Dance Studio, New Level, NorthSide Dance Project, Studio L Waldwick/Hoboken, Collaborative at Encore Studio, Dance Centre, Dance Zone (4)

Dance Enthusiasm, Dance Town, Dance Unlimited, Danceplex, IMPAC Youth Ensemble, Just Off Broadway, Katy Kress Dance Revolution, MBA, Rock City Dance Center, San Diego Dance Centre, Southern Strutt (3)

Juniors:

Stars (23)

Danceology (18)

Club (12)

Evolve Dance Complex (11)

Larkin, Project 21, Westchester Dance Academy (10)

The Rock (8)

Prodigy Dance and PAC, WDP (7)

Michelle Latimer DA, Tawn Maries Dance Center, Dance Centre (6)

Creative Arts Academy, Southern Strutt (5)

CSPAS, Elite Danceworx, For Dancers Only, Nor Cal, Trilogy Dance Co, Woodlands Underground (4)

Academy of Ballet and Jazz, CC & Co, Center Stage Dance Studio, Columbia City Jazz, Dancewors Costa Rica, Denise Wall's, Hunterdon Hills Ballet, Just Off Broadway, Kim Massay, Maries Dance Studio, The Company, The Pointe PAC, Vision Dance Alliance, Warehouse Dance Complex (3)

Teens:

Stars (22)

Larkin (16)

Danceology (15)

WDP (12)

Denise Wall's, Michelle Latimer, Prodigy Dance and PAC, Project 21, Westchester Dance Academy(8)

Elite Danceworx (7)

Club, Columbia PAC, Murrieta Dance Project, Nor Cal, Dance Centre, The Rock (6)

Columbia City Jazz, CSPAS, Danceworks Costa Rica, Jean Leigh, Main Street Dance, Dance Club, YYC Dance (5)

Hunterdon Hills Ballet, Jazzgoba Dance Academy, Music General, Dance Kollective, Project at HTX (4)

AVID Dance Productions, CCJ Conservatory, Creative Arts Academy, Dance Arts Center, Dance Industry PAC, For Dancers Only, Kim Massay, Noretta Dunworth, Warehouse Dance Complex, WCSA, Williams Center Rhythm Factory(3)

Seniors:

Stars (20)

Westchester Dance Academy (13)

Elite Danceworx, WDP (10)

Larkin (9)

Denise Wall's, Michelle Latimer (8)

Nor Cal (7)

Dance Industry PAC, Dance Town, Murrieta Dance Project (6)

CCJ Conservatory, CSPAS, DanceMakers of Atlanta, Kim Massay, Royal Dance Works, South Tulsa Dance Co (5)

CC & Co, Columbia PAC, Danceworks Costa Rica, Prodigy Dance and PAC, Studio for the Living Arts, Winner School (4)

Allegro Performing Arts Academy, Artistic Fusion, Canadian Dance Co, Center Stage Dance Studio, Club, Columbia City Jazz, Dance Arts Center, Dance Unlimited, Danceology, For Dancers Only, Kingwood Jazz & Company, Maga Domene & Co Estudio de Danza, Maries Dance Studio, Music General, NorthPointe Dance Academy, Northwest Dance and Acro, Rios Dance, Spotlight Dance Works, Studio 413, Dance Centre, The Rock, Southern Strutt, YYC Dance (3)

Top 15 Overall:

Stars (101)

Club (60)

Larkin (58)

Danceology (50)

Westchester Dance Academy (41)

Evolve Dance Complex (33)

Project 21, WDP (29)

The Rock (28)

CSPAS, Prodigy Dance and PAC(24)

Michelle Latimer (23)

Elite Danceworx (22)

Denise Wall's, Nor Cal, Dance Centre(19)

Dance Town (18)

Southern Strutt (17)

Dance Unlimited, Maries Dance Studio (15)

#stars with 40 more than 2nd place #they might be problematic #but they do create amazing dancers #keep in mind that stars students travel a lot more than larkin dancers #stars #larkin #project 21 #westside dance project

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demospectator · 4 months

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Captain Wesley Ko in front of his decorations for service with the 82nd Airborne Division during WW II. (Photograph courtesy of the Cape Cod Times).

Airborne Chinese American Warfighters on D-Day

On the occasion of the June 6 allied landings at Normandy in 1944, and every National Airborne Day on August 16, we honor three Chinese American veterans of the Second World War.

Glider Infantryman Wesley Ko

Wesley Ko served as a Captain in the 325th Glider Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division in the European Theater (ETO), earning the Silver Star and numerous other medals including the Purple Heart.

Initially aspiring to be a pilot with the Flying Tigers, Wesley was working in a print shop in Philadelphia when the U.S. entered the war. Despite his employer offering him a draft deferment, he chose to enlist to join his friends. After completing officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and overcoming initial delays in assignment possibly due to his Asian ancestry, he joined the 82nd Airborne and subsequently the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment.

During his thirty months of service, Ko fought in six major campaigns including action in Sicily, Naples, Normandy (the day after D-Day), the Battle of the Bulge, the Allied assault on the Siegfried Line, and the battle for Cologne. He was also present at the liberation of the Wöbbelin concentration camp at Ludwigslust.

Capt. Wesley Ko. Ko received the Silver Star for his service in the six major campaigns of the ETO and numerous other medals including the Purple Heart.

In his later years, Ko dedicated his time to preserving the legacy of the 325th Glider Infantry. He shared his experiences through interviews, articles, and books such as The Greatest Generation and his biography On Silent Wings of Courage. He also served as editor of The Glider Tow Line, a quarterly newsletter dedicated to the glider men's stories.

In addition to his military service, Ko co-owned and operated Komak, Inc., an electronics company, with his brother David for 45 years. He had a wide array of interests including computers, boating, fishing, family, poetry, and furniture re-finishing and building.

Ko passed away in E. Falmouth, Mass., on Dec. 15, 2012. He was 93.

Leon Yee: San Francisco Chinatown’s Own

On the night of June 5, 1944, private First Class Leon Yee had found his way onto a paratroop transport plane, flying toward the coast of France. Having grown up in San Francisco Chinatown, Yee had volunteered for the paratroopers in early 1942. He had been motivated by the $50 bonus in hazardous duty pay, which he needed to support his family. After completing jump school at Fort Benning and earning his wings in mid-1942, he trained as a demolition expert and member of H Company in the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. According to Chinese American military historian, Montgomery Hom, Yee had concealed from his family how dangerous his duties were. “He tried to hide his combat status by telling his mother he was going to be working with planes,” Hom has written. “But in truth, he was going to be jumping out of planes as an airborne soldier.”

Leon Yee's jump boots, unit patches, and jump wings (from the collection of his nephew and documentarian, Montgomery Hom). The boots were designed initially in 1941 by William P. Yarborough, a test officer in the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion/Provisional Parachute Group. They are also known as "Corcorans," after the J. F. Corcoran Shoe Company, one of their manufacturers.

At approximately 0200 on June 6, and as part of the then-largest airborne operation in human history, Yee hurled out of his plane, weighed down by more than 100 pounds of equipment, As he descended, he saw sporadic gunfire and small fires on the ground. He landed in a cow pasture northwest of the Merderet River, disoriented in the pitch-black night. under the cover of darkness. German anti-aircraft fire illuminated the sky, hitting some of the aircraft.

After landing without mishap and shedding his parachute harness, Yee took cover in a nearby ditch. He had no idea of his location, as his regiment had experienced the worst drop pattern of all the American airborne units, with only 20% of the paratroopers landing in their designated zones. Hours later, by 4 a.m., a helmetless sergeant from another company of the 82nd Airborne Division joined him. Together, they sat quietly in the ditch until dawn, trying to determine their location. They discovered they were north of their intended drop zone.

By daylight, Yee had joined other regrouped paratroopers regrouped to plant explosives to destroy enemy communication lines, and engage in firefights as elements the 82nd advanced over the next few days toward their main objective, about 5 miles from Utah Beach -- the marshes of the Merderet and Douve. The marshes formed a natural defensive line protecting the western end of the Allied amphibious landing zone. However, the flooded marshes also limited the Allies' potential to break out of the beachhead. They had been flooded to further impede movement. Allied planners deemed control of the bridges at Manoir de la Fière and Chef-du-Pont as vital.

Yee's ad hoc unit reached the La Fière area, and over the next five days attempted to seize causeways and bridges over the Merderet at La Fière and Chef-du-Pont and, further, destroy the highway bridge over the Douve River at Pont l'Abbé (now Étienville). The lightly-armed troops of the 82nd faced counterattacking Wehrmacht units supported by Panzer III and French tanks captured four years earlier.

Yee would see intense combat for five days. During an attack on a German machinegun position, he was severely wounded. A burst of gunfire had struck rocks in front of him, and a ricocheting fragment hit his right temple, just below his helmet. Bleeding profusely from his wound, he lost consciousness. Yee awoke on a cot in a landing craft headed back to England.

Paratrooper Kenneth Gong

On the eve of D-Day Kenneth Gong, a native Chinese American from the town of Cleveland in the Mississippi Delta, performed the first of his two combat jumps, with the 101st Airborne Division.

Sgt. Kenneth Gong of the 101st Airborne Division was a native of Cleveland, Mississippi.

Kenny Gong had earned the nickname “Machine Gun Gong” for his proficiency in firing the M3 submachine gun.

The M3 is an American-made, .45-caliber submachine gun adopted by the U.S. Army in late 1942, as the "United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3." The M3 was chambered for the same .45 ACP round fired by the Thompson submachine gun, but was cheaper to mass produce and lighter, at the expense of accuracy. Troops commonly referred to the firearm as the "Grease Gun" or "the Greaser" owing to its visual similarity to the mechanic's tool. The weapon is often attributed as the source of the WW II slang used by American soldiers in referring to enemy troops killed by this weapon, who were referred to as having been "greased."

T-4 Sergeant Gong was assigned to the headquarters command, 3rd battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He saw combat in Normandy and Holland.

Sgt. Kenneth Gong of the 101st Airborne Division brandishing the M3 submachine gun, his handling of which would earn him respect from his comrades.

When US president Bill Clinton proclaimed October 26, 1998, Chinese Veterans of World War II Day, longtime Delta resident Kenny Gong was one of the White House honorees. His division’s motto remains “Rendezvous With Destiny.”

The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings," is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces. Some services, such as the Marine Corps, officially refer to it as an insignia instead of a badge. The original Army Parachutist Badge was designed in 1941 by Captain (later Lieutenant General) William P. Yarborough and approved by the Department of War in March of that year. The Parachutist Badge replaced the "Parachutist Patch" which had previously been worn as a large patch on the side of a paratrooper's garrison cap. (LTG Yarborough also designed the Senior and Master Parachutist Badges and the addition of stars to portray the number of combat jumps.) The airborne background trimming that is worn behind the badge of those assigned to airborne units is also a contribution of Yarborough.

On this 80th anniversary of the airborne landings in Normandy, let us honor not only the approximately 10 Chinese Americans who served with paratroop and glider units in the European Theater of Operations but all who answered the call to fight for their country during an era of exclusion and segregation.

They also served.

---------------------------------

To read more about Chinese America's warfighters of that era from California, Montgomery Hom's book Fighting on all Fronts - Profiles of WWII Chinese Americans from the Golden State may be purchased here.

#Chinese American airborne troopers #Kenneth Gong #101st Airborne Division #Wesley Ko #82nd Airborne #Leon Yee #Montgomery Hom

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thevindicativevordan · 2 years

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What would you like to see in Superman: Legacy? Do you think James Gunn is the right person to ''bring back'' Superman on big screens?

My top 10 wants:

Don't use Lex or Zod as the villain

(Credit to David Jamison for the art). Take a look at all these guys, this doesn't even cover all of the options, there's a whole bunch of them we've never seen on the big screen. Pick one of them, preferably someone on the smaller end of the power scale so we didn't repeat MoS starting Superman's career with the entire city being destroyed, and advertise that it's a villain we haven't seen before. Right now Lobo remains the most likely choice for Legacy, but if instead they're using him for Supergirl, I want Metallo or Parasite.

2. Don't make Clark stoic, morose, or navalgazing

After how boring Cavill's incarnation was, I'm ready for a Superman who is assertive and aggressive. He's young and eager to prove himself, or he should be. Let him show joy in using his powers, more scenes like Cavill's First Flight where Superman is clearly having a blast being himself after all the years of hiding. Let him talk shit to bad guys, after the last two guys were self-doubting Jesuses, I'm ready for the new Supes to be more cocksure. Yes we get that Superman can be a burden, but it can be a pleasure too. Remind the public of that side to him.

3. Draw on the animated Metropolises for inspiration design wise

The DCAU, the League of Super-Pets movie, the Tomorrowverse, they've all given us some great looking Metropolises. Look to them for inspiration in designing the DCU Metropolis. For all it's other failures, I thought Superman Returns had a cool looking Metropolis too with all the Art Deco architecture. It's totally possible to make a Metropolis feel like it's own character, same as Gotham, but it requires abandoning "realism".

4. Take inspiration from the Snyder fight scenes but reign in the collateral damage

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If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how I feel about the DCEU. Doesn't mean there aren't aspects of that which I think are worth building on. If there's one thing Snyder did right it's showing that Superman fights can be just as thrilling and visceral as Batman and Spider-Man. Only problem is that the level of destruction was way too over the top. Don't vaporize downtown Metropolis and you should be in the ballpark for what's acceptable. While you're at it, instead of destruction porn, why not make Superman be the one who comes away looking like hell? One thing I miss from the Raimi Spider-Man films is that Peter and his suit always got torn up by the end to show how tough the fights were. Do that to Superman instead of the city this time around. Give Superman black eyes, bruises, and bleeding cuts, I assure you that would be more impactful to the audience than seeing another CGI building explode.

5. Make a new Superman theme and costume

Trunks, no trunks, s-shield on the cape, solid red cape, Fleschier s-shield, classic shield, something new, I don't care. I'm pretty open to Superman's suit being changed, and in fact I don't necessarily want a "classic" Superman suit. My only big grievance with Cavill's suit was the washed out colors and needing a thicker belt around his waist, but otherwise I thought his was fine. I would love to see the Gleason designed Reborn suit serve as the inspiration for DCU Superman suit. I've seen some people ask for the Williams' theme to be used, and that's a hard no people. Use it as a shorthand for Superman in general, but every new film Superman needs their own theme, just like Batman and Spider-Man.

6. Give me the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, and the more fantastical elements

If Krypto doesn't show up in Legacy, then we know he will be in Supergirl's film at least. Gunn naming All-Star Superman as a big influence should hopefully ensure we get these fantastical elements, especially since Gunn himself loves this kind of obscure memorabilia (he's the one who introduced the Infinity Stones into the MCU after all). Since we're jumping into a Superman who has already started his career, I want to see the Fortress of Solitude with the Intergalactic Zoo, and the Phantom Zone projector, and the Kryptonian war suit, and all the crazy trophies Superman collects over the course of his career. Superman Robots are a must.

7. Use Jimmy

I know you've read Fraction's Jimmy Olsen mini Gunn, don't let me down! Go with Jimmy as Clark's surrogate younger brother and demonstrate why the two of them are good friends. Jimmy is perfect as the sort of comic relief character who still has emotional depth that Gunn loves.

8. Either kill the Kents off or keep them sidelined for now

We've seen his Smallville upbringing and the Kents giving him advice countless times already. Kill them both off this go around or at the very least keep them sidelined. I'd rather see Clark treat Jimmy as his confidant over his parents for this incarnation.

9. Keep the shared universe at a distance

I don't want Legacy to end up like The Flash, where the main character is just a vehicle to take us along for a trip to see other DC properties. I don't want Batman or any of the other DC characters showing up. Ideally I would prefer none of them were even referenced at all, but I recognize that's delusional. Sure you can have people make a passing mention of the freak in Gotham or a speedster in Central City, or a green guy in Coast City, but nothing more than that please.

10. Get Lois right... but don't put her and Clark together at the start

After the DCEU completely rushed the pairing, I'd rather see a slow burn this time around. Pairing Clark at the start with someone else would certainly upset quite a few people, but it's what I would do. Have him and Lois be rivals/competitors at the start, he dates others at first as does she, but ultimately the two will of course get together. I would put Clark and Leslie together, that would make things interesting for when she becomes Livewire. For Lois if they're not doing Metallo in the Legacy, maybe have Corben pursue her while she fends him off? That would be good build up for Legacy 2. Just make sure the Clark and Lois actors have good chemistry together because the Cavill/Adams interactions were so painfully stiff.

#superman #superman legacy #james gunn #dcu #all star superman #action comics

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bekoobove · 1 year

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Why I personally like the Mimic (Spoilers for TFTPP, especially 5, 6, and 7)

So, with the Tiger Rock leaks, I've seen some people voice their dislike of the Mimic being Burntrap. I want to preface everything I say with the statement that that's totally fine. There are some objective problems with it that i'll address later, though I consider most of them to be with the presentation of the Mimic rather than the Mimic itself. I just thought I'd lay down the key things I and other Mimic fans like about the character, and its role in the story.

Legacy and Stories

Legacy, especially the impact we leave on other people, is a central theme of FNAF. Remnant and agony are vehicles for this idea- how our emotions and actions can twist and grow into something far greater than we ever intended. Stories are also important, which was established as soon as we entered the Steel Wool era- the first game is, in universe, a collection of tragic stories. The Mimic embodies both of these ideas expertly. Edwin- a good man who had a moment of weakness and rage- and William Afton- an evil man who led a cruel, selfish life- both changed the Mimic completely unintentionally. Neither of them desired the endoskeleton to become a killer, and yet it did. Their legacy, especially William's, endures in this monster. William is gone, but his presence is still felt. The Mimic also learned from the stories it was told when it was programmed into FNAF VR- stories of every Fazbear tragedy, stories it is later tasked with rearranging into new narratives as the Storyteller. Which leads to my next point...

2. Corporate Greed.

Fazbear Entertainment's corrupt nature was always prevalent, but it exists at the center of the current FNAF narrative. This is obvious enough in FNAF VR and Security Breach, with exploited tragedies and safety violations around every corner, and taken to its natural limit with TFTPP. We see more of what was seen before- Fazbear Entertainment taking advantage of their bloody history and poorly designed, often dangerous attractions. But we also see how they use the Mimic. Most notably is its place in the Storyteller tree, used to cheat the creative team and drive up profits. Not only is it a great commentary on how unethical and ultimately detrimental AI generation replacing true artists is, it's a reminder that by refusing to die, and cutting every conceivable corner to stay in business, Fazbear Entertainment is responsible for the Mimic's return. Vanessa, Gregory, the TFTPP protagonists, even the Glamrocks- their deaths and suffering are solely because a large company wanted to save money.

3. A Tragic Villain

William was a great example of a villain who suffered tragedy, while also not being a tragic villain. Ultimately, everything he suffered was a result of his own pride, selfishness, and ego. Going into a new era, a truly tragic antagonist would be an interesting change, but how do you accomplish that in a story about a killer? You make it so killing is the only thing they know. As of the epilogues, there is no true malice to the Mimic's actions. It's just playing the way it's seen others play- violently. Its entire existence has been nothing but a parade of awful role models- a father unleashing his grief violently, a killer playing a twisted game of hide and seek, a mega corporation feeding it information and stories about the killer, while encouraging it to extend these narratives. Despite everything it's done, all the blood staining its metal hands, the Mimic is pitiful.

4. Complaints

Let's start off with the obvious complaints- yes, the Mimic was not implemented into the games well. While it's increasingly clear it was intended in retrospect, there easily could have been some more clues. A blueprint for the Mimic hidden in SB's parts in service, more easter eggs during the Burntrap battle, a direct reference to the white tiger character- it wouldn't be hard. It's clear Scott didn't communicate with Steel Wool as much as he should have regarding this development. It's also clear that too much info was in the books. I understand some of this stuff would've been hard to communicate in normal gameplay, but then again, the arcade minigames scattered throughout SB would have been perfect for that. Finally- my only true complain with the story itself- I think the Mimic's corpse being a random girl is kind of dumb. Even it being the main protagonist Lucia might have been better, especially since we've gotten to know her better, making it more impactful. It being Kelly just feels somewhat random, though perhaps that will be improved by the last epilogue.

5. Conclusion

That's pretty much it. Again, feel however you like about the Mimic, this is just my personal opinion. Just don't call it a retcon, because that's been disproven.

#fnaf #fnaf theory #mimic #mimic fnaf #tales from the pizzaplex #tiger rock #burntrap #the mimic #five nights at freddy's

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burningvelvet · 1 year

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what are the pro hunt articles on the shelley/hunt portrait you were talking about on oct 6? also whats your opinion on the portrait now?

Thanks for the ask! Long post ahead.

Newman Ivey White's 1940 Shelley biography is what started the pro-Hunt theory, but it was also defended by Estill Curtis Pennington in the works "William Edward West, 1788-1857 Kentucky Painter" and “Painting Lord Byron: An Account by William Edward West" — these are probably what I was referring to. In some works on Byron portraiture I believe the Shelley/Hunt thing is sometimes mentioned in passing but I don't remember exact works. I've read too much about LB & his public image.

Overall, I would like to believe it's Shelley, but I'm still waiting for Stauffer's new work to come out before I'm 100% convinced bc I don't want to get my hopes up. I have also thought maybe it could've been someone else, ie Shelley's friend Edward Williams — there's a portrait of Williams by George Clint which looks VERY similar to this mystery portrait, but it was done posthumously, I believe at the bequest of his wife Jane's memory, more than a decade after his death — and it doesn't look much like any of the other portraits of Williams either. So the similarity could be a coincidence.

If West was telling the truth when he said he met Shelley, etc., (not much reason to doubt him, but White and Pennington do) then it would make sense for it to be of Shelley, but since his wife Mary tried hard to acquire all the portraits of him, it is a little strange that she and the rest of the Shelley family did not acquire it or ever claim it as far as I know, and that it isn't more popular in general. This is one of the things preventing me from believing it's Shelley, although I'm 90% convinced, especially after reading Stauffer say in one of the recent articles that gray paint pigments were used on the hair but are only discernible up close (Shelley was said to be going gray early, despite his still youthful appearance).

A friend of mine said something about not understanding what the big deal was about this portrait, or why I was interested in it. In a few words I tried telling him about the importance (in general, but especially for famous historical figures, and especially the Romantic poets) of portraiture, artwork, public representation, image, style, persona, material culture, and how Shelley and Byron's portrait representations have always been a particularly big deal for their legacies, especially in the Victorian era where literary collectors turned Byronalia and Shelleyana into saint-like relics and their images were fetishized.

But I don't know. I think the vast majority of people don't really care about the historical legacies of famous dead writers, let alone their portraits. But I do. If I love a writer or historical figure, of course I want to know what they looked like. My overactive imagination is dying to have as accurate a conception of them as possible.

I'd like to think it is Shelley since we have so few representations of him and they're all vastly different, and this one presents him in the most flattering and artful light, in a way that we can easily imagine Mary having ran off with him, whereas the famous Curran portrait was said by all to not look anything like him (although I don't think it's super unflattering), and the portrait work of Williams, Curran, and Marianne Hunt just aren't as skillful as that of West.

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depictingdrew · 5 months

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#The Williams Legacy Generation 6 #Sawyer Vatore #Violet Williams #The Sims 4

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acrossthewavesoftime · 2 years

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your personal ranking of the stuarts (james i through anne)?

Eſteem’d Anon,

I am terribly sorry for my tardy reply, but a complex question deserves an equally complex answer!

You asked for my opinion on this matter, and you shall receive it. Because I am no tyrant, and believe in making my methods in this little absolutist assignment of good and bad transparent, I have devised a table based on the German high school grading system by which our Stuart Kings and Queens shall be judged:

There are six possible grades, 1 being the best, and 6 the poorest one might receive. Those six grades are divided up by points into sections of three with the highest score denoting an upwards tendency, a solid middle ground, and the lowest score denoting a downwards tendency.

For our purposes, I have substituted the numbers 1-6 with written verdicts from Best (Stuart) Monarch Ever to Did You Even Try to Rule!? and colour-coded them accordingly.

But rather than merely slapping a number and a vague verdict onto a name, I divided the pool of 15 points up into three categories with a maximum score of 5 points, aiming to give a brief assessment of the monarch’s reign, legacy and personality/interestingness from a modern perspective.

5 points each for:

Reign [political stability, innovations, welfare of subjects etc.]

(Political) Legacy [lasting influence of their reign, smoothness of succession, heirs etc.]

Fascination Factor: [why they are interesting to look at from a modern perspective, private life, personality, scandals etc.]

To spice things up a little and stress the hopefully entertaining nature and subjectivity of this venture, I, by my Divine Right of… well, Just Because I Can Without You Being Able to Do Anything About It, have added the following codicil to my grading system:

Radegonde’s Royal Prerogative:

Seeing as I reign supreme, I get to award or deduct a crown (= three points; the equivalent of a full category) to a monarch of my choosing. There is only one deduction, and one addition.

A few caveats and introductory observations:

This is my, and I cannot stress this enough, very subjective reply to a question decidedly asking for said subjectivity. Depending on your historical or political sympathies, you might have a very different idea of it all, and that is totally fine! This post is not meant to be a definitive ranking, but a hopefully somewhat entertaining personal reply to a question that might be answered differently, depending on your chosen categories, personal affinities etc. I invite everyone to discuss, and share their own opinion in the notes or as a reblog.

This analysis does not necessarily represent my general opinion on the (Stuart) monarchy as an institution, but merely aims to compare people served in the same governmental capacity.

The main idea for the categories Reign and (Political) Legacy is to analyse the monarchs from a perspective focussing on the people in the British Isles (i.e. majority-white and Anglican at this point in time), and does explicitly not contain the nuance to take the experiences of individuals or specific marginalised groups into account— this would probably far exceed the scope of this post, which at its heart, is still a semi-serious piece mainly written as a blend of giving my opinion, providing a groundwork of information for people to start their own research off of, and of course, amuse.

William and Mary, though co-monarchs, will be treated separately since Mary took over government during William’s frequent absences (albeit while still exchanging letters with him), and William ruled for another 8 years following Mary’s death.

Without any further ado, let's go through the 7 Stuarts to sit on the throne of England (and in case of one of them, Britain) chronologically:

James I

Reign: believing in witches and writing a book called Demonology which added fuel to the often quite literal fires associated with witch hunts, putting his lovers into high government offices do not sent him off to a promising start. He is also responsible for the King James Bible, though, and some sympathy for a difficult early reign, coming to the throne as a child (and one at that who was groomed by an older man, his cousin Esmé Stuart), earn him a point. 1/5

(Political) Legacy: Technically, James should score here but he does not, since the legacy he leaves, lasting until this day, is not a positive one. Luckily, people no longer take inspiration from his book and burn witches at the stake, but by having commenced the Plantation of Ulster, which is the root of the modern Northern Ireland conflict (later on, William III is merely the symptom of James’ politics), I cannot give him more than one point for indeed leaving a legacy. 1/5

Fascination Factor: Bisexuality, male lovers who run the government, coming to the throne as a child because your cousin, who had your mother executed, dies? There sure is something to unpack here. 3/5

TOTAL: 5

Charles I

Reign: Originally not destined to be king and bullied by a physically healthier, and all-around beloved older brother, Charles came to the throne believing he had to prove himself, and failed abysmally. He failed so badly that he got his subscription to life, and England’s subscription to the institution of monarchy, cancelled. He gets one point for trying, but trying and tyranny both start with the same letter in this case, if you get my meaning. 1/5

(Political) Legacy: When your legacy is Oliver Cromwell and a ban on all fun things like partying, theatre and Christmas, you surely cannot expect to get a single point from me, who loves all these things. 0/5

Fascination Factor: There is something to be said for him having, at least in his private life, been a good man who loved his family, but while that wins you sympathy, it does not win you a crown. 1/5

TOTAL: 2

Charles II

Reign: It’s the Merry Monarch himself! He’s part Scottish, French, Italian, a little bit Dane, but 100% party animal, champagne! The king who brought both partying and the crown back actually has a very mixed record, especially when regarding his foreign policy and tendency to eye French support (and through the latter, Catholicism) more keenly than a great many of his subjects were comfortable with (see the Treaty of Dover for just one example), and had to face several military defeats (nobody mention Michiel de Ruyter and the Medway to him). That said, Charles proved he had a hands-on attitude during the Great Fire of London and, despite his many fights with Parliament, quite popular with his subjects. 2/5

(Political) Legacy: In the absence of male heirs, it was expected quite early on that his brother James would follow him to the throne. While leaving the kingdom stabilised and ensuring a peaceful succession, Charles can be partially blamed for not keeping James, the walking PR- and personal disaster of a Stuart, on a tighter leash during his lifetime, and being way too soft with his oldest illegitimate son, James, Duke of Monmouth, who ended up rebelling against his eponymous uncle claiming Charles had actually been married to his mother, Lucy Walter. That being said, leaving a stable realm to a known Catholic successor, and by the wealth of his illegitimate children repopulating the somewhat depleted ranks of the British nobility is no mean feat: when the present-day Prince of Wales will ascend the throne, he’ll be the first direct descendant of Charles II to wear the crown— Old Rowley has clearly been playing the long game. 2/5

Fascination Factor: Charles’ hedonistic court full of mistresses, wits, sexual promiscuity, partying and general merriment continues to enthral. Charles himself was known to be funny and good at engineering humorous ripostes and one-liners; with the women in his life, Charles seems to have enjoyed rather respectful relationships, to the point that it was rumoured that he enjoyed them twisting him around their little finger. He did get on people’s nerves a little though for forever retelling the story of his escape from England as Prince of Wales and letting his spaniels eat off the table. Anyway, 5/5.

TOTAL: 9

James II

Reign: There is not much to expect of a man nicknamed Dismal Jimmy by his brother’s mistress, and Séamus a' chaca (James the Shit) by the population of an entire island. And really, there was not. While a point is to be made that especially as a young man soldiering in foreign service, James proved he was brave in the field, the older Jamie, who, according to his brother had “the soul of a medieval pope” only got himself into hot water for a) having turned Catholic and b) living his religion a little too publicly for his majority-Anglican subjects who equated the latter with absolutism. He had no sense for what the times called for politically and alienated his subjects, and closest family members. I don’t need to go into the whole Glorious Revolution here, but suffice to say that it takes a special kind of not-clever to have your enemy help you escape the country. I will award him one point for having attempted to work towards religious toleration, however poorly he went about it. 1/5

(Political) Legacy: He got himself exiled by his own daughter and son-in-law and alienated about everyone and was absolutely tone-deaf to the political currents of the time. He’s also the reason why British heirs to the throne today are barred from being or, God forbid, marrying a Catholic. He gets one point for being the father of subsequent queens Mary and Anne. 1/5

Fascination Factor: Like his older brother, James was a womaniser extraordinaire; only, he lacked Charles’ sense, charm and wit (and actual respect for his sexual partners), and could be heard trying to impress women by talking about dislocated shoulders, or horseshoes. His main selling point was being the King’s brother. Dirty Jamie, who shared an uncomfortable amount of similarities with the current Duke of York regarding his sexual preferences, also performed sex acts in public, and tried to get rid of his fiancée by claiming she had gotten pregnant by someone who was Certainly Not Him. It appears that his fervent Catholicism didn’t keep him from being a serial cheater, and later in life, while in exile, he tried to break up his oldest daughter’s marriage, and then forbade mourning for her when she died. An absolute class act. He gets 2/5 for being a mess, a menace to society (particularly 15-20-year-old women and girls), and going to mass a little too obviously.

Total: 4

William III

Reign: That’s a tough one. There is his successful takeover of the throne, not done since William the Conqueror in 1066, but there also was a lasting antipathy towards him on account of him being perceived as a foreigner, something pretty much evened out in the public’s eye by his wife’s popularity. While William’s reign was a time of domestic stability, his main focus lay on the Netherlands, and his continental dispute with Louis XIV. His interest in England itself was marginal beyond its taxes, but he did run the government efficiently, understanding the measures the time required, and getting along more smoothly with Parliament than his predecessors. 3/5

(Political) Legacy: He is largely forgotten in the Netherlands, and in Britain, he is largely only remembered for being Protestant and ousting James II. The Defender of the Faith’s more unsavoury legacy, though not one he was personally involved in, is in the Northern Ireland conflict where Protestants regard him as a figurehead of their cause. The fact of the matter is however that for William, it never was about England, Britain, and certainly not (the future Northern) Ireland. He did not strive to become king because he was so fondly attached to England (in fact, he pretty much detested all of his maternal Stuart relatives except for Mary and the polluted air of London caused him to have violent asthma attacks), or indeed because he genuinely cared for the plight of English Protestants. William understood that he could use the politics of religion as were prevalent in his day to his advantage in his fight against Louis XIV on the continent. By winning the English crown, William could expect to gain access to a vast amount of financial and military resources. William was, in fact, rather tolerant when it came to religious matters, but knew how to use his own. Sorry, Brits. What William really cared for were not England, and not even Protestants in general— his one true love, Mary aside, were the Netherlands. From another perspective however, we have to give William credit for establishing, among others, lasting institutions such as the Bank of England and introducing the freedom of the press! All things considered, he was modestly-sized man who left a big legacy. 4/5

Fascination Factor: William, perceived as cold, aloof and rumoured to be homosexual, was anything but. Away from the public eye, the chronically ill man who very much relied on a show of strength to brush over his so-perceived physical incapacities from his chronic illnesses to being all of 5 inches shorter than his wife, was a kind and caring man who melted into a puddle around children and loved his wife more than his kingdom. His attitude to women was surprisingly open-minded, as letters show, most tellingly one written to his best friend as a young Stadholder, asking how he might discreetly help a young Dutch noblewoman whose name had been dragged through the mud after an unplanned pregnancy. According to some of Mary’s early letters, William was also a generous lover, and their love, which grew over time so strong that William, whose physical and mental health had collapsed so greatly when she died that it was feared he would die of a broken heart, refused to remarry out of grief, and wearing her wedding ring, which he had worked into a locket containing some of her hair, around his neck that was only discovered after his death. Whatever the rumours might say, it’s unlikely he ever had any illicit lovers, so we shall deduct a point for not delivering on the saucy intrigue front. Rather disappointingly, the biggest scandal he ever caused as King of England was The Peas Incident. 4/5

TOTAL: 11

Mary II

Reign: Mary came to the throne when she, jointly with her husband, deposed her father during the Glorious Revolution. While generally seen as subservient and obedient to William, whom she installed as co-monarch, it is important to note that Mary was never expected to be queen, and had been raised rather neglectfully, with little other instruction aside from writing fluently enough to make herself understood, French and dancing. She was however a clever woman aware of her shortcomings, and despite her weak eyesight an avid reader, seeking to better her education. Taking this into account, she actually displayed considerable political acumen by appointing William her co-monarch and letting him take over the reins of day-to-day business, since he had been, ever since his childhood, prepared to become a head of state in his own right. When William was away however, Mary proved, that while she did not like reigning much and always feared that she would not live up to the job, she was more than capable at handling day-to-day politics on her own. Apart from that, she stabilised the kingdom after the Glorious Revolution with her mere presence, since she was exceedingly popular, whereas William, despite being half-English himself, was eyed with suspicion on account of being a foreigner. And perhaps, there also lies some strength in not wanting to be queen; humbleness, and a will to use her position to better the lives of people in need marked Mary’s rule. 3/5

(Political) Legacy: Mary’s political legacy is very much the same as William’s, since they reigned jointly until her death. Mary’s charity was renowned, and she was influential in introducing pet goldfish and white and blue porcelain to Britain. 3/5 politically since she did take the passenger seat ruling, and a further point for charity work, porcelain and goldfish! 4/5

Fascination Factor: Mary’s life was short, and marked by tragedy. Having lost her mother young, it was by no means expected for a long time that Mary would one day become queen. Married off at 15 to a certain Dutch cousin, Mary quickly overcame the initial shock of having been swiftly uprooted from her home, and instantly became popular with the Dutch and, to everyone’s surprise, her husband, with whom she ended up in a relationship akin to those in the romance novels she enjoyed so much. Some of Mary’s letters, preserved by William, have been published and reveal just how much she loved him, sometimes to the point of musing that she would never wish to outlive him as she would not be able to live without him by her side. Other notable professions include her near-blaspheming that if she could not have a child with him, she would not want to have “the child of an angel”. Indeed, it was her childlessness that haunted Mary throughout her life, believing that such was a divine punishment for having broken the Ten Commandments by having deposed her father. Beneath the melancholy, deeply religious queen however hid a lively young woman who would make the odd saucy joke about herself, ice skate with her skirts rucked up, and dance the night away. The tragic story of a dreamer, a romantic heart that had to grow up too quickly, too soon. 5/5

TOTAL: 12

Anne

Reign: Anne’s reputation has certainly suffered from the unfavourable lens of later (male) historians; generally speaking, her reign was one of relative internal stability, not at least because Anne, contrary in particular to her father and uncle, managed to maintain a working relationship with parliament. The Treaty of Utrecht even marked an end on armed hostilities between Britain and France, and Britain could establish itself during the Wars of the Spanish Succession, as a major player in (Continental-) European politics. I am however taking one point off my original score for her husband’s management of the Royal Navy and the influence wielded by some of her favourites. 3/5

(Political) Legacy: Under Anne, Louis XIV recognised the Hanoverian succession, and from 1707 onwards, Anne became the first British monarch following the Act of Union between England and Scotland. Anne was also a noted patron of the arts, whose name has become a label for architecture and furniture of the period. Among those who profited from the Queen’s protection were such household names as Georg Friedrich Händel, whom she presented with an annuity, and Isaac Newton. 4/5

Fascination Factor: …Lasting enough that there is a good chance many of you might have watched, or at least heard of the 2018 film The Favourite, a fictionalised take on Anne and her (potentially sexual and romantic) attachment to two of her courtiers, the Duchess of Marlborough and Abigail Hill. Her fairly recent appearance in the entertainment media aside, Anne’s life was no less tragic than her sister’s; having lost all of her 17 (!) children and her husband and suffering from increasingly ill health, Anne persevered. Looking at the lonely last Stuart monarch as merely the dour, stout lady from the portraits is missing a lot; Anne was instrumental in convincing her older sister that their father’s second wife’s pregnancy was a sham, and, observing the rule of her sister and brother-in-law, decided that she would do things differently when she would come to the throne. Obscured by discussions of her health and pregnancies (and occasionally, potential female lovers), the real Anne rarely emerges. 5/5 TOTAL: 12

The Result:

But wait, we almost forgot something there! Now, for the definitive result by addition of

Radegonde’s Royal Prerogative:

I have thought long and hard about this, and have decided to award my crown to Mary II. Contrary to her sister Anne, she had no time to learn and observe ruling the country as a female monarch, and, also having never received an education fit for an heir to the throne, was actually sensible in letting William take over the day-to-day business. That said, Mary grew with the tasks set before her, and proved adept at ruling in William’s absence. I will also add that perhaps, Mary not having a decided interest in power and ruling made her all the better as a monarch, since she did not look for personal glory, but simply doing her job as smoothly and as well as possible.

Now the nice has been talked about, let’s proceed to the naughty: I have thought long and hard about this, and was torn between, ahem, rewarding either James I and James II with the dubious dishonour of a triple deduction of points, and have at last decided to award it to James I, on account of, you know, essentially kickstarting a yet unresolved conflict and hunting witches. James II has already managed to lose his crown all by himself, he doesn’t need my help.

So this is my final result:

There you have it.

I hope, Anon, this answers your question?

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thealmightyemprex · 2 years

Text

RAnking the Shrek/Puss In Boots Movies

With the recent release of Puss in Boots the Last Wish , I was inspired to revisit a franchise I hadnt revisited in a long time.So I watched all SIX Shrek/Puss In Boots movies

For those who dont know this franchise the basic premise is this is a fairy tale world that makes fun of ,subverts and plays with fairy tale tropes .For the first four films we follow an ogre named Shrek who falls in love with a princess ,and in the last two we follow one of Shreks sidekicks ,the dashing outlaw Puss In Boots

Based on a childrens book Shrek! by William Steig (Which I have read ,and I think might have been an influence on me as a creative) the film franchise became reallly big....And then it went kinda dormant.It has a weird legacy ,where it changed animation forever ,some of it not in good ways , and it was memed to hell . So I went into this project curious what my thoughts were gonna be , I had seen all the films save for the fourth one,watched the first two ALOT in my childhood ,but I hadnt thought about the series in forever ,till this new Puss In Boots came out

Well I watched all the series in order,and here is my ranking from worst to best

Minor Spoilers going forward cause I am talking about these stories out of order

Number 6 :Shrek the Third (2007)

Shrek goes on a quest to find the next heir to the throne of Far Far Away while coming to terms with the fact he is about to be a father ,meanwhile the kingdom is being taken over by an army of villains lead by Prince Charming

Yeah this might be the least surprising ranking on the list,this movie is bad ,The film has like a million ideas it wants to do and it doesnt do them well. I hate the new characters it introduce and I just cringe at multiple scenes (I say the death and funaeral of the king is the worst scene in the entire franchise ).I feel kind of bad putting it so low,as I dislike the film above it slightly more.....But the more about the Third the more I realize how BAD it is

5.Shrek Forever AFter(2010)

Shrek frustrated with the changes in his life makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin to spend one carefree day being a terrifying ogre in exchange for a day from when he was a baby,.,,,Unfortunately he gave up the day he was born ,and must find a way to break the curse before he vanishes at sunrise

Tedious and dull.Look I know this movie has its fans but I am not one of them , I kind of really dislike this film and its cause I dislike Its Wonderful Life pastiches . I dont know if I laughted once while watching .I dont care about these new ogre characters we meet and I dont really care about these alternate takes on the main characters.I also admit ,I had gotten really sick of Shreks woe as me shtick cause he grumbles about his damn swamp every movie . I kept flip flopping over whether to place this or three at the bottom,cause I think,personally I dislike this more then three .That said....Its better made then three ,there more of a plot ,we have a clear goal,Rumplestiltskin is kinda fun ,the climax is good and I think Mike Meyers gives a really great performance as Shrek .I kept flip flopping over whether to place this or three at the bottom,and truth is three is worse ,I can see general audiences not having the hang ups I have .This movie isnt bad ,I just personally dont like it

4.Puss In Boots (2011)

Puss teams up with his old friend Humpty Dumpty and professional thief Kitty Softpaws to steal magic beans Puss and Humpty has been after since childhood

This one is OK . I think it gives Puss much more character then he got in the previous Shrek films ,Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayak give very solid performances as Puss and Kitty rspectfully ,it had moments I found really hilarious and as its a whole its a fun action adventure story. My big problems are the last act where bifg threat is a giant goose is underwhelming and.....Look I am just gonna say it Humpty Dumptys design freaks me the hell out ,hes very unsettling to look at.Dont like his character or performance much either .Its not a bad film but its just a fun action romp and not much more

3.Shrek (2001)

Shrek,joined by Donkey , reluctantly goes on a quest to save Princess Fiona in order to get a bunch of fairy tale creatures off his land

The first Shrek ,though it has aged in the 22 years since its release (God I feel old ) ,is a special film that I think is very good .I dont even consider it a family film,theres a lot of stuff that goes over kids heads in this .To me this both a buddy comedy / rom com first ,fantasy animated movie second .The main romance and moral are great ,I love the pop song soundtrack ,the voice cast consisting of Mike Meyers ,Eddie Murphy,Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow are great , theres some memorable lines ,and I like that the film is both salty and sweet ,sweet with the relationships Shrek has with Fiona and Donkey ,but salty with the satire agaianst Disney and vulgar/mean humor ,which works in this film cause its has a point .Now I do think the film can be too mean,specially with all the short jokes pointed at the villain , theres an annoying third act misunderstanding , not all the jokes land and I'm sorry the animation has aged like milk,the human characters especially look ugly .Overall though ,Shrek has become a classic,and I think it deserves to be called that

2.Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek and Fiona arrive in Far Far Away to meet Fionas parents ,not knowing that their marriage has interferred with a bargain King Harold made with the Fairy Godmother to set Fiona up with PRince Charming

Shrek 2 is a legit great movie and possibly one of the best animated comedies I have ever seen ,like I cant stress enough how friggin funny this movie is .The returning cast are all great,and we get some great new peformances by Antonio Bandera,Jennifer Saunders ,John Cleese ,Rupert Everett and Julie Andrews.Animation has held up well ,the villain is amazing,this film introduces Puss who is a ton of fun here ,the pop songs are again great.....And the film has one of the best scene in any morie:The Holding Out For A Hero scene ,the movie is worth watching just for that scene .Overall I think it just does what a sequel is supposed to do ,in that it builds on the first film,and I think surpasses it

And now we get to my favorite film in the Shrek film.And I must ask.....WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FEARLESS HEROOOOO-

1.Puss In Boots the Last Wish

Puss is on his last life ,and sets out on a journey to find the wishing star,however he is not the only one after it so the race is on

This is a very recent film.....And I have already watched it three times.....This might not only be my favorite film in the Shrek series,,,,,This might be my favorite Dream Works movie .....I kind of love this movie.What can I say ,I love movies about diffrent characters questing for a goal ,I love action and the action is fantastic ,and I adore good villains and we have two great villains here plus a group of very entertaining anti villains .What I really love is that it actually explores its characters ,and Puss and Kitty are given a bit of depth here .Its also the most gorgeous Shrek movie going for a more stylized look ,this might be one of my favorite animate films ever and it is definately my favorite of the Shrek/Puss In Boots series

What are your thoughts?Lets discuss this series

@autistic-prince-cinderella @themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @the-blue-fairie @goodanswerfoxmonster @angelixgutz @ariel-seagull-wings @marquisedemasque @amalthea9 @filmcityworld1

#shrek franchise #puss in boots

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