#east central oklahoma

[theineffablesociety]

"Perhaps one day we could... I don't know. Go for a picnic." ~Aziraphale, 1967

The Ineffable Society Synchronous Picnics!

Crowley and Aziraphale may not have had their picnic yet but we can show them how it's done:

TIS is inviting all Good Omens fans to join us on Saturday May 10th wherever you may be!

This is the day that the book was originally published in 1990, and the day of the bombing of St Dunstan-in-the-East, the church which inspired the one in the Blitz scene. St Dunstan later became a public gardens in the 1970s. 👀

How to have your own TIS Picnic:

* Minimum of one person, you!

* Minimum of one tasty treat, preferably eaten or drank outdoors

* On Saturday May 10, 2025 at any time of day

Will it be you and your angel/demon having a picnic on a tartan blanket at a park? Or will you invite several of your friends to your house? Will you enjoy some cosplay? Will you theme your beverages, meal, snacks, and dessert with Good Omens themes?

Or will you invite any local fans to join you at a more organized event?

There are people starting to plan picnic meetups over on our Discord server. I will link that below. You're welcome to post about yours in there as well but it is not mandatory, especially if you are planning something more intimate. Just by having a little picnic on May 10, you too have become part of The Ineffable Society's celebration!

DISCORD LINK

https://discord.gg/JQzyWnBf

Current Planned and open to the fandom picnics include:

1:30pm - 7pm at Historic Smithville Park in Central New Jersey (pavilion secured!)

TIME TBD. Tower Grove Park in St Louis, Missouri with visit to Botanical Garden to follow.

11:00am at Caffe Vita KEXP in Seattle, Washington (by the Space Needle for lunch!)

TIME TBD. Rochester, New York in Highland Park for the Lilac Festival [Note: This is upstate NY]

Current Plans-In-Progress and open to the fandom picnics include:

Plans for: TIME & LOCATION TBD. Hell, Michigan. Yes. Hell. Michigan.

Plans for: TIME & LOCATION TBD. Austin, Texas

Plans for: TIME & LOCATION TBD. London UK

Plans for: TIME & LOCATION TBD. Chicago, Illinois. Planning for "northwest suburbs of Chicago"

Plans for: TIME & LOCATION TBD. Washington DC area

Current Areas Seeking Plans open to the fandom picnics include:

Seeking Plans in: Atlanta, Georgia

Seeking Plans in: Oklahoma (Oklahoma City or Tulsa)

Seeking Plans in: Arkansas

Seeking Plans in: Tennessee

Seeking Plans in: Tampere, Finland

That last group? We have at least one person in who is interested meeting other Good Omens fans for a picnic, and one could easily be organized if there's interest.

We shall add more to this list as people organize!

If you enjoy a picnic on May 10: We would love to hear about it! Share us your deeds of the day with some pictures using any of these tags #GO For A Picnic, #Good Omens Picnic, or #The Ineffable Society Picnic.

[dallasgallant]

Time period post: Cops and postal services

Had this mentioned to me a little while back on police and ambulance services a little while back and it blew my mind. I think it’s pretty important and cool to know and would really help in fic writing or at least knowing the world more. Including some stuff about the mail too as I think it’d be helpful.

I know I make all these posts but there’s stuff for me to learn too lol.

No national number, yet-

It wasn’t until 1968 that 911 was established and it took a long time to be fully implimented across the country, some rural parts just getting the service in the late 1990s! What did people do before then?

You would call the local department, same goes for things like the fire department or an ambulance or other such services. Usually these numbers would be stuck on a fridge or in the phone book or widely known, it was just longer and more localized. Or you die ‘O’ for operator and ask for the local police station/hospital etc you’re trying to reach like you would a number— similarly calling the operator you could give a name and address and they’d patch you through. However, by this time memorizing numbers was more of a thing- Operators existed still but they feel so 20s-40s to me.

The idea of 911 is it’s a quick number to memorize and put into the phone, especially in an emergency or incapacitated/worked up so you can’t request the station or explain too much. It is sort of a national thing but it is also state and local as you don’t have “US police” answering a call in the middle of nowhere you have the local department.

according to research 911 service did not come to central Oklahoma until a vote in 1987 and then several more up until 2009! This is Oklahoma City and its metro areas. Idk if Tulsa applies here as it’s up and over but needless… wouldn’t have it for a long time. (It is now officially managed as of 2016 Jesus Christ Oklahoma.)

Another note is that it would be incredibly rare for those on the East/North side of town to call the cops, it’s mentioned in the book/movie but communities like this tend to solve their own problems. Either working it out on own, own sense of justice or just to keep the greater trouble cops would bring out. I have a meta on this.

Highway patrol-

Bringing them up as it seems fitting lol, considering the speeding charges, the racing charges, the car modification changes etc the gang would be getting. Also because personally I’m curious on the distinction besides being a pain to drivers.

Traffic laws, speed traps and hiding in the bushes basically. Their jurisdiction is the highways instead of a typical beat.

US postal service-

Mail is on the rise, not only is there more people but it’s also when things really get centralized so there’s more to send and easier. Stuff like bills and receipts and catalogs were the real bulk of mail, alongside personal messages. There was a real effort to make things national and easier. As here’s a diagram from 1968 showing how complicated it is;

Delivery zones-

When mail was simplified during WW2 when regular folks stepped in, easier to remember for major cities and areas. It’s a precursor to more exact area and zip codes. Made mail come far quicker as it was easier to sort!

Zip codes-

More recent than you think, just like 911 you never really think any differently when you’re born with them available but they’re pretty new! And there was a bunch of adds in the paper to encourage public use typically featuring a cute little character.

Some adds like this one would even inform you what your zip code would be and what the purpose is!

Mailing-

Twice a day service, depending on area and time. The sheer volume of it! By the 60s twice a day delivery began to wind down but you could still send perishables and other goods with a high expectation of arriving alright. Since long distance calls were expensive for most of their existence, especially back then letters and post cards etc were preferred.

In fact people sent so many letters there was ‘Pen-pals’ , to those unfamiliar it’s when you send letters back and forth between someone met through a personal add, a club or service etc — it’s sort of like the analog version of a online friend in a way?

Talked about it in my magazine post but “mail in” was a popular way to get free or special offered items in magazines. Usually it was an add offer, something branded you could request like a Orange juice brand beach towel or something like that (ran well into at least the 80s) — you could also do this with some cigarette or other companies with points programs (like green stamps but for merch)

Contests, you enter through the mail, sign up/renew through the mail (slips are still in magazines today), submitting answers or stories etc — all mail or sometimes over the phone!

There was also catalogues, you either wrote them or arranged what you were purchasing over the phone.

What a great time to be a mailbox…

[dangerousartisanwerewolf]

To all the Americans on tumblr rn...

I am not American, nor am I old enough to vote yet as I missed being the legal voting age for my province by only about a week- curse my extremely late birthday.

(which weirdly enough has also had such an incredibly tight election that they are still counting the votes right now even though it happened 2 weeks ago because the two parties are basically tied. }

but I am also very worried for you guys way down south. Hopefully America will put the right person into power this time and everything ends up being ok for you all. Not to be too cliché but I am sending thoughts and prayers and I hope you guys all stay safe down there. I honestly can't even imagine how you guys fell- I don't even live there and I've been feeling increasingly nauseous as the hours go by and I have had to offline for the most of the day.

Remember:

To take care of yourselves. Just in general, in whatever way you see fit

You absolutely do not have to live stream the election polling/results thing on TV, doom scroll election content the whole day long, watch the news, or consume any other election related content. As horrible as it feels to say this; the results will be the same regardless of whether or not you are watching it. Sometimes it is just better for you and your mental health to just log off of sm/screens for the night

If it all does feel like its getting too much for you, please log off/take a sm/screentime break

Most importantly, if you haven't already, please vote!!!! I am not American and am barley old enough to be considered a legal voter (Missed my own countries election *tears*) so I can't really help in terms of providing resources but I am sure there are all sorts that can help you I'm sure. I know that its getting late at night; some polls have closed already but not as many as you would think. I found out that most are actually open way later than I thought. As it turns out, some are even open til 1! You learn something new every day I guess!

Just Please, Please, Please go out and cast your ballot and make your voice known, with how close this is quite literally every voice matters!!! GO VOTE!!!

Poll closing times in case you need it (I only included ones that close 8pm and upwards because it is 7:30 at the time of writing this)

8 p.m. ET

Alabama

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida (Polls in Eastern time zone close at 7 p.m. ET; part of Panhandle are in Central time zone)

Illinois

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire (Polling hours vary by municipality and are listed by location here)

New Jersey

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

8:30 p.m. ET

Arkansas

9 p.m. ET

Arizona

Colorado

Iowa

Kansas (Polling locations close at 8 p.m. ET in all except four counties in the west)

Louisiana

Michigan (Polling locations close at 8 p.m. ET in all except four counties)

Minnesota

Nebraska

New Mexico

New York

North Dakota (Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in all but eight counties)

South Dakota (Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in the east)

Texas (Polls close at 8 p.m. ET for most of the state except three counties in the west)

Wisconsin

Wyoming

10 p.m. ET

Montana

Nevada (The polling location at City Hall in West Wendover closes at 9 p.m. ET)

Utah

11 p.m. ET

California

Idaho (Polling locations in the south close at 10 p.m. ET)

Oregon (Polling locations in Malheur County close at 10 p.m. ET)

Washington

12 a.m. ET

Hawaii

1 a.m. ET

Alaska (Polling locations close at 12 a.m. with the exception of Adak)

I'm not really sure what other useful info I could put as I don't know much about America or it's electoral system but I hope that helps.

A lot of people I have seen have been posting about how they feel sick to their stomach's and that they can't get off the news and how they just feel terrible so...

Things you can do to distract yourself for the rest of the night (And possibly the next few days, idk how long it takes to count votes)

Have an early bedtime/take a late nap (Only go to bed after 9 at least though, otherwise you'll mess up your sleep schedule and make you feel worse.) Just sleep your way througb it if you cant help it.

To add on to point one I often use asmr if I can't fall asleep right away/to distract myself. My favorites are: Jaden Aliana Asmr, Oceans Asmr, Kaitlynn Reha asmr, and my absolute favorite Goodnight Moon ASMR (Check out her babble brook, 1920's, or valley girl series')

Listen to a podcast (I like Rotten Mango- informative true crime, Buzzfeed unsolved- funny true crime/ghost hunting, Look behind you- also true crime, and Chris Chan; a comprehensive history)

Never too late for some cleaning! Clean your house, bathroom, bedroom, closet, do a deep clean.

If your a student like me- do your schoolwork! I know you have some studying or homework that needs to be done! Get on it!! I use the pomodoro method if that does anything

Have a self care night- do an everything shower or fancy bath, make facemasks, mani pedi's ect.

Watch a movie or marathon t.v shows you love/that are comfort shows (Some of my comfort shows are; Bobs burgers, Gravity falls, the moomins 1990, the office, what we do in the shadows, black books, derry girls, moone boy, and all creatures great and small and M.A.S.H. Some of my comfort movies are; Little women, the cornetto trilogy, Emma, Legally blonde, Pride and Prejudice)

Never too late for some cooking! One of my favorite hobbies is cooking and baking (Mostly baking) Make some chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies, muffins, cupcakes or try a fun cake.

Go for a night walk! Just make sure you bring a buddy and some flashlights of you're in total darkness like I am right now. (Love me a Canadian fall! Already snow where I am so of course that means everyone now needs to immediately put up Christmas decorations lol. At least the lights are nice at night)

Spend time with loved ones. Call or text a friend, spend time with your family, roommates, whoever. If your on campus at a uni see if there's literally any activities or clubs open at this hour you can go to

Read. I know you have a tbr you keep meaning to get to

Go on a research rabbit hole about something interesting. Try to learn something new. Some topics to get you started relating to where I live cause why not; Try to learn about : The Animals of Canada, Indigenous cultures and peoples of Canada- ex: try to learn some Cree or Halqemeylem phrases, try to memorize all of our provinces and territories.

Get through any chores you still have to do

Make/do something creative: Play an instrument, record a song, make a collage, paint, draw

Play some music, listen to your favorite songs on loop (Spotify's still collecting data for wrapped!)

Download a videogame on your phone- just one to pass the time even if its total addictive trash. Some ones I like: Moomin town- Idle, relaxing, town building, slowpaced, free, Miriam webster quizitative- free, wordgames, has an end to it, Toca boca hair salon- not free, hair salon game, endless, Toca boca town- not free but there are dupes, dollhouse game, bird bnb- townbuilding, slowpaced, as well theres all sorts of cute isle cat games; I like the grocery store and cafe ones

Make sure to:

Drink water

Eat at regular intervals

take breaks from screens (It'll hurt ya eyes)

get some sleep at some point

Don't sleep all day (Try to get up at a normal time)

if you feel like you need- put screen time limits on your phone. Or as well, turn down the brightness if you feel you have to doom scroll.

That's all for now. Hope you guys are doing ok and that the results are what we are all hoping for. Just know that you are in pretty much everyone's minds and we are all thinking of you (Even if we don't live in America). Stay safe and take care of yourself and your mental health.

Love, thoughts, prayers, and support from Canada/Tumblr and have a good night.

Congrats if you managed to get through this absolute brick of text. I commend you. I'll probably check back in tomorrow.

[transformationsproject]

Today’s Legislative Updates March 11, 2025

Trans rights are still under attack in the United States. Please visit our website linked below to learn about your state and contact your reps. Here's a thread of today's updates:

Bathroom bills deny access to public restrooms by gender or trans identity. 

They increase danger without making anyone any safer and have even prompted attacks on cis and trans people alike. Many national health and anti-sexual assault organizations oppose these bills.

Old Bills:

West Virginia passed bill SB456 yesterday and sent it to the governor.

South Dakota passed bill HB1259 through the Senate yesterday and sent it back to the House for final approval.

Mississippi passed bill HB188 yesterday and sent it to the governor.

Oklahoma passed bill SB418 through the Senate yesterday and sent it to the House.

Drag Bans restrict access for folks who are gender non-conforming in any way. 

They loosely define "drag" as any public performance with an “opposite gender expression,” as sexual in nature, and inappropriate for children. 

This also pushes trans individuals out of public spaces.

Old Bills:

Iowa passed bill HSB158 through its committee last Friday before renumbering it to Iowa HF891 and sending it to the House floor.

Educational Censorship and Student Suppression bills force schools to misgender or deadname students, ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and make schools alert parents if they suspect a child is trans.

They remove life-saving affirmation and support for trans youth. 

New Bills:

Wisconsin introduced scholastic misgendering/deadnaming bill SB120 last Friday and sent it to the Senate Education Committee.

Old Bills:

Arkansas passed bill SB246 through its committee yesterday and sent it back to the Senate floor.

Arkansas passed bill HB1512 through its committee yesterday and sent it back to the House floor.

West Virginia sent bill SB154 to the House Education Committee yesterday.

Nebraska bill LB552 has a hearing on March 17 at 1:30 p.m. Central Time in Room 1525 in the Legislature Education Committee.

Mississippi held a final House vote for bill SB2515 yesterday before returning it to the Senate for approval.

Mississippi passed an amended bill HB1193 through the Senate yesterday and sent it back to the House for approval.

Arizona sent bill SB1002 to the House Government Committee yesterday.

Digital Censorship Bills describe any legislation that potentially targets Queer and Trans media/material for removal. 

They typically do this by using vague and broad definitions of "Obscene" or "Harmful to Minors" and then banning such content from being accessible to minors, which often either removes the material entirely or requires age verification methods in order to view. 

This includes online censorship bills, library book bans, and other such legislation.

New Bills:

Wisconsin introduced online censorship bill AB105 yesterday and sent it to the House State Affairs Committee. They also scheduled a hearing for it tomorrow, March 12 at 10:31 a.m. Central Time in 412 East.

Old Bills:

Iowa passed bill HF62 through its committee last Friday before renumbering it to Iowa HF864 and sending it to the House floor.

West Virginia bill HB2689 has a hearing tomorrow, March 12 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time in House Judiciary Committee Room 410-M in the House Legal Services Committee.

Most sports bills force schools to designate teams by sex assigned at birth. 

They are often one-sided and ban trans girls from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity.

Some egregious bills even force invasive genital examinations on student athletes.

New Bills:

Minnesota introduced sports and bathroom bill SF2294 yesterday and sent it to the Senate Education Policy Committee.

Wisconsin introduced sports bills SB116 and SB117 last Friday and sent them to the Senate Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development Committee.

Old Bills:

Nebraska bill LB605 has a hearing on March 18 at 1:30 p.m. Central Time in Room 1525 in the  Legislature Education Committee.

Minnesota passed bill HF1233 through its committee yesterday and sent it to the House floor.

These are other anti-trans bills that either fit multiple categories or stand on their own.

Old Bills:

Utah passed bill HB0283 last Friday and sent it to the governor.

Utah bill HB0413 is dead as of last Friday!

Arkansas passed bill HB1615 through its second House floor vote today and sent it for a third, after which it will send the bill to the Senate.

South Dakota passed bill HB1239 through the Senate yesterday and sent it back to the House for final approval.

It's not too late to stop these and other hateful anti-trans bills from passing into law. YOU can go to http://transformationsproject.org/ to learn more and contact your representatives!

[shannendoherty-fans]

Shannen's Native American Descent

We all know Shannen Doherty was of Irish descent through the paternal side of her family.

The Doherty / O’Doherty family is an Irish clan based in County Donegal. The O’Dohertys are named after Dochartach (c. 10th century), a member of the Cenél Conaill dynasty which in medieval Irish genealogy traced itself to Niall of the Nine Hostages. The O’Doherty clan and family name is one of the most ancient in Europe. The clan traces its pedigree through history, pre-history, and mythology to 2BC. (Source)

Shannen and her dad, John Thomas Doherty, in Ireland ca. 1996/97.

Shannen was also from English and Scottish descent through her mother Rosa Elizabeth née Wright. The red-haired Southern belle also has Native American ancestry, most concretley the Chumash people (Source), and thus has Shannen (Source).

Shannen and her mum spending time in nature, ca.2024.

Shannen explained that she wasn't able to be with her dad when he passed away on the 4th of November of 2010. Her best friend Chris Cortazzo told her to spend some quality time with her mother and him at his ranch in Tennesse, which is surrounded by Native American ground. When she was there suddenly the wind shaked the plants and trees and she felt her father’s arms go around her and say “It’s ok baby, I love you. I’m here" (Source) (Source).

Her mother Rosa said that one of her great-great-grandmothers (she doesn't know the grade) was forced to move in the called "Trail of Tears", the forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the "Five Civilized Tribes" [Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminoles] between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans within that were ethnically cleansed by the United States government (Wiki). Furthermore, she said her ancestor was from the Chumash people and was forced to move from Mississipi to Oklahoma (Source).

Rosa also said about Shannen's Native American's heritage:

"The whole Indian heritage to Shannen was very, very important ... Shannen swore when she bought this property [a ranch in Malibu to live with her mum, her friends, and to do a shelter for horses]… she says, I just feel it. She says, I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. And she just felt that whole Indian."

Also she was proud of having directed "Charmed"'s episode "The Good, The Bad and The Cursed" that features a storyline involving American's First Nations people's and Native actors Kimberly Guerrero (from Colville and Salish-Kootenai native peoples from Alaska) and Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada).

Shannen Doherty (R) with First Nations' actors Kimberley Guerrero and Michael Greyeyes.

The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California (Wiki), in portions of what is now Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south to Mt Pinos in the east. Their territory includes three of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel; the smaller island of Anacapa was likely inhabited seasonally due to the lack of a consistent water source.

Modern place names with Chumash origins include Malibu, Nipomo, Lompoc, Ojai, Pismo Beach, Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, Piru, Lake Castaic, Saticoy, Simi Valley and Somis. Archaeological research demonstrates that the Chumash people have deep roots in the Santa Barbara Channel area and lived along the southern California coast for millennia.

The Chumash lived in over 150 independent villages, speaking variations of the same language. Much of their culture consisted of basketry, bead manufacturing and trading, cuisine of local abalone and clam, herbalism which consisted of using local herbs to produce teas and medical reliefs, rock art, and the scorpion tree. The scorpion tree was significant to the Chumash as shown in its arborglyph: a carving depicting a six-legged creature with a headdress including a crown and two spheres. The shamans participated in the carving which was used in observations of the stars and in part of the Chumash calendar. The Chumash resided between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the California coasts where a bounty of resources could be found. The tribe lived in an area of three environments: the interior, the coast, and the Northern Channel Islands. Some researchers believe that the Chumash may have been visited by Polynesians between AD 400 and 800, nearly 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus reached the Americas.

Chumash Family by American sculptor George S. Stuart

The maritime explorer Juan Cabrillo was the first European to make contact with the coastal Alta Californian tribes in the year 1542. Spain claimed what is now California from that time forward, but did not return to settle until 1769, when the first Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived with the double purpose of Christianizing the Native Americans and facilitating Spanish colonization. The Chumash people moved from their villages to the Franciscan missions between 1772 and 1817.

Mexico seized control of the missions in 1834. Tribespeople either fled into the interior, attempted farming for themselves and were driven off the land, or were enslaved by the new administrators. After 1849 most Chumash land was lost due to theft by Americans and a declining population, due to the effects of violence and disease. The remaining Chumash began to lose their cohesive identity. In 1855, a small piece of land (120 acres) was set aside for just over 100 remaining Chumash Indians near Santa Ynez mission. This land ultimately became the only Chumash reservation, although Chumash individuals and families also continued to live throughout their former territory in southern California.

No native Chumash speak their own language since Mary Yee, the last Barbareño speaker, died in 1965. Today, the Chumash are estimated to have a population of 5,000 members.

Map of the Trail of Tears

Chumash worldview is centered on the belief "that considers all things to be, in varying measure, alive, intelligent, dangerous, and sacred." "They assume that the universe with its three, or in some versions five, layers has always been here."

Human beings occupy the Middle Region, which rests upon two giant snakes. Chronological time is unimportant, though the past is divided into two sections: the universal flood that caused the First People to become the natural world and, thereafter the creation of human beings, the arrival of the Europeans, and the devastating consequences that followed."

The middle region (sometimes referred to as 'antap), where humans and spirits of this world live and where shamans could travel in vision quests, is interconnected with the lower world (C'oyinahsup) through the springs and marsh areas and is connected to the upper world through the mountains. In the lower world live snakes, frogs, salamanders. The world trembles or has earthquakes when the snakes which support the world writhe.

Water creatures are also in contact with the powers of the lower world and "were often depicted in rock art perhaps to bring more water to the Chumash or to appease underworld spirits' at times of hunger or disease." Itiashap is the home of the First People. Alapay is the upper world in Chumash cosmology where the "sky people" lived, who play an important role in the health of the people. Principle figures of the sky world include the Sun, the Moon, Lizard, Sky Coyote, and Eagle. The Sun is the source of life and is also "a source of disease and death." The Sky Coyote, also known as the Great Coyote of the Sky or Shnilemun, is considered to be a protector and according to Inseño Chumash lore, “looks out for the welfare of all in the world below him”. During the creation of mankind, the Sky Coyote was present among the other important cosmological figures. The Eagle, also known as Slo’w, is the force that maintains momentum and order among the other stars so that they do not fall down on and destroy earth.

Chumash pictographs.

The Chumash cosmology is also centered around astronomy. Rock art and arborglyphs that have been found within Chumash sites are thought to have depicted Polaris (the North Star) and Ursa Major (the Big Dipper). These two astrological entities were paramount to the Chumash belief system as well as their perception of time. It is believed that the Chumash used these constellations to determine what time of the year it was depending on the position of Ursa Major around Polaris.

***

I love that Shannen showed her respect to her ancestry in some "Charmed" episodes, like in 2x10 "Heartbreak City" (click to see if bigger):

Charmed 3x01 "The Honeymoon is Over" (click to see bigger):

And the already mentioned 3x14 "The Good, The Bad and The Cursed" (click to see bigger). Her love for horses also comes from that connection:

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Black-crested Titmouse

Photo: Aaron Maizlish

"A characteristic bird of much of southern and central Texas, barely extending northward into southwestern Oklahoma. This is a close relative of the Tufted Titmouse of eastern North America, and was treated as a subspecies at one time. Where the ranges of the two species meet in east-central Texas, they sometimes interbreed, producing hybrids that may show a dark gray crest and a reddish brown forehead."

- Audubon Field Guide

[ameliafuckinjones]

I was thinking about @genesisclub idea for America's children, where instead of having 50 state children, America has regions instead, and I've been playing around with the idea. I looked at the US regions wiki page, and it sort of gave me a clue on how many children there would be exactly and which region a child would represent. The regions are broken up into two or three divisions, so some regions will have two or three children representing it:

Region 1 - Northeast:

New England (Division 1): Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Middle Atlantic (Division 2): New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

Region 2 - Midwest:

East North Central (Division 3): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin

West North Central (Division 4): Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota

Region 3 - South:

South Atlantic (Division 5): Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia

East South Central (Division 6): Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee

West South Central (Division 7): Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas

Region 4 - West:

Mountain (Division 8): Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming

Pacific (Division 9): Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington

That's 9 subregions in total, which I believe @genesisclub was referencing in the op. I don't think they were born in this exact order, I just think it would probably be a neat way for America (and the government) to determine who represents what, and I think America and the regions intuitively know who they're supposed to represent. As to when exactly they were born? I'm still figuring that out, but I do enjoy the thought of them being born after the Revolution!!

Edit: Thinking maybe the regions are born when the last state from that region finally enters the Union or becomes a US territory. Or maybe when the first state from that region becomes a state or a US territory. For example, New England was probably born in 1788 when Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire became states.

[daguerreotyping]

Real photo postcard of Henryetta East Central football team ready for action, Oklahoma, USA c. 1926-27

[shefanispeculator]

Blake always aware and helping regarding life in OK and tornadoes.

Blake Shelton’s Home Nearly Hit by Fatal Tornadoes in Oklahoma (tasteofcountry.com) 2011

Shelton was home with his buddies when he caught wind of the nearby twister, but rather than heed the weatherman's warning, the group headed outside. "Being the smart guy that I am, I walked outside and stood in the driveway so I could see it," the singer says. "We actually filmed the tornado when it came out of the sky. It was only about a mile-and-a-half from my house. It touched the ground for a minute and moved east. Once it moved past my house and got out on the prairie, it just gained a lot of momentum and got stronger and stronger," he recalls.

Blake Shelton Witnessed Deadly Tornado That Hit Oklahoma (theboot.com) 2011

Blake Shelton is gearing up for his duties as co-host -- along with his friend Reba McEntire -- of two tornado relief benefit concerts this week. The pair of sold-out shows are taking place Wednesday (May 25) and Thursday (May 26) in Durant, Okla.

Blake witnessed firsthand the storm that rolled through, leaving massive destruction across the state, and says he could have another career as a storm chaser.

===================

Blake Shelton Tornado Relief Concert Raises $6 Million (rollingstone.com) 2013

Blake Shelton‘s “Healing in the Heartland” benefit concert raised more than $6 million for victims of a deadly tornado last week in Oklahoma, The Associated Press reports. Proceeds from ticket sales and pledges will go to the United Way of Central Oklahoma. 

[trenchphotos1]

I think we can all agree it was a weird storm day here in central Oklahoma. I did get a lot of shots of the tornado warned storm that moved into town after dark, but frankly this lightning shot, which was after I hunkered down, is the only one worth showing. An outbreak still active as of this post (it's almost midnight); hopefully everyone out east is aware of their situation and sheltering as needed.

[raychelsnr]

This tornado was the first of many on this May outbreak day in Central Oklahoma. We had started the day just east of the metro to wait on storm development. This allowed us to close in quickly on this initial dominant supercell that quickly went from zero to tornado. This cone was as classic as they come, my only regret from this day is that we didn't just start at Pops in Arcadia to begin with.

[oklahomahistory]

The Seminoles

The Seminoles This tribe originated in the early 1700s from Yamasee and Lower Creeks who migrated into northern and central Spanish Florida following their defeat by the South Carolinians in the Yamasee War. Military confrontations with white settlers as well as dwindling game for food perpetuated this exodus throughout the eighteenth century. The emigrants grew increasingly autonomous from the Lower Creeks. Gradually, they took on the name “Seminole,” meaning “wild” “runaways,” or “separatists,” which reflected their watershed departure. Later in the 1700s, the Seminoles welcomed black slaves escaping Spanish masters into their company. Though apparently retaining their servile status, these descendants of Africa lived in communities near the Seminole villages, grew into a significant component of the tribe, and received treatment as virtual equals. Following the American defeat of the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend, more Creeks headed to Florida to join the Seminoles. This time, Upper-not LowerCreeks, pro-British “Red Stick” veterans of the War of 1812, comprised the majority of the migrants. The war refugees ballooned the Seminole population from thirty-five hundred to six thousand. By 1815 these disparate companies comprised a formidable though still small nation. Their resistance to removal from their Florida homelands, however, casts a large legacy in American history books. Hunting on lands in that state as well as southern Georgia and Alabama, they centered their communities in Florida and lived as town-dwellers. Unlike the other southeastern tribes, they eschewed farming. The Seminoles’ initial significant conflict as a tribe with the United States occurred in 1817 to 1818 with the first of a series of “Seminole Wars.” White Georgian slave owners, whose major (and Constitutionally protected) financial capital in the economic system of the time consisted of their black slaves, complained to the U.S. government about runaways among these folk living with the Seminoles. General Andrew Jackson, in the latest of a long series of battles (violent as well as non-violent) with Natives, led an American army into Florida to retrieve the escapees, burning down a Seminole town in the process. As they did in many other places, from the time the United States purchased Florida from Spain in 1819, American settlers began swarming onto the tribe’s land, settling it, and then urging the U.S. government to remove the resident tribes. In 1823 the powers in Washington gained the Seminoles’ agreement to the Treaty of Tampa, which required the tribe’s move south to the swampy inland Everglades region east of Tampa. Even this did not work, because the Indians accused whites of harassment and the whites accused the Seminoles of theft, property destruction, and violence. The whites demanded the tribe’s relocation to Indian Territory. The Seminoles’ toughness, geography, history, leadership, and sense of place and other cultural traditions would generate a less than cordial response from them toward federal soldiers’ efforts to force them west. An early 1800s Seminole village in Florida, prior to the tribe’s wars with the United States and the exile of most of them to Indian Territory. Read the entire Oklahoma story in John J. Dwyer’s The Oklahomans: The Story of Oklahoma and Its People volume 1 of a 2-part series on the 46th state and the people who make this state very special.

[lboogie1906]

Meredith Mathews (September 14, 1919 - March 19, 1992) was a prominent social and civic leader in Seattle who was born in Thomaston, Georgia. He received a BS in Science from Wilberforce University. He pursued graduate studies at Ohio University.

He began a lifelong association with the YMCA as Director of the racially segregated Spring Street YMCA in Columbus, Ohio. He continued his professional career directing similar YMCAs in Oklahoma City and McAlester, Oklahoma.

He arrived in Seattle after being named Executive Director of the East Madison YMCA. This “Y” served the mostly African American community of central Seattle. The fundraising and business management skills he had developed in Oklahoma were used to expand services, memberships, and programs at this Seattle branch. A new facility was built after a successful Capital Funds Campaign under his leadership.

He was appointed Associate Executive of the Pacific Northwest Area Council of YMCAs. He was named Regional Executive of the Pacific Region of YMCAs and was responsible for the oversight of 126 facilities and programs in 11 states. He retired after 39 years of outstanding service to the YMCA.

He was involved in other civic and social organizations. He was active with the Central Area Committee for Civil Rights. He served on the boards of the Seattle Urban League and the Randolph Carter Family and Learning Center. He was a Mason, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and one of 11 founding members of the Alpha Omicron Boule of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

The YMCA and other community groups honored his service and his leadership. The YMCA of Greater Seattle Board of Directors named the East Madison YMCA the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA. This was the first YMCA facility in the Seattle metropolitan area to be named for an individual. His name was placed in the YMCA Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha #sigmapiphi

[pleistocene-pride]

Warning Bugs: Mastigoproctus giganteus, more commonly known as the giant whip scorpion, the giant vinegaroon, or the grampus, is a species of whip scorpion in the family Thelyphonidae. Which is endemic to Mexico and the Southern United States from as far west as the Baha peninsula to as far east as florida and from Oklahoma in the north down to central mexico. Inhabiting deserts, scrublands, dry forests, grasslands, and arid mountain ranges, they are a primarily solitary and nocturnal species which spends its days inside of burrows, hollow logs, or rock crevices and emerging at night to feed upon various insects, worms, millapeads, scorpions, slugs, and small frogs/ toads. Giant vinegaroons are themselves preyed on by large toads, raccoons, coatis, armadillos, skunks, bears, hogs and peccaries, ground birds such as roadrunners, lizards, and tarantulas. Reaching around 1.5 -2.5 inches (40- 60mm) in length not including there tail, giant vinegaroons sport eight eyes. They have six legs used for movement, two long antenniform front legs that they use to feel around and detect vibrations, and two large pedipalps modified into claws. Additionally they sport a long, thin, whip-like tail, the origin of the common name whipscorpion. From the base of this tail they can spray a substance composed of 85% acetic acid in order to defend themselves. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar, so the spray smells strongly of vinegar, leading to the common name "vinegaroon". The mating season occurs in fall, during which time females will actively seak out males. After mating, females carry the fertilized eggs internally for a few months, before laying some 30 to 40 eggs in a fluid filled sac which she then carries on her abdomen for another 2 months until hatching. The mother will then carry and protect her babies for another month until there first molt. Under ideal conditions a giant vinegaroon will reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age and may live upwards of 7.

[yerpenachams]

countries most closely correlated with a single language family (roughly ranked)

Japan, Japonic

Georgia, Kartvelian

Central African Republic, Ubangian (controversial classification as Niger-Congo)

Mongolian, Mongolic (point of diversity is in Mongolia, but most of the branches/subbranches are centered in Russia or China)

Australia, Pama-Nyungan (pre-contact; non-Pama-Nyungan was historically only spoken in a small part of the country)

Indonesia, Austronesian (while Taiwan is clearly the point of diversity for Austronesian, and there are several branches not spoken in Indonesia, i.e., Palauan, Chamorro, Polynesian, various Philippine branches... and there are Papuan languages spoken in Indonesia, Indonesia contains most Austronesian speakers and contains many Malayo-Polynesian branches)

India, Dravidian (~20% of the country speaks a Dravidian language, and the only language centered outside India is Brahui)

Thailand, Kra-Dai (~60% of speakers of languages in this family are Thai speakers, and 96% of Thailand speaks it as L1 or L2)

Sudan, Nilo-Saharan (This may be one of the most arbitrary. Assuming settlement of native ethnic groups was similar before Arab settlement, almost everyone in what is now Sudan spoke a language classified as Nilo-Saharan. Of course, Nilo-Saharan is a very controversial language family. Also, there were [controversial?] Niger-Congo speakers in the Kordofan/Nuba Mountains, and Beja on the Red Sea. Several few Nilo-Saharan branches aren't spoken in Sudan at all; Kunama, Nara, Surmic, Songhay and Kuliak. A few are barely spoken in the country, like Nilotic or Maban. There are so many holes to poke in this, but if you assumed the demographics of non-Arabs in the country would be directly extrapolated to 100% pre-contact, I think it would make the top 15 in the world in correlation between language family and political borders)

Korea, Koreanic (if it was a unified country)

Bougainville, Northern Bougainville & Southern Bougainville (It's hard to determine speaker counts for these languages; while the largest language in the hypothetical future country is Austronesian, these two Papuan [non-Austronesian] language families dominate the main island)

Guatemala, Mayan (Mamean, K'iche'an and Q'anjob'alan are centered in the country. Yucatecan, Huastecan and Ch'olan-Tzeltalan are not.)

Nicaragua, Misumalpan

Bolivia, Aymara (there are many language families with members in Bolivia, and isolates in Bolivia, but... about 80% of speakers are in Bolivia, and about 40% of indigenous language speakers in Bolivia speak Aymara)

Paraguay, Tupi-Guarani (While there are many minor Tupi-Guarani languages spoken outside of Paraguay, and several other language families and isolates spoken in Paraguay, the majority of people in Paraguay speak Guarani, there are still monolingual speakers, etc.)

Panama, Chibchan (pre-contact)

Uruguay, Charruan (pre-contact)

Namibia, Khoe-Kwadi (Kwadi was centered in Angola and Kalahari Khoe is centered in Botswana, but the majority of speakers of a Khoe language are Khoekhoe speakers, and 11% of people in Namibia speak Khoekhoe. Certainly not as close a correlation as in many of these countries)

East Timor, Timor-Alor-Pantar

In terms of US states, the following stick out:

Oklahoma, Caddoan (pre-contact; I know nomadic groups can be hard to pin down, apply that disclaimer to some of the items above, too)

New York, Iroquoian (there were also Algonquian languages spoken in New York, and Tuscarora, Nottoway and Cherokee were spoken further south, while Huron-Wyandot was spoken in Canada... please note that Lake Iroquoian was not the point of diversity for the family. This situation is a lot like Mongolia, with other branches being spoken outside of the state, and the sister branch, Huron-Wyandot, being spoken elsewhere, too)

Washington, Salishan (it's bizarre that anywhere on the west coast could be very closely correlated to a single language family, given the west coast is overall the most diverse area in North America, linguistically, by far. There are Chimakuan languages and a Wakashan language, Makah, spoken at the northern end of the Olympic peninsula. There are Chinookan and Sahaptian/Plateau Penutian languages spoken at the southern and eastern edges of the state. Kwalhoquia-Tlatskanai is a subbranch of Northern Athabaskan spoken in the state, too. And of course, Bella Coola and Tillamook are divergent branches of the family spoken outside of Washington, and there are Coast Salish languages in BC; the Interior Salish area also extends into BC, Idaho and Montana. However, probably at least 80% of land in Washington was settled by Salishan peoples at the time of contact)

Florida, Timucua

A lot of this is really hard to quantify, but it's an interesting overlap of figures to consider.

[loominggaia]

Los continentes de gaia, geográficamente, ¿A qué lugar de nuestro mundo son mas similares, considerando el clima y bioma?

(Translated via Google Translate)

The continents of Gaia, geographically, what place in our world are they most similar to, considering the climate and biome?

This is such a hard question to answer because the continents on Looming Gaia contain many different regions, and each of these regions can have very different climates.

For example, the continent of Serkel has deserts, scrubland, tropical rainforest, temperate forests, savannahs, mountains, beaches, and more! This one continent contains places that resemble the real-world Amazon rainforest, SE Asian and African jungles, tropical beaches of Polynesia, mountains of South America...the list goes on.

If I had to narrow it down and compare each LG continent to real-world regions, I would say...

Noalen: North America, Europe, South America

Serkel: Southeast Asia, Central and Sub-Saharan Africa, Polynesia

Wokina: Central Asia, Midwestern US, South America

Evik: Southern US, Eastern Europe, East Asia

Halostira: Scandinavia, Antarctica, northern Asia

Lorrowey: Australia, Middle East

Umory-Ond: Western Europe, Mediterranean

Lostland: There is nowhere on Earth that even comes close to resembling this barren hellhole...except Oklahoma I guess.

This whole list is very simplified. In reality, there are more climate zones than this within each LG continent, and even some fantastical biomes that don't exist in the real world!

*

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