#college of the north atlantic

[kvroii-arts]

'Of Spark and Cats' is now in the CNA PPD Campus Library!! I've always wanted a book of mine to be in a library, so this is such a big personal milestone!!

[bongaboi]

North Carolina State: 2023-24 Atlantic Coast Men's Basketball Champions

WASHINGTON — It must be March.

North Carolina State capped a miraculous conference tournament run with an 84-76 win over North Carolina on Saturday night, stealing a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the eve of Selection Sunday.

The Wolfpack, which lost seven of its last nine regular-season games, arrived in Washington as the No. 10 seed in the ACC tournament, needing to win five games in five days to prolong its season. And with an upset of Duke, an overtime victory over Virginia and its smothering of the Tar Heels on Saturday night, it managed to do just that.

NC State last won the ACC tournament in 1987 under legendary coach Jim Valvano.

"Everybody expected this to be Carolina and Duke," Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said Friday. "Well, it's Carolina and NC State. We play pretty good basketball at NC State, too."

The Wolfpack were led by fifth-year guard DJ Horne, who racked up 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting while navigating foul trouble for much of the second half. He fouled out with a little more than a minute remaining.

DJ Burns Jr., who is listed at 275 pounds, also caused frequent issues for the Tar Heels with his bruising play in the post, finishing with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

With the win, NC State injected a bit of chaos into the NCAA Tournament field less than 24 hours before the bracket is revealed. The Wolfpack is expected to join North Carolina, Duke and Clemson as the ACC teams in the field; Its win could amount to disaster for Virginia, which was among the key teams on the bubble.

[tanadrin]

The United States should go back to having thirteen states

On the basis that the 13-star flag was the best version, and that 50 is just too many dang states, I present my proposal for a 13-state United States of America. State names are placeholders only; presumably the inhabitants of these states would want to name them something different.

State boundaries are intended to attempt to respect both geographical features and approximate internal cultural borders of the United States, keeping contiguous regional cultures more or less grouped (e.g., the Ozarks are mostly within Texas-Louisiana; all of New England is in the Northeast; the Piedmont region is entirely within the Mid-Atlantic state, etc.). I have also tried to reduce the insane population disparity between states as much as was reasonable; but since the three non-contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, are necessarily culturally and geographically distinct, they are kept as separate states. Also since they're each individual states with their present borders, I was lazy and only drew the 10 contiguous states.

The thirteen states are:

Northeast: About 34 million inhabitants. Capital: Boston; House delegation: 42 members; Senators: 10; EC votes: 52

Mid-Atlantic: About 41 million inhabitants. Capital: Richmond; House delegation: 51 members; Senators: 12; EC votes: 63. Contains the national capital (Washington-D.C.)

Ohio River-Appalachia: About 39 million inhabitants. Capital: Wheeling; House delegation: 48; Senators: 12; EC votes: 60

Southeast: About 44 million inhabitants. Capital: Jacksonville; House delegation: 54; Senators: 12; EC votes: 66

Michigan-Superior: About 37 million inhabitants. Capital: Green Bay; House delegation: 46; Senators: 10; EC votes: 56

Kansas-Missouri: About 24 million inhabitants. Capital: Kansas City; House delegation: 30; Senators: 6; EC votes: 36

Texas-Louisiana: About 40 million inhabitants. Capital: Shreveport; House delegation: 50; Senators: 12; EC votes; 62

Cascadia-North Plains: About 26 million inhabitants. Capital: Idaho Falls; House delegation: 32; Senators: 8; EC votes: 40

California: About 41 million inhabitants. Capital: Sacramento; House delegation: 51 members; Senators: 12; EC votes: 63

Arizona-New Mexico: About 19 million inhabitants; Capital: Albequerque; House delegation: 24; Senators: 6; EC votes: 30

Alaska: About 730,000 inhabitants. House members: 1; Senators: 1; EC votes: 3

Hawaii: About 1.4 million inhabitants. House delegation: 2; Senators: 1; EC votes: 3

Puerto Rico: About 3 million inhabitants. House delegation: 4; Senators: 1; EC votes: 5.

Total House size is 435, total Senate size is 103, and the total number of EC votes is still 538.

(Obviously in principle I would support abolishing both the Senate and the Electoral College, but if for some reason you were going to keep them, I think at minimum you would have to reform the whole "one state, two senators" rule, ergo I have gone for a form of proportionality here, although not so proportional as House delegations.)

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - December 1 - Week 48

Ok, so friends, I’ve got a poll coming in a bit--please come back and vote, I’m trying to decide how to proceed in the blog. I’ve been doing the same thing for close to three years now, and I really love the blog, but I don’t want y’all (or me!) to get bored with it, so--IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE! 

In the meantime!!! Here’s this week’s fic recs! 

~ 

space and time, separating me from where i want to be by softanticipation

“I feel like I know you,” Tony says, and there it is, that bleeding heart of his, the one that got him killed in the end.

This isn’t his Tony, Steve reminds himself. Nothing has gotten him killed yet.

“You will,” Steve says.

*

Most men have a laundry list of regrets. Steve Rogers only has one, and he's not telling just anyone what it is. It might take him the better part of two lifetimes to figure it out, but unlike most men, he gets the chance to make it right. After all, he's lived it once; there's no way in hell he's letting Tony Stark die again.

sit down beside me and stay awhile by soliloquent 

“You’re the only person who knows I don’t wanna play football anymore.”

Tony is silent for a few seconds before replying.

“You’re the only person who knows I don’t wanna be a Stark anymore.”

—⎊—

or: MIT Engineers football captain Steve Rogers and Stark Industries heir Tony Stark share a late-night heart-to-heart under the guise of studying, their conversation revealing many earnest admissions. 🦫

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Oblivion by sabrecmc 

“Mr….Mr. Stark?” the man asked, shaking his head as if to clear it, grip convulsing spasmodically on Tony’s hand.

“That’s me,” Tony responded gruffly. Of course the man recognized him. His face had been everywhere before the whole Iron Man thing and now…well, now…so yeah, totally understandable. Guy was probably thinking of his lawyer’s speed dial number. “Look, ambulance is on its way, okay, so just sit tight. You’re going to be fine.”

“I—I think I missed my date,” the blond man said. And promptly passed out.

Or, how Tony accidentally kidnapped Captain America and then wanted to keep him.

Mechanical Heart by Albuss

Steve didn't run away to be found, but he was.

His Fate Will Be Unlearned by scifigrl47 

Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name.

Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940's, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he's not sure he's glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He's beginning to suspect that there is no escape.

Boston College is on the T's Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

[alex51324]

It's Almost Here! North American Solar Eclipse, 2024

As I mentioned in that other post, it will be visible as at least a partial eclipse to most of North America, with the path of totality cutting a diagonal from Sinaloa, Mexico to Newfoundland, Canada, including 15 US states from Texas to Maine.

Don't be fooled by how we just had one back in October, and another one a few years ago in 2017: total solar eclipses are rare! They only happen when the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up just perfectly--and only for a small portion of the Earth's surface each time.

It's a wild coincidence that North America/the US has gotten three in such a short span of time; the last one before the recent trio was in 1979, and the next one won't be until 2044. (We do have a big partial coming to us in 2033!) The Northeastern US won't see another until the 2070's.

(Note: If you are not in North America, you can use these maps to see when your continent will have its turn!)

This eclipse is also really special in that its path of totality sweeps across a lot of heavily-populated areas. About 31 million people live within the path of totality, and millions more are expected to visit.

So, it's a pretty big deal, and now's the time to get ready!

If you live in the path of totality:

Lucky you! Look up your location on these maps to get the exact time and duration of totality.

Be ready for extra traffic & crowds--especially if you live somewhere with stuff for tourists, or a place that people outside the immediate area will have heard of.

Totality times are in the afternoon, ranging from about 1:30 in Texas to 3:30 in Maine (local times), so if you'll be at school, or at work in a setting where you can't choose your own break times, now's a good time to talk to whomever you need to. It's not unreasonable to ask to step out into the parking lot for the three minutes that people will be coming from far and wide to see--but depending on your setting, it may take some arranging ahead of time. (If you're in school, hopefully your science teachers have already thought of this, but if not, ask them. And if your science teachers are jerks, try other teachers.

If you live near the path of totality:

Try to go! As the American author Annie Dillard says, "Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane."

(Link is to the Atlantic; if you hit a paywall, the 12-foot ladder works.)

Here's a map of approximate driving distances to the path of totality, in the US (from this page).

If you're close enough to think about going, here are some Google maps with eclipse overlays for more detailed planning. (I like the Xavier Jubier one.)

Once you're inside the path of totality, anywhere you can see the sun is a valid viewing location, but if you're making a day of it and you want to find a special spot, check local visitor's bureaus or tourism offices for the area you'll be in. They'll probably have a list of parks and other places. For instance, here's what Erie, Pennsylvania has.

Seriously, If you are able to drive/have a car, live within day-trip distance of the path of totality, and can be away from work/school without losing your job/being arrested for truancy, you should go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing, and there's still loads of time to plan a day-trip.

(Note: If you aren't in day-trip distance, but now you want to go, you don't have a lot of options: hotels and flights have been full for ages. However, if you're in two-days-driving distance, you might be able to find a Sunday-night base camp, from which you can get up on Monday morning and drive several more hours to the path of totality. For instance, in Pennsylvania, there are still reasonably-priced hotel rooms to be had in State College, which is--in normal traffic--three and a half hours from Erie. (You might even be able to get a little closer than that; I just checked State College because they have a lot of hotels for the Penn State football crowds.} So if you're coming from, say, Maryland or Virginia, that could work, and there may be similar creative options for other regions. Again, if this is something that's feasible for you to do, without bankrupting yourself, getting fired, or other long-term consequences, I would strongly consider doing it!

If you live in North America, but have no way to get to the totality:

A partial eclipse is still pretty cool! And again, it'll be a while before you have another chance to see one, so it's worth it to make the time.

All of the 48 contiguous US states will be able to see some amount of eclipse. So will Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and most of Canada and the Caribbean islands, plus a little bit of South America. (Alaska and part of the Yukon are SOL, but you will have your turn in 2033!)

Use these maps to look up the time and extent of the eclipse in your location.

As of this writing, you can still get eclipse glasses here, among other places. If you run out of time to get them, check for eclipse-viewing events at local parks, libraries, etc.--they may also have some to give away ahead of time, but even if not, if you go to an event, there will almost certainly be some to share.

The plus of a partial eclipse is that you have a fairly relaxed viewing window--as much as a couple of hours, depending how far you are from the middle of the eclipse zone--rather than a standout moment that you want to make sure you're in position for.

That makes it pretty easy to get a chance to see it even if you're at work--everybody can take turns stepping outside for a look. You can share eclipse glasses, too.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Daniel Villarreal at LGBTQ Nation:

A completed draft Texas Republican Party platform refers to homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice,” gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” and Drag Queen Story Hour as “predatory sexual behavior.” The platform has been voted on by state party delegates and will be formally adopted on Wednesday after a final vote count. The list of state party priorities calls for an end to legal same-sex marriages, same-sex parenting, all LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws, all transgender rights — including gender-affirming care for children and adults — a ban on LGBTQ+ content in schools and libraries, the defunding of all diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and legal protections for anyone who discriminates against queer people based on “religious or moral beliefs.”

Furthermore, the Texas GOP platform calls for a complete end to all of the following: pornography, federal welfare programs, minimum wage laws, mandatory sick or family leave policies, net neutrality, removal of Confederate monuments, pro-immigrant sanctuary cities, public education of undocumented children, no-fault divorce, non-abstinence sex education, abortion, birthright citizenship, professorial tenure in colleges and universities, cannabis legalization, anti-climate change legislation, contact tracing for the tracking of communicable diseases, federal regulations ensuring safe farm food production, and U.S. participation in the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The platform also calls for fertilized human egg cells to be legally recognized as people, the passage of a “state electoral college-style” law that would make it nearly impossible for Democrats to win statewide office, a ballot measure for Texas to secede from the United States, the invalidation of all federal laws not approved of by county sheriffs, and for Christianity to be inserted into public schools and government buildings.

[...] “Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice,” it continues. “No one should be granted special legal status based on their LGBTQ+ identification…. We are opposed to same-sex parenting, intentionally subjecting a child to the loss of their biological father or mother, and other non-traditional definitions of family.” “We oppose all efforts to validate transgender identity,” it adds. “There shall be no attempt to engage in so-called ‘gender affirming’ medical or mental health intervention for persons between the ages of 18 and 26,” including the use of names and pronouns associated with trans people’s genders. The platform would require health insurance companies covering gender-affirming care to also fully fund de-transitional procedures. The platform says that any professionals who aid a minor’s gender transition in any way should face professional, civil, and criminal penalties, as well as lawsuits from anyone affected by their behavior. Furthermore, it calls for all gender-segregated facilities in prisons, schools, and government buildings to only be accessible to people based on their biological sex assigned at birth.

[...] It also calls for laws prohibiting the exposure of minors to “social transitioning” (that is, exploration of a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth), “predatory sexual behaviors” like Drag Queen Story Hour, and “the desensitization of children to sexual topics.”

The Texas GOP's platform reaffirms and expands its war on LGBTQ+ Texans, such as including anti-LGBTQ+, anti-trans, and anti-drag planks like baselessly calling Drag Queen Story Hours "predatory sexual behaviors" and gender-affirming care "child abuse".

This is in addition to calling homosexuality "an abnormal lifestyle choice" (a bigoted dogwhistle term used against recognizing LGBTQ+ identity) and opposing trans identity.

[redistrictgirl]

As of August 18th, 2024, the race for the presidency is a dead heat.

This week was probably the first truly quiet one of the cycle (at least, with our current matchup). It's not clear that the race has moved much towards either candidate as a whole, with some rating changes favoring Vice President Harris and others favoring former President Trump. Ms. Harris did technically gain in the national polling average, which looks at the past 28 days, but her weekly split declined for the second consecutive week, so the future trajectory of the race is also far from certain.

First, Mr. Trump gained slightly in Michigan and lost ground in Wisconsin. This brings the three Rust Belt swing states closer in line, but only so much - there's still a ~10% chance that he only wins Wisconsin out of the three states. Overall, the Vice President remains favored to hold the blue wall (excluding Wisconsin) two-thirds of the time.

Ms. Harris also remains favored to win the Southwest, but her polling average has declined in Nevada while rising fairly significantly in Arizona. This is good news, on net, for her prospects of winning the electoral college, where Arizona is now the tipping point state, but only so much given the state's demographic dissimilarity from the big prizes up north.

Finally, the most volatile region of the week seems to be the South Atlantic. The coloration change in the former President's favor jumps out the most here, and he has indeed gained significantly in Georgia. However, under the hood, it was actually the Vice President who gained in North Carolina by a good deal - the second-biggest change of any swing state. I'll probably save speculation on why the two states are on different trajectories for another post but I will point out that it mirrors 2022 at the state government level.

Overall, the race for president is in a similar state to last week, with swings favoring both candidates and not really affecting either candidate's Electoral College math. Ms. Harris is hoping for a convention boost that lasts and propels her into the clear lead, while Mr. Trump hopes that the national polls continue moving in his favor long-term, but neither should be resting on their laurels if they wish to win this close election.

[scotianostra]

On November 3rd 1819 the physician and naturalist Henry Duncan Spens Goodisr was born.

Henry was born in Anstruther, Fife, the son of a surgeon, his elder brother was Prof. John Goodsir, who became Professor of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. Harry as he became known, was trained in Edinburgh, where his lecturers included the infamous anatomist Robert Knox and was licensed by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1840.

Harry served as Conservator to the Museum of the Royal College from 1843 until 1845, when he was appointed assistant surgeon and naturalist to the Franklin Expedition. This sailed to the Arctic aboard two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, under the command of Captain Sir John Franklin, in search of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Last seen in July 1845, the expedition was the focus of numerous searches and much speculation. His brother Robert Anstruther Goodsir, sailed twice to the Arctic in an attempt to determine the fate of Franklin's Expedition. Through talking to the Inuit, Orcadian John Rae was finally able to solve the mystery in 1854. The ships had become ice-bound and eventually the entire crew of 129 had starved to death.

Goodsir's name was inscribed on the Franklin Memorial at the entrance to the Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Over the succeeding years, the remains of several individuals were discovered in the vicinity of King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. In 1869, the American explorer Charles Francis Hall was shown a grave by local Inuit on the island. Based largely on the clothing, the remains were identified as those of Lieutenant H. T. D. Le Vesconte and were returned to Britain to be interred beneath the Franklin Memorial at Greenwich.

Further investigation in 2009, which involved facial reconstruction and isotopic analysis of the teeth, led to the conclusion these were not the remains of Le Vesconte rather they were most-likely those of Goodsir. It was my friendr Leonard Low who questioned the identity of the bones...his full story and facial reconstruction is in his book Largos Untold Stories, Leonard opened up his own Witchcraft Museum in Leven earlier this year.

The Goodsir Papers, held by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, comprise letters sent by Harry to his family before his disappearance. In 2018, a plaque was laid by family members near the spot where Goodsir died on King William Island.

The second pic is a memorial is to commemorate the Goodsir family in Largo and Newburn Parish Church.

[mariacallous]

In October of 2023, when Grace Carter was an 18-year-old freshman at North Carolina State University, she received a message on Instagram from the business account of the conservative dating app The Right Stuff. It was reaching out to ask if she wanted some merchandise.

Carter didn’t know much about the app but was interested in a free hoodie. And as it turned out, she wasn’t just corresponding with a brand manager but with John McEntee—the app’s cofounder, a former official in the Donald Trump administration, and at one point, a senior adviser to Project 2025.

In messages sent to Carter and to another young woman and reviewed by WIRED, McEntee pushed conversations in directions that made them extremely uncomfortable and invited both, one repeatedly, to visit him in Los Angeles.

Neither McEntee nor The Right Stuff responded to repeated requests for comment.

McEntee, 34, is a former quarterback at the University of Connecticut who served as a personal aide to Trump at the beginning of his presidency. He was reportedly fired in 2018 after his security clearance was denied—according to The Atlantic and the The Wall Street Journal, he had deposited large sums of money from online gambling winnings and had mishandled his taxes; he would later say under oath in a deposition related to January 6 that he resigned—but in February 2020 returned to the White House, this time as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. Reflecting his stature in Trump’s inner circle, The Atlantic’s profile refers to him as the unofficial “deputy president” and, in the headline, as “the man who made January 6 possible.”

In May 2023, the Heritage Foundation, which did not respond to a request for comment, announced that McEntee would be joining the Project 2025 team as a senior adviser. Project 2025 is a roadmap for a second Trump administration that would radically roll back the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people and unwind protections for racial minorities, among many other policy recommendations. The plan also promotes biblical morality that includes a heteronormative view of marriage and criminalizes pornography. The announcement noted that McEntee would be “supporting the personnel pillar” of Project 2025, an effort to staff a second Trump administration with loyalists.

McEntee, in addition, was and is the face of The Right Stuff, a dating app for conservatives that launched in 2022 with backing from billionaire Peter Thiel, who appears to be the company’s only investor. At its initial launch, the app faced criticism for being filled with mostly men; some users alleged that there was a screening question on the app about the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

While the app might not be taking off, McEntee’s profile has nonetheless risen online. With McEntee featured in nearly every video, The Right Stuff has 3.3 million followers on TikTok and 1.8 million on Instagram. The account’s posts almost exclusively show McEntee, usually eating food in situations staged to make it seem like he’s being filmed while on a date, offering quippy conservative takes attempting to debunk liberal logic. In one video, with a caption that says it is a joke, McEntee claims he gives fake money to homeless people so “when they go to use it, they get arrested.”

When Grace Carter heard from The Right Stuff’s account on Instagram, the person controlling the account introduced himself as John. He also offered a phone number with a Southern California area code—a number that a WIRED reporter has used in the past to contact McEntee.

There was no obvious reason why he would have reached out to her in particular. At the time he contacted her, Carter had about 17,000 followers on TikTok, she says, and still has only a modest 1,500 on Instagram. “I actually have no idea how he found me,” she says. “Based on the other accounts I follow and things I post, it's very leftist. So I was surprised when he found me.”

Carter says she never used McEntee’s phone number, though she did accept his offer of a free branded hoodie. While messages viewed by WIRED indicate that Carter sparsely responded to McEntee, he repeatedly offered to fly her and a girlfriend to Los Angeles. “My treat,” he wrote.

“I remember I told my boyfriend about it, and I was joking that he was going to be the other girl,” says Carter, who says that she continued to talk to McEntee as a kind of “trolling.” “I was like, I could use a free trip, that’s initially why I kept the conversation going.”

In messages seen by WIRED, McEntee says to Carter, “I think you’re a liberal” but tells her, “as long as you’ll be fun I don’t care.” The conversation, she says, died out after Carter declined to visit McEntee over her winter break.

“I would have been uncomfortable with him in person,” she says.

Following the presidential debate on September 10, McEntee posted a video saying, “Can someone track down the women Kamala Harris says are bleeding out in parking lots because Roe v. Wade was overturned? Don’t hold your breath.” The comments section of that video were soon flooded with women across the country sharing their experiences.

It was this post that Carter says made her feel like it was important to share her experience. “That video he made about abortions really upset me,” she says. “And I was just like, it needs to be called out.” Carter posted a video on TikTok sharing her messages with McEntee and says that she has received messages from several other young women who allege similar experiences.

One of those women, who spoke to WIRED and asked to remain anonymous because she’s concerned about her security, says that she connected with McEntee on The Right Stuff dating app before moving to texting him. The number provided matched the one given to Carter and the one used previously by a WIRED reporter; messages reviewed by WIRED also included selfies that clearly appear to be of McEntee. Like Carter, she was 18 at the time.

“I would label myself as semi-conservative,” the young woman says. Unlike Carter, she knew who McEntee was and at first thought his profile on the app was an example for users, as opposed to his actual account. (Last year, a series of TikTok videos showed McEntee going on first dates with women he matched with on the app in various cities.) “I had seen him on TikTok. I'd see him on the news. My family is quite conservative, so I had seen him before.”

Once the young woman and McEntee began texting off the app, she says, the conversations took a sexually explicit turn, including repeated mentions of specific sex acts even after the young woman said she was not comfortable with this. We are withholding details out of concern for the woman’s privacy; her descriptions of their conversations are consistent with text messages she showed to WIRED.

“It was very sexual from day one,” she alleges. “He kept making comments about my age and how hot it would be to sleep with someone who was my age.”

As he had with Carter, McEntee encouraged the woman to come visit him in California.

Asked to recall the conversations, she says, “he would say things like, ‘I come and visit you and we hook up or whatever, you should bring one of your friends or you should take a couple of your friends’ and was like verifying that my friends were the same age as me as well.”

After a couple of weeks the conversation petered out because, she says, “it was obvious I wasn’t going to fly out to California or something to see him.”

“The more I thought about it, the more it makes me sad that he's sort of a role model, especially for young conservative men,” the young woman says. “And I feel like this person isn't a great role model for those young conservative men.”

During his time at the White House, The Atlantic notes, McEntee regularly hired young, attractive women. “The most beautiful 21-year-old girls you could find, and guys who would be absolutely no threat to Johnny in going after those girls,” an official told The Atlantic. McEntee’s hires were known as the “Rockettes and the Dungeons & Dragons group.”

Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign, told WIRED that although President Trump has announced a transition leadership team, “formal discussion of who will serve in a second Trump administration is premature.”

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 9 – AUs

His Fate Will Be Unlearned by scifigrl47

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: M Words: 94,274 Tags: College AU, Canon Divergence, Public Transport

Summary: Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name. Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940's, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he's not sure he's glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He's beginning to suspect that there is no escape. Boston College is on the T's Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

Reasons why I love it: Hell yeah for mutual identity porn! I love the way canon starts creeping in more and more as the plot progresses, along with the backstory of Stark Industries and Howard in this universe. Clint and Carol make me so happy here, both when they're being little shits and when they support Steve whenever he needs it the most. And I absolutely adore the whole plot line with Rhodey and Pepper, plus the background drama of SI politics and the mess that is SHIELD. This story is intricate and clever, with so many twists and turns that it's really satisfying to see how it all shakes out in the end. If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend that you do, because it's amazing!

[casbeeminestiel]

Just saw someone ask “why do people still live in Florida?” (Context: Hurricane Milton, the second major hurricane projected to make landfall in the middle of Florida within the span of two weeks and one of the strongest storms ever recorded in this half of the world).

And it just makes me angry to hear people ask. Why do I live here? Why do I stay rooted here? Like some other state is a utopia, free from the effects of climate change and untouched by the ruby red stain of far right politicians who vote against our interests?

First, nobody is free from climate change. I’m glad people have the privilege of politicians who pretend to give a shit, but as Helene clearly demonstrated, this kind of crisis knows no borders.

Second, why do I live here? Maybe it’s the buzzing of the cicadas, the whirring of mosquitoes in the post-dusk, or the ebb and flow of rippling rivers of grass that weave a tapestry across the state. Maybe it’s the drip of rain on mangrove roots and the fish that leap and the porpoises that cut through the sky below and the osprey nests dotting the sky above. Maybe it’s the blend of languages: English, French Creole, Spanish. Maybe it’s the distinct Miami dialect and the pleasant midland central Florida speech, or the Southern drawl beginning abrupt and thick as kudzu in the North and tangled with other sounds, as emblematic and nuanced as the moss draping from a live oak tree. As deeply engrained as white-flecked etchings on a tombstone and surrounded by bloody rust on wrought-iron. Maybe you were born here, maybe you came here. Maybe it’s the oddity of the Keys or the pride of Jacksonville or the ribbing rivalry of college football. Maybe it’s spoonbills and irises, alligators and ibises. Catfish and chicken fried, and smoke from a bonfire when the weather gets right. Maybe it’s the inter-state attitude, the one that jabs at tourists and curses the mosquitoes but loathes the lovebugs more and rolls its eyes at storms like these. We know, okay? We know that it could wipe out our homes, wash away the photographs collecting dust in the humidity of the garage, rot the wood just outside the Florida room holding scratches- height marks, destroy the piers we kissed on, watch us rebuild and knock it all down again. We know that there’s a chance we could lose it all. We know and we stock up on booze and Doritos and grin and bear it anyways, because wouldn’t you rather laugh? If you lived in a problematic paradise? If it represented everything you stand for? If your one perfect moment was lying dazed, covered in sand, whipped in wind in the sticky cold of a November beach with not a tourist in sight, the shock of the Atlantic just as welcome as the warmth of a Gulf sending epic acts of god your way? You’d stay too.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

hi! i’m curious, what does “not being self-taught” mean? if i took English classes and extra creative writing classes does that mean i’m not 100% self thought? i was just wondering :0

No, I just meant that I have a Bachelor's in Creative Writing. Which is a weird degree, and not one you see much in the U.S.

But most people who go to school in the modern U.S. get at least ~10 years' education in writing and reading English. Obviously it's going to vary in quality and focus, but modern literacy is off the charts compared to 100 years ago. Which is everybody's win.

I've also been lucky with regard to high school English teachers, to be clear — I used to straight-up turn in fan fiction as homework and get passing grades for it. (I guess from Ms. S's point of view, my 15-page AU of Great Expectations about Magwitch and Mrs. Havisham conspiring to burn her house down, collect the insurance money, throw a lavish wedding, and run off to Australia under fake names.... at least proved I'd read Great Expectations? Which is more than most of my class could say?)

Most valuable of all: from 1st to 4th grade, I had teachers who'd assign the class to "write a page a day." What about? Didn't matter. Some people wrote diary entries, some people wrote lists of things they could see, some people (me) wrote about scientists saving the Titanic passengers through trying to turn them into fish but accidentally creating horrible mer-mutants instead. We weren't graded on grammar, or content, or handwriting, or whether trout-people could survive the North Atlantic; we were just graded on having written. That exercise (no offense to my professors) was better for my literacy than any college class on Poetics Theory or Advanced Essay could ever be.

[whencyclopedia]

Banastre Tarleton

Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833) was a British military officer and politician, most famous for his role in the southern campaigns of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). In command of an elite unit of Loyalists called the British Legion, Tarleton gained a reputation for aggression and cruelty, with Patriots even coining the phrase 'Tarleton's Quarter' to refer to his mercilessness.

Tarleton joined the British Army in April 1775 at age 20 after blowing through his inheritance. Sent overseas to fight the American rebels, he soon became one of the most infamous British officers of the conflict. Called 'Bloody Ban' after his men massacred surrendering American soldiers at the Battle of Waxhaws, Tarleton led his British Legion on raids throughout the American South, their plumed leather helmets and green jackets striking fear into the hearts of many Patriots. Defeated by Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens (17 January 1781), Tarleton nevertheless managed to return to England after the war with his reputation intact. He began a long political career in Parliament, in which he notably defended the slave trade, before his death on 15 January 1833 at the age of 78. He is best remembered today for his ruthlessness during the war, although many tales of his cruelty have been exaggerated.

Early Life

Banastre Tarleton was born in Liverpool, England, on 21 August 1754, the third of seven children born to John Tarleton and his wife Jane Parker. John Tarleton was a successful businessman involved in the Caribbean sugar trade and owned plantations in Jamaica, Curaçao, and several other islands in the West Indies. By the 1760s, the elder Tarleton owned three ships that were primarily used to deliver enslaved Africans to Jamaica; indeed, much of the Tarleton family's wealth was derived from the slave trade. In 1764, John Tarleton (or 'Great T' as he was called by his constituents) was elected mayor of Liverpool and served a single one-year term. In 1768, the elder Tarleton tried to stand for election to Parliament, but a mob of whalers prevented him from running.

Banastre (or Ban, as he preferred to be called) attended school in Liverpool. Intelligent, handsome, and charming, he was not a diligent student, preferring to spend his time playing cricket; despite his small physique, he was surprisingly strong and enjoyed many other athletic activities like boxing, horseback riding, and tennis. In the autumn of 1771, Ban and his older brother Thomas were sent to Oxford to study at University College. Tarleton remained there until 6 September 1773, when his father unexpectedly died, leaving him an inheritance of £5,000. With this small fortune, Tarleton headed to London to begin studying law at the Middle Temple. His studiousness had not much improved, however, as Tarleton often neglected his studies in favor of attending the theatre or drinking and gambling at the fashionable Cocoa Tree club. It was not long before he had nearly exhausted his inheritance, forcing him to drop out of law school.

During this period of adolescent partying, the wayward Tarleton befriended several British army officers, who likely helped put his thoughts on a military path. On 20 April 1775, the 20-year-old Tarleton purchased a cornet's commission in the King's Dragoon Guards, one of the most prestigious regiments in the entire army. It was an interesting time to enter military service, as only the day before, the Battles of Lexington and Concord had been fought on the other side of the Atlantic in the British colony of Massachusetts, sparking the American Revolution. After several months of intensive training, Cornet Tarleton was finally sent to North America in February 1776, setting sail from Cork, Ireland, under the command of Lord Charles Cornwallis. Little did Tarleton know that by the time his service in the New World was over, he would be regarded as one of the most infamous men in America.

Continue reading...

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Students pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing at satellite nursing sites in Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Happy Valley-Goose Bay can get a $2,000 tuition subsidy each semester for the first two years of the program, for a total of $8,000 in subsidies.

Practical nursing students enrolled at the College of North Atlantic in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, St. Anthony, Burin, Gander, Bay St. George, Clarenville, Carbonear, Corner Brook or Grand Falls-Windsor can get $1,000 for each of the five semesters of the program, for a total of $5,000 in subsidies.

Meanwhile, practical students at the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John's campus could get $500 for each of the five semesters of the program, for a total of $2,500 in tuition relief.

Osborne said the vouchers are for anyone enrolled in the nursing programs, not just students from N.L.

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[instructionsnotincluded]

Gorgeous - Sneak Peek (JJ Maybank x Original Female Character)

This is part of the first chapter to a new fic I'm working on, featuring a different character that is outside of Audrey's universe. I'm planning on this beginning in the lull between seasons 3 & 4 of Outer Banks, but we'll see how this develops and what actually happens in season 4. It will eventually be posted to AO3 (if we like it) but for now we can have a sneak peek on Tumblr.

Pairing: JJ Maybank X Original Female Character

Warnings: References to smut; shameless flirting; Gorgeous by Taylor Swift stuck in author's head.

Length: 2335 words

Gorgeous (working title)

The first time Scarlett spotted him was at some random wedding reception she stumbled into. There was a live band, a buffet of food, and a cash bar with a cute bartender who wasn’t checking ID. Nursing her drink, Scarlett stood somewhere between the bar and buffet, leaning against a tall table just people watching. He was tall, with a head of effortlessly messy blonde hair, but it was the broad shoulders that really caught her attention—the way his button down shirt strained when he would shift or reach for his drink made the back of her neck warm slightly. She had yet to see his face, but she kept checking back in between casual glances around the rest of the party to see if he turned. 

She wound up in the OBX about a month ago. After dropping out of UCLA after one year in college, Scarlett packed her car with her dorm room items, only to pause in the parking lot outside her residence hall. She was supposed to return home, head hung, having failed her way out of college, where she’d undoubtedly be forced to work in her father’s law office filing papers the whole summer. But as she sat there, hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white, Scarlett decided to drive. She hadn’t necessarily intended to drive east, but before she knew it she hopped on the 101 and found herself on interstate 40, crossing the California state line about seven hours later. 

Scarlett drove until she was tired, pulling over, she dozed in her car a few hours before continuing on, eventually stopping somewhere near the Arizona/New Mexico border to rent a motel room and sleep the rest of the night and early morning. Her phone started going off in regular intervals sometime after midnight, and after confirming that all of her locations were turned off, Scarlett passed out in the motel bed and didn’t wake until her stomach demanded food. 

It took another two days of straight driving to reach the Atlantic, and briefly Scarlett considered scraping enough money together to buy a one way plane ticket across the ocean and start over completely in Europe, but as she boarded the ferry for one of the islands just off the coast of North Carolina, she finally allowed herself a moment to breathe in the salty, humid air. 

She was free. 

“Smoked salmon, miss?” 

Scarlett found herself back in the present, staring at a rather handsome young man dressed in all black. Judging by the way he eyed her, Scarlett must not look too terrible in the simple black dress she’d hauled out of her suitcase. She lifted a hand to the tray to grab a salon and cream cheese cracker and he gave her a nod before continuing on his way around the party.  

“Ok—so I scoped out the buffet line and the dessert table,” Scarlett was met with the face of her only friend in North Carolina, Whitney Pool. She met Whitney on her first day working at the Island Club Hotel, Whitney was assigned as her trainer and together the girls restocked and made up all the hotel rooms on the first three floors. It wasn’t long before they were fast friends, Whitney even letting her crash on her couch until she decided what to do with her life. “They’ve got a carving station and everything—but if you wanna skip right to dessert, I’m right there with you.” 

Scarlett laughed, nodding as Whitney glanced over her shoulder at the many different deserts. “Do we think the cake is real or fake?” 

Scarlett looked over at the five tiered white wedding cake, the icing piled high as it towered over the rest of the deserts. “Fake,” Scarlett said as she bit into her cracker, the salmon and cream cheese mixing well together, having been to many of these types of events in her life she was well aware of the tricks, “the sheet cake’s in the back, they’ll cut one piece and then take it away.” 

“Love the theatrics,” Whitney leaned forward to squeeze her forearm. “Ok, I need another glass. You want one?” 

“No—I’ll switch to something else in a bit. More than one glass of champagne gives me a headache.” 

“Things rich people say.” 

Scarlett laughed, hiding her smile behind her glass as she sipped the champagne. The first time she had the sweet bubbly drink she was thirteen and hiding from her parents in the hotel bathroom during her grandmother’s funeral. In true WASP style, they had the reception in a massive hotel ballroom, complete with glossy portraits and a swan ice sculpture, just as her grandmother requested in her last wishes. 

Scarlett and her older brother, Liam, snuck a few bottles of champagne when no one was looking and quickly found out how easy it was to get drunk on Dom Perignon. That was the night of Scarlett’s first kiss, when her brother’s friend, Seth, had kissed her sloppily against the door of the men’s room, drunken hands fumbling to touch her breasts. Scarlett didn’t remember much from that night, but she did recall throwing up all over Seth’s shoes. 

Scarlett’s eyes swept the party once more, taking in the older couples swaying to the music on the dance floor, the bride and groom, happy and in love, moving from table to table greeting their guests and thanking them for attending. Scarlett made a mental note to keep far away from the two. Rule number one of wedding crashing was to stay away from the newly married couple. 

Scarlett hadn’t expected anyone to notice her, no one aside from the male server had anyway, so when her eyes lifted and met those crystal clear eyes, she thought her heart stopped. 

He was half turned, leaning against his own cocktail table, his gaze trained fully on her. When his eyes met her own, every thought vanished from her mind, and instead all she wanted was to drown in those blue eyes. 

A slow, small, half smile lifted from the corner of his mouth as he reached for the short glass on the table in front of him, two ice cubes clinked in the glass as he took a long sip from it, draining the light colored amber liquid before he pushed himself away from the table and crossed the grassy area to greet her. 

His tie seemed out of place as he smoothed it down, and it didn’t match his shoes the way someone who frequently wore ties would, and based on the way his collar sat, the buttons at the points remaining unbuttoned, told her he wasn’t used to wearing button down shirts either. Scarlett guessed it was a slim cut shirt, based on the way it fit him well around his waist, but his shoulders were too broad for it—and as she eyed the French cuff she was left with even more questions. A girlfriend had most likely purchased or recommended it, but she’d been watching him on and off all evening and had yet to see him with anyone other than a curly haired brunette, and while the boys could be a couple, they didn’t appear to act like one. 

Fuck—Scarlett really hoped he liked women. 

“I had the entire walk over to come up with a line,” his voice was playful and teasing, his eyes glinting as he smiled fully now, “but all I could come up with was hi.” 

“Hi,” Scarlett responded with her own smile, her weight shifting from one foot to the other, “and I think that’s a decent enough line.” 

He glanced over his shoulder at the bride and groom before looking back at her, “how do you know Shawn and Andy?” 

“Um…” Of course they would both have those names…how was she supposed to make up a story now? “Well, I’m Andy’s second cousin…mom’s side.” 

His eyes swept over her, sucking the inside of his cheek as he looked back over his shoulder once more, “that must’ve been an exciting childhood,” he said as he studied her. 

“Oh—you know…” Scarlett coughed softly, “how do you know…them?” 

“I used to work with Shawn,” he said, “back in high school, plus he basically invited the whole damn island.” 

“Ah well…”

“I’m JJ,” he leaned his side against the table, the smile still across his face making her stomach flutter. 

“Scarlett.” 

“Scarlett,” she really wanted to hear him say her name again, watching as he tasted it, the way he drug the r and l together made the butterflies in her stomach go insane, “I like that.” 

“Is JJ short for something?” 

“Sometimes,” JJ lifted his shoulder, “nothing interesting though.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Scarlett wanted to reach up and smooth his collar down, but she forced her hands to remain on the table, “you’re from Kildare?” 

“Mhmm,” JJ glanced around, taking inventory of the party and who was there, “born and raised. What about you?” 

Scarlett hesitated, part of her, the part attached to the butterflies wanted to tell him the truth, but the part attached to her brain told her to deflect so she and Whitney wouldn’t get caught. 

“Oh—uh…”

JJ leaned across the table, motioning her closer to him with his index finger, “you know…if you’re gonna crash, you need to keep your lies simple and not at all attached to the wedding party.” 

Scarlett blushed, her face heating uncomfortably, “when’s you figure it out?” 

“Oh, at the beginning,” JJ grinned at her as they both stood back up straight, “Andy’s adopted and doesn’t know her family.” 

“Fuck.” 

JJ only laughed at her expletive, “like I said…” he shrugged, “keep it simple. Too much and it’s not believable. So, Scarlett’s your real name?”

“It is,” she nodded, “I just got off work and my friend begged me to sneak in with her, she promised me cake if I did.” 

“Cake’s worth it,” JJ said, “I’ve never seen you around though…do you live here in Kildare?” 

“I just moved, actually,” Scarlett lifted her arm to scratch along her shoulder, “arrived about a month ago.”

“Ah.” He nodded, as if he’d just solved an ongoing mystery, “that’s it—I would’ve remembered you.”

Scarlett blushed again and based on JJ’s easy smile she assumed he knew it too. “You’re doing ok on the lines.”

“Good,” JJ shifted, “I’ve been out of practice, so that’s good feedback.”

Scarlett laughed and JJ reached up to scratch behind his ear, his eyes lifting as the server from earlier walked by, his eyes trained directly on Scarlett as he passed. 

“I’m sensing some competition,” JJ joked lightly, but Scarlett could hear the nervousness in his voice, “friend of yours?”

“Never met him before,” Scarlett shook her head, “he’s cute, though.” 

“Got the tall, dark, and handsome thing going,” JJ nodded, “you gonna play that one out or…?” 

“Hmm,” Scarlett lifted a shoulder, watching the server disappear into the white tent, “maybe…do you think he looks like someone who gives good head?” 

JJ choked on his spit and Scarlett smiled, sipping her drink, pleased that she’d made JJ blush. “I don’t know,” JJ coughed lightly, clearing his throat, “a toss up, probably. Young enough to know that’s what you’re lookin’ for, but the good looking ones sometimes don’t know what they’re doing.” 

“So you must be downright terrible then, huh?” 

JJ ran a hand over his mouth, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked across the table at her, but before he could say anything the crackling electricity between them was doused by the frantic red head running up to the table, “they have two cakes!” 

Scarlett had to take a moment to take in her friend, watching Whitney set her glass on the table, “umm…”

“JJ, hey.” 

“Whitney,” JJ’s eyes skimmed the area surrounding them, “is Ricky here?”

“No, you know he won’t crash with me,” Whitney rolled her eyes before looking at Scarlett, “you’ve met Scarlett?”

“Mhmm.” 

“JJ is Ricky’s cousin,” Whitney explained, referring to her on again, off again hook-up. Scarlett labeled them as dating, but Whitney assured her time and time again it was just sex. But Scarlett didn’t think cuddling on the couch every Tuesday night watching movies and walking by the docks on Sunday afternoons could be considered just sex. 

JJ glanced over his shoulder after hearing his name, looking over to see the brunette from before waving him over, the bride and groom beside him. “I’ll let you ladies get back to your evening,” he ducked his head before sending Scarlett a soft smile, “I’ll see you around, Scarlett.” 

When JJ was across the lawn and out of ear shot, Whiteny turned her full attention to Scarlett, “did I interrupt something?”

“I’m not sure,” Scarlett finished her champagne, looking over at Whitney, “you know him?” 

“He’s Ricky’s cousin, I’ve seen him from time to time. Cute—a smart ass.” 

“Is he attached?” 

Whitney took a lengthy sip of her refilled champagne, “he was—but I haven’t seen her around lately. Do you want me to ask Ricky?”

Scarlett shook her head, even though Whitney already had her phone out, thumbs moving frantically as she no doubt sent a text off to Ricky. “I’m going to get a refill.” 

Whitney nodded and Scarlett left to wander to the bar, asking for a vodka soda with lime, watching as the server from earlier emerged from the tent, their eyes meeting a moment later. His were a dull brown, but his face was cute and his nose was promising, so Scarlett let him approach, watching as he gently slid a napkin towards her before wandering off with his tray of appetizers. Scarlett thanked the bartender before walking back to Whitney, her eyes flickering over towards the table JJ returned to, except this time she didn’t see him or his friend. 

“They took their seats at the table,” Whitney sipped her drink, “finish your drink and then we’ll grab cake and bounce before the toasts begin.”

[usafphantom2]

A Flight of Four Mustangs Celebrates WWII Fighter Pilot’s 100th Birthday

March 20, 2024 Vintage Aviation News Warbirds News 0

The formation of four Mustangs flying over Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta.

United Fuel Cells

Mission accomplished! On Tuesday, March 19, World War II pilot Paul Crawford fulfilled his dream of flying in a P-51 Mustang like the one he commanded 79 years ago in China, where he flew 29 missions until he was shot down in 1945. Now 100, Buckhead resident Crawford was delighted when the Liberty Foundation and Inspire Aviation Foundation took him up in a TF-51D on a perfect blue-sky day for flying.

TF-51 “E Pluribus Unum” piloted by owner Bob Bull with Paul Crawford in the back leads the formation over Lake Lanier. The camera ship was a Bonanza piloted by long time Liberty Foundation’s pilot Cullen Underwood.

For the occasion, four P-51 Mustangs landed at the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport and parked at Atlantic Aviation, the FBO that supported this unique event. Mr. Crawford lovingly touched the nose and wing of one of the Mustangs when he first walked up to it, reuniting after a 79-year separation. LtCol Ray Fowler, Liberty Foundation Chief Pilot, and pilot Bob Bull helped Crawford into the back seat of the TF-51 and gave him an exhilarating 30-minute ride.

The organizers envisioned the participation of only one P-51, but a quick round of calls sparked the interest of other owners who enthusiastically decided to participate in the event. Bob Bull, Steve Maher, and Rodney Allison flew their Mustangs to Atlanta bringing the total number to four:

P-51D “Old Crow” (N451MG) – Pilot Ray Fowler – Liberty Foundation P-51D “Rebel” (N3BB) – Pilot Rodney Allison P-51 “E Pluribus Unum” (N351B) – Pilot Bob Bull – P-51 “Ain’t Missbehavin” (N51K) – Pilot Steve Maher

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Paul graduated six months later, during which time Congress passed the law to draft 18-year-olds. “I knew that I was going to be drafted so I went to Atlanta to talk with the Army Air Corps [sic] and the Navy about flying,” shared Mr. Crawford. ”The Navy said they would accept me for flight training but wanted me to go right then to their Great Lakes training center. The Air Corps told me they would accept me, but to go on back to college and they would notify me when to report.” said Crawford. Paul went back to Americus, entered Georgia Southwestern College, and shortly thereafter he received his draft notice to report to Fort McPherson in Atlanta on January 2, 1942.

Paul Crawford in his P-51 ‘Little Rebel’ ( photo by Paul Crawford Collection)

Paul had an older brother, Tim, who had gone into the Air Corps before Pearl Harbor and was flying B-26s, a medium bomber. He ended up flying combat in the B-17 Flying Fortress out of North Africa. The older brother influenced Paul’s choice, convincing him that the Air Corps had better aircraft, “I thought the water was, as they say, too deep and too wide to swim!” said Mr. Crawford.

With about 100 hours on the P-51 and 250-275 hours total, Mr. Crawford was sent off to Chengtu, China assigned to the 311th Fighter Group, 529th Fighter Squadron protecting the B-29 bases. As these B-29s transferred to the Pacific Theater, his squadron was transferred to Hsian headed for combat. At the time, Mr. Crawford was estimated to have only accumulated another 60 hours of flying time.

On his 29th mission, Mr. Crawford was shot down by ground fire while strafing a small railroad facility. After getting hit, he bailed out and was picked up by Chinese Communist guerillas. A few days earlier one of his housemates had been shot down and captured by the Japanese who cut his head off and put it up on a gate post. After a 200-mile-long walk, chased by the Japanese a couple of times, yet still evading capture, Mr. Crawford ended up at a compound owned by a wealthy family. A few miles from the compound was an airstrip where the OSS (U.S. Office of Strategic Services) brought downed airmen out. After the flight, Mr. Crawford talked about his experience: “When I recall my time in World War II, I always start by saying, I was not a hero! I was just there! That is not false modesty because it is the way I have always felt. I flew the P-51 Mustang.”

Mr. Crawford who has time in P-40, P-47, A-24, and P-51C, believes that the P-51 was the best fighter plane of its day. “There’s nothing in the world like that airplane,” Crawford said. “I loved doing the maneuvers again.” Paul Crawford was surrounded by several friends, his son-in-law, Tommy, and dozens of Liberty Foundation and Inspire Aviation Foundation members eager to have their pictures taken with him, shake his hand, and thank him for his service.

Ezoic

After serving in WWII, Paul Crawford finished college at Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management. That’s also where he met his wife, Jean. They had a daughter and were married for sixty-one years when Jean passed away. Paul worked in the paper industry and for the U.S. Envelope Company until he retired in 1988. Paul currently lives in Atlanta and participates in aviation and historical WWII events.

This special event was made possible thanks to the support of Bob Bull, Ray Fowler Chief Pilot of The Liberty Foundation, Steve Maher, Atlantic Aviation FBO, Cullen Underwood with Vintage Flights, and Inspire Aviation Foundation.

Paul Crawford after the successful flight with (L to R), Cullen Underwood (Camera ship pilot), Bob Bull, Ray Fowler, and Rodney Allison.