#aboriginal gangs

[frazzledrazzled]

Thing's I'd put in the Australian version of Ghosts if I was making it

If you haven't heard, an Australian version of the BBC's popular show Ghosts has been confirmed! So far, there is a finished UK version, and ongoing (I believe?) USA version, German and French versions in production, and now the upcoming Australian version. (Now I know there's a bit of information out there already about the setup of the show but I haven't been able to access that so I know nothing about it aside from it exists.) So, as an Australian, here's what I'd love to see in it:

An Aboriginal ghost from thousands of years ago as well as an Aboriginal ghost from the last 30ish years - remind people that Aboriginal Australians are the oldest ongoing culture in the world

The mansion to have not always been a family home. Maybe like a boarding school or something, with some ghosts who were students there (or maybe teachers, as actors playing students would age much more noticeably. Actually a headmaster could be a good Fanny/ Hetty counterpart)

If not that, then maybe it's on a big bit of farmland - very Australian. Could let the livings discover news ghosts throughout the show as they explore all the nooks and crannies of the vast place

A different take on the main pair of livings would be cool. Maybe best friends, or house mates, or a sapphic couple?

Remember that ghost pigeon from the UK version? I want ghosts of extinct animals. Give me a megafauna kangaroo ghost PLEASE

If it's set in Victoria, some gold miners! There were a lot of Chinese gold miners too, so a Chinese ghost could be a chance to remind the audience that Australia is a multicultural society, and has been for a few hundred years

If in Victoria, and if there are gold miner ghosts, them finding out about Sovereign Hill would be a delight. (I say this even as my best friend's family are higher-ups at Sov Hill) the ghosts pointing out historical inaccuracies would be funny

A ghost who says he was part of the Kelly Gang (Ned Kelly's crew) a la how Black Pete from Our Flag Means Death talks about working with Blackbeard. Our claimed Kelly Gang member really only met Ned Kelly once, or was in the gang for only a week before dying in an embarrassing, unrelated way - Humphrey Bone core

A Kiwi ghost that they all ignore and shut down. Maybe they all talk about him like he's a lameass and a prick and all, then the livings finally meet him (he's been banished to a far corner of the property) and he's a decorated, brave ANZAC soldier who's very kind of heart and wants nothing but peace with the other ghosts. But the ghosts all hate him for being Kiwi (uniting the variety of ghosts in the show with a common "enemy"). Not to make fun of ANZACs or our war history, but more to poke fun at the way we hate Kiwis

Obligatory arrow-through-the-neck ghost was a camp counsellor who was shot by a kid who was on school camp with his primary school. Everyone has horrific injuries from school camp stories, so it could be a recent ghost and the living woman saying like "yeah and I once got a fishing hook in my hand on camp" "I once burnt myself trying to cook damper" and the counsellor saying "yeah well i once got shot and killed on a school camp, so."

FOOTY. Even as a Norflag truther, a ghost of a North Melbourne player from the early 1900s (when they were doing well) watching how badly they're going now would be a bit of fun

A ghost who died in the Great Emu War. The ghost: "I was in a war once" The living: "Oh my god are you an ANZAC? I had no idea" The ghost: "... not quite."

We have a great history of taking the piss out of our politicians, and also just not caring about them at all, so a Julian (from the UK version) counterpart would be very well received

KYLIE MINOGUE CAMEO (she was mentioned and cameod in the UK version)

And obviously, some cheeky references to the other versions

But whatever the show ends up to be, I'm really looking forward to it!

[christine-ye]

Kamen Rider Blade character name meanings

I was watching an anime lyric video on YouTube last night and recognized one of the kanji in the lyrics also being used for one of the main characters' names in Blade and ended up falling down a rabbit hole (aka Jisho.org) so I made a guide breaking down the Blade cast's names because 1. when do I ever not think about this show and 2. language stuff is fun to look into (also included Shiori and Kotaro because why not, slight spoilers incoming)

♠ Kazuma Kenzaki (剣崎一真)/Kamen Rider Blade ♠

Kenzaki (剣崎): ken (剣) - sword (spade itself also derives from the Spanish and Italian spada meaning 'sword'); zaki (崎) - small peninsula, promontory

Kazuma (一真): kazu (一) - one; ma (真) - true/truth, reality, genuineness (could refer to Kenzaki's genuine love for humanity and eventually Hajime); both characters together could mean "one truth" (could refer to Kenzaki seeking the one true way to allow Hajime to keep living without having the world be destroyed during the finale) or "one reality" (could refer to the current nature of the Battle Fight preventing Kenzaki and Hajime from seeing each other again despite them defying their fates)

Blade: the main part of a sword whose name is derived from the Old English blæd meaning 'leaf' (also hence why the spade is replaced with the leaf in German playing cards), related to the Suit of Swords (Spades) in the Minor Arcana

♦ Sakuya Tachibana (橘朔也)/Kamen Rider Garren ♦

Tachibana (橘): mandarin orange (specifically the Citrus tachibana, also explains why one of his themed drinks from the Kamen Rider Diner was orange-flavored)

Sakuya (朔也): saku (朔) - new moon (symbolizes new beginnings in astrology, which ties into Tachibana's return to being Garren again after initially trying to quit and his character song literally being called Rebirth), the first day of the lunar calendar; ya (也) - to be (classical form), also a common suffix in Japanese male names

Garren: either a corruption of the English word 'currency' in Japanese or phonetically sounds similar to the French carreau meaning 'diamond' (might be a stretch though), related to the Suit of Coins (Diamonds) in the Minor Arcana

♥ Hajime Aikawa (相川始)/Kamen Rider Chalice ♥

Aikawa (相川): ai (相) - mutuality, togetherness (also phonetically sounds the same as the Japanese word for love, which ties into Hajime's character arc and Chalice's heart motif); kawa (川) - river, stream; both characters together could mean "river of mutuality" or "river of togetherness"

Hajime (始): beginning (ironically contrasts his true role as humanity's destroyer)

Chalice: holy cup or goblet whose name is derived from the Latin calix meaning 'cup', related to the Suit of Cups (Hearts) in the Minor Arcana (also symbolic of Hajime's growing love and humanness throughout the show)

♣ Mutsuki Kamijo (上条睦月)/Kamen Rider Leangle ♣

Kamijō (上条): kami (上) - above, up; jō (条) - article, clause

Mutsuki (睦月): mutsu (睦) - intimate, friendly, harmonious (could refer to Mutsuki learning to control the Spider Undead's power with Tachibana's help); tsuki (月) - moon, month; both characters together mean the ancient Japanese name for January

Leangle: an Aboriginal club/polearm-type weapon, related to the Suit of Wands (Clubs) in the Minor Arcana

💻 Shiori Hirose (広瀬栞) 💻

Hirose (広瀬): hiro (広) - vast, broad, spacious; se (瀬) - rapids

Shiori (栞): bookmark, guidebook (could refer to her role as the gang's resident Undead tracker and Kenzaki's closest ally at BOARD)

🥛 Kotaro Shirai (白井虎太郎) 🥛

Shirai (白井): shira (白) - white (callback to his love for milk mayhaps /j); i (井) - well, town, community (could refer to him befriending and providing hospitality for Kenzaki and Shiori after BOARD kicks the bucket, also farmhouse trio ftw)

Kotarō (虎太郎): ko (虎) - tiger, drunkard (for milk obviously /j); ta (太) - thick; rō (郎) - common suffix in Japanese male names

[voidbirds]

The Gang-Gang Cockatoo! One of the only species I've covered to be known commonly by its actual Aboriginal Name! (either from the Ngunnawal or Wiradjuri people, although it's possible both called them this).

GangGangs are a pretty interesting cockatoo, as you can see their crest is rather wispy and fluffy rather than the straight feathers you find on most Cockies. The ladies of this species are quite similar but are missing the red face and crest of the gentlemen presented here. Instead they have an adorable grey miniature crest

[squidbian-ink]

OCtober Day 2- New OC

These two designs were done for my character design class last year at Uni! I never posted them here, so I thought I'd pick them for today's prompt :)

Our assignment was to pick a group of characters from folklore, history or mythology that had been overlooked or misunderstood. I chose lady bushrangers, but with a 'sci-fi meets mad max' twist. I also designed them with the idea that they'd be used in a megaman-style action platformer game.

LEFT: "Lucky Lizzy", loosly based on bushranger Jessie Hickman. She's cocky, impulsive, and seemingly can't feel pain (maybe due to nerve damage from living in the wasteland?). She's famous for performing dangerous circus stunts on her motorcyle, but also for her propensity for gambling.

RIGHT: "Mrs Winter", based on bushrangers Mary Heard and Mary Cockerill. She's a mechanical engineer who was forced to hide in the bush many years ago after she got chased out of Australia's futuristic eco-capital. As a bushranger, she was injured and betrayed by her former gang leader. The incident left her with a weak right arm, so she used her skills to fashion herself a gauntlet that basically gives her ice powers. Currently on a missions to use said ice powers to exact her revenge. She also happens to be Aboriginal, from the Awabakal nation.

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

NED KELLY

NED KELLY

December 1854 – 11 November 1880

            Kelly’s father John ‘Red’ was born in Ireland who stole pigs and was transported to Van Diemen’s Land, Australia in 1841 as a convict. After his release he moved to Victoria and became lucky due to gold-digging and purchased a home and married Ellen in Ballarat. Kelly grew up in the bush and once saved a boy from drowning and was given a green sash by the boy’s family which he wore under his armour during the final showdown. Red stole cattle and died during his time of hard labour, which left Ellen alone with eight children. The Kelly family were also known for theft which led to Kelly’s bushranger lifestyle and led Australia’s most famous gang. After a series of offences, the police declared them wanted outlaws.

            The Siege at Glenrowan started on 27 June 1880, when the gang gathered inside a hotel with 62 hostages from the town. The gang treated the hostages well, providing them with drinks, music and entertainment. Kelly and his gang had bullet-repelling armour and helmets which weighed 44 kilos, but their legs remained exposed. Over the armour they wore grey coats. At 10pm, Kelly and some of his gang left to capture the local Constable and took him back to the hotel. Two trains from Melbourne carrying police and reporters were stopped by a local who told them about the Kelly Gang at the hotel. Some of the hostages were released except for the Constable who was able to escape and warn police.

            Police and Aboriginal trackers arrived at the hotel, where the police and gang fired at one another for an hour. The authorities then surrounded the hotel during the night, at 5am the next morning, and fire continued until more police arrived at the scene. The rest of the hostages were released. Kelly then approached the police wearing his iron armour, mask and overcoat, he fired at the police and hid behind trees during the attack. The Sergeant shot Kelly twice in the legs and feet, Kelly screamed out ‘I am done – I am done’. Kelly was carried away and his wounds were dressed, whilst his gang continued firing at the police from the hotel until it later ceased when fire was set to the hotel.

            Kelly stood trial and was charged with murder, bank robberies as well as other crimes. He was sentenced to hanging and was permitted to farewell his family members. Kelly was hanged on 11 November 1880 at Old Melbourne Gaol. On his way to his execution, he walked past flower beds which he remarked, ‘what a nice little garden’. Some say his last words was ‘Such is life’ or ‘Ah, well, I suppose it has come to this,’.

#nedkelly

[kwojciechowicz]

Hello, Everyone! I just finished my newest seventh graphic. This time I drew Gang Gang Cockatoos. :)

The gang-gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) is a parrot found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland.

Mostly mild grey in colour with some lighter scalloping (more pronounced and buffy in females), the male has a red head and crest, while the female has a small fluffy grey crest. It ranges throughout south-eastern Australia. The gang-gang cockatoo is the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory. It is easily identified by its distinctive call, which is described as resembling a creaky gate, or the sound of a cork being pulled from a wine bottle.

The name gang-gang comes from a New South Wales Aboriginal language, probably from one of the coastal languages, although possibly from Wiradjuri.

[bethanythebogwitch]

More Australian Fakemon

More Pokemon from by region based on Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand (mostly Australia though). This time I'm going to show off some (but not all) of the early game standards. Also, I have finally named my region. It will be the Goorda region, which is the word for "island" in the aboriginal Noongar language.

Previous entries: starters, regional starters, misc 1, and misc 2

The early-game mammal is Sleepossum, the sleepy Pokemon, normal type. It's based on a bush tail possum with some traits of opossums, the only extant marsupial of the Americas. Possums are a large group of arboreal marsupials and it's only fitting that such a common critter should be the Rattata equivalent of this region. Sleepossum spends most of its time asleep and has learned to fight and move even without waking up, though it prefers to flee. It cuddles its own tail while sleeping. Because they are cute and docile, they are a popular choice for new trainers. Its name comes from "sleep" and "possum". The sleeping trait is an exaggeration of the opossum adaptation of playing dead.

Sleepossum evolves to Somnossum, the sleepwalker Pokemon, normal/psychic type. It spends its entire life asleep, but it dreams about the world around it, letting it move and act as though awake. Some say its dreams are connected to the dream world, allowing it to gain insight on the past and future. Its tail acts like a cushion for it to sleep on. Its name comes from "possum" and "somnambulist", which is the technical term for a sleepwalker. Sleepossum and Somnossum inherit the Comatose ability formerly unique to Komala.

The Pikachu clone is Bilbolt, the bilby Pokemon, electric type. Its based on bilbies, a type of animal related to bandicoots that are endangered I mostly picked the bilby because it's cute. Bilbolt is very much based on Pikachu, mostly being "what if Pikachu were a bilby". Bilbolt is a shy and reclusive herbivore that can electrify it muscles to give itself a sudden burst of speed when in danger. Its fur channels a slight electric current, which can cause tingling and numbness if touched for too long. Bilbolt comes from "bilby" and "bolt".

Since SV gave the green light for Pikachu clones to evolve, Bilbolt will evolve into Cerebulb, the mad scientist Pokemon, electric/psychic type. Cerebulb is very obviously based on a mad scientist, with its poof of Einstein hair, fur that looks like a lab coat, and eyes that look like big glasses. It is also based on the trope of a lightbulb appearing over someone's head when they get an idea. Cerebulb can electrify its hair to stimulate its brain, increasing its intelligence while decreasing its inhibitions and sanity. It will often perform strange experiments during this time. You can tell it's stimulating its brain because its hair will glow brightly like a lightbulb. Its name comes from "cerebellum" or "cerebral" and "lightbulb".

For the early game dark type (think Poochyena, Purrloin, or Nickit) we have a regional form of Buneary, the rabbit Pokemon, dark type. Rabbits are one of the worst invasive species in Australia, ranked as most destructive in one study. Alolan Meowth and Rattata also set a precedent for Pokemon based on invasive species to be dark type. When Buneary were introduced to Goorda by foreign trade, they flourished in a land with fewer predators and started outcompeting native Pokemon, becoming an invasive species. They lost their timid and shy nature, instead becoming ruffians and bullies.

Goordan Buneary evolves to Goordan Lopunny, the rabbit Pokemon, dark type. It takes command of gangs of Goordan Buneary, leading them to find food and bully other Pokemon. While it is a bully and a ruffian, it does care for its subordinates and seeks to protect them. It is based on sukebans, female gang leaders in Japan. Its design makes it look like it's wearing a long coat and sarashi, a design often seen in fictional sukeban. It being based on a Japanese concept is a nod to the Buneary line originating in the Japan-based Sinnoh region.

[ditte-i-brisbane]

Turen går til Tasmanien part 1/3

Jeg har haft mid semester break, og denne blev brugt down under down under i Tassie. Her var jeg på grupperejse, hvor jeg var på en 5 day Tassie trip. Der er altså virkelig meget at skrive om, så det bliver nok spredt ud over et par opslag.

Søndag (Hobart - Bicheno):

I dag startede min roadtrip gennem Tassie! Vi startede klokken 7:00 og kørte fra Hobart til Wine Glass Bay, hvor vi vandrede vi på Mount Amos. Det var kun en 2 km retur vandretur, men den var omkring 350 højdemeter. Det var altså meget stejlt, men vildt fedt! På toppen var der en smuk udsigt over Wine Glass Bay, som har sit navn fra hvalfisker dagene. Her ville de rense hvalerne ved stranden, og breden ville fyldes med blodet. Derfor ville stranden altså være helt rød, og den lignede derfor rødvin. Heldigvis er der ikke mere hvalfiskeri i Tasmanien, så nu er vandet flot og blåt!

Efter stoppet ved Wine Glass Bay kørte vi til Bicheno, hvor vi spottede pingviner! Her kommer pingvinerne altså op efter solnedgang, for at komme tilbage til deres reder. Pingviner er meget bange dyr, så efter de havde fundet en sten på vejen de kunne gemme sig under, kom de ikke meget videre i den time vi kiggede på dem. Det var meget mørkt, men pingviner kan ikke se rødt lys, derfor kunne vi se dem med det røde lys. Pingvinerne bruger flere timer på at komme tilbage til deres redder hver aften, fordi de er de mest bange dyr. Vi sad og kiggede på dem under stenen i mindst en time, og det lykkedes altså kun en pingvin at bevæge sig videre mod sin redde. Meget fjollede dyr.

Mandag (Bicheno - Launceston):

I dag vågnede vi lige inden kl 5 for st se solopgangen i Bicheno på østkysten. Det var en virkelig dejlig måde at starte dagen på :))

Efter solopgang spiste vi morgenmad, drak kaffe også tog vi ned til Bichenos såkaldte blowhole. Dette er et hul i stenen, hvor der bliver “skudt” vand op, når bølgerne kommer. Det ligner altså lidt en hvals blåsthul. Her så vi også en sød krabbe, der gemte sig under stenene.

Vi tog derefter videre på vores tur langs østkysten, hvor vi kørte op til Bay of Fires. Bredden er kaldt dette, fordi europæerne kunne se røgen fra alle de Aboriginals bål, som altså lyste hele bredden op. Efter de så havde opkaldt området Bay of Fires, fandt de ud af, at hele bredden er fyldt med orange klædte sten. Navnet passer altså meget godt. Her stoppede vi på stranden Cosy Corner, hvor jeg fik mig en morgendukkert. Vandet her er noget at de smukkeste vand, jeg nogensinde har badet i. Det var helt fantastisk. Udover dyppeturen, fik vi set endnu en krabbe, og en flok delfiner der svømmede forbi. Meget dejlig strand :))

Efter stranden kørte vi forbi en østersfarm, hvor vi fik købt friske østers til frokost. Min frokost bestod altså af 6 friskt plukkede østers med citron og en æblesnegl (ligesom kanelsnegl, men med æble) til dessert. Det var 10/10.

Vi tog derefter videre fra østkysten og ind i landet. Vi kørte til Launceston, Tasmaniens anden største by med lige omkring 100.000 indbyggere, hvor vi skulle sove fra mandag til tirsdag. Inden solen gik ned havde vi tid til en gåtur ved Cataract Gorge. Her fik vi set en hel masse pademelon, små wallabies, og et par påfugle. Påfuglene blev introduceret af en indisk rigmand for mange år siden, der synes Cataract Gorge var virkelig flot, men kunne være flottere med nogle påfugle. Han sejlede hjem, hentede en kasse med påfugle, kom tilbage, og satte dem fri. Heldigvis har de ikke spredt sig ud fra det område, så de skaber ingen problemer for naturen på Tasmanien. Her fik jeg for anden gang den dag lov til at få et dyp, denne gang i ferskvand. Det var virkelig koldt, men det blev gjort, og jeg havde det rigtig rart bagefter!

Aftenen sluttede af med en omgang bouldering, da storbyen Launceston har et bouldering gym. Her brugte vores tour guide Tim og jeg ca 2 timer på at klatre, hvorefter vi fik en god omgang maccas (Mac donalds) til aftensmad.

Alt i alt en virkelig god dag :))

[theultrablog]

Pulp Storytime #79: Where women glow…and men plunder!

Don’t believe everything you write in the papers.

A hot December day down under.  Trudy Truman, ace reporter, is finally back in the newsroom of the Melbourne Age. Despite her award-winning stories, she’s alienated her coworkers by being a gallivanting rich girl. She wins them back though, taking point on a difficult mining story on the far side of the country. She may be haughty, but her sheer -enthusiasm- is charming. Uptown, freelance butler Aldous Bingen is charming without a hint of enthusiasm. The staff is moving in tremendous quantities of new furniture. There is nearly a snafu… Until Aldous spies a porter holding a floor plan upside down. The doorbell rings. The prodigal daughter is home for lunch.

"Trudy?"  "Bingen?" "Wait, did you invite Professor Callahan?" "I think he invited himself…"

Lunch was a spectacle. Bingen tried to cough and tut the prof into good behavior. Mr. and Mrs. Truman were eager to talk about Trudy's career… But did she have to do so much international travel? Thankfully, there was more moving to do. Trudy was suspicious when her father forbade her to cover Aussie mining. She put two and two together when she saw all the new crates. But prying would provoke an argument… And a reporter should have more than one source. That meant talking to daddy’s financial manager. He couldn’t tell her anything… Until she threatened to withdraw -her- funds. The money-man wheedled, cajoled, begged… In the waiting room, Aldous mapped a tasteful, tranquil garden. Callahan stared at the secretary, who stared back even harder. Soon, Trudy emerged, smiling like the cat who caught the canary. But she had something better: the name and financial records of daddy’s new, successful mine, all the way in Western Australia. The Alan Arani was currently with Jonesy in New Zealand, so the group had to rely on professor Callahan’s plane. Under the influence of Captain Ivanova, Callahan named his plane "The Spectre [of communism]". It could do the job, but it wasn’t the DC-3 the gang was used to. They soared above the sweltering city, into the freezing air. They make good time; Aldous was an able second pilot, so there was no need to break for a sleep break. They arrived in the quiet town of Woomera a few days later, and learned about the situation. The Big Bend mine was active again after years of bad luck. Not just active; it was impossibly productive. Jade, ruby, tanzanite, carnelian, gold and silver… All were there. And unfortunately for the miners, others had taken notice.  The gang woke up early, dressed down, and headed for the Bend. Itinerant laborers were blocking the tunnel! They were willing to work hard, any shift, to feed their families. The union miners weren’t going to go along with that. Violence was imminent. Aldous hustled to gather a vox populi report. Trudy name-dropped several famous Australian mining disasters… it didn’t matter how much enthusiasm they had, letting newbies in endangered everybody. The itinerants left, despite Winston’s grumbling towards communism. Trudy was thanked by the Big Bend’s foreman… who immediately recognized her as an outsider, and then as the eldest Truman daughter. There were plenty of reasons not to allow the boss's daughter, and a famous journalist, into the mine, but Tru had a baffle-gab answer for all of them. The rumors were true… The walls of the mine were studded with gems. But at the bottom level of the mine was a strange pink liquid, ankle deep. Honore de Balzac said:

Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.

Professor Winston Callahan knows a little of everything. Or maybe too much of everything, because he recognized what had happened. The gems were the scales of the rainbow serpent of aboriginal myth. The pink liquid was psychotropic blood, a link to the dreamtime. His attempt to subtly inform his companions led to a panic. None of them were adroit liars. They just barely held it together long enough to fool the foreman. 'Money was good, no problems here, gotta go, don’t tell Trudy’s dad she was here'. This was an ethical crisis. Trudy had already spent the newspaper's money to investigate the case. If she reported it as a hoax, any loose rumor would sink her career. And even if the workers kept quiet, someone'd notice if they all got houses and boats. Then again, the truth was just as bad. She had betrayed her father, attacked the family's pocketbook, and indirectly aided the exploitation and torture of a mythic creature. And doing nothing wasn’t possible… There was no proof that a kilometer-long serpent could be peeled forever. They had to move the serpent… But how? It wasn’t something that aeronautics or butlering could answer. There was one lead Trudy could follow up on…She knew of a shaman who could help them. But he lived in the outback. And they didn’t bring enough aviation fuel for a detour. They would have to drive. Journeying through Western Australia is hard. Hard navigationally; in 1935, it was largely unmapped. After a few hours in the wrong direction, Aldous corrected Trudy’s driving in what he considered a 'polite' way. Tensions were raised.  The physical side was worse than the emotional. Aldous had lived his adult life in a tux, so going down to an undershirt and shorts was a vacation. Callahan, used to the chillier parts of the northern hemisphere, turned into a sweat soaked mess. (Mad dogs and Englishman, and all that.) When they got to Wolfe Creek crater, Winston was eager to lie in the shade. There, the shaman, very confused to receive visitors, taught them a ritual to awaken the serpent. Unfortunately, they’d still have to free it… Without destroying the mine. (Instead of playing out the return trip, we did a cutaway to Trudy’s younger sister confronting her asset management team, wondering where she went and why no one had seen her in nearly a week. Everyone had fun with the staring secretary.) Back in Woomera, Bingen, who lives to serve, made sure to telegraph the family and let everyone know Trudy was OK. It was unclear if he knew that telegrams include their station of origin... The trio had what they needed. The plan is made: sneak into the mine, modify the tunneling equipment, awaken the creature, and pretend it did it all on its own. *** Subtlety is a specialty of Aldous’s, so the infiltration goes well. Modifying equipment outside of specification isn’t a specialization for the professor; it’s more a hyper-fixation. The project takes all night, but he’s and wise to put in extra effort… because when the creature flees to the sky, it nearly hits the Alan Arani!  The group tried to flee, but their only real means of escape was the airfield, A.K.A. the empty patch of ground where the Spectre was parked. When Daddy landed, reporter Trudy finally told him the truth…. The blood of the creature, shed while escaping, made the mine non-operational. A write-off, hopefully. Unless someone wanted to corner the market in psychotropic gems…

[tchintchun]

February Readings:

Media Articles (ones I enjoyed, not every single article I read):

The Boorong Pride Themselves Upon Knowing More of Astronomy Than Any Other by Duane Hamacher, Amanda Goldfarb, Bridget Kelly, and Emma Barnett

Did Giant Ice Age Beasts Carve These Vast Caves in South America? by Meghie Rodrigues

The Environmental Wisdom Encoded in Endangered Languages by Katarina Zimmer

Extinction is Still Forever by Christopher Preston

Finding Meteorite Impacts in Aboriginal Oral Tradition by Duane Hamacher

How Hazelnuts Reveal Secrets from an Ancient BC City by Amanda Follett Hosgood

In Brazil, a Powerful Law Protects Biodiversity and Blocks Corporate Piracy by Mark Schapiro

In Hawai'i, Restoring Kava Helps Sustain Native Food Culture by Naoki Nitta

Islands of the Feral Pigs by Brendan Borrell

The Languages Lost to Climate Change by Julia Webster Ayuso

The Mashpee Wampanoag Work With a Cape Cod Town to Restore Their Fishing Grounds by Emma Glassman-Hughes

The Pleiades: Humanity's Oldest Story?

Return of the California Condor by Iván Carrillo

The Secrets of Machaj Juyai-Kallawaya by Carmen Beatriz Loza

The Three-Way Race to Exploit Deep-Sea Life by Rebekah White

What is Biocultural Diversity and Why Does It Matter? by Peter Bridgewater and Suraj Upadhaya

Where the Savior Fish Still Swims by Shanna Baker

Scholarly&Scientific Articles

"Courtly Love and Chivalry in the Later Middle Ages" by Larry D. Benson

"Differences Between Kallawaya-Andean and Greek-European Humoral Theory" by Joseph W. Bastien

"From Soldadera to Adelita: The Depiction of Women in the Mexican Revolution" by Delia Fernández

"Historical Indigenous Land-Use Explains Plant Functional Trait Diversity" by Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, Jesse E. D. Miller, Alex C. McAlvay, Patrick Morgan Ritchie, and Dana Lepofsky

"The Legacy of Cultural Landscapes in the Brazilian Amazon: Implications for Biodiversity" by Michael J. Heckenberger, J Christian Russell, Joshua R Toney, and Morgan J Schmidt

"Megaichnus igen. nov.: Giant Paleoburrows Attributed to Extinct Cenozoic Mammals from South America" by Renato Pereira Lopes, Heinrich Theodor Frank, Francisco Sekiguchi de Carvalho Buchmann & Felipe Caron

"Los Naturistas -- Healers Who Integrate Traditional and Biomedical Explanations in Their Treatment in the Bolivian Health Care System" by Henriette Bruun and Beth Elverdam

"Nineteenth-Century Experimentation and the Role of Indigenous Foods in Australian Food Culture" by Barbara Santich

"Observations of Red Giant Variable Stars by Aboriginal Australians" by Duane Hamacher

"Population Densities and the Range-Carrying Capacity for Large Mammals in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda" by George A. Petrides and Wendell G. Swank

"Seaweeds in Japanese Culture: An Analysis of Medieval Waka Poetry" by Felix Bast

"Societal Changes in Ancient Greece Impacted Terrestrial and Marine Environments" by Andreas Koutsodendris, Joseph Maran, Ulrich Kotthoff, et al.

"'Soldaderas' and the Staging of the Mexican Revolution" by Alicia Arrizón

"Spirit Eye Cave: Reestablishing Provenience of Trafficked Prehistoric Human Remains Using a Composite Collection-Based Ancient DNA Approach" by Bryon Schroeder, Tre Blohm, and Meradeth H. Snow

"The Thermal Performance of Chinese Vernacular Skywell Dwellings" by Gang Yao, Dongting Han, Li Zhang, and Zhongcheng Duan

"Why Are There Seven Sisters?" by Ray P. Norris and Barnaby R. M. Norris

Short Stories

"El Eclipse" by Augusto Monterroso

[schreiblustleselust]

James Rollins: Feuerring: Sigma Force Band 17

Das Titan-Projekt - eine internationale Forschungsstation vor der Küste Australiens - entdeckt eine blühende Lebenszone in einem ansonsten toten Meer. In dem Gebiet wimmelt es nur so von seltsamen, biolumineszierenden Korallen, die sich dem bisherigen Wissen der Forschung gänzlich entziehen. Der Verlust eines Militär-U-Boots in diesem Gebiet, löst einen brutalen Angriff aus und setzt eine geologische Katastrophe in Gang, die eine ganze Region destabilisiert. Während die Welt am Rande eines neuen, desaströsen Krieges zwischen China und den USA steht, brechen tief am Meeresgrund massive Beben und Vulkane aus, tödliche Tsunamis kündigen eine noch größere Katastrophe an, denn eine seit Jahrtausenden am Meeresgrund schlummernde Gefahr reckt ihr Haupt … Kann die Sigma Force das, was hier geweckt wurde, aufhalten, während die Meere brodeln und die Küsten brennen - zumal ein alter Gegner zurückkehrt, der sie jagt und jeden ihrer Schritte vereitelt? Um überhaupt eine Chance zu haben, muss Commander Gray Pierce nach einem Schlüssel aus der Vergangenheit suchen, der tief in der Mythologie der Aborigines verborgen ist. Doch was Sigma aufdecken könnte, ist noch viel beängstigender - etwas, das die Menschheit in ihren Grundfesten erschüttern wird ... Bis vor gut zehn Jahren wurde der Bereich des phantastischen Action-Thrillers weltweit von zwei Autoren dominiert – Clive Cussler und Matthew Reilly besetzten die Topspots der internationalen Bestsellerlisten mit ihren jeweiligen Action-Krachern. Dann meldete sich ein junger Tierarzt aus Nevada und bot den Verlagen erste Einzelromane an, die sein Talent eindrucksvoll bewiesen. Nach einem Ausflug in die High Fantasy unter einem zweiten Pseudonym kehrte Rollins, um bei diesem angenommenen Autorennamen zu bleiben, mit der Sigma Force zu seiner wahren Passion zurück. Die ersten Romane um die kämpfenden Forscher boten bestes Thriller-Material mit Abenteuern und packenden Auseinandersetzungen. In den folgenden Romanen der Reihe rückte der Kampf der wissenschaftlichen Spezialeinheit gegen die Gilde, eine Jahrhunderte alte Geheimorganisation, in den Mittelpunkt. Es galt, die Versuche der Gilde, die Weltherrschaft an sich zu reißen oder den Weltuntergang einzuleiten, zu vereiteln. Das nahm so manches Mal schon fast skurrile Züge an, erinnerte von der Anlage her an eine überzeichnete, modernisierte Version der Superhelden versus Superschurken Vorlagen, eine nachvollziehbare Motivation blieb dabei meist auf der Strecke. Seitdem die Force-Kämpfer letztlich triumphierten, besinnt sich der Autor auf alte Stärken und kombiniert faszinierende wissenschaftliche Rätsel und Entdeckungen mit einer atemberaubend spannenden Handlung und wechselnden Helden, die uns aus früheren Titeln bekannt sind. Mittlerweile sind wir immerhin schon beim siebzehnten Abenteuer unserer Spezialeinheit anbelangt. Und, dies wird neu / alt Präsident Donald Trump gefallen, die Handlung orientiert sich an aktuellen Gegebenheiten – sprich, der Auseinandersetzung der beiden neuen Mega-Mächte China versus Gottes eigener Nation. Rollins macht es sich hier einfach – die Chinesen werden recht pauschal und stereotyp als skrupellos gezeichnet. Ihr größter Wunsch scheint zu sein, den USA deren mühsam erworbenes Wissen zu stehlen. Da werden dann gerne einmal moralische Skrupel und Grenzen ignoriert, da zählt nur das Ergebnis – dies entspricht genau dem Bild, das die Konservativen in den USA vom neuen Staatsfeind Nummer 1 zeichnen. Wir ahnen natürlich, dass unsere Sigma Force, wie üblich, wenn auch unter heldenhaften Mühen, letztlich obsiegen wird, doch der Weg dorthin ist das, was uns an die Seiten fesselt. Der Plot springt munter zwischen den verschiedenen Handlungssträngen hin- und her, wird gefightet, aufgedeckt und beinahe gestorben – Ausgang letztlich bekannt, doch recht spannend und rasant zu lesen. So erwartet uns erneut ein Pageturner voller Gefahren, rasanter Kämpfe und jeder Menge Geheimnisse, der Fans der Reihe nicht enttäuschen wird, aber auch für Neuleser gut verständlich ist. James Rollins: Feuerring – Sigma Force Band 17 aus dem amerikanischen Englisch übersetzt von Norbert Stöbe Blanvalet Verlag, November 2024 591 Seiten, Taschenbuch, Euro 12,00 Diese Rezension wurde verfasst von Carsten Kuhr. Read the full article

[ometochtli2rabbit]

13.0.12.6.5

ox[3] CHICCHAN/KA'AN [sky serpent} - waxak[8] K'AYAB

galactic tone: action/ rhythm

sun sign: serpent| snake/red/east

ask for flexibility and fluidity - MAYA

yei[3] - COATL [snake]

Chalchihuitlicue | Chalchihuitlicue

huactli [falcon]

lord of the night: Mictlantecuhtli

trecena[3]: Itzpapalotl

x: ome[2] - hueiteculhuitl - NAHUA

"Olmec Heads", Mexico, dates unknown

The thirteen day period (trecena) that starts with day 1-Calli (House) is ruled by Itzpapalotl. The 13 days of this trecena are governed by the conflict between culture and nature: the native desire of human beings to maintain a lineage of customs and beliefs is periodically disrupted by the evolutionary leaps of nature. In this sense, nature is represented as the house into which we are born and culture as the house into which we move. These are 13 days of struggling to decide which house is really home. With every step forward, the warrior still stands at the center of the crossroads: the heart must be trained if it is to be a reliable compass. These are good days to focus on the future; bad days to focus on the past.

www.azteccalendar.com

Today, the Nahua calendar features women in three of the positions, one being Itzpapalotl who is often depicted with braids in her hair, just like some of the Olmec heads which are depicted. As we go through history, we will find that we all have things in common that those in power don't want us to know about. As we leave behind our prejudices and false notions to embrace that we are all one people, this is the way we can move forward. To better do that we need to understand our past and embrace a more inclusive future, like the braid which provides strength. Indigenize and Decolonize!!! These are songs that talk about HISTORY:

Neville Brothers: Wild Tchoupitoulas

Tall Paul Hip Hop: Someone Great Who Looked Like Me

Bob Marley: Zion Train

Nas ft Lauryn Hill: If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)

Amy Winehouse: Tears Dry on Their Own

(the) Melvins: A History of Bad Men

Katy Perry: This Moment

Cliff Richard: Makin' History

Florence + The Machine: Leave My Body

George Jones: Let's Make History

Brenda Lee: Dynamite

Gordon Lightfoot: Too Many Clues in This Room

They Might Be Giants: Counterfeit Fake

Ariana Grande: positions

System of a Down: Sad Statue

Shakespear's Sister: You're History

Lady Gaga: Bloody Mary

Blue Oyster Cult: Godzilla

Halsey: Bad at Love

Burning Spear: Institution

SZA: Kitchen

Bee Gees: Earnest of Being George

Ziggy Marley: Black My Story (Not History)

Shirley Bassey: History Repeating

Hank Snow: Ancient History

Johnny Cash: Ancient History

Rosanne Cash: Like A Wave

Rancid: The Bloody & Violent History

Sugarhill Gang: Rapper's Delight

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Save the Population

The Cranberries: Zombie

Stevie Wonder: Joy Inside My Tears

Elton John: The Trail We Blaze

Beyonce: Black Parade

Thin Lizzy: Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo)

Sting: History Will Teach Us Nothing

Elvis Presley: Wisdom of the Ages

Frank Waln: Aboriginal

The Clash: Spanish Bombs

The Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil

Gang of Four: Not Great Men

Neil Young: Cortez the Killer

Iron Maiden: Run to The Hills

Adam and the Ants: Making History

Michael Jackson: History

Madonna: History

Billy Joel: We Didn't Start the Fire

Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit

Peter Tosh: Here Comes the Judge

Snotty Nose Rez Kids ft. Princess Nokia: Peaches

Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam (Happy Birthday!!!)

[that-purple-creature]

gang kalisha's being racist girlypop assumed my classmate was being racist and joking about being indigeous/aboriginal because he looks white she keeps assuming that he's lying while not questioning anyone else its fucking weird kalisha is my english teacher by the way

[scentedchildnacho]

New clue about why the lower bunk lady freaks out and disturbs everyone.....this pale face lady that use to sleep on the bunk next to hers tried to start talking to her and she starts screaming about all her gang credentials and confessing all about herself that isnt a nice little old lady......but if the bunk next is a nice not high school diploma black lady she finally calms down and stops disturbing everyone ..

No i think the pale face is playing australian aboriginal demonism....stareing at some woman she doesn't knows heart attack...really getting in her face .....its the snitch

I kind of wondered if it's anglos she kind of hates and wants to go to the Islamic state as free of the white stain...on society ...

There will be no anglos in the islamic state but we will fund food cost guns

At first I thought she hated everyone but it is more gay .....if we aren't a wife character I can be threatened with being stabbed sometimes so

She is just old and demented.......and she doesn't mean nothing by it ...

Its not in my schedule to do..........anything about it....and I was told to forgive the Russian myth....aggravation is not a sustained physical ability and that lady will collapse herself however she prefers...

Implode

No I havent seen anyone do anything to the lower bunk little old lady.....most people around her do really shut up ..or the loud disturbing....calculated cursing....would just keep going and going and going...and keep everyone from sleeping so

She probably has a case worker who may really sedate her.....so people not appreciative of health advise dont have to be healthy

It keeps going and going and going so crack cocaine

Mexican prostitution insight....we all maybe have young relatives who have to stay strong through college athletic hazes....and it's sure attract the heart cannibal to us and not young students that can upkeep the family line....

[nachoaveragejoe234]

Same with my OCs. I have differentt OCs, some are "strong female characters", some are "damsels", and some are both. Here are a few examples:

"DAMSELS/GIRLY GIRLS"

Rita Connway from Popugirls: She's a stereotypical girly girl: a pretty, blonde, fancy southern belle, who wears poofy dresses, skirts, and tutus, loves fairytales, magic, unicorns, puppies, and is a hopeless romantic. She's the "nice girl" everyone loves, makes friends easily, and likes giving people makeovers. She often finds herself needing to be saved. Sometimes by her female friends, but a lot of the time, by her strong, handsome, brave Australian boyfriend Jett.

Selma Seldom, Beatrice Park, Tammy Panganiban, Margaret Ruoho, and Grace Mayfair from Popugirls: Also girly girls

Marja-Liisa Lahti, Tiina Busters, and Zaiga from Aurora Borealis and Company: Marja-Liisa is the keyboardist of the Finnish girl band Aurora Borealis. She is the most feminine of the group. She loves pink, she's the shortest and thus looks "petite" and "weak", she's an Anglophile, and as a female Anglophile, she loves more "girly" British things like Jane Austen books, Romeo and Juliet, Alice in Wonderland, and has a crush on George Harrison. Tiina is a girly girl who loves fashion pink and purple. Zaiga is the more timid, sweet Afro-Latvian friend of the more brash, sometimes arrogant, and tomboyish Icelander Dagmar Laxness.

Marcella Piccolaro from my HEAD: In my head, I make up scenarios where I make characters that I pair up with real people. I never post them online. Anyway, Marcy is characterized in my AUs as an Italian immigrant to England who always ends up in a relationship with Keith, lead singer of the Yardbirds. Often in these AUs, Marcy is a damsel in distress that Keith needs to rescue.

FEMME FATALES:

Marina "The Duchess" Tang from Carmen Sandiego: My Carmen Sandiego OC (for both the Netflix version and the Earth version, my AUs tend to blend the two together). She's a Singaporean woman who goes by the alias "The Duchess". She doesn't work for Carmen, nor VILE, nor Zack and Ivy, she only works for whatever or whoever benefits her, so she's morally grey. She often uses her looks on men to get what she wants.

Eugenia "Gia" Lombardi from Aurora Borealis and Company: Gia is a friend of AB. She's a fashionable woman from Rome, who also is known for being boy crazy, and flirting with almost every man she sees.

BOTH/NEUTRAL

Lorelai Birdgess from DuckTales: My OC for the 2017 reboot of DT (and ultimately a Disney general character): An Aboriginal female duck from Sydney, Australia, also known by her self-given nickname/alter ego Cavern Girl. She wears whatever she wants. She joins the McDuck team on their adventures, but I made her eventually be a Disney character in general. She's brave and strong, based on the "Crocodile Dundee" stereotype, so she's not glamorous or dainty and is willing to get her hands dirty. But she also has feminine aspects to her. She still wears dresses and skirts, she still at times needs to be saved, most notably from Glomgold, who often makes advances on her, the duck mafia, and even from a forced marriage when the gang get sent back to Ancient Greece. She also is in love with Scrooge, and is a dude magnet.

Patricia Hannington from Popugirls: Born in Manchester, England, Patricia wasn't like everyone else. She grew up and got into the punk rock scene. She and her childhood friend Vicky Rajan, later joined by Courtenay Topaz, formed a band called Chains of Fury. Patricia went by the stage name "Celeste Diamond" and started dating another punk guy named Amos. Patricia/Celeste thought her life was perfect, but she caught Amos cheating on her one day and they split. She continued her band, and started dating Tino, a Finnish man, who treated her way better. She later became a friend of the oher Popugirls, dropped the Celeste Diamond name, and recently the Welsh-born Yvonne Low joined COF. Patty is the most tomboyish, but she's also popular with the guys (she herself said she had a reputation among the punk men back in Manchester), and is willing to wear a dress and get more "fancy" at times.

All women are valid

Kill the mentality that a female character is “weak” if she is in love with a man. Love is not weakness.

Also kill the mentality that a female character is “weak” if she is kind and sweet. Kindness is not weakness either.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Deaner '89 (2024)

Despite being Canadian, I’ve never seen Fubar and hadn’t heard of Paul Spence before receiving tickets to a screening of Deaner ’89, meaning I had no idea what to expect from the film. I went to see it because I had tickets, not because the plot synopsis sounded enticing or because the trailer made me think “This will be hilarious”. In fact, I went in with low expectations. To my surprise and delight, this is an excellent comedy. Beneath the big laughs, clever gags and memorable scenes, there are some poignant bits of drama; emotions so genuine I think Spence (who both writes and stars) should consider doing more than comedy in the future.

In this mockumentary, metalhead Dean “The Deaner” Murdoch (Paul Spence) looks back at his unlikely rise to fame. His story begins in 1989 when teenage Dean was a small-town hockey all-star poised for the big league. One day, he receives a trunk from his late father. Inside the trunk covered in pentagrams and 69s, Dean finds a cassette that introduces him to the music of Dokken and the world of heavy metal.

As the film begins, Dean tells us that he suffered from some overactive gland/hormonal imbalance as a child. This is why he looks like he’s in his late 40’s (complete with a mustache) despite being in high school. That’s a sign this movie really isn’t taking itself seriously - all for the better. The jokes throughout vary quite a bit, from wild overexaggerations (such as when Aunt May, played by Mary Walsh, introduces Deaner to the bass) to wordplay between Deaner and his girlfriend’s jealous ex (“I’d give you the finger, but I’m saving it for Kitty!”) to weird moments of father-son bonding and plenty of surprises from that trunk. A motorcycle gang wants Deaner to throw a big upcoming hockey game so they can make money off of the bets people make on it, which introduces danger (sort of) and car chases (surprisingly well done for a small production), Kevin McDonald has a small but memorable part as the school principal and the interactions between Deaner, his adoptive father, Glen (Will Sasso), his adoptive mother, Mirna (Lauren Cochrane) and adoptive sister, Jen (Star Slade) also provide many unexpected laughs.

The family scenes, in particular, are significant. Along with the many jokes the film has queued up, there’s a subtle undercurrent of sadness. Both Dean and Jen are adopted and neither know of their Aboriginal roots. Glen and Mirna aren’t being malicious when they tell their children “Just tell those kids who tease you that you’re not Indian”; they’re doing what they think is best. They would have continued with that attitude had Dean not received that trunk from his late father. You understand why; society told them that was ok and their adoptive children’s biological parents didn’t want them. Deaner ’89 talks about the heritage many metis or Aboriginal people have lost or don’t even know they have but it mixes it in with a lot of humor, which makes it ring true despite the ridiculous events within the story. This makes it a celebration of culture and an acknowledgment of Canadian First Nations people’s reality without being too heavy - we’ve got plenty of drama movies for that.

In terms of criticisms, I’ll point you towards some jokes that don’t quite work, or are funny, but don’t quite fit in. At one point, for example, we meet the leader of the motorcycle gang that’s constantly hounding Deaner and he always wears a Halloween mask. Why? So eventually, their identity can be revealed. When you realize who it was the whole time, you won’t believe it… but why were they wearing a mask? There aren’t a lot of headscratcher moments like that, but there are a few.

Deaner ’89 is one of the biggest surprises I’ve seen in a while and it ends on an epic note. There came a point where I was laughing, but unsure how the story would end. This is all told in flashbacks. We know Dean became a successful musician… but how? The answer is clever, it uses the running time to its advantage and will leave you laughing through the end credits. While there may be farts and other juvenile bits of humor in Deaner '89, there are plenty of clever moments too. Even if it doesn't sound like your kind of thing, I'd take a chance on it. Deaner '89 quickly won me over and I won't be the only one. (theatrical version on the big screen, August 22, 2024)