#and Japanese in 30 Hours (from 1930s)

[mejomonster]

Ive been hearimg all about the internet archive lawsuit and my big question is just...

All the 1800-1950 out of print, and out of copyright date, non fiction books... will they be taken down? Because archive.org is a treasure trove for finding pre 1950 and pre 1900 language learning textbooks, ones you cannot find in print to purchase and cannot find in libraries in many countries and if you can its potentially 1 library in one whole country. It is the best place to find old (very old) out of print books, digitally backed up and accessible to many. In the years I've used archive.org for that, some of those books would have check out limits with due dates, and some would be open to view fully on the webpage without checking out.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day remembers and honors the 2,403 citizens of the United States who lost their lives there that day. Veterans and citizens have commemorated the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor since it took place, but the day became an official observance when Congress designated the day with a joint resolution on October 3, 1984. The resolution authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States "to observe this solemn occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities" and "to pledge eternal vigilance and strong resolve to defend this Nation and its allies from all future aggression." Accordingly, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5286 on December 4, 1984. Subsequent Congresses and presidents have passed resolutions and issued proclamations for the day. On the day, flags are flown at half-staff until sunset to honor those who died from the attacks. Events, including a commemoration ceremony, are held at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, tensions had been building between the United States and Japan for years. In the 1930s, Japan expanded into China, taking over its import market, agitating the United States. Japan invaded China in 1937 and subsequently participated in the Nanjing Massacre. During the following year, the United States gave its first loan to China. The United States instituted economic sanctions and trade embargoes with hopes they would keep Japan from expanding. In July 1939, the United States terminated the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, which had stood with Japan since 1911. In the summer of 1940, the United States began restricting the export of some materials to Japan that would be useful to them in war. In July 1941, all commercial and financial connections with Japan were cut off, Japan's assets were frozen, and an embargo was placed on petroleum and other war materials. Concurrently, the United States stepped up aid to China, which did not please Japan's militarists. Japan did not shift course and tensions continued to rise.

Japan ordered the attack on November 5, but negotiations took place between Japan and the United States right up until the day of the attack, and Japan's commanders were told that they may be recalled if negotiations produced a favorable outcome. On November 26, the Japanese fleet stationed itself about 275 miles north of Hawaii. It was from this location that around 360 planes eventually launched to Pearl Harbor.

On more than one occasion, most notably on November 27, U.S. Army and Navy commanders at Pearl Harbor were warned that an attack was possible. They took some steps, but as they did not think that an attack would happen, their preparations were far from adequate. Washington didn't take the steps that were needed to be prepared either—they didn't expect Japan to attack Hawaii as Japan was about 4,000 miles from the island and Hawaii was about 2,000 miles from mainland United States. There were also some indications right before the attack that should have raised red flags that one was imminent. Early on the morning of the attack, it was learned in Washington that the Japanese ambassadors wanted an interview with the secretary of state at 1:00 p.m. (7:30 a.m. Hawaii time), which signaled war. Meanwhile, in Pearl Harbor, a Japanese submarine was spotted by a minesweeper four hours before the attack. Then, an hour and a half before the attack, the USS Ward, a destroyer, transmitted a message saying that it had engaged the submarine. Additionally, U.S. Army Pvt. George Elliott detected incoming planes on a radar screen, but he was told by his lieutenant that B-17 bombers from the United States were soon to arrive, so he should disregard what he saw.

On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, the first of hundreds of fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked Naval Station Pearl Harbor. After much success, Japan launched a second wave of attack at 8:50 a.m., which lasted until shortly after 9 a.m. Most of the United States Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the center of the harbor at the time, and many airplanes were parked at nearby airfields. Japan's goal was to take out the fleet, and then to go on to other parts of the South Pacific, which the United States would then be unable to defend.

The attack on Pearl Harbor left 2,403 United States citizens dead, including 2,335 service members and 68 civilians. Additionally, 1,178 Americans were injured. Most of the damage was done in the first 30 minutes of the attack. Around 8:10 a.m., a 1,800-pound bomb was dropped on the USS Arizona, which went through the deck and into the forward ammunition magazine, causing the ship to explode and 1,177 of its crew members to perish. Following the destruction of the USS Arizona, torpedoes hit the USS Oklahoma, which sank, causing the loss of life of 400 sailors. The USS Utah—a battleship that was converted to a target ship in 1931—was sunk and 58 lost their lives. The rest of the battleships at the harbor were either sunk or damaged, and there were casualties on each vessel, including the USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee, and USS Nevada. Each of these six battleships would eventually be returned to service. Three destroyers, three cruisers, and one minelayer were damaged. Aircraft were also targeted, with 159 being damaged and 188 being destroyed, most while parked at Naval Air Station on Ford Island and at nearby Wheeler and Hickam fields.

Although these losses and damages were disastrous for the United States, the Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were away from the base at the time, remaining unscathed, which was of immense importance. Some cruisers and destroyers were also near the aircraft carriers, out of harm's way. Of additional importance, parts of Pearl Harbor—submarine docks, shipyards, repair shops, and oil storage depots—were not harmed. As for the Japanese, they lost fewer than 100 men, 60 or fewer planes, five midget submarines, and perhaps one or two fleet submarines in the attack.

The events of Pearl Harbor unified the American public and precipitated the almost immediate entry of the country into World War II. The day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a speech to Congress in which he said December 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy." He went on to say, "No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again." He closed out his speech by asking Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress declared war the same day and the United States entered World War II on the side of the Allies. When Germany and Italy declared war on the United States three days later, the US declared war on them as well.

On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we remember and honor those who lost their lives on today's date in 1941 at Pearl Harbor. We fly the flag at half-staff and attend events in their honor. We remember the great significance of the day and how it brought the United States into World War II, forever changing the nation.

How to Observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

The day should be spent remembering and showing honor for those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. The following are some ideas on how to observe the day:

Attend the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration Ceremony, which takes place outside of the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. If you are unable to attend, you can view its live broadcast online. Other events are also held at Pearl Harbor on today's anniversary.

Visit the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. This site is home to the USS Arizona Memorial. Dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, the ship's memorial is located over the sunken battleship. It is open to the public and can be reached by taking a free boat tour from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The USS Oklahoma Memorial and the USS Utah Memorial are also part of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. (Note: the USS Utah Memorial, located on the west side of Ford Island, may only be visited by those with military IDs who drive themselves to it.)

Watch videos from the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and view photos from National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day commemoration events.

Visit the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

Watch President Franklin Roosevelt's December 8, 1941, address to Congress.

Visit the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. Located at Pearl Harbor, it is dedicated to a ship that sank 44 ships during World War II.

Visit the USS Missouri Memorial. World War II ended with Japan's surrender on board the USS Missouri. The ship is now located at Pearl Harbor and is a memorial.

Fly a flag at half-staff.

Visit The National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Watch a documentary about Pearl Harbor.

Watch a film about Pearl Harbor.

Read a book about Pearl Harbor.

Source

[tearsinthemist]

The abandoned Aniva lighthouse on Sakhalin island. Russia july 2021

One of the most beautiful and hard-to-reach abandoned lighthouses in the world is located in the southern part of the Sakhalin Island. The lighthouse on Cape Aniva was built in the 1930s by Japanese engineers. One of its main features is that it had a small nuclear reactor inside, which was able to provide autonomous energy for more than 30 years. The last lighthouse keeper left it in 2010, and it was abandoned completely. The lighthouse almost has not been maintained since its construction, and due to strong sea winds and frequent storms, the structure was severely damaged. Most likely, in the next 10 years it will collapse, the remains will be absorbed by the sea and only these photos will remain from it. To get to the lighthouse you need to board a plane to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (this is somewhere near Japan, yes), from there it is 160 km by broken roads to the village of Novikovo (population 500 people), then 50 km on foot to the west (this will take 12 hours). Bears and foxes can be encountered on the way, they should be avoided. It will also be necessary to take climbing equipment with you to descend from a height of 238 meters, then another 10 km over the rocks and you are almost there! However, between you and the lighthouse there is a small strait of 15 meters, which needs to be crossed, which is complicated due to the fact that a strong current can take you to the open sea. After all these trials, you are on the spot! Although there is a simpler option: you can just rent a helicopter or a yacht in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and get to the lighthouse in just a few hours...

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.23 (before 1930)

30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.[citation needed] 79 – Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. 476 – Odoacer, chieftain of the Germanic tribes (Herulic - Scirian foederati), is proclaimed rex Italiae ("King of Italy") by his troops. 1244 – Siege of Jerusalem: The city's citadel, the Tower of David, surrenders to the Khwarazmiyya. 1268 – The Battle of Tagliacozzo marks the fall of the Hohenstaufen family from the Imperial and Sicilian thrones, and leading to the new chapter of Angevin domination in Southern Italy. 1328 – Battle of Cassel: French troops stop an uprising of Flemish farmers. 1382 – Siege of Moscow: The Golden Horde led by Tokhtamysh lays siege to the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. 1514 – The Battle of Chaldiran ends with a decisive victory for the Sultan Selim I, Ottoman Empire, over the Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty. 1521 – Christian II of Denmark is deposed as king of Sweden and Gustav Vasa is elected regent. 1541 – French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada. 1572 – French Wars of Religion: Mob violence against thousands of Huguenots in Paris results in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. 1595 – Long Turkish War: Wallachian prince Michael the Brave confronts the Ottoman army in the Battle of Călugăreni and achieves a tactical victory. 1600 – Battle of Gifu Castle: The eastern forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu defeat the western Japanese clans loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, leading to the destruction of Gifu Castle and serving as a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara. 1628 – George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, is assassinated by John Felton. 1655 – Battle of Sobota: The Swedish Empire led by Charles X Gustav defeats the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1703 – Edirne event: Sultan Mustafa II of the Ottoman Empire is dethroned. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: King George III delivers his Proclamation of Rebellion to the Court of St James's stating that the American colonies have proceeded to a state of open and avowed rebellion. 1782 – British forces under Edward Despard complete the reconquest of the Black River settlements on the Mosquito Coast from the Spanish. 1784 – Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it is not accepted into the United States, and only lasts for four years. 1799 – Napoleon I of France leaves Egypt for France en route to seizing power. 1813 – At the Battle of Großbeeren, the Prussians under Von Bülow repulse the French army. 1831 – Nat Turner's rebellion of enslaved Virginians is suppressed. 1839 – The United Kingdom captures Hong Kong as a base as it prepares for the First Opium War with Qing China. 1864 – American Civil War: The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico except Galveston, Texas. 1866 – The Austro-Prussian War ends with the Treaty of Prague. 1873 – The Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London opens. 1898 – The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London. 1904 – The automobile tire chain is patented. 1914 – World War I: The British Expeditionary Force and the French Fifth Army begin their Great Retreat before the German Army. 1914 – World War I: Japan declares war on Germany. 1921 – British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary; of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive. 1923 – Captain Lowell Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter perform the first mid-air refueling on De Havilland DH-4B, setting an endurance flight record of 37 hours. 1927 – Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti are executed after a lengthy, controversial trial.

[rkhemlani]

June 18th - International Manga Museum/Free Afternoon

Shout out my dad, Happy Father's Day! Woke up, got ready, did the quiz, and headed over to the international manga museum, which was only a few stops away on the train. We got there a couple minutes early, so we had to wait outside for about ten minutes. Honestly, I have never read manga and I have only watched like three anime shows thanks to Nico’s recommendations prior to the trip, but this experience was quite illuminating. The museum offered information about the history of manga, how and when it started, and held a large collection of manga readily available to read. The museum was located in an old school, so the layout included classrooms and the main hall which included the most books, dating back to the 1910s. I took some time to read my favorite anime/manga: Attack on Titan. Around 11:30, we watched a presentation of kamishibai, which was a show that was presented with paper slides that included funny jokes. It was incredibly light-hearted and childish, which was a nice switch-up. Afterwards, we broke up for lunch and Vishnu found an Italian place that was really good (He’ll pick anything except Japanese at this point). I had a delicious paparadelle pasta and I had a yummy vegetable minestrone soup, which I never had before. Afterwards, Xander found an incredible little bakery inside a hotel, which offered sweet treats. I got a set of five macaroons which were surprisingly good (probably better than whatever sweet treats the girls had). Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for about an hour before heading out for our afternoon excursion: renting kimonos. The boys (Nico, Vishnu, Sam, Xander, and I) had a rental reservation under Julie’s name (her and Casey were cool enough to help with the reservations) at 3:30 and we picked out some tuff yukatas for walking around. Vishnu’s feet were hurting so he acted like a sorority girl on Sunday morning and was walking around barefoot with his little handbag in hand, it was definitely a funny sight to see. We met up with the girls (Julie, Casey, Eliza, Sam, Chelsea, and Aulora) and took many pics around the Kannon temple that we previously visited. We also went to a 7/11 to take some pics in our yukatas/kimonos per Chelsea’s idea, which I thought was pretty funny. Afterwards, you just knewwwwww that we were going to the RB (rooftop bar) because we were only about a ten-minute walk from there. We returned our kimonos at 6:30 and us guys headed there to grab a table. Aurora and Casey joined us from the girls’ group and they did so after they did some thrift shopping in the area. They made it just on time for the sundown, which is my favorite time to be at the RB. We took pics, chit-chatted, and had some good laughs over drinks. Following that, you also just knewwwwww that we were going to an Indian restaurant when Vishnu was leading the way. I’ll always have a good time at Indian restaurants and I ordered a mutton masala per the waiter’s suggestion. Later on, I convinced others (Eliza, Chelsea, Julie, and girl Sam) to come out on the town with us because Vishnu hadn’t been out yet and he was wearing his nice polo, so he was really feeling it. 

Academic Reflection

The reading for today discussed the grey area regarding the origins of manga. It was particularly fascinating because it differed from some of the other readings in that it covers a section of Japanese media rather than history, art, or the preservation of nature. The word “manga” itself was coined in the 1770s and was used to describe the wood block prints of Katsushika Hokusai, but it did not gain popularity until the 1930s. This was because it wasn’t until the dawn of newspapers that serialized yonkoma manga, which assisted in making the art form more widespread. Furthermore, the job market for manga artists wasn’t large enough until that time period. The article revealed that there are some who believe manga was derived from traditional Japanese caricature techniques, others declare that it was only following World War II that manga properly developed with inspiration from Western animations and newspaper comics. I think it makes more sense that it was the postwar era which fostered the environment for manga to develop. The reading states that manga succeeded in the early postwar period as a form of cheap entertainment for many of the impoverished of Japanese society. It was also during this time with which manga used inspiration from American comics such as Superman, Mickey Mouse, and Popeye, so it only makes sense that manga thrived in postwar Japan. However, I could see some inspiration from caricature techniques, but I still believe that it was the postwar time period that most influenced the rise of manga in Japanese culture.

[y0itsbri]

hiii bri!! 🍓 -daily check in time! -🍓

TODAY i found out you listen to the japanese house so i’m officially honoring you with my Coolest Person Ever award. literally no one i know listens to them! 😭

i woke up suuuper early this morning (like 6:30-ish?) to meet up with a couple of my Fire Alarm Friends for breakfast! we spent the entire day biking around campus. my legs legit still feel like they’re about to fall off but it was a beautiful day and everything was so greeeeen!! we saw some cute ducks and squirrels today 💓 also one of my close friends just moved into my apartment building today so i’m SO excited to spend some time with her!! 🥰

how was your day?? <3333

twisha! you’re the sweetest 🍬🍭🍩🍫🍪

omg! Coolest Person Ever!! 👑 🎶 (assuming the title comes with a crown,) i wear the crown with honor 😌

fire alarm friends! what’d you have for breakfast? 👀 was it more #stas w eggcore, #mickey w pancakecore, or #ian w cerealcore 🤩 biking in a nature-filled area like that sounds wonderful (but i relate to the exhaustion part lol) & yay for cute animals and friends moving closer 👯

today i tried to watch some movies from the 1930s and i fully fell asleep during them — which is all fine and normal except I was sitting in a folding chair outside 😳🥲 GREAT nap tho 10/10 with that natural breeze and everything lmfao

i did my first #🏃‍♂️sprinting writing today which was very fun :’)

i also saw a squirrel today — we both just looked at each other like oh fuck wassup and then scurried 🐿

ALSO i watched some birds outside my window during golden hour and there was so many different types and colors of birds. the moment was 🌞✨magical✨🌞

[greatworldwar2]

• Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from April to June 1944 around the town of Kohima.

The Japanese plan to invade India, codenamed U-Go, was originally intended as a spoiling attack against the British IV Corps at Imphal in Manipur, to disrupt the Allied offensive plans for that year. The commander of the Japanese Fifteenth Army, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi, enlarged the plan to invade India itself and perhaps even overthrow the British Raj. If the Japanese were able to gain a strong foothold in India they would demonstrate the weakness of the British Empire and provide encouragement to Indian nationalists in their decolonization efforts. Moreover, occupation of the area around Imphal would severely impact American efforts to supply Chiang Kai-shek's army in China. The objections of the staffs of various headquarters were eventually overcome, and the offensive was approved by Imperial General Headquarters on January 7th, 1944. Part of the plan involved sending the Japanese 31st Division (which was composed of the 58th, 124th and 138th Infantry Regiments and the 31st Mountain Artillery Regiment) to capture Kohima and thus cut off Imphal. Mutaguchi wished to exploit the capture of Kohima by pushing the 31st Division on to Dimapur, the vital railhead and logistic base in the Brahmaputra River valley. The 31st Division's commander, Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato, was unhappy with his role. He had not been involved in the planning of the offensive, and had grave misgivings about its chances. He had already told his staff that they might all starve to death. He and Mutaguchi had also been on opposite sides during the split between the Toseiha and Kodoha factions within the Japanese Army during the early 1930s, and Sato believed he had reason to distrust Mutaguchi's motives.

Starting on March 15th, 1944, the Japanese 31st Division crossed the Chindwin River near Homalin and moved north-west along jungle trails on a front almost 60 miles (97 km) wide. Because of a shortage of transport, half the artillery regiment's mountain guns and the infantry regiments' heavy weapons were left behind. Only three week's supply of food and ammunition was carried. Although the march was arduous, good progress was made. The Indian troops were the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade under Brigadier Maxwell Hope-Thompson, at Sangshak. Although they were not Miyazaki's objective, he decided to clear them from his line of advance. The Battle of Sangshak continued for six days. The parachute brigade's troops were desperately short of drinking water, but Miyazaki was handicapped by lack of artillery until near the end of the battle. Eventually, as some of the Japanese 15th Division's troops joined the battle, Hope-Thompson withdrew. The 50th Parachute Brigade lost 600 men, while the Japanese had suffered over 400 casualties. Meanwhile, the commander of the British Fourteenth Army, Lieutenant General William Slim, belatedly realised (partly from Japanese documents that had been captured at Sangshak) that a whole Japanese division was moving towards Kohima. He and his staff had originally believed that, because of the forbidding terrain in the area, the Japanese would only be able to send a regiment to take Kohima.

Kohima's strategic importance in the wider 1944 Japanese Chindwin offensive lay in that it was the summit of a pass that offered the Japanese the best route from Burma into India. Through it ran the road which was the main supply route between the base at Dimapur in the Brahmaputra River valley and Imphal, where the British and Indian troops of IV Corps (consisting of the 17th, 20th and 23rd Indian Infantry Divisions) faced the main Japanese offensive. Kohima Ridge itself runs roughly north and south. The road from Dimapur to Imphal climbs to its northern end and runs along its eastern face. In 1944, Kohima was the administrative centre of Nagaland. North of the ridge lay the densely inhabited area of Naga Village, crowned by Treasury Hill, and Church Knoll. South and west of Kohima Ridge were GPT Ridge and the jungle-covered Aradura Spur. The various British and Indian service troop encampments in the area gave their names to the features which were to be important in the battle e.g. "Field Supply Depot" became FSD Hill or merely FSD.

Before the 161st Indian Brigade arrived, the only fighting troops in the Kohima area were the newly raised 1st Battalion, the Assam Regiment and a few platoons from the 3rd (Naga Hills) Battalion of the paramilitary Assam Rifles. Late in March 161st Brigade deployed in Kohima, but Major-General Ranking ordered them back to Dimapur, as it was felt initially that Dimapur had more strategic importance. Kohima was regarded as a roadblock, while Dimapur was the railhead where the majority of Allied supplies were stored. As the right wing and centre of the Japanese 31st Division approached Jessami, 30 miles (48 km) to the east of Kohima, elements of the Assam Regiment fought delaying actions against them commencing on April 1st. Nevertheless, the men in the forward positions were soon overrun and the Assam regiment was ordered to withdraw. By the night of April 3rd, Miyazaki's troops reached the outskirts of the Naga village and began probing Kohima from the south. The next day, Ranking ordered the 161st Indian Brigade to move forward to Kohima again, but only one battalion, 4th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Laverty, and a company of the 4th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment arrived in Kohima before the Japanese cut the road west of the ridge. Besides these troops from 161st Brigade, the garrison consisted of a raw battalion (the Shere Regiment) from the Royal Nepalese Army, some companies from the Burma Regiment, some of the Assam Regiment which had retired to Kohima and various detachments of convalescents and line-of-communication troops. The garrison numbered about 2,500, of which about 1,000 were non-combatants.

The siege began on April 6th. The garrison was continually shelled and mortared, in many instances by Japanese using weapons and ammunition captured at Sangshak and from other depots, and was slowly driven into a small perimeter on Garrison Hill. They had artillery support from the main body of 161st Brigade, who were themselves cut off 2 miles (3.2 km) away at Jotsoma, but, as at Sangshak, they were very short of drinking water. The water supply point was on GPT Ridge, which was captured by the Japanese on the first day of the siege. Some of its defenders were unable to retreat to other positions on the ridge and instead withdrew towards Dimapur. Some of the heaviest fighting took place at the north end of Kohima Ridge, around the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow and tennis court, in what became known as the Battle of the Tennis Court. The tennis court became a no man's land, with the Japanese and the defenders of Kohima dug in on opposite sides, so close to each other that grenades were thrown between the trenches. On the night of the 17/18th of April, the Japanese finally captured the DC's bungalow area. Other Japanese captured Kuki Picquet, cutting the garrison in two. The defenders' situation was desperate, but the Japanese did not follow up by attacking Garrison Hill as by now they were exhausted by hunger and by the fighting, and when daylight broke, troops of 161st Indian Brigade arrived to relieve the garrison. The British 2nd Division, commanded by Major General John M. L. Grover, had begun to arrive at Dimapur in early April. By April 11th, the Fourteenth Army had about the same number of troops in the area as the Japanese. The British 5th Brigade of the 2nd Division broke through Japanese roadblocks to relieve 161st Brigade in Jotsoma on April 15th. After a day's heavy fighting, the leading troops of the Brigade (1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment) broke through and started to relieve the Kohima garrison. By this point, Kohima resembled a battlefield from the First World War, with smashed trees, ruined buildings and the ground covered in craters.

Under cover of darkness, the wounded (numbering 300) were brought out under fire. Although contact had been established, it took a further 24 hours to fully secure the road between Jotsoma and Kohima. During April 19th and into the early hours of April 20th, the British 6th Brigade replaced the original garrison. 6th Brigade observers were taken aback by the condition of the garrison; one battle hardened officer commentated: "They looked like aged, bloodstained scarecrows, dropping with fatigue; the only clean thing about them was their weapons, and they smelt of blood, sweat and death." Miyazaki continued to try to capture Garrison Hill, and there was heavy fighting for this position for several more nights, with high casualties on both sides. The Japanese positions on Kuki Picquet were only 50 yards (46 m) from Garrison Hill, and fighting was often hand-to-hand. On the other flank of Garrison Hill, on the night of April 26th, a British attack recaptured the clubhouse above the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow, which overlooked most of the Japanese centre. The Japanese reorganised their forces for defence. Their Left Force under Miyazaki held Kohima Ridge with four battalions. The divisional HQ under Sato himself and the Centre Force under Colonel Shiraishi held Naga Village with another four battalions. To support their attack against the Japanese position, the British had amassed thirty-eight 3.7 Inch Mountain Howitzers, forty-eight 25-pounder field guns and two 5.5-inch medium guns. The Japanese could oppose them with only seventeen light mountain guns, with very little ammunition. Nevertheless, the progress of the British counter-attack was slow. Tanks could not easily be used, and the Japanese occupied bunkers which were very deeply dug in, well-concealed and mutually supporting.

While the British 6th Brigade defended Garrison Hill, the other two brigades of 2nd Division tried to outflank both ends of the Japanese position, in Naga Village to the north and on GPT Ridge to the south. The monsoon had broken by this time and the steep slopes were covered in mud, making movement and supply very difficult. In places the British 4th Brigade had to cut steps up hillsides and build handrails in order to make progress. On May 4th, the British 5th Brigade secured a foothold in the outskirts of Naga Village but was counter-attacked and driven back. On the same day, the British 4th Brigade, having made a long flank march around Mount Pulebadze to approach Kohima Ridge from the south-west, attacked GPT Ridge in driving rain and captured part of the ridge by surprise but were unable to secure the entire ridge. Both outflanking moves having failed because of the terrain and the weather, the British 2nd Division concentrated on attacking the Japanese positions along Kohima Ridge from May 4th onwards. Fire from Japanese posts on the reverse slope of GPT Ridge repeatedly caught British troops attacking Jail Hill in the flank, inflicting heavy casualties and preventing them from capturing the hill for a week. However, the various positions were slowly taken. Jail Hill, together with Kuki Picquet, FSD and DIS, was finally captured by 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade on May 11th, after a barrage of smoke shells blinded the Japanese machine-gunners and allowed the troops to secure the hill and dig in. The last Japanese positions on the ridge to be captured were the tennis court and gardens above the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow. On May 13th, after several failed attempts to outflank or storm the position, the British finally bulldozed a track to the summit above the position, up which a tank could be dragged. A Lee tank crashed down onto the tennis court and destroyed the Japanese trenches and bunkers there. The terrain had been reduced to a fly and rat-infested wilderness, with half-buried human remains everywhere. The conditions under which the Japanese troops had lived and fought have been described by several sources, as "unspeakable".

The situation worsened for the Japanese as yet more Allied reinforcements arrived. Nevertheless, when the Allies launched another attack on May 16th, the Japanese continued to defend Naga Village and Aradura Spur tenaciously. An attack on Naga Hill on the night of May 24th gained no ground. Another attack, mounted against both ends of Aradura Spur on the night of May 28th, was even more decisively repulsed. The repeated setbacks, with exhaustion and the effects of the climate began to affect the morale of the British 2nd Division especially. The decisive factor was the Japanese lack of supplies. The Japanese 31st Division had begun the operation with only three weeks' supply of food. Once these supplies were exhausted, the Japanese had to exist on meagre captured stocks and what they could forage in increasingly hostile local villages. The Japanese had mounted two resupply missions, using captured jeeps to carry supplies forward from the Chindwin to 31st Division, but they brought mainly artillery and anti-tank ammunition, rather than food. By the middle of May, Sato's troops were starving. He considered that Mutaguchi and the HQ of Japanese Fifteenth Army were taking little notice of his situation, as they had issued several confusing and contradictory orders to him during April. On 25 May, Sato notified Fifteenth Army HQ that he would withdraw on June 1st, unless his division received supplies. Finally on the 31st of May, he abandoned Naga Village and other positions north of the road, in spite of orders from Mutaguchi to hang on to his position. Miyazaki's detachment continued to fight rearguard actions and demolish bridges along the road to Imphal, but was eventually driven off the road and forced to retreat eastwards. The remainder of the Japanese division retreated painfully south but found very little to eat, as most of what few supplies had been brought forward across the Chindwin had been consumed by other Japanese units, who were as desperately hungry as Sato's men. Many of the 31st Division were too enfeebled to drag themselves further south. During the Battle of Kohima, the British and Indian forces had lost 4,064 men, dead, missing and wounded. Against this the Japanese had lost 5,764 battle casualties in the Kohima area, and many of the 31st Division subsequently died of disease or starvation, or took their own lives. After ignoring army orders for several weeks, Sato was removed from command of Japanese 31st Division early in July. The entire Japanese offensive was broken off at the same time. After Sato was removed from command, he refused an invitation to commit seppuku and demanded a court martial to clear his name and make his complaints about Fifteenth Army HQ public. At Kawabe's prompting, Sato was declared to have suffered a mental breakdown and was unfit to stand trial. The huge losses the Japanese suffered in the Battles of Imphal and Kohima (mainly through starvation and disease) crippled their defence of Burma against Allied attacks during the following year.

[xanderwithanx]

Chloe does night-time diary posts on HER tumblr, so I'm going to start doing them here, sometimes. It would be nice if you read it, but, please, don't feel obligated! This is more for me to write.

(I got tired of my normal journal, I guess. It's full of bad poetry anyway. Besides, where's the thrill of losing anonymity in a physical notebook?)

I've basically been asleep and depressed for several days, because I had withdrawal after not being able to get my adhd meds. But, I got it today, and DID THINGS. (This is SO much better than before!)

Today, I went to a small café or restaurant (focused on tea) called Alice's Teacup that was Alice in Wonderland themed! My long-standing obsession with Alice in Wonderland knows no bounds. It was a really cute place. I got pumpkin pancakes, and some really good iced tea. Like... REALLY good iced tea.

Still, it seemed like the entire place was geared towards having a pot of tea and snacks with your friends, which left me a bit lonely. The person I asked couldn't come, and by the time I heard back, I was more than halfway there. Still, I read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and watched Monty Python on my phone, so I still had a good time!

I dressed pretty eccentricly and effeminately all day, but, with my facial hair, I was ALWAYS coded as a man, even by people on the street! Pastels, a stupid hat, a crop top, and facial hair was a winning combination.

On my way, I was stopped by some guys soliciting for charity. I don't make a habit of stopping for strangers on the streets of Manhattan. What if it's a scam? What if I'm being pressured to buy something? What if it's a strange political rant? But, I had already taken my earbuds off, I wasn't in a hurry, and I'm terminally polite. The first guy said he liked my energy, which seemed to come from a genuine place, because I liked his too!

They were asking for donations for a breast cancer charity, the United Breast Cancer Foundation. After a discussion, it seems like the charity helps pay medical debt, medical bills, and other practical needs, which is much better than *some* others I could name. I regretted not being able to give their minimum there, as it was pretty high, but told them I'd give what I could when I got on the website.

I... did not. Money is tight, because I'm bad and irresponsible with money, even though this is more than a worthy cause. I didn't NEED to go to that tea place, and I don't NEED to spend so much money on food. Sure, I can justify it: I wanted to go to that place for so long, and it was near the college anyway! But, if I was responsible with money, you KNOW my friends direct fundraising drives would go first, worthy charities second. Still, I feel bad about it.

Then, I went to the college library, to get books to start my thesis research. I have literally been unable to go to the college itself, aside from getting my ID, so this was great! There just wasn't a reason. It was... very empty. I went to the library stacks, which was deathly quiet and deeply haunted by the old books. I half expected something to pop out at me, as I turned the stacks, but I wasn't even paranoid or anxious. It was like I was in something else's house. I was welcome, but on thin ice.

I picked up an irrelevant psychology book on the "schizophrenia problem" from the 1930s, out of morbid fascination, and quickly put it down when it threatened to shatter in my hands.

Some students walked past (which was a suprise in those monastic basement library stacks), and I added something to their conversation, in a totally natural and casual way. But, omg the poor girls, I made them jump! Luckily, I'm the least threatening person on earth, and we laughed it off.

After a lot of hunting, I got 5 out of my 10 books (for the most part)! (The rest are, sadly, online. I like to read physical copies.) Strangely, I only came in with a list to get 3 books out of 6.

Most of the books I got are about art in the AIDS crisis, which is the core of my thesis, I think, all with different value. One about exhibitions, one about the larger narrative of those gay artists, and another contradicting the larger narrative.

I also got a book about "Art and Homosexuality". Just, the parallel construction of both "art" and "homosexuality" across cultures and times, from earliest history to the modern age. It wasn't on my initial list, but I'm really excited to read it.

Finally, I got a book called "The Thief, the Cross and the Wheel", about the pain and spectacle of punishment in Medieval and Renaissance European art. I'm mainly interested in Italian Renaissance art of the crucifixion--and its masochism--for the second quarter of my thesis.

The rest are online, and Should mostly focus on Bacchus in the Italian Renaissance (especially through art) and what I call the art of "gay liberation", concurrent with the AIDS crisis (i.e. The Cockettes). These two topics make up the last half of my thesis.

I'm SO excited to get started!!

I even got to cross the college's sky-bridges! (The college is a few skyscrapers.) Still, the loneliness and novelty were kind of the same thought. Imagine if I had been here before COVID, or, if COVID hadn't happened. Who would I have been able to meet? What would the college buildings mean to me? Because, for now, they're just buildings. But, I got to see the street from above, and that was amazing!

Just walking through New York--the Upper East Side--on a cool, sunny day was beautiful. It takes 20-30 minutes to get from my place to the college (and the tea place), but it was great being able to listen to my music (a lot of They Might Be Giants on the playlist today) and see the city. You know, people, super cool old architecture being pushed out by terrible new architecture, and pigeons.

Oh my god, the pigeons. I took pictures, but none of them are good. I kept thinking about how pigeons and doves are functionally the same. We domesticated pigeons, which is why they're here, and no one is stopping to notice them? Even the ones that were splotched with pure white, like doves? There's only so many pigeons you can take until they're just white noise and a nuisance, I know, so don't think I'm blaming anyone! But it's so hard to look away from these quirky little birds.

Also, at one point my walk, I was vaping very strategicly. The mental task of searching through library stacks will do that to you, when you already have an addiction to nicotine. I made sure no one was around, and no one would be affected. I stopped on a corner next to an old, ornate Catholic church while the traffic light changed, and I almost juuled right next to a priest! I'm glad I stopped. I don't believe in Hell, but, I would have walked down there myself had I vaped at a priest. Still, the church advertised itself as LGBT+ friendly, so maybe they aren't so trigger happy on the damnation. Either way, I DIDN'T vape at a priest today, which is good.

Once I got back, I spent a few hours watching things with my amazing girlfriend Chloe, who you may know here as @cisphobiccommunistopinions. She is so beautiful, and I love her more every day, every time I see her. God, it's almost been 5 years!

I just wish I could spend more time with her. She's in Virginia, and I'm in New York. Like she said to me earlier, I'm flighty at the best of times, and, with my lack of object permanence for the digital world, I find myself not giving her the attention I deserve, or, the full connection I long to have with her. We used to live together. Luckily, someday we will live together again! All these problems won't be forever, and we can live together again.

We watched a lot of things, but we're pretty deep into Serial Experiments Lain right now. It's a postmodern anime from the 90s, and, wow, do I have no idea what's going on in it. It's about the internet, and potentially schizophrenia as well. However, I'm obsessed! One day I'll be able to crack this artistic code, and it's unreality, thematic knots, and double-meanings. I will probably understand it better on the second watch. I don't see myself in Lain, but I see my 14 year old self in her, when I had just developed schizophrenia. Her cyberpunk fate seems like it's railroaded towards tragedy, but I want to save her, even if it's silly and irrational.

I told Chloe that I was scared about spilling apple cider on my library books, and she referred to it as "The Great Apple Juice Disaster of September 11, 2021." To which I said that it was the second worst thing to happen in New York on that date. It was funnier if you were there, and also were in my brain at the time.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm meeting some online acquaintances from the college's "Queer Srudent Union" at a Japanese Culture Fair in a park. (I do not know which park.) It emphasizes "fun"! I don't know them very well, but they're friends with the one person I know irl, so it should be good.

Tomorrow night, I should Probably head downtown to check out a gallery show by MFA (masters of fine arts) students at Hunter! After all, I was in a group project with one of them, and they're absolutely brilliant. I missed the Thursday gallery opening by a landslide, because of the aforementioned lack of adhd meds and Being Asleep, which I infinitely regret. I could have listened to all the artists and curators talk about their art and exhibition! Maybe I could have even talked with the artists and curators. But, it's best for me to go sooner, rather than later, so I don't forget. And, I REALLY want to go.

It's "This dialogue which happened to be present in all other dialogues" at the Alyssa Davis Gallery. From the email I got, "Each of these works observes a threshold of transition. [...] [These] intimations [are] of a frame of mind shared by the artists. These works perform, record, access, engage, document, and entrap, embalming the viewer within the gallery space."

sgp is a really good artist, by the way. Their work is just next-level. Be sure to check out their art, if you have a chance. Let me link their portfolio: https://saragracepowell.com/

(I highly suspect spg and the other member of my group project ghosted me afterwards, but I understand. I was really in over my head. Still, they're both really sweet and kind people, don't get it twisted!)

I ALSO really want to see The Cake Boys. They're performing at the 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn on September 26th. (It's only $15!) They're the only all drag king collective in NYC! (Are... there any Other all drag king collectives out there?) Other than the fact that a lot of them are trans or nonbinary, which I love, this show is a totally non-judgmental competition for over 40 drag kings! I've heard their shows are hilarious and unique.

I just have to wait until I have $15 to spare. I... didn't eat dinner tonight, because I'm irresponsible with my money and don't want to ask my parents for money... again. Don't worry, it's literally fine, and I don't make a habit of doing this!

Which reminds me! For my birthday, my parents gave me a gift card to Lush! I'm definitely going to Lush tomorrow, which will be great. I would describe my personality as "Lush store employee acosting you about a bath bomb demonstration", so I'll fit right in.

I also made a transition timeline, to show how much I've changed on testosterone. For the better, I hope! I really believe I'm becoming, if not Have Become, the man I was always meant to be. It's so strange to look back at who I was not too long ago, and to know the absolute pain I was in. It's also strange, in a good way, to see the man looking back at me in the selfies. I'm so much happier now! Much more candid in my pictures, at least. But, I know that I'm so much more comfortable as myself than I was even 6 months ago. It's strange. Sometimes I think to myself, "I don't pass yet; I'm not who I Need To Be yet." Then, I look at my selfie from today, and... I'm THERE. My mind just hasn't caught up with my amazing, natural, normal reality.

The end. I have to get ready for bed, (even though I could be partying on a Saturday night in the city. I'm lame.) If you actually read this, I am kissing you on the mouth right now. I hope it made you calm down tonight, like a terrible bedtime story. If you didn't read it and just skipped to the end, don't worry: you did the rational thing.

[olivereliott]

Top Five Harley-Davidson Sportsters, Part One: Ironheads

Harley-Davidson has just rebooted one of the world’s longest-running model lines, with the launch of the new Sportster S. But remarkably, it’s only the third major engine update in the Sportster’s 60-plus years on this earth.

Before the new Revolution Max-powered Sportster S came, we had the Evolution motor that debuted in 1986. And before that, the iconic Ironhead. But throughout each era, the Sportster has always been a mainstay of the custom scene.

To celebrate, we’ve rounded up our ten favorite Sportster builds, divided by their motors. This week, we’re featuring five top-shelf Ironheads from some of the world’s best custom builders—including illustrious names like Max Hazan [above] and Hideya Togashi [below].

Next week, it’s the Evo’s turn.

Hide Motorcycle There’s a long history of Japan’s love for Americana, and the humble Sportster is no exception. Case in point: this Ironhead Sportster by Hideya Togashi of Hide Motorcycle (that’s ‘Hee-day’). It was one of the stars of 2018’s Mooneyes show—a show that Togashi-san is a regular fixture at.

The bike’s built around an original but refurbished 1966 XLCH motor, complete with a Linkert DC-7 carb. But the rest of it is mostly is custom, and it was built without any specific style or theme in mind. “As always, I cherish the balance, and maximize the beauty,” says Hideya.

The motor sits in a scratch-built nickel-plated hardtail frame, with the OEM frame number plate grafted on. Hideya kept the original steering head, triples and forks, but added custom sleeves. The Harley rolls on 21F/18R wheels with drum brakes.

Hideya fabricated the aluminum headlight nacelle and fuel tank, and built the oil tank. The rear fender’s been scalped from a vintage Harley FX Super Glide, then modified to suit. Swept back bars and a pair of beautifully-bent nickel-plated exhausts add to the vintage vibe.

The paint’s extra classy too—a 1930s Harley scheme laid down by Skop Paint Works. Hide’s Ironhead blends vintage speedway and flat track styles together to create a minimalistic and impossibly cool machine. The perfect use of an Ironhead motor. [More]

Hot Chop Speed Shop Here’s another bike that stopped visitors to the 2018 Mooneyes event dead in their tracks: a twin-engined Harley drag bike by Kentaro Nakano at Hot Chop Speed Shop in Kyoto. Using two Sportster XLCH engines, Nakano-san built the monster as a tribute to the drag racers of the 70s.

Unsurprisingly, it picked up two awards at the show—from the top Japanese mags, Hot Bike and Vibes.

‘Double Trouble’ uses a 1969 Ironhead in front, with an older engine at the rear. Both run with S&S Super B carbs, fitted with custom velocity stacks. Kentaro’s friend Kazuhiro Takahashi of Sakai Boring helped rebuild the engines.

The two V-twins are linked by connecting plates, and their output shafts are connected to two separate primaries. The transmission’s a four-speed from a 1980s Big Twin and Kentaro has set the timing of the two motors so that they go ‘potato potato’ at idle, but scream at high revs.

The whole arrangement is housed in a custom hardtail frame, fabricated from steel tubing. There’s a set of early 70s Ducati Imola forks up front, with 18” rims at both ends wrapped in M&H drag slicks. Kentaro installed a pair of Airheart brakes up front, with a Wilwood brake out back.

All of the bodywork was fabricated in aluminum, from scratch. Fuel sits in the cylindrical reservoir up front, with oil held in the seat ‘cowl.’ Custom upholstery from Atelier Cherry adds to the period-correct look.

Double Trouble’s finished off with a narrow set of custom drag bars, with a 1970s H-D tacho out front. The bodywork’s been left raw, with tidy Hot Chop Speed Shop decals on the tank. Buttoned up, it’s both elegant and monstrous. [More]

Hazan Motorworks Max Hazan’s work speaks for itself, but what’s remarkable is that the American builder’s had an unmistakable signature from day one. If you don’t believe us, then consider the fact that this Sportster-powered artwork was only his fourth build.

“I start with a motor that I find aesthetically pleasing, put it on the table, and build the bike around it,” Max told us back then. In this case, the motor is exquisite. Max built it up with two 1981 Ironhead front heads, split the rocker covers and added matching Amal carbs.

The frame was built from 7/8” and 1” steel tubes, and also holds the oil and wiring. The front-end’s a work of art on its own; it uses two springs under the fuel tank, and a damper behind the headlight. The only rear suspension is a pair of springs under the seat, with about 1.5” of travel.

Max had a set of 1920s car tires in his hands, so he built the bike up with a 30” wheel out front, and a 31” hoop at the back. They suit the scale of the bike too—which measures eight feet long, but weighs just 300 lbs.

Almost everything was fashioned by hand, using metal that was lying around the workshop, or, in some cases, small salvaged parts. There’s a frosted shot glass as a taillight cover, and a porcelain doorknob on the hand shifter. The handmade tank only holds 1.5 gallons… but Max is under no illusions about his creation having to be ridden far.

Eight years on, this Ironhead still stands as one of our favorite Harleys—nay, customs—and some of Max’s best work. [More]

HardNine Choppers The 1979 Harley-Davidson XLCR is arguably too rare to be customized these days, but the owner of this Sporty has three. So he had no qualms about handing one over to Swiss builder Danny Schneider for a makeover.

Danny, who operates as HardNine Choppers, is an ex-motocrosser who had previously built two Triumph flat trackers, and was itching to give a Harley the same treatment. So he took on the project with the provision that he could turn it into a tracker. Luckily, the client agreed.

Danny’s work went deep—starting with the motor that he bored out from 997 cc to 1,340 cc, with KB Performance pistons. The carb is from the Harley performance specialists, S&S Cycle, and the exhaust is a custom nickel-plated system that exits under the seat. Danny had to relocate the oil tank to accommodate it.

The custom fuel tank echoes the lines of the original XLCR unit, but it’s actually a slimmer, split design (the left side houses the oil). Danny hand-shaped an aluminum tail section too, with slits to help dissipate heat. He made the seat pad himself, too.

Suspension is by way of Showa shocks from an FXR, fitted with Öhlins cartridges, and Bitubo rear shocks. It rolls on 21F/16R spoked wheels, with a Beringer brake set that Danny drove to the French company’s HQ to have made.

This XLCR is a clever mix of classic style and modern parts, tied together with a host of custom touches and a fresh paint job inspired by a mini-bike spotted on the street (true story).

It’s also a great story of perseverance; Danny took a two-year break in the middle of the project to welcome his daughter into the world and battle testicular cancer. Then he crammed two month’s worth of 15-hour days in to finish it in time for the MBE Expo show in Verona, Italy. Much respect. [More]

DP Customs We’ve featured a slew of slammed and hot-rodded Harleys from the now-defunct DP Customs over the years, but this was one of their wildest. Brothers Jarrod and Justin Del Prado built it as a personal project between client jobs, using Justin’s own 1000 cc 1979 Ironhead Sportster as a donor.

DP Customs went all-out, starting with a turbo that had been sitting in the shop waiting for the right project.

The motor was rebuilt with forged pistons and new valves and springs, then the turbo was installed with a custom draw-through setup, and a Mikuni carb. From the custom aluminum intake and exhaust, to the custom oil system that runs into a Mooneyes tank, it’s an impressive setup.

Like three of the other Harleys on this list, this one features a scratch-built hardtail frame. It uses DP Customs’ signature 6” stretch and 4” drop, with a custom 19” wheel up front, and a modified 15” car wheel at the back. The front brake’s a Brembo, and the rear is a custom system with a combination sprocket and rotor.

Up top is a wafer-thin seat, with a traditional peanut tank up front. DP Customs installed clip-ons with Biltwell Inc. grips, and head- and taillights—but there’s no speedo, and no turn signals. The asymmetrical paint job, red frame and gold wheels should clash, but somehow they harmonize, maximizing the Harley’s eye candy appeal.

DP Customs admit the bike wasn’t built with practicality in mind, summing up that “it hauls ass in a straight line, and the brakes work.” [More]

[kathyprior4200]

The Chipper Cleaner

The Golden State of California hosted a melting pot of different cultures, cuisines and languages from around the world. The Great Depression of the 1930s hit families and businesses hard. Many people were out of jobs, some lived in the streets or in debilitated shacks close together. Mexican, European and Asian immigrants were often seen in camps, doing what they could to survive and live through the days. Men, women and sometimes children would help out in the fields and harvest wheat and food. It wasn’t uncommon to hear guitar playing or balls being kicked around or a few songs carried out in the desert air in an attempt to lift spirits up.

 To make matters worse, a terrible drought spread through the nation in 1930. Crops died from lack of water and harvests failed across farms in the U.S. Thousands went hungry as farms and homes were lost. The former prosperous economic growth and glory of the Roaring Twenties was reduced to memory.

 The 1940s would bring about World War 2, more women in the workforce and the internment of thousands of people with Japanese ancestry. For as diverse as California was, racism, sexism and discrimination were still commonplace everywhere.

 In the vibrant city of Los Angeles, California, a nifty little girl was born. Her name was Nerissa, born March 22nd, 1929. She was born to her parents: Hiroto and Akemi Nifuti. Her mother, Akemi was from Japan and arrived to Hawaii. Having only met her husband through sent pictures as a picture bride, she and Hiroto got married on the docks of Hawaii. She was disappointed to hear that Hiroto was older and didn’t have any luxury cars or clothes. Nevertheless, it was an escape from her family duties back in her home country, so she moved and married him. After working on the plantations for a while, the couple decided to move to California, where they lived in a rural area. Their small house was made of wood that was painted red and white.

 Close by their house was a field of wheat, soybeans and tomatoes growing on vines. Or at least, that’s how it should’ve looked during a good harvest. However, the drought had done a number on the family’s crops. The beans were small and dried up, the tomatoes hardly growing at all. The family had to be careful about not spending too much money…they made some of it selling their crops at a local farmer’s market. Thankfully, their jobs allowed them to keep a house and not go broke. Other families weren’t as lucky.

  Niffty’s father was a farmer and newspaper editor and her mother worked at a sewing factory. Since Niffty’s parents were often busy with work, they hired a sitter to take care of her. The sitter was white with brown hair and green eyes, in her early 30s. She would often wear pink dresses with white polka dots on it, her mousey brown hair tied back. Although Michelle Marie Ann was Caucasian, she treated Niffty like she was her own daughter. She watched Niffty crawl, babble, and slowly take her first steps.

 “Yay, nice job!” she said in a cooing tone as Niffty took her first steps across the floor before landing in a heap in her lap.

 Michelle looked over at Akemi and Hiroto. “She’s a fast learner,” Michelle remarked. Both parents were pleased. Hiroto then went out to water what was left of the crops, while Akemi sat in a large room to get a head start on some dresses and hats.

 Niffty started crying again and Michelle rocked her gently in her lap. Michelle let out a soft sigh and carried her to a bedroom to change her diaper.

 Whenever Akemi had time to spend with Niffty, she taught her the Japanese language and etiquette.

 Niffty started learning when she was a couple years old. Her mother would sing her songs and tell her stories. The little girl loved every minute of it. Niffty’s father would smile passively at them, before returning to work or have some drinks.

 Niffty would later learn to write several Japanese characters as well, at least at home or when writing letters to distant family members.

 “Hai. Yes,” Akemi said, with a nod of her head. Niffty copied the motion. “iie. No.” She shook her head, more of a frown on her face, before Niffty copied her.

 “Onegai shimasu? What’s that?”

 Niffty answered. “Please?”

 “Very good,” Akemi said.

 Of course, Niffty had to learn several things the hard way.

 “Nerissa! iie!” Akemi scolded when a four year old Niffty had arrived into the house wearing dirty shoes. She pointed back outside and Niffty slumped back out to take her shoes off.

 “Nerissa,” called her father. “I need your help digging up some dirt out here.” Niffty raced out and grabbed a small shovel. She helped her father dig holes and seek out fresh dirt to try and plant seeds.

 At dinner time, the family had sushi, onigiri rice balls and grilled chicken skewers called yakitori. Niffty was struggling with holding chopsticks. Hiroto had to chuckle as Niffty’s sushi kept slipping from in between the wooden utensils. Niffty reached to pick it up but Akemi stopped her with a glare. Niffty kept her little hand extended, the two members locked in a sort of stare down. Niffty tried using the chop sticks in one hand before both utensils rolled off the table and clattered to the floor. Niffty grabbed the sushi and popped it into her mouth with a giggle. Akemi sighed and slapped her hand to her forehead. Hiroti rolled his eyes and helped himself to more food.

 “Nerissa, dear you still have much to learn,” her mother said as Niffty bent down to pick up the sticks.

 Akemi also showed Niffty the very important duties of cleaning the house and sewing clothing. “I work at a sewing factory,” she said. “And more than likely, you’re gonna work in a similar job if not the same. Watch closely.”

 Niffty watched in curiosity as Akemi sat down and worked both a sewing machine and used her own hands. She weaved string of different colors through loops as she moved the sewing needles around in her hands. Niffty practiced on her own, sewing together a hole in a small cotton cap to start with. She fumbled several times but slowly got used to it. Several weeks later, she had made her first scarf.

 “Quite impressive,” Akemi praised.

 Niffty had poked at her fingers several times, but they eventually toughened up. Muscle memory took over in her fingers for many of the tasks she did. The more she performed them, the easier it felt…and the faster she did them. Sewing on buttons, bows and decorations was Niffty’s favorite part. It wasn’t long before she frequently helped out her mother with sewing and cleaning the house. It became an expectation for years afterward.

 “Scrub harder, Nerissa,” Akemi said as Niffty learned how to wash dishes. “You need to really get the stains off around the bottom rim of the pot. Like this.” She grabbed a sponge and moved it rapidly up and down and in circles. Niffty laughed as she got her hands soapy and wet. On occasion, Akemi would playfully splash her with water. They would have a quick water fight with loud giggles before returning to work.

 Cleaning chimneys was Niffty’s least favorite hobby. But it was one her father insisted she do. “You’ll eventually need to learn it if you ever get a somewhat decent job,” he reminded her. Women were working more, but opportunities were still very limited for them.

 Using thick dusters and other supplies, she could easily fit into the small space. She hated how dirty she got from the soot and ash. Niffty felt like Cinderella much of the time, from the hard cleaning work she did, to fantasizing about going to a ball and meeting a prince. Imagining herself as a beautiful princess helped pass the time. The water in the wooden wash bin would be black by the time Niffty was done washing herself off. She would scrub her skin for half an hour, trying to get the grime off as much as possible.

 Niffty soon she got some exciting news at age six: she was going to school for the first time. She was soon dropped off at Wellis Elementary, a yellow brick building. While at school, Niffty excelled at literature, home economics, art, reading, writing and history. She was also a fast runner in gym class as well. Math and science were subjects she struggled with.

 Nifty would spend hours reading the books in the classrooms. She would often be seen eagerly raising her hand to tell the answer. She had to learn to slow down on whatever activity she did…many of the classmates couldn’t keep up with her!

 “Shorty Jap! Shorty Jap!” jeered a bunch of mean older kids who shoved Niffty to the floor on her way to music. Niffty cried out, tears flowing down her cheeks. A nearby teacher arrived and took her to the nurse’s office.

 “Just a bruise on your knee but it should heal up in no time,” the nurse said as Niffty wiped her tears away.

 “Why are they so mean?” she sobbed. “What did I do?”

 “Those kids are mean to all the newcomers,” the nurse said. “They tend to pick on the little kids in particular.”

 “But I’m not that little,” Niffty said. “I just turned seven!”

 “Sorry, I thought you were four.”

 Niffty lowered her face, black bangs obscuring her forehead. Her face flushed in embarrassment. Her dress was white, her leggings tight and shoes were shiny and black. Her hair was short and black, her eyes dark brown and slanted. Her skin was a light brownish or as some bullies would mock, “yellow.” Indeed, Niffty was one of the shortest people in her class. There were rumors about her having a growth stunt, but Niffty had developed physically and mentally at a fast rate. Indeed, she was smarter than many kids her age.

 “Don’t let them get to you,” the nurse said. “Now hurry on back to class.”

 Fortunately, singing and playing instruments helped Niffty forget about the incident. “I’m gonna be a singer when I grow up!” she declared much to the bemusement of her classmates.

Niffty got home to see Michelle Marie Ann smiling warmly at her, wearing a fluffy lavender dress with a purple bow around her waist. Niffty remembered to leave her shoes outside.

 “How was school?” she asked.

 “It was fine,” she replied in a monotone.

 “Only fine? You were so enthusiastic about it earlier.”

 “Mean kids were mean to me.”

 “How so? What did they do?”

 “They said I was a shorty Jap and shoved me to the ground.”

 A horrific look crossed Michelle’s face. “I’m so sorry, Nerissa,” she said.

 Her parents shared concerned looks in the distance. Sooner or later, their daughter would have to learn the hard truth about who she was and about the society they lived in.

 “It’s okay,” Niffty said. “I still got to learn new things and do the entire alphabet in English!”

 “How wonderful!” Michelle smiled. Niffty was always optimistic, ever the imaginative one. Whenever things got down, Niffty would always see the silver lining in everything.  

 “What did the kids mean when they said that stuff?”

 Michelle sighed, trying to put words together. “Let’s just say that many people don’t like others who are different.”

 Before Niffty could ask further, Michelle said,” I have a surprise for you, sweetie.”

 She dug into her dress pocket and pulled out a stuffed animal. Niffty beamed and took the figure and hugged it to her chest. It was a stuffed pink poodle decorated with white polka dots.

 “Do you like it?”

 “Oh I do I do I do!” Niffty squealed. The two of them shared a warm hug.  

 After dusting a bookshelf, vacuuming the rugs and polishing several appliances, Niffty soon got ready for bed. Michelle tucked her into bed. Hiroto was passed out on the couch and Akemi was up in her room finishing up outfits to sell.

 “Can you read me a story?” Niffty asked.

 “Of course my dear,” Michelle answered. “Which one?”

 Niffty pointed to an orange picture book. “That’s one of my favorites.”

 Michelle picked it up and read the title. “Princess Hachikazuki.”

 Niffty cuddled up in her sitter’s lap as Michelle began. It was like she was transported to another world.

 In the story, Lord and Lady Sanetaka prayed to the bodhisattva of mercy to give them an heir. The beautiful princess was born. The mother became sick and before she passed away, she placed a bowl on the princess’s head. The princess threw herself in a river when people laughed at her but soon, a prince fell in love with her. Although her rival stepsisters tried to separate them, Hachikazuki’s bowl came off of her head, allowing her to win a ladies contest. The couple happily married and the princess was reunited with her father.

 “Oh I just love happy endings!” Niffty beamed as Michelle closed the book.

 A year later, Michelle told her a story that seemed to stay with her. It would be the last story the sitter ever told.

 “Read me a story, please?” Niffty asked.

 “But it’s your bed time, Nerissa,” she said. “You’re getting old for this, according to your parents.”

 “Please? Please? Please?” the little girl pleaded with shining eyes.

 Michelle gave in with a smile. She knew Niffty would always be a child at heart. “Alright, but just one.”

 She cleared her throat.

 “Once upon a time in a vast kingdom, there lived a beautiful blonde haired princess. She lived in a palace with her father and mother, the king and queen. While she was there, she was taught how to sing, play the violin, dance and how to rule with a firm hand. The king and queen loved to perform for their subjects. They would host grand balls for the nobility and invite the well-off to join the fun. There were jesters, jugglers, and an array of delicious food for them to enjoy. All in all the princess was very happy, surrounded by the music.”

 “But as she got older, she learned more about the land she was in. Her father had enforced strict rules on his subjects, and for good reason. Although the peasants, knights, shop owners and caretakers worked hard, they also fought a lot. It wasn’t uncommon for farmers to fight over crops, or fellow knights to raid churches and villages. Disease also spread rapidly.”

 “One day, the princess saw a horrific sight. Soldiers from a rival kingdom arrived and mercilessly slaughtered the citizens! The knights in armor were no match for the guns. After the damage had been done, those who remained had to dispose of the dead and start over, always in fear that they would come again.”

 “Father,” cried the princess. “How could you let this happen?!”

 “My army is no match for the soldier’s guns,” he replied. “They invade and kill my people for the sake of it. But there is nothing that can be done. Perhaps the troublesome workers deserved their fate.”

 “Mother!” the princess cried. “Can’t you do something as well? Those poor people suffer every day out there!”

 But the queen was busy deciding which dress to wear for the next performance.

The princess tried to talk to the people around her, offering to help in any way she could. Many of them laughed and mocked her.

 “A secluded princess trying to help us out?” they asked. “Who does she think she is? She doesn’t know anything at all.”

 Fortunately, the princess befriended a woman warrior to help her out. The woman could live off the land and use any kind of weapon, but she had a bad temper at times. The princess had an idea.

 “What if I run a refuge place to help travelers and my people get along? If not that, then at least, the poor would have a place to stay.” Her warrior friend agreed to help, provided she not get too optimistic about the iffy plan. The king and queen used some of their money to build the building by the trading route, just so they could focus on their own hobbies. They, too, didn’t agree with her ideas. The princess was saddened by her ignorant parents.

 One traveler soon arrived, a man who smoked, drank and often ran around nude. He slept with women and men alike. He was a reckless fighter as well, and had almost died fighting off rival knights on the battlefield. The princess happily welcomed him in, but the warrior wasn’t as pleased. It was slow going, but it was a start.

 Now, the king had many lords and men in his inner circle. One of them was a man who lived in the woods and hunted deer. He often wore a dark cloak and carried a staff with a deer skull on it. But he was also a devious trickster. He was feared throughout the land because of his great skill in dark sorcery. Many people had fallen prey to his curses, poor and wealthy alike…he loved making deals.

 When the sorcerer saw that the princess was opening the place of refuge, he decided to check it out. He already had a plan to get to know the members of the royal family…having a secret grudge against them. Before he did, he gathered two people to his side. One of them was a strong muscular fighter…and the best gambler in town.

 “Your skills in gambling and fighting are second to none,” the sorcerer said, soon gathering up lies. “I could use a strong hand like you. Those horrible soldiers killed my wife and children and I’m worried that I’ll be next.”

 “I’m not helping you,” the gambler scoffed as he drank more booze and drinks. “Why didn’t you use your magic?”

 “The soldiers weren’t affected by it and now…I’m left with nothing...”

 “But if you work for me, I’ll give you more drinks and money. Plus if you’re looking for a nicer place to stay, the princess has a refuge center not too far from here.”

 Reluctantly, the gambler shook the sorcerer’s hand and followed him.

 Later, the sorcerer spotted a maid who was cleaning chimneys and caring for a bunch of children.

 “You look like you’re pretty busy,” the sorcerer said. “Cleaning the same dirty place all the time sounds boring.”

 “It is,” the maid said. “And lonely. There are no handsome men around either.”

 The sorcerer then spoke in a smooth seductive tone. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Why, if you help me out, I’ll provide you with a clean house and introduce you to the most handsome of men in the kingdom. I’ll be your first friend if you wish.”

 The maid eagerly shook his hand, and the trio went off to the hotel. Once they arrived, the princess welcomed them in with open arms.

 “I’d love to help out with your place, your majesty,” the sorcerer said with an elegant bow. “Trying to make people better…that’s near impossible, but hey, it’s worth a shot.”

 The sorcerer charmed the princess with dances and magic tricks. With a snap of his fingers, the place was repaired and clean. She soon became attracted to him. The man even made a splendid dinner for everyone to enjoy.

 “He’s untrustworthy,” the warrior woman warned the princess. “I’m your best friend but please be careful.”

 “Don’t worry,” the princess said. “I can take care of myself.” She hoped that her plan would work…and hoped she could prove herself worthy to her parents.

 Then, on the next fateful day…”

 “Nerissa!” called Akemi from down the hall. “It’s time to go to sleep!”

 “She’s right,” Michelle said as she closed the book in a heart stopping snap.

 “Awww, Michelle! Mother! You can’t stop there! We were getting to the good part!”

 “Maybe another time,” said Michelle as she tucked Niffty into bed. “Good night, dear.” Michelle’s footsteps grew fainter as she left the room.

 Nifty stared at the starry sky and the full moon though her window. “Maybe my dreams will come true someday,” she sang softly to herself with a smile and a look of longing.

 “A dream is a wish, my heart makes

When I’m fast asleep.

In dreams, I will lose my heartaches

Whatever I wish for, I keep

 “Have faith in dreams and someday

My rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how my heart is grieving

If I keep on believing

The dream that I wish will come true.”

 Niffty yawned after she finished the song and settled into sleep.

                                        Yellow Peril: Chinese workers arrive to U.S. mid 19th century, restricted to railroads and mines. Anti-Chinese groups worked to pass laws to limit Asian American equality with whites. Like Irish, Italians, Chinese and Japanese were viewed as threats to “racial purity” and a source of economic competition.

1886-1924 peak: People immigrating from Japan to find work to survive. Many arrived on Hawaiian Islands, moving to the West Coast. Immigrants selecting brides from their immigrant countries via a matchmaker who paired them only using pictures and family recommendations. Some women choose to be picture brides to escape familial duties and seek economic growth. Some came to Hawaii because it was a trend. Picture brides immigrated to the U.S. to be with husbands. Men would often pose in pictures with cars and items they did not own.

Nakodo: go between/match maker who looks at status, age, wealth of bride

 Pucture brides had to go through immigration inspections. They would meet their soon to be husbands and attend a wedding ceremony on the docks.

Reality: older grooms living in racially segregated plantations

  Plantation workers, many Japanese women. Irrigated and weeded the fields, stripped cane of dry leaves, or cut seed cane. Women were also expected to take care of the house, cooking, cleaning, sewing and raising children. Many women moved to Honolulu to start their own businesses.

 Values instilled to children included filial piety, obligation to community and authority, reciprocal obligation, importance of hard work, frugality, drive for success (seiko).

 Some married husbands were abusive or alcoholic or tried to sell women into brothels but many wives stayed for their children. Wives who eloped could be sent back to Japan.

 No passports to picture brides in 1920.

   Naturalization Act of 1870: revoking citizenship to Chinese Americans

 Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: stopped immigration from China

 Japanese workers recruited, triggering a rapid increase in population.

 Immigration Act of 1924: banned Japanese and Chinese from entering U.S.

  Japantowns (Nihonmachi) in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle etc. community groups organized charity events and set up shops separate from whites, Japanese language schools.

  Pearl Harbor attack 1941: led the United States into World War 2. Americans, French, England, unified to fight against Germany, Japan and Italy.

Kamikaze suicide bombings, Pearl Harbor, Baatan Death March, American POWs killed by Imperial Japanese forces

 “Jap hunting licenses” Japanese forced to move away and close their businesses.

 Stereotype of Japanese and schools as loyal to the emperor of Japan, promoting racial superiority and violent fighting skills.

 1942: Japanese incarcerated in camps “War Relocation Camps” western U.S, 1942-1946 “one blood drop rule”

    Jan 1942: immigrants required to have certificates and IDs on them

 Unfavorable reports of Japanese action noticed by the U.S. government, (Pearl Harbor, Invasion of China 1931).

 Thin barracks with little room for privacy, barbed wire fences and guards.

(shikata ga nai) “It cannot be helped.” School lessons only taught in Englsih. Dust storms, cramped living conditions. There was baseball, bands and recreation.

Internment ends 1945/1946

Japanese businesses, homes and places of worship were destroyed with vandalism, gunshots and explosives. Some people were shot in the camps while others died from lack of medical care.

 Niffty lives her life as a Japanese American woman and teenager in the 1950s. She is little, with short black hair and pale skin. She is born in the 1920s…on March 22 (VA birthdate), 1929 (Year of the Snake)! Being the same age as Vaggie when she died at age 22, Niffty died in 1951. She is a human named Nerissa Nifuti (after the maid. Her last name is Niffty in Japanese).

 March 22 1929: Niffty’s birth in Los Angeles, California, as Nerissa Nifuti. (Capital city based on New Orleans, New York and Las Vegas populous cities of the former homelands of the other characters)

1930: age 1

 1931: age 2

 1932: age 3

 1933: age 4

 1934: age 5

 1935: age 6

 Niffty briefly lives with her parents in a rural area. Picture bride mother who arrived from Japan and to Hawaii and worked on a plantation, older alcoholic father who lived in Hawaii.

 1930s: Niffty learns to walk and talk and speak Japanese and English. She always removes her shoes whenever she enters her home and other buildings. She is fast in almost everything, crawling early, babbling early, very talkative and quick on her feet. Niffty is a fast learner as well, often ahead of her class. Niffty learns best by working with her hands. Niffty develops her love of reading and writing.

 At some point, Niffty’s father becomes abusive to both of them but Niffty’s mother has to stay to uphold her family honor.

 1936: age 7 Niffty starts school. Niffty is often chided for talking so fast and not being passive

  Niffty is bullied in Weill school for her heritage and short height. Niffty excels at literature, running, music, singing, arts and crafts, reading and writing, but not at math, sports, science or history.

  1937: age 8 With being a good housewife instilled in her at an early age, Niffty begins to clean and cook and sew early on, while also looking for the perfect husband in the future.

 1938: age 9

 1939: age 10 World War 2 begins

 Niffty reads mangas and starts writing her own stories while maintaining a clean house for her family. They also have a black poodle named Michelle.

 1940: age 11

 1941: age 12

 1942: age 13

 1942: Year of Death. Niffty and her parents are sent to an internment camp. Manzanar Relocation Center. Niffty’s father is shot for trying to escape and her mother dies of an illness at an infirmary. The walls are thin and barracks are overcrowded.

  1943: age 14

 1944: age 15 Niffty is often surrounded by the stench of death. She eats like an animal and longs to be free.

 1945: age 16

Niffty’s father is shot for trying to escape and her mother falls ill and dies in a makeshift infirmary. Niffty remains in the camp until 1945, finishing schooling and joining the band. Niffty has to live with several other families and children in cramped spaces. The lessons were only taught in English. Niffty falls in love with several boys. Niffty meets one nice one but he eventually leaves with his family, leaving Niffty behind.

 Niffty returns to her home town with nothing to return to. She finds Japanese businesses, homes and places of worship destroyed with vandalism, gunshots and explosives.

 By sheer luck, she is able to live and work for an upper class white family as a maid, cook and a person who sews their clothes. The mother is racist toward her but not the father nor the older sister, who tolerate her.

 1946: age 17 Niffty is visited by Alastor through a radio. He offers her mangas, appreciation for her work and a new “perfect” boyfriend/husband, plus a radio. She agrees to help him out later on, but she gets more than what she bargained for.

 1947: age 18 Niffty gets married to her boyfriend but still works for the family.

 1948: age 19 Niffty’s husband starts hitting on Niffty’s white adoptive sister. Niffty’s adoptive parents make her do even more work since she is so good at it. Niffty’s fanfictions are read by others and starts attracting horny older men.

 1949: age 20

 1950: age 21 Niffty’s husband beats and violates her, though Niffty still remains in love with him. She lets him violate her, feeling more and more broken and helpless. One part lasted three hours, leaving her feeling sticky and disgusting.

 Niffty asks the radio for advice and it influences her to do evil things. Jealous of her adoptive sister’s beauty and attention to her husband, Niffty kills her and cleans up the mess, serving her flesh in meat pies to neighbors.

 During one evening on the streets, a horrified Niffty glances at a man violating a corpse of a woman and stabs him to death. She darts away before she can be caught.  

 1951: age 22 The trauma Niffty faces catches up and she snaps. Niffty kills her husband as he tried to rape and stab her and sets his house on fire. At the same time, she cries over the loss of him. She writes about it in a journal, which is discovered by the mother. This draws attention to the police, the father had called them earlier.

 Niffty gets cornered by police inside her home. One of them is a relative of her husband. Niffty tries to run but gets shot three times in the thigh. Before anyone could do anything, the officer picks her up and tosses her into a burning fireplace, where she dies.

   1951: Niffty arrives in Hell, lost and overwhelmed. One demon, a black spider named Rhapso hires her to work at a clothing Emporium. Niffty is beaten and chided for every little mistake she makes, every loose thread, driving her toward perfection like in life. Niffty also has to clean her boss’s room and cook meals. Out of sheer spite, Niffty steals and wears an elegant dress made of black swan feathers, sizing it down to fit her small body. Her boss threatens to roast her in the furnace but as she is immune to fire says “Let’s say you’re in deep hot water, brat.”

 Niffty is thrown into the burning lake as punishment. Niffty plunges to the bottom of the lake, unable to breach the surface as sinners sink to the bottom instead of floating like in regular water. Though Niffty can survive in hot places, the heat and pressure becomes uncomfortable. There are also fiery underwater monsters to avoid. Niffty often has nightmares of her boyfriend sending her into an icy lake to drown, or watching her parents suffer at the internment camp. There is no way for her to interact with the world, make friends and no one to fall in love with. She dreaded having to be forcefully pulled from the surface by her boss and be forced to work more long shifts.

 Until one demon is alerted by her presence…

 After having signed the contract on Earth, Niffty’s presence is sensed by Alastor’s shadow. The shadow reaches in and picks up Niffty, the little demon gasping for breath. Then, she meets Alastor. Alastor reminds Niffty of the deal she had made in the living world and invites her to shake his hand to seal it. Niffty is eager to do so, already enamored by the Radio Demon’s charm.

 Niffty’s boss comes back and demands Niffty go back to work, but Alastor says he would take Niffty instead. Niffty sets her boss and store on fire for revenge, entertaining Alastor. Niffty calls herself Niffty.

 Niffty soon works for Alastor, making his meals, cleaning his cabin-like lair underground (Deer’s Den) (plus his above ground smaller radio studio cabin), sewing voodoo dolls and tailoring his suits. She also is handy in fighting as she is immune to fire, speedy, skillful with her hands and can fit into small places. In exchange, Alastor gives her a place to stay, money, some journals and clothing for her hobbies, plus voodoo creatures for her to eat and play with.

 Niffty is soon summoned from the fireplace and gets to work cleaning the hotel rooms and helping make meals for the hotel residents. Niffty writes erotic fanfiction and sews in her spare time. Along with Husk, Niffty protects Alastor and helps kill his enemies.

 Niffty starts an Instagram account under the name babyfeatherduster. She is seen posing at Alastor’s feet, hanging out with Husk and trying to take Alastor’s picture. People mistake her for a child, even though she is in her 20s.

 Niffty’s true intentions would eventually be revealed. Niffty seeks to be doted on by lots of men, and she lives in a fantasy world of her own. And she’ll use any means necessary to make the world of Hell her own. (she might manipulate men into sleeping with her). Niffty shares traits with Charlie from Always Sunny. Niffty loves erotic stuff and that includes fanfictions, pictures and maybe spying on nude men. She has pica, eating stuff like spiders and fabric. Although Niffty likes to get lost in fantasy and romance, she may be the most socially aware member of the group. She can also manipulate people and knows about Hell’s racist/class driven system. Her delusions of authority and emotions hide a sense of insecurity. Like Charlie from Always Sunny, Niffty is good at sewing, cooking, singing and music.

[princessbilliam]

Otaku Nation: Anime's Effect on American Pop Culture

The modern age of Anime arrive in Japan in the 1960s, and within the course of the following decade or so prospered to the giant robot, distance battle genre bender that we would soon realize as the anime of now.

Evolving within the next 30 years or so, it reached a summit where it could start to overtake and eventually become an essential component of different cultures, similar to the Hollywood of the 1930s quickly grew to encompass the remainder of the planet and inform their pop culture. In precisely the exact same fashion, American pop culture becomes increasingly informed by the trends and cult reaction to anime.

On the other hand, the national awareness as to where these shows came from as well as the poor marketing of the shows made them forgettable and rather than a jump in point, they behave as a nostalgic reminder. Know more NaijaVibe is a pop culture and entertainment website

When Speed Racer came, the beginnings of a true understanding that Japan was producing something fresh and exciting started to install. The prevalence of Speed Racer was never that of its American contemporaries, but it created at a established fanbase the openness to devour newer offerings in the future in Starblazers and Robotech (a convoluted perversion of multiple animes, but nevertheless a comparative success in the countries ). Nonetheless, the effect was largely underground.

From the 1980s, the addition of Beta and VHS made it possible to join together with friends and watch more varying forms of anime. When Akira arrived in 1989, the effect was real. People who knew of Akira were lovers for life, eagerly awaiting their opportunity to partake more and more of the developing tendencies out of Japan.

For Japan's role, this age was a period of major expansion, a veritable boom in the company. The 1980s saw the success of shows such as Gundam and Dragon Ball overgrow the national consciousness and become runaway sensations. The explosion of the manga sector before hand, with serializations of works by Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo in the early 80s simmered in the childhood of Japan and finally seeing the commercial possibilities of those functions, creating in the process a major conglomerate of companies in the Akira Committee to bring the huge funding of Akira to fruition.

By the 90s anime was the mainstream in Japan, and the result was that the ramping up of production and increased output of shows. In part because of the simple, streamlined art style, multiple artist were able to work on a single project and create episode per week for years at a time, leading to monumental runs such as the case of Dragonball (156 episodes) and Dragonball Z (276 episodes). The ability to serialize and turn a story into something that millions of youths would tune into each and every week made firms billions (of yen) and secured the sorts of industrial sponsorships and funds necessary to undertake extraordinary jobs that would require huge sums of cash to finish.

Back in America, a few executives were starting to see the impact that these shows were having in Japan. Slowly and very carefully they began taking the hottest, Dragonball Z and Sailormoon by way of example and finding timeslots first in the afternoon, before the daily retinue of American cartoons, testing the waters of marketability. In 1995, the trickle of anime into the states was only that, a relative trickle. Sailormoon aired every morning in syndication, but sliced and missing key seasons to relate the endings of significant storylines. Dragonball Z ran an equally mild run early on Saturdays in syndication that was abruptly cut when the rights to the show have been lost by the initial company and bought by Funimation.

All the while, works from Japanese specialists like Hayao Miyazaki were being overlooked, passing undetected through limited release in the countries, while making him a God of his own craft in Japan. All the while firms like Manga, Funimation, and Viz were buying up licenses and releasing small known, untraceable reveals that no one knew the origin of. The shows were treated badly, often dubbed and cut up to accommodate American audiences. Viz even launched the very first Anime magazine in 1993 using Animerica, primarily reviewing their particular products but still giving a view of this civilization that nobody knew anything about.

Butin 1995, the release of the shows in the Usa along with the premiere and rave reviews of Neon Genesis Evangelion at Japan, Otaku curiosity abroad began to spike. Otaku is a bid of a misnomer as it is a little bit of a insult in Japan, a mean spirited way to call someone a nerd. Here though, it normally signifies a purveyor of Japanese pop-culture and with all the Otaku so in fashion right now it's less of an insult than the clique. The early 90s was a time of massive growth of interest from the little known import of Anime however, and the American marketplace was not slow to react.

In 1997, tv programs made broad sweeping moves to bring displays to the mainstream. The Sci-Fi station had always needed a small market in its own latenight line up for cult classics like Vampire Hunter D, but Warner Bros finally brought the genre to primetime. And in 1998, a small known video game for the Game Boy exploded at the American market, bringing along with it its whole arsenal of marketing ploys, including the childish, but enormously popular Pokemon anime. Finally, kids throughout the nation were gluing themselves to the tv series as earnestly as their Japanese counterparts had for nearly a decade earlier hand.

Miyazaki's new film played to better reception, receiving a proper release through Miramax. Princess Mononoke has been a success in the terms of the time, even receiving the coveted two thumbs up (let alone an overview whatsoever ) out of Siskel and Ebert. Movies started to arrive in America more liberally, still finding small release, but release at least. And the shows started to pour into. At the time, the fansub scene was more or less the only way to get access to some of the more obscure titles being released in Japan. But since the market thrived, so did the licensing by major companies, and it really started to become prohibited to fansub certain shows since they might be published by a company eventually.

Thus began the closing and full assimilation of Japanese pop culture into American. The DVD format sped up the process, as more episodes of a series could be packaged into a disk than a VHS and production prices plummeted, removing a lot of the financial threat of an untested foreign product in the American marketplace. Cartoon Network surfaced its Toonami afternoon cartoon slot, in which they showcased anime that had been in existence for just a time, but was able to appeal to a much larger demographic and spread the word about these great narrative driven cartoons from throughout the ocean. An whole generation grew into the expanding popularity and became entranced by the epic storylines, amazing storytelling and capacity to show in a cartoon what many considered adult topics and much more mature perspectives on matters like competition and personal success. The Japanese ability to cross genre as well as the extremely higher production values which started to enter displays made in the late 90s and outside supposed amazing shows that appealed not only to children but to adults and outside.

What began as a crossover, gradually began to actually alter the manner in which American's promoted their tv to kids. Shows with more adult articles appeared, and in some cases emulated the Japanese structure. The authors at Pixar crafted brilliant, more maturely themed animations with no ridiculous musicals of Disney ago, and Disney even dissolved their attempted format in favor of much more adult, stories that were complete. The devolution of American quality in animations though as they attempted to match the output signal meant even more Japanese entries in the market. Now, if you flip on Fox kids in the morning you'll find more than half of those shows on are animes. And Cartoon Network nevertheless presents multiple entrances themselves, with much more adult offerings in their Adult Swim block late at night.

These days, you will find anime oriented t-shirts anyplace, an entire aisle devoted to DVD releases at Best Buy (compared to the 1 row only seven years ago) and the achievement of this Anime Network, a channel solely devoted to Anime programming. Magazines like Newtype, a Japanese trade magazine to the Anime sector is now translated and released in America every month with previews of new shows, and American directors like James Cameron are looking to direct live action versions of manga like Battle Angel Alita.

Now, we view new releases from Japan within seven weeks, and the fansub community has to scramble to keep up with what is legal and what's not legal to offer through their services. The internet itself has made it a huge community, in which a show can be recorded on Japanese television, ripped and subbed, subsequently uploaded within a couple hours for the entire world to view. There is no place over, and new displays are immediately available. And it's evident in the universities too. Japanese is one of the most pursued languages, filling up instantly with a lawn long waiting list each year, and much more segments being added each year.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day remembers and honors the 2,403 citizens of the United States who lost their lives there that day. Veterans and citizens have commemorated the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor since it took place, but the day became an official observance when Congress designated the day with a joint resolution on October 3, 1984. The resolution authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States "to observe this solemn occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities" and "to pledge eternal vigilance and strong resolve to defend this Nation and its allies from all future aggression." Accordingly, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5286 on December 4, 1984. Subsequent Congresses and presidents have passed resolutions and issued proclamations for the day. On the day, flags are flown at half-staff until sunset to honor those who died from the attacks. Events, including a commemoration ceremony, are held at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, tensions had been building between the United States and Japan for years. In the 1930s, Japan expanded into China, taking over its import market, agitating the United States. Japan invaded China in 1937 and subsequently participated in the Nanjing Massacre. During the following year, the United States gave its first loan to China. The United States instituted economic sanctions and trade embargoes with hopes they would keep Japan from expanding. In July 1939, the United States terminated the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, which had stood with Japan since 1911. In the summer of 1940, the United States began restricting the export of some materials to Japan that would be useful to them in war. In July 1941, all commercial and financial connections with Japan were cut off, Japan's assets were frozen, and an embargo was placed on petroleum and other war materials. Concurrently, the United States stepped up aid to China, which did not please Japan's militarists. Japan did not shift course and tensions continued to rise.

Japan ordered the attack on November 5, but negotiations took place between Japan and the United States right up until the day of the attack, and Japan's commanders were told that they may be recalled if negotiations produced a favorable outcome. On November 26, the Japanese fleet stationed itself about 275 miles north of Hawaii. It was from this location that around 360 planes eventually launched to Pearl Harbor.

On more than one occasion, most notably on November 27, U.S. Army and Navy commanders at Pearl Harbor were warned that an attack was possible. They took some steps, but as they did not think that an attack would happen, their preparations were far from adequate. Washington didn't take the steps that were needed to be prepared either—they didn't expect Japan to attack Hawaii as Japan was about 4,000 miles from the island and Hawaii was about 2,000 miles from mainland United States. There were also some indications right before the attack that should have raised red flags that one was imminent. Early on the morning of the attack, it was learned in Washington that the Japanese ambassadors wanted an interview with the secretary of state at 1:00 p.m. (7:30 a.m. Hawaii time), which signaled war. Meanwhile, in Pearl Harbor, a Japanese submarine was spotted by a minesweeper four hours before the attack. Then, an hour and a half before the attack, the USS Ward, a destroyer, transmitted a message saying that it had engaged the submarine. Additionally, U.S. Army Pvt. George Elliott detected incoming planes on a radar screen, but he was told by his lieutenant that B-17 bombers from the United States were soon to arrive, so he should disregard what he saw.

On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, the first of hundreds of fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked Naval Station Pearl Harbor. After much success, Japan launched a second wave of attack at 8:50 a.m., which lasted until shortly after 9 a.m. Most of the United States Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the center of the harbor at the time, and many airplanes were parked at nearby airfields. Japan's goal was to take out the fleet, and then to go on to other parts of the South Pacific, which the United States would then be unable to defend.

The attack on Pearl Harbor left 2,403 United States citizens dead, including 2,335 service members and 68 civilians. Additionally, 1,178 Americans were injured. Most of the damage was done in the first 30 minutes of the attack. Around 8:10 a.m., a 1,800-pound bomb was dropped on the USS Arizona, which went through the deck and into the forward ammunition magazine, causing the ship to explode and 1,177 of its crew members to perish. Following the destruction of the USS Arizona, torpedoes hit the USS Oklahoma, which sank, causing the loss of life of 400 sailors. The USS Utah—a battleship that was converted to a target ship in 1931—was sunk and 58 lost their lives. The rest of the battleships at the harbor were either sunk or damaged, and there were casualties on each vessel, including the USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee, and USS Nevada. Each of these six battleships would eventually be returned to service. Three destroyers, three cruisers, and one minelayer were damaged. Aircraft were also targeted, with 159 being damaged and 188 being destroyed, most while parked at Naval Air Station on Ford Island and at nearby Wheeler and Hickam fields.

Although these losses and damages were disastrous for the United States, the Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were away from the base at the time, remaining unscathed, which was of immense importance. Some cruisers and destroyers were also near the aircraft carriers, out of harm's way. Of additional importance, parts of Pearl Harbor—submarine docks, shipyards, repair shops, and oil storage depots—were not harmed. As for the Japanese, they lost fewer than 100 men, 60 or fewer planes, five midget submarines, and perhaps one or two fleet submarines in the attack.

The events of Pearl Harbor unified the American public and precipitated the almost immediate entry of the country into World War II. The day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a speech to Congress in which he said December 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy." He went on to say, "No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again." He closed out his speech by asking Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress declared war the same day and the United States entered World War II on the side of the Allies. When Germany and Italy declared war on the United States three days later, the US declared war on them as well.

On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we remember and honor those who lost their lives on today's date in 1941 at Pearl Harbor. We fly the flag at half-staff and attend events in their honor. We remember the great significance of the day and how it brought the United States into World War II, forever changing the nation.

How to Observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

The day should be spent remembering and showing honor for those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. The following are some ideas on how to observe the day:

Attend the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration Ceremony, which takes place outside of the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. If you are unable to attend, you can view its live broadcast online. Other events are also held at Pearl Harbor on today's anniversary.

Visit the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. This site is home to the USS Arizona Memorial. Dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, the ship's memorial is located over the sunken battleship. It is open to the public and can be reached by taking a free boat tour from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The USS Oklahoma Memorial and the USS Utah Memorial are also part of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. (Note: the USS Utah Memorial, located on the west side of Ford Island, may only be visited by those with military IDs who drive themselves to it.)

Watch videos from the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and view photos from National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day commemoration events.

Visit the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

Watch President Franklin Roosevelt's December 8, 1941, address to Congress.

Visit the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. Located at Pearl Harbor, it is dedicated to a ship that sank 44 ships during World War II.

Visit the USS Missouri Memorial. World War II ended with Japan's surrender on board the USS Missouri. The ship is now located at Pearl Harbor and is a memorial.

Fly a flag at half-staff.

Visit The National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Watch a documentary about Pearl Harbor.

Watch a film about Pearl Harbor.

Read a book about Pearl Harbor.

Source

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.19 (after 1930)

1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds. 1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 64 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Falkonera. 1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins. 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, fewer than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation. 1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals. 1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth. 1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty 1960 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 crashes near Ankara Esenboğa Airport in Turkey, killing all 42 aboard. 1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest. 1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose"). 1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003. 1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity. 1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia. 1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced. 1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written. 1988 – Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 crashes in Bayfield, Colorado, killing 19. 1990 – Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir due to an insurgency. 1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries. 1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations. 1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued. 1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. 1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city. 1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company, forming BAE Systems in November 1999. 2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast. 2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance. 2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI. 2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.

[sixfrigates]

USS Maryland (BB-46)

Maryland was a Colorado-class battleship commissioned in 1921. Following her commissioning, Maryland undertook an East Coast shakedown cruise. Shortly thereafter, Maryland was made flagship of Admiral Hilary P. Jones. Maryland found herself in great demand for special occasions. She appeared at Annapolis, Maryland, for the 1922 United States Naval Academy graduation and at Boston, Massachusetts, for the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill and the Fourth of July.

 From 18 August to 25 September, she paid her first visit to a foreign port transporting Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes to Rio de Janeiro for Brazil's Centennial Exposition. The next year, after fleet exercises off the Panama Canal Zone, Maryland transited the canal in the latter part of June to join the battle fleet stationed on the west coast. She continued to be a flagship until 1923 when the flag was shifted to Pennsylvania.

She made another voyage to a foreign port in 1925, this time to Australia and New Zealand. Several years later, in 1928, she transported President-elect Herbert Hoover on the Pacific leg of his tour of Latin America. She was overhauled in 1928–1929, and the eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns were replaced by eight 5-inch/25 cal guns. Throughout these years and the 1930s, she served as a mainstay of fleet readiness through tireless training operations. She conducted numerous patrols in the 1930s.

In 1940, Maryland and the other battleships of the battle force changed their bases of operations to Pearl Harbor. She was present at Battleship Row along Ford Island during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.

On the morning of 7 December, Maryland was moored along Ford Island, with Oklahoma to port, connected by lines and a gangway. To her fore was California, while Tennessee and West Virginia were astern. Further aft were Nevada and Arizona. The seven battleships, in what is now known as "Battleship Row," had recently returned from maneuvers. Many of Maryland's crew were preparing for shore leave at 09:00 or eating breakfast when the Japanese attack began. As the first Japanese aircraft appeared and explosions rocked the outboard battleships, Maryland's bugler blew general quarters.

Seaman Leslie Short—addressing Christmas cards near his machine gun—brought the first of his ship's guns into play, shooting down one of two torpedo bombers that had just released against Oklahoma. Inboard of Oklahoma, and thus protected from the initial torpedo attack, Maryland managed to bring all her antiaircraft (AA) batteries into action. The devastating initial attack sank Oklahoma, and she capsized quickly, with many of her surviving men climbing aboard Maryland to assist her with anti-aircraft defenses.

Maryland was struck by two armor-piercing bombs which detonated low on her hull. The first struck the forecastle awning and made a hole about 12 ft (3.7 m) by 20 ft (6.1 m). The second exploded after entering the hull at the 22 ft (6.7 m) water level at Frame 10. The latter hit caused flooding and increased the draft forward by 5 ft (1.5 m). Maryland continued to fire and, after the attack, sent firefighting parties to assist her compatriots, especially attempting to rescue survivors from the capsized Oklahoma. The men continued to muster the AA defenses in case the Japanese returned to attack. In all, two officers and two men were killed in the attack.

The Japanese erroneously announced that Maryland had been sunk, but on 30 December, the damaged ship entered Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs just behind Tennessee. Two of the original twelve 5 -inch/51 cal guns were removed and the 5-inch/25 cal guns were replaced by an equal number of 5-inch/38 cal dual purpose guns. Over the course of the next two months, she was repaired and overhauled, receiving new fighting equipment. Repairs were complete on 26 February 1942. She then underwent a series of shakedown cruises to West Coast ports and the Christmas Islands. She was sent back into action in June 1942, the first ship damaged at Pearl Harbor to return to duty.

During the important Battle of Midway, Maryland played a supporting role. Like the other older battleships, she was not fast enough to accompany the aircraft carriers, so she operated with a backup fleet protecting the West Coast. Maryland stood by on security, awaiting call from other ships if she was needed, until the end of the battle. At the end of the action around Midway, Maryland was sent to San Francisco.

Thereafter, Maryland engaged in almost constant training exercises with Battleship Division 2, Battleship Division 3, and Battleship Division 4 until 1 August, when she returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs, her first time in the harbor since the Japanese attack. She departed Pearl Harbor in early November with Colorado, bound for the forward area. On 12 November, the pig mascot King Neptune came aboard Maryland to initiate her "pollywogs" for the line-crossing ceremony. Maryland steamed for the Fiji Islands where she patrolled against Japanese incursion. The two battleships acted as sentinels to guard against Japanese advance to prevent Japanese forces from threatening Australia. During this duty, the two battleships conducted frequent sweeps for Japanese forces.

In early 1943, with the success of the Solomon Islands campaign, Allied forces went on the offensive. In February 1943, Maryland and Colorado moved to New Hebrides, operating off of Efate.[11] Intense heat there proved difficult and unpleasant for the crew. She then moved to Espiritu Santo to guard against Japanese incursion, but heat and heavy rains plagued this tour of duty.[10] Maryland and Colorado stood out of Aore Island Harbor in August. During a five-week overhaul at Pearl Harbor's shipyard, several 40 millimetres (1.6 in) AA guns were installed on the top decks and foremast as protection against anticipated Japanese air raids in future operations.

Departing the Hawaiian Islands on 20 October 1943 for the South Pacific, Maryland became flagship for Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill's V Amphibious Force and Southern Attack Force in the Gilbert Islands Invasion. Also aboard her were Major General Julian C. Smith, commander of 2nd Marine Division, General "Howling Mad" Smith, commander of the Marine landing forces, and Colonel Evans Carlson, commander of Carlson's Raiders. Maryland returned to Efate Island staging area, where she joined a large task force preparing for an assault on Tarawa.

The battle of Tarawa commenced on 20 November. In her first offensive action of the war, Maryland's guns opened fire at 05:00, destroying a shore battery with five salvos on the southwestern point of Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll. At 06:00 she commenced a scheduled shore bombardment to soften up Japanese defenses ahead of the landings. Maryland moved closer to shore to attract Japanese fire and locate artillery emplacements, in the process raking Japanese gun emplacements, control stations, pillboxes and any Japanese installations she could spot. At 09:00 as Marine landing forces encountered heavy Japanese resistance and began taking casualties to emplaced crossfire, Maryland provided covering fire to eliminate several Japanese machine gun nests. Her scouting plane then began to cover the progress of the Marines' assault, with Maryland providing artillery support. The plane was damaged and pilot wounded in this action.

After three days of covering the offensive on Betio Island, she moved to Apamama Island to guard Marine landings there. Marines met with only light resistance from 30 Japanese soldiers there, and two prisoners were brought to Maryland. On 7 December, Maryland left Apamama Island for Pearl Harbor. After a brief stopover there, Maryland left for San Francisco for repairs.

Maryland steamed from San Pedro, California on 13 January 1944, rendezvoused with Task Force 53 at Lahaina Roads for two days of loading ammunition, refueling, and provisioning ahead of a new operation supporting the Marshall Islands campaign. On 30 January 1944, she moved to support landings on Roi Island, along with Santa Fe, Biloxi, and Indianapolis, which formed the Northern Support Group of TF 35.

In the predawn hours of 31 January, the ships began a bombardment of Kwajalein Atoll, the opening moves of the battle of Kwajalein. Maryland destroyed numerous Japanese stationary guns and pillboxes. In the course of the battle, she fired so much that she split the liners in the guns of Turret No. 1, putting it out of action for the rest of the day. On 1 February, she continued her attack on Japanese positions as the U.S. landing forces advanced. She became the flagship for Admiral Connally for the next two weeks, resupplying and refueling many of the smaller ships in the operation until she departed with a task unit of carriers and destroyers on 15 February 1944, steaming for Bremerton Navy Yard, where she underwent another overhaul, with her guns being replaced.

Two months later, Maryland sailed westward on 5 May, joining Task Force 52 headed for Saipan. Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner allotted TF 52 three days to soften up the island's defenses ahead of the assault. Firing commenced at 05:45 on 14 June. They quickly destroyed two coastal guns, then began bombarding Garapan, destroying ammunition dumps, gun positions, small boats, storage tanks, blockhouses and buildings. She then turned her guns to Tanapag, leveling it in heavy bombardment. The invasion commenced 15 June, and Maryland provided fire support for the landing forces.

The Japanese attempted to counter the battleships through the air. On 18 June, the ship's guns shot down their first Japanese aircraft, but on 22 June, a Mitsubishi G4M3 "Betty" medium bomber flew low over the still-contested Saipan hills and found Maryland and Pennsylvania. The Japanese plane dropped a torpedo, opening a large hole in Maryland's starboard bow. The attack caused light casualties, and in 15 minutes she was underway for Eniwetok, and from there she steamed for the repair yards at Pearl Harbor (in reverse the whole time so as not to do further damage to her bow), escorted by two destroyers. Two men were killed in the attack.

With an around-the-clock effort by the shipyard workers, Maryland was repaired in 34 days, departing on 13 August. She then embarked for the Solomon Islands with a large task force, anchoring in Purvis Bay off Florida Island for two weeks before steaming for the Palau Islands on 6 September. She then joined Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's Western Fire Support Group. Firing first on 12 September to cover minesweeping operations and underwater demolition teams at the opening of the Battle of Peleliu, Maryland again conducted shore bombardment supporting the landing craft as they approached the beaches on 15 September. Four days later, organized resistance collapsed, permitting the fire support ships to retire to the Admiralty Islands at the end of the month.

Maryland steamed for Seeadler Harbor, Manus where she was assigned to the 7th Fleet under Admiral Kinkaid. The fleet sortied 12 October, and Maryland joined Task Group 77.2, which was the gunfire and covering force for the invasion of Leyte. She, along with four other battleships and numerous cruisers and destroyers, steamed into Leyte Gulf on the morning of 18 October. Maryland took position between Red and White Beaches and began bombarding them ahead of the invasion, which began at 10:00 20 October. Securing the beaches quickly, Maryland then took up a sentinel position in Leyte Gulf to guard the beaches against Japanese counterattack by sea.

For the next several days, Japanese forces launched air raids to counter the incursion. These included the first widespread use of the kamikaze suicide attack. Several days later, U.S. submarines in the South China Sea spotted two Japanese forces on approach: five battleships steaming toward San Bernardino Strait, and another force of four Japanese carriers in northern Luzon.

On 24 October, Maryland, West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, and Pennsylvania sailed to the southern end of Leyte Gulf to protect Surigao Strait with several cruisers, destroyers, and PT Boats. Early on 25 October, during the Battle of Surigao Strait, Japanese battleships Fusō and Yamashiro, with their screens, led the Japanese advance into the Strait. At 03:55, the waiting Americans ships launched an ambush of the two Japanese battleships, pounding them with torpedoes and main guns. Torpedoes from the destroyers sunk Fusō. Continued attacks by the task force also claimed Yamashiro. A few of the remaining Japanese ships then fled to the Mindanao Sea, pursued by Allied aircraft.

Following the victory, Maryland patrolled the southern approaches to Surigao Strait until 29 October; she then steamed for the Admiralty Isles for brief replenishment and resumed patrol duty around Leyte on 16 November, protecting the landing forces from continued Japanese air attacks. On 29 November, during another Japanese air attack, a kamikaze aircraft surprised and struck Maryland. The aircraft crashed into Maryland between Turrets No. 1 and 2, piercing the forecastle, main, and armored decks and blowing a hole in the 4-inch steel, causing extensive damage and starting fires. In all, 31 men were killed and 30 wounded in the attack, and the medical department was destroyed but still functional.

The battleship continued her patrols until relieved on 2 December, when she sailed with two heavily damaged destroyers for repairs. She reached Pearl Harbor on 18 December, and was extensively repaired and refitted over the next couple of months.

After refresher training, Maryland headed for the western Pacific on 4 March 1945, arriving Ulithi on 16 March. There she joined the 5th Fleet and Rear Admiral Morton Deyo's Task Force 54 (TF 54), which was preparing for the invasion of Okinawa. The fleet departed on 21 March, bound for Okinawa.

Maryland was assigned targets on the southern coast of Okinawa to support a diversionary landing, which would distract Japanese forces away from the main landing on the west coast. Japanese forces responded with several air raids, with two of Maryland's radar picket destroyers being struck by kamikaze planes, with Luce sinking. On 3 April, she was moved to the west coast invasion beaches to assist Minneapolis in destroying several shore batteries. Following the land invasion, she remained with the support force off Bolo Point providing artillery support for the invading troops.

Maryland continued fire support duty until 7 April, when she steamed north to intercept a Japanese surface force with TF 54. The Japanese ships, including the Yamato, came under constant U.S. air attacks that day, and planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force sank six of the 10 ships in the force. At dusk, a kamikaze loaded with a 551 lb (250 kg) bomb crashed the top of Turret No. 3 from starboard. The explosion wiped out the 20 mm mounts and caused a large fire. The 20mm ammunition ignited from the heat, causing further casualties. In all, 10 were killed, 37 injured and 6 missing following this attack. Maryland remained on station for the next week and continued her artillery support mission through several more air raids. Turret No. 3, damaged but usable, remained silent for the remainder of this mission.

On 14 April, Maryland left the firing line at Okinawa and escorted several retiring transports. They steamed via the Mariana Islands and Guam to Pearl Harbor, and she reached the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton on 7 May for extensive overhaul. All of her 5 in guns were removed and replaced by sixteen 5 inch/38 cal guns in new twin mounts. Turret No. 3 was repaired and the crew quarters were improved. She completed repairs in August, leaving for tests and training runs just as Japan surrendered, ending the war.

She next entered Operation Magic Carpet fleet. During the remaining months of 1945, Maryland made five voyages between the west coast and Pearl Harbor, returning more than 8,000 servicemen to the United States.

Arriving at Seattle, Washington on 17 December, Maryland completed her Operation Magic Carpet duty. She entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 15 April 1946, and was placed in commission in inactive reserve on 16 July. She was decommissioned at Bremerton on 3 April 1947, and remained there as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Maryland was sold for scrapping to Learner Company of Oakland, California on 8 July 1959.

On 2 June 1961, Governor of Maryland J. Millard Tawes, dedicated a monument to the memory of Maryland and her men. Built of granite and bronze and incorporating the bell of "Fighting Mary", this monument is located on the grounds of the State House in Annapolis.

[realisticallycynical]

alright its past midnight and i got back from film class an hour ago. I have a japanese test in the morning but something has been bugging the living crap out of me

my film class tonight was in international cinema. we watched a film from India in the 1930s and in that film a woman (she is a prostitute, which is actually relevant for once) literally says "you treat me with respect. no one has ever done that before" while giving this man she just met 5 minutes ago goo goo eyes

theres a lot to unpack here.

on one hand, good on the creators for realizing even in the 30s that sex workers are people too, who dont get even the basic respect they deserve

on the other hand.

why, of all the irritating romance tropes to use, did it have to be That One?

guys, gals, nb pals of all shapes, colors, sizes, abilities, nationalities: a person treating you with basic dignity is not a reason to stay with them. it's not a Main Reason to fall in love with them (though it should definitely be One of your reasons) and it's a dangerous lesson to teach in media

look. my ex treated me like gotdam royalty. but I ended things when I realized my feelings had faded. that was it. end of story. did I feel bad? of course! he was a really great guy who would have been good to me, but that doesn't, in any way, mean that I should have felt obligated to stay with him

I wish media would stop trying to force people to believe that human decency is worth falling in love over

[brainmassfinance]

Ichimoku Clouds Explained | Brainmass Academy

Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is a method of technical analysis that combines multiple indicators into one chart. The Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is used as a trading tool for candlestick charts, providing insights into potential support and resistance price zones. It is also used as a forecasting tool and is used by many traders to determine the direction of future trends and market momentum.

The Ichimoku Kinko Hyo was conceptualized by Japanese journalist Goichi Hosoda in the 1930s. However, his innovative trading strategy was not published until 1969, after decades of research and technological improvements. The Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, invented by Hosoda, is called "Ichimoku Clouds" in English.

How the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo works?

The Ichimoku Kinko Hyo displays data based on both leading and lagging indicators, and the chart consists of five lines

Turning line: Represents the moving average for the last 9 days.

Reference line: Represents the moving average for the last 26 days.

Leading span A: The median value between the conversion line and the reference line is entered 26 days in advance.

Leading span B: The middle ground between the high and low prices for 52 days is entered 26 days ahead.

Lagging span: The closing price of the day is entered 26 days ago.

What is Ichimoku Kinko Hyo?

The space between the leading span A (3) and the leading span B (4) creates a cloud, and this "cloud" is probably the most notable element in the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo. These two lines are considered leading spans as they anticipate the next 26 days to provide forecast insights. On the other hand, the lagging span (5) is a predicted lagging indicator over the last 26 days.

By default, "clouds" are displayed in red or green for easy reading. Green clouds are created when the leading span A (green cloud line) is higher than the leading span B (red cloud line). Of course, red clouds are created in the opposite case.

One thing to keep in mind here is that, unlike other methods, the moving averages used in the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo strategy are not based on the closing price of the candlestick. Instead, the average is calculated based on the highest and lowest recorded during the period.

For example, the average equation for the 9-day turning line is:

Turning line = (highest price for 9 days + lowest price for 9 days)

Setting the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo

After more than 30 years of research and trials, Goichi Hosoda thought that the (9, 26, 52 days) setting would give the best results. At that time, Japanese business days included Saturday, so 9 days meant 1.5 weeks (6 days + 3 days). In other words, 26 days and 52 days represent one month and two months, respectively.

This setting is preferred for most trading, but you can adjust it to suit different strategies when reading charts. For example, the virtual currency and a lot of traders glance of balance table setting case of the market in order to adapt to the market of 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, has been changed from (9,26,52) to (10, 30, 60) .. Some people make further changes and adjust the setting to (20, 60, 120) to reduce false signals.

There is still much debate about how to effectively fix this setting. For example, some argue that it makes sense to adjust this setting, while moving away from the standard setting unbalances the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo system, resulting in a large number of invalid signals. Some people insist.

Chart analysis

Trade signals in the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo

Due to multiple factors, the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo produces different types of signals. Here, we classify these signals into two types: momentum and trend following.

Momentum signals are based on market prices, the relationship between baselines and diversions. An upward momentum signal is when the turning point or market price goes above the baseline. A down momentum signal is when the turning point or the market price goes below the baseline. The intersection of the turning line and the reference line is called TK cross.

Trend-following signals are based on the color of the clouds and the position of the clouds and market prices. As mentioned above, the cloud color reflects the difference between leading spans A and B.

Briefly, if the market price continues to be above the cloud, the asset is likely to be on an uptrend. Conversely, if the market price is below the cloud, it is considered a down site, which means it is on a downtrend. With a few exceptions, a trend may be considered flat or neutral if prices remain flat within the cloud.

Lagging span is another factor that helps traders find and identify potential trend reversals. The lagging span provides insight into the strength of price action, the uptrend when it is above or below the market price. In general, this lagging span is used in combination with other elements of the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, not the lagging span alone.

Summary

Momentum signal

When the market price moves above (up) or below (down) the baseline

TK Cross: When the turning line goes above or below the reference line

Trend following signal

When the market price moves above (up) or below (down) above the cloud

When the color of the cloud changes from red to green (rising) or from green to red (falling)

When the lagging span moves up (up) or down (down) the market price

When the market price moves above (up) or below (down) the baseline

Support and resistance wire

The Ichimoku Kinko Hyo can also be used to identify supports and resistance lines. In general, the leading span A (green cloud line) functions as a support line during the up market and a resistance line during the down market. In both cases, if the candlestick is approaching the leading span Ani, but the price is moving in the clouds, the leading span B will work as well. In addition, the leading span predicts the future for 26 days, allowing traders to predict potential support and resistance zones in the future.

Signal strength

The strength of the signal from the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo depends on whether it is along a wider trend line. Signals that are part of a larger, well-defined trend are always stronger than signals that appear temporarily in the opposite direction of the general trend.

In other words, it is possible to make a mistake if the up signal does not appear with the uptrend. Therefore, it is important to check the color and position of the clouds when the signal comes out. The volume of transactions is also taken into account.

It's important to note that using the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo in shorter timeframes (daytime charts) tends to produce a lot of noise and false signals. In general, longer timeframes (day, week, month charts) produce more reliable momentum and trend-following signals.

Summary

Goichi Hosoda spent more than 30 years creating and refining the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo system. This system he created is currently being adopted by millions of traders around the world. As a general-purpose charting method, the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is used to identify both market trends and momentum. It also makes it easier for readers of the chart to predict potential support and resistance wire levels that have not yet been tried by leading spans.

Even if the chart fluctuates and looks quite complicated at first glance , unlike other technical analysis methods, no human subjective input is required. (Example: Filling in the trend line) And although there is some discussion about setting up the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, this strategy is relatively easy to use. 

However, like any other indicator, it should be used in combination with other techniques to identify trends and minimize trading risk. The vast amount of information displayed by charts using the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo may be overwhelming even for beginners. For such traders, it's a good idea to use more basic indicators before working on the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo.