#girouard brothers

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“CODE "AD" CAPTURES LONG-HUNTED GIROUARD FOR TORONTO POLICE,” Toronto Star. March 8, 1933. Page 1. ---- Police Inspector Employs Ruse to Nab Toronto Bank Robber Suspect ---- IN BUSY NEW YORK ---- U.S. Officer Brings Girouard Back Here After Three-Weeks' Chase ---- Across five states in a zigzag course and with $1.000 reward on his head travelled George Girouard, sought for three weeks by police of two nations for alleged participation in the hold-up of a Toronto bank, entirely oblivious that close behind him stalked youthful Police Inspector Ralph Stearns.

The chase, pursued by most meagre clues, and sheer deduction, culminated yesterday in Girouard’s apprehension in New York by Inspector Stearns, acting single-handed. And single handed. Stearns brought his captive to Toronto to-day to face trial. 

From his bed in the Royal York hotel Stearns, chief inspector of police at Nashua, New Hampshire, reluctantly told The Star the details of the hunt, which will probably result in his being awarded the $1.000 reward offered by the Canadian Bankers' association.

“I certainly won’t refuse it,’ said the 39-year-old inspector, when asked about the reward. Though much of the details of the hunt were withheld by Stearns on the ground it would get "somebody into trouble," enough was elicited to explain why, at, 39, he holds the the important post of chief Inspector. 

Girouard's family lived at Nashua, and Stearns knew him, although Girouard didn't know Stearns. The inspector had last seen Girouard two years ago and depended on his memory of faces when he took up the chase. 

"Code" Ad Does Trick The apprehension of Girouard took place on Fifth Ave with the fashionable crowd which frequents that quarter, and New York city police, entirely unaware of the little drama which was being enacted under their noses.

A elaborate code system, by which ads were inserted in the paper by Girouard and his friends proved his undoing. Stearns "got wise” to the code, and did a little ad inserting on his own account with the result Girouard met him at a busy Fifth Ave. corner.

‘Who assigned you to the case?" The Star asked Stearns. "I assigned myself. Knowing Nashua to be Girouard's home, Toronto police wired me after the robbery, and General Draper sent me a special delivery letter. I got interested, and took up the hunt. 

"How did you to take know which direction to take?” "Well, we're allowed to do things there that you aren't up here. Wire-tapping and that sort of thing." he replied vaguely.

“You mean you tapped the telephone wire into his home?" "I can't very well tell you about that. But I had a way of finding out the general direction taken by Girouard." 

Starting from New Hampshire, Stearns picked up the trail of Girouard not far from his native town. 

Information Sources Many "I had lots of sources for getting my information," he said, "but I naturally can't give them, as it would it bad for others." The inspector stuck rigidly to this dictum in answering questions, as to how he managed to follow Girouard for three solid weeks. 

Sometimes the trail grew hot. At other times, he admitted, he felt like giving up the chase. 

"Once, about a week ago, I think Girouard was within 75 feet of me, in a crowded public place, and I didn't know it. I was helped a lot by the fact Girouard didn't know me, or that I was on his trail. He knew, of course, the police would be keeping an eye open for him, but I don't think he knew anyone was actually following him. If he had, he might have outsmarted me." 

Among the friends who were trying to get in touch with Girouard was his lawyer from Nashua, a Mr. Antony W. Joyce, who was seeking to persuade the fugitive to give himself up to police. He was one of those who resorted to inserting ads in the classified columns of newspapers. 

About a week ago, one of Mr. Joyce's ads was noticed by Girouard, according to the inspector, and, through the same medium, a meeting place was arranged. Something unknown happened, however, and the contact was not successfully made.

Used Friend's Pseudonym On Sunday night Girouard's trail led Stearns to New York. The inspector ascertained the pseudonym used by one of Gironard's friends, Just how he did this, he would not tell. Armed with this information, he inserted an ad in the same news paper, using this friend's pseudonym. and arranging to meet Girouard In public spot on Fifth Ave. Previous ads had used the same address, that of a downtown club. 

Stearns ad clicked the first time. Late on Tuesday afternoon the police inspector arrived at the address stipulated, amid a crowd of home-going Manhattaners. One of the loiterers was recognized as Girouard. 

"What were your sensations when you saw your quarry so close after three-weeks chase?" asked The Star. "I hadn't any that I can remember," replied the phlegmatic officer. He explained that his experience with hunted men taught him that when they were cornered. the mildest of them sometimes turned vicious, and treated human life with contempt, especially after a long grueling hunt. In order, therefore, to forestall any attempt at escape, Stearns had brought a friend along with him, who loitered in the background. 

"Are You the Law?" "Girouard had apparently arrived a few minutes before me. I went up to him, and as I came level with him, he said. "Who are you? Are you from my lawyer?” I said “No.” and he asked. quite calmly, "Are you the law?” 

"I said 'yes' and told him to come along with me. He was perfectly acquiescent and came along without any resistance at all. I didn't even have to put the handcuffs on him. I think he was about ready to give himself up, in any event, and told me he was ‘fed-up' with being hunted." 

Stearns took his meek captive back to his hotel and wired Toronto police, That night he left on the train for this city his only companion being his captive. 

He could not sleep on the train and was attempting to get his first in 43 hours when seen by The Star. 

"A funny thing happened on the train," he said, "which shows how useless the photograph used on police circular was. As we approached Toronto. the morning papers were brought in, with the story of Girouard's arrest and his picture prominently displayed, the same one used on the circulars. Several people on the train read the story, and saw the picture. Two men across the aisle from started talking about it, but nobody noticed that the central figure of the story was seat-ed a few feet away." 

Stearns paid tribute to the work of Chief of Police Irwin F. Goodwin, of Nashua, who worked continually in co-operation with him while the hunt was on. "He deserves a lot of the credit," he said. 

Family Well Liked "I knew both the Girouard boys for a long time," continued Stearns. "and I was surprised they would do such a thing. Their folks are well liked in Nashua, and both boys were thought to be quiet young fellows." 

The hold-up in which Girouard is alleged to have taken part, resulted in about $3,000 being stolen, and his brother. Theodore, being seriously wounded by police fire, after he had alighted from the car. The scene of the hold-up was the Royal Bank of Canada, Wellesley and Church Sts., and the time, Feb. 3.

Much of the loot has since been recovered by the police, George had none on him and appeared to be destitute when he was caught, Stearns said.

Remanded to March 10 Charged with robbing the bank, George was given a hearing briefly before Magistrate R. J. Browns in chambers to-day and ordered remanded to March 10.

The charge was that he, George Gtrouard, did in company of and together with one Theodore Girouard, while armed with loaded revolvers, rob one A. J. Delong of the sum of $3.130, the property of the Royal Bank of Canada, on Feb. 3, 1933, at Church and Wellesley Sts.

"I was worried about my brother Theodore, and I didn't want him to take the fall for me," George Girouard is alleged to have told detectives who met him at Fort Erie, explaining why he voluntarily returned with Chief Inspector Ralph A. Stearns of the Nashua police. 

"I knew that the Toronto pellee would ultimately get me. I respect them very much. They had the whole country blanketed with circulars carrying my photo. I had seen several and I knew that it would i only be a matter of time until I was arrested," Girouard explained.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

There are real cases where the defense counsel will argue that men who murdered their “evil” wives, wives that were nasty or toxic, should have reduced charges. This is why I get so fed up with fans who say Cersei deserved to be abused by Robert or Daenerys’s death wasn’t intimate partner violence. The “oh he just snapped due to her sadistic behavior” being a common defense that men’s defense attorneys use to argue for a charge of 1st or 2nd degree murder to be dropped to the 3rd degree or manslaughter. And this is not just a thing of the ancient past when Blackstone wrote his heavy tomes on English law. As recently as Girouard v. State (1991), in Maryland, THE UNITED STATES, this rule is cited as a valid reason to reduce a homicide charge to manslaughter (Steven Girouard stabbed his wife 19 times after a verbal argument ensued and was infuriated by his wife’s taunting and insulting words).

And same for people who think Cersei committing adultery is a genuine reason for her to be murdered or harmed (I would never tell a wife-beater that his wife has a lover and bastards but that’s just me). In the common law, it was once normal for men who murdered their wives to get away with it, or have reduced charges, because of “sudden discovery of a spouse’s adultery.” To this day, there are many countries in the world where a husband, brother, or father is legally permitted to commit an honor killing against a wife, sister, daughter, or girlfriend, if she “strays” or commits a sexual folly.

I really don’t give a single fuck if people hate Cersei and Daenerys, but they need to stop parroting objectively male supremacist, violently patriarchal rhetoric to justify their insanity over fictional characters. Do people know how horrifying it is that “bad and evil women deserve gendered violence, including rape and femicide” is a normal take, even on The Left ?

Domestic violence is one of society's biggest problems. Unfortunately, many women are victims of domestic abuse.

I'm not an American but I'm aware of the Girouard v State and I consider it a prime example of how female victims are mistreated even in courts of justice; even long after their death.

In my country (Greece) there is a rise on femicide incidents the last few years. (the article is two years old but saldy also applies today). Here we are get mocked even when we used the word "femicide" because according to plenty of people that's a "radical feminist word that shouldn't exist". I know that my country's experience isn't unique. Femicide is a global issue.

There are countries in the world where honor killings of women still exist, have to marry their rapists, are forced married (sometimes from a very young age), are not allowed to dress as they want, they don't have access to education etc.

Some people think that those are scenarios that only happen in historical or pseudo-historical-fantasy books. But the truth is that this is reality for many of our sisters.

I really have no sympathy or tolerance towards people who praise male supermasist rhethoric or who held patriarchal views. Especially when they hide it behind the typical "it's period appropriate to be a bigotry" Bullshit, Karen! Even if the character from a show/book series/comic has awful behavior based on the historical era they come from that doesn't mean that you, who are consumming the content in 2023, have to make excuses for bigotry.

[alexlacquemanne]

Aout MMXXI

Films

Harry Potter et la Coupe de feu (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) (2005) de Mike Newell avec Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon et David Tennant

The Beatles : Eight Days a Week (2016) de Ron Howard avec John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello, Whoopi Goldberg et Sigourney Weaver

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) de Barry Levinson avec Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Bruno Kirby, J. T. Walsh et Chintara Sukapatana

Atout cœur à Tokyo pour OSS 117 (1966) de Michel Boisrond avec Frederick Stafford, Marina Vlady, Henri Serre, Colin Drake et Jitsuko Yoshimura

Place publique (2018) de Agnès Jaoui et Jean-Pierre Bacri avec Agnès Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Léa Drucker et Héléna Noguerra

Pauline détective (2012) de Marc Fitoussi avec Sandrine Kiberlain, Audrey Lamy, Antoine Chappey, Claudio Santamaria et Anne Benoît

The Blues Brothers (1980) de John Landis avec John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher et Aretha Franklin

Kaamelott : Premier Volet (2021) d'Alexandre Astier avec Alexandre Astier, Franck Pitiot, Thomas Cousseau, Jean-Christophe Hembert et Anne Girouard

Vénus et Fleur (2004) de Emmanuel Mouret avec Veroushka Knoge, Isabelle Pirès, Julien Imbert et Frédéric Niedermayer

Thor : Ragnarok (2017) de Taika Waititi avec Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Cate Blanchett et Idris Elba

Garçon ! (1983) de Claude Sautet avec Yves Montand, Nicole Garcia, Jacques Villeret, Rosy Varte, Dominique Laffin, Marie Dubois et Bernard Fresson

Séries

The Grand Tour Saison 4

The Grand Tour présente… Lochdown

Psych Saison 1, 2, 3, 4

Voyances et Manigances - T-R-I-C-H-E-U-R - Qu'il parle maintenant, ou se taise à jamais - Esprit es-tu là ? - Neuf Vies - La Maison hantée - Shawn chez les super-héros - Champ de bataille - Souvenirs, souvenirs - La Guerre de l'étoile - Coup de soleil - Poker menteur - Avis de meurtre - Jeu, Set et Meurtre - Esprits féminins - Les Nouvelles Stars - 65 Millions d'années plus tôt - Un médium de trop - Trop facile pour être possible - Petit… mais costaud - Un plat qui se mange froid - Les Petits Génies - Recherche nounous désespérément - Chasseurs de primes - Un mort au pied du sapin - Mariage en sursis - Fashion victimes - Une nuit au musée - Chasse aux fantômes - La Folle Soirée de Shawn - Le médium qui tombe à pic - La Chasse au trésor - Henry les bons tuyaux - Au pays de l'or noir - Comme sur des roulettes - Haut les mains ! - Noël au balcon, tout le monde en prison - Six pieds sous la mer - Sale temps pour Lassiter - Au feu le médium ! - L'Enfer du vendredi - Plus menteur, tu meurs - Mardi 17, le retour de Jason - Une soirée avec Mr Yang - Mission Canada - Famille, je vous aime - Presque cent dollars pour un shérif - Petits Arrangements avec le Diable - La Peur des balles - Meurtre à Bollywood - À qui le tour ? - La Nuit du Loup-Garou

The Crown Saison 2

Une mésaventure - La Compagnie des hommes - Lisbonne - Beryl - Marionnettes - Vergangenheit - Matrimonium - Chère Madame Kennedy - Pater familias - L'Homme mystère

Le Coffre à Catch

#36 : Une lueur de catch d'espoir de catch - #37 : CM Punk vs. John Morrison - #38 : Bobby Lashley DÉFONCE LA CAGE ! - #12 : Le Push de CM Punk + Bsahtek le Bikini ! - #39 : VINCE MCMAHON "Est-ce que tu viens de m'appeler Vince?" - #40 : Randy Orton le somnifère du catch

Columbo Saison 2, 6, 13

Le Spécialiste - Les surdoués - Deux en un - Face à face

Brooklyn 99 Saison 7

Chasse à l'homme - Capitaine Kim - Pimemento - Le Championnat Jimmy Jab 2 - Debbie - La Méthode Jake - Le Discours - Le Casse à l’envers - Dillman - Amiral Peralta - Le Casse de toutes les fêtes - La Rançon - Noir, c'est noir

Doctor Who Saison 5

Le Prisonnier zéro

Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir Saison 5

La Porte de la mort - Le Retour des Cybernautes

The Rookie Saison 3

Tel père, telle fille - Alerte enlèvement - Le Garçon d'honneur - Nouvelles recrues - À cœur vaillant - Opération infiltration - Le Jour J

What If...?

Et si... Captain Carter était devenue le premier Avenger ?

Brokenwood Saison 7

Le garrot et le vinklebraun - Un bien-être qui fait mal - Une matinée de chien

Undertaker : l'ultime défi

En proie au doute - Rédemption - La fin d'une ère - Vaincre ses démons - L'heure de vérité - L'Undertaker raconte

Dark Side Of The Ring Saison 3

Becoming Warrior

La Cloche

#64: SummerSlam 2018, Puis Direction Le Japon! - #65: Braun Strowman Encaisse!

Kaamelott Livre II, III

La voix céleste - La restriction - Mater dixit - Le temps des secrets - Les drapeaux - La morsure du Dace - La conscience d'Arthur - Le rebelle - La rencontre - Always - L'anniversaire de Guenièvre - Les volontaires II - Le Guet - Spangenhelm - Le jeu du caillou - Les pigeons - L'oubli - Saponides et détergents - Perceval chante Sloubi - Les affranchis - Le dialogue de paix II - Silbury Hill II - Le repos du guerrier II - La Poétique première partie - La Poétique deuxième partie - Cryda de Tintagel - Le déserteur - La Fête de l'Hiver II - Le Tribut - Alone in the Dark - Le Justicier

Cat's Eyes Saison 2

Joli piège - Mélodie d'amour

Spectacles

Alors on s'aime ! (2019) de Flavia Coste avec Loup-Denis Elion, Daniel Russo et Corinne Touzet

Livres

Strip-tease pour OSS 117 de Jean Bruce

San-Antonio chez les "gones" de Frédéric Dard

24 Heures du Mans - 1951-1957 : Le Triomphe du Jaguar de Denis Bernard et Christian Papazoglakis

Tout feu, tout flamme de Richard Castle

Le meilleur des Super-Héros Marvel : Daredevil

La Guerre des Gaules de Jules César

Les vieux fourneaux Tome 1 : Ceux qui restent de Wilfrid Lupano et Paul Cauuet

[vermiculated]

books - this is why ‘monthly” is a valuable interval

oh geez.

White Nights - Ann Cleeves

Sawkill Girls - Claire Legrand

Lady in Red - Maire Claremont

Behind Closed Doors - Amanda Vickery (vg)

A Rope of Thorns - Gemma Files

Dreaming Darkly - Caitlin Kittredge

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics - Olivia Waite

Astray - Emma Donoghue

Heartthrobs - Carol Dyhouse

Nine Pints - Rose George

Daily Rituals - Mason Currey

Rereadings - Anne Fadiman ed

Rustication - Charles Palliser

What Makes This Book So Great - Jo Walton

Creatures of Will and Temper - Molly Tanzer

The Lost Man - Jane Harper

The Sins of Lord Lockwood - Meredith Duran

The Jade Temptress - Jeannie Lin

Hither Page - Cat Sebastian (hashtag soup feelings)

Paradise Lodge - Nina Stibbe

Medical Bondage - Deirdre Benia Cooper Owens

Flagrant Conduct - Dale Carpenter

Intimate Friends - Martha Vicinus

The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling

Night's Black Angels - Ronald Pearsall

The Politics of Narrative - Kenneth Graham

Indigenous Navigation and Voyaging in the Pacific - Nicholas Goetzfridt

Pornography - Mari Mikkola

Life in the English Country House - Mark Girouard

Country House Life - Jessica Gerard

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (classic beachread)

A Tree of Bones - Gemma Files

Battleborn - Claire Vaye Watkins

Marilou is Everywhere - Sarah Elaine Smith

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities - Chen Chen

The Scientific Revolution in Victorian Medicine - AJ Youngson

Consider the Fork - Bee Wilson

You May Kiss the Duke - Charis Michaels

My One and Only Duke - Grace Burrowes

The Quick - Lauren Owen

Our Kind of Cruelty - Araminta Hall

I Am Still Alive - Kate Alice Marshall

Will's True Wish - Grace Burrowes (the wish is dogs)

The Trauma Cleaner - Sarah Krasnostein

Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss (vg)

At The Lightning Field - Laura Raicovich

Offshore - Penelope Fitzgerald

Felix Yz - Lisa Bunker

Amazons and Military Maids - Julie Wheelwright

A Debutante in Disguise - Eleanor Webster

A Little Light Mischief - Cat Sebastian

Sorcerer to the Crown - Zen Cho

Re-dressing America's Frontier Past - Peter Boag (peat bog)

Courting the Cat Whisperer - Wynter Daniels

In Miniature - Simon Garfield

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls - T Kira Madden

The Science of Shakespeare - Dan Falk

A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause - Shawn Wen

A Flag Worth Dying For - Tim Marshall

Ordinary Beast - Nicole Sealey (vg)

Combat-Ready Kitchen - Anastacia Marx de Salcedo

The Tradition of Female Transvestism in Early Modern Europe - Rudolf Dekker and Lotte van de Pol

Kiss Me Someone - Karen Shepard

Safari Honeymoon - Jesse Jacobs

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

Nine Continents - Xiaolu Guo

300 Arguments - Sarah Manguso

Grief Cottage - Gail Godwin

Red Bones - Ann Cleeves

Life Mask - Emma Donoghue

The Flame and the Flower - Kathleen Woodwiss

Brute - Emily Skaja

A Bride's Story 6 - Kaoku Moru trans William Flanagan

Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

The Invention of Pornography - Lynn Hunt ed

Canned - Anna Zeide

Mostly Dead Things - Kristen Arnett

Free and Natural - Sarah Schrank

A Tree for Peter - Kate Seredy

In the Distance - Hernan Diaz (vg)

Mastering Fear - Rikke Schubart

Beyond Speech - Mari Mikkola ed

Portrait of a Woman in Silk - Zara Anishanslin

The Art of Living - FL Lucas

Pornographic Art and the Aesthetics of Pornography - Hane Maes ed

Elizabeth and Jacobean Poets - John F Danby

Family Fortunes - Leonore Davidoff and Catherine Hall

Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason trans Bernard Scudder

She Walks in Shadows - Silvia Moreno-Garcia ed

The Hallowed Ones - Laura Bickle

Making the Grade - William Fischel

The Joseph Johnson Letterbook - John Bugg ed

Manet Manette - Carol Armstrong

Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun - Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Regency House Styles - Trevor Yorke

Timekeepers - Simon Garfield

Patience and Sarah - Isabel Miller

The Warlow Experiment - Alix Nathan

Girls Who Score - Illy Goyanes

In Search of Time - Dan Falk

Skeleton Keys - Brian Switek

The Englishwoman's Bedroom - Elizabeth Dickson ed

Ghosts - Roger Clarke

Joseph Johnson - Gerald Tyson

Falling in Love with Statues - George Hersey

Necromanticism - Paul Westover (vg)

Essay on Sepulchers - William Godwin

Passions Between Women - Emma Donoghue

Women's Friendships - Susan Koppleman ed

Olivia - Dorothy Bussy

Mooncop - Tom Gauld

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi trans Mattias Ripa

Star Wars Super Graphic - Tim Leong

Luisa Now and Then - Carole Maurel trans Mariko Tamaki and Nanette McGuiness

Daughters of the Lake - Wendy Webb

Rules for Vanishing - Kate Alice Marshall

The Outermost House - Henry Beston

Feminism and the Body - Londa Schiebinger ed

Winter in the Blood - James Welch

Capturing Sound - Mark Katz

The Table-Rappers - Ronald Pearsall

Black - Michel Pastoreau trans Jody Gladding

In These Times - Jenny Uglow

The Daylight Gate - Jeanette Winterson

The Grave Keepers - Elizabeth Byrne

Metropolitan Life - Fran Lebowitz

Life Among the Savages - Shirley Jackson

Social Studies - Fran Lebowitz

When My Brother Was an Aztec - Natalie Diaz

The Imaginary Corpse - Tyler Hayes

The Invention of the Restaurant - Rebecca Spang

Moll Cutpurse - Ellen Galford

Manchette's Fatale - Doug Headline

Hand-Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People - Matthew Diffee

In the Pines - Erik Kriek

Raising Demons - Shirley Jackson

Nightingale - Paisley Rekdal

Louis Riel - Chester Brown

Fantastic Metamorphoses - Marina Warner

Elektra - Derrick Puffett ed

Tenements, Towers, and Trash - Julia Wertz

Ghostland - Colin Dickey

Feminism and History - Joan Wallach Scott ed

The Hide and Seek Files - Caeia Marsh

Red Rosa - Kate Evans

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts - Ying Chang Compestine

Death is Hard Work - Khaled Khalifah trans Lori Price

Civil War - Lucan trans Susan Braund

The Making of the Modern Body - Catherine Gallagher and Thomas Laqueur

Oculus - Sally Wen Mao

The Write Escape - Charish Reid

Freedom Hospital - Hamid Sulamin trans Francesa Barrie

The Lion of Rora - Christos Gage et al

Mauve - Simon Garfield

The Lake of Dead Languages - Carol Goodman

The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

[viderestudios]

The Isley Brothers x For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2

Mount Girouard & Mount Alymer

by Videre Studios

[derrtyblu]

AS I WAKE UP AND THANK GOD FOR ALLOWING ME TO SEE ANOTHER WONDERFUL DAY I FEEL SO REFRESHED AND GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE WHO HELPED OR PRAYED FOR ME TO GET THROUGH THESE HARD TIMES EVEN WHEN I WANTED TO GIVE UP ON EVERYTHING BECAUSE I FELT I LOST EVERYTHING THAT MEANT LIFE TO ME WHEN MY BROTHER PASSES BUT IN MY DREAMS HE CAME AND SPOKE TO ME AND SAID LIL BROTHER KEEP PUSHING AND FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS I’M NOT GONE I’M FOREVER WITH YOU AND NOW I’M YOUR ANGEL AND GONNA MAKE SURE YOU GET EVEN MORE BLESSINGS ME,MAMA, RODNEY AND MADEA ARE ALL UP HERE WATCHING AND LOOKING DOWN ON YOU AND YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT SO WIPE THOSE TEARS WE WILL ALL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN AND I LOVE YOU LITTLE BROTHER AND RIGHT THEN I WOKE UP AND A HUGE WEIGHT WAS LIFTED OFF ME IT FELT AND I SMILED AND GOT UP AND SAID THANK YOU GOD…….. I LOVE YOU DARRELL FLOOD AND MISS YOU SO MUCH ❤️💙❤️💙❤️ TO MY BROTHERS Damian McNeal Darryl Marbley MY SISTER Yolanda Girouard AND MY CRAZY AND FUNNY UNCLE MR RASPBERRY BERET Charles Booth I LOVE YALL WITH EVERYTHING IN ME AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST MY BACKBONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE SINCE I GOT THE PHONE CALL GINA WOMAN WE STUCK LIKE GORILLA GLUE ❤️❤️❤️ MY BROTHER AND SISTER Robert Johnson Brandi Johnson SHOWED ME ITS BIGGER THAN SOFTBALL SOMETIMES AND FOR THAT LOVE YOU GUYS TIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF #NOP I WANNA THANK DESTINY CHURCH AND ALL THE MENS SMALL GROUPS FOR LOVING MY BROTHER IN DESTIN. I ALSO WANNA THANK WYNDAM, FIRST SERVICES, ROYAL CARRIBEAN CRUISE LINES, HYATT REGENCY, BEVERLY HILLS WILSHIRE, Cirque du Soleil, DUNBAR JR HIGH, HALL HIGH, GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY AND PENN STATE UNIVERSITY. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE CARDS, FLOWERS,TEXTS AND PHONE CALLS…… (at Destin, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU55bwgpiBh/?utm_medium=tumblr

[the-seas-song]

Kiliel Week Post Response

Hello. This is a follow-up post to my Kiliel Week Day 2 headcanons post. @milesofkeeffe asked for clarification and quotes regarding my statement that “contrary to popular fan opinion, according to Tolkien's texts Kiliel would have much more acceptance with elven culture than dwarven culture”.

A bit of necessary info about me is that I mainly write essays – what little fanfic I have written is not coming online! Unfortunately, my respective essays on elven and dwarven culture are not finished; so I apologize for the roughness of this post.

Something that I have noticed is that the majority of fans/fanworks that I've come across (especially for The Hobbit fandom) code dwarves=masculine=good and elves=feminine=bad. This makes logical sense on two counts – the dwarves are the protagonists of TH, and this is what the Patriarchy/sexism says.

However, Tolkien explicitly did the opposite. Yes, he coded the dwarves as being a fundamentally masculine race, and the elves as being a fundamentally feminine race. At the same time, he made dwarven culture the most sexist, and elven culture egalitarian. This wasn’t a coincidence - it’s part of his overarching and systematic takedown of sexism.

I'm going to start with the dwarves, because Tolkien wrote a lot less for them, so it's a lot easier to go over!

Dis was the daughter of Thrain II. She is the only dwarf-woman named in these histories. It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need. They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. This had given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves 'grew out of stone'.

It is because of the fewness of women among them that the kind of the Dwarves increases slowly, and is in peril when they have no secure dwellings. For Dwarves take only one wife or husband each in their lives, and are jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of dwarf-men that marry is actually less than one-third. For not all the women take husbands: some desire none; some desire one that they cannot get, and so will have no other. As for the men, very many also do not desire marriage, being engrossed in their crafts. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Dwarf-women are not named on family trees. They do not go outside. Nor do they partake in dwarven crafts - Tolkien specifically states that is only a reason for the men. Dwarves only fall in love once, and both male and female dwarves are “jealous” of their spouses and spousal rights.

For the Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike; nor indeed can their womenkind be discerned by those of other race, be it in feature or in gait or in voice, nor in any wise save this: that they go not to war, and seldom save at direst need issue from their deep bowers and halls. - War of the Jewels, Concerning the Dwarves

Again, Tolkien says dwarf-women do not go outside. They also do not fight.

This is followed by the information attributed to Gimli concerning the Dwarf-women, which was  preserved in Appendix A (RK  p. 360). There is no difference in substance in the present text, except  for the statements that they are never forced to wed against their will (which 'would of course be impossible'), and that they have beards. This latter is said also in the 1951 revision of the Quenta Silmarillion  (XI.205, $5).

[cut]

Finally, there is a note on the absence of record concerning the women of the Dwarves:

They are seldom named in genealogies. They join their husbands' families. But if a son is seen to be 110 or so years younger than his father, this usually indicates an elder daughter. Thorin's sister Dis is named simply because of the gallant death of her sons Fili and Kili in defense of Thorin II. The sentiment of affection for sister's children was strong among all peoples of the Third Age, but less so among Dwarves than Men or Elves among whom it was strongest. - The Peoples of Middle-earth, Durin's Folk

Dwarf-women are not named on family trees. They join their husband's family. The “sentiment of affection for sister's children” is the least strong amongst dwarves. At least dwarf-women can't be forced into marriage.

According to Tolkien, Fili and Kili were never Thorin's heirs.

There fell also Fíli and Kíli, his sister-sons. But Dáin Ironfoot, his cousin, who came from the Iron Hills to his aid and was also his rightful heir, became then King Dáin II, and the Kingdom under the Mountain was restored, even as Gandalf had desired. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Many fans feel this quote is ambiguous, because the part about Dain comes after saying Fili and Kili died. However, Tolkien (somewhat) clarified the matter.

First, though, in The Hobbit, A Warm Welcome it says:

“And who are these?” he asked, pointing to Fili and Kili and Bilbo.

“The sons of my father's daughter,” answered Thorin, “Fili and Kili of the race of Durin, and Mr. Baggins who has travelled with us out of the West.”

Thorin does not refer to Fili and Kili as his heirs. If they truly were, that would be a great slight to them, after Thorin had proclaimed his own title so proudly.

In The Peoples of Middle-earth, Durin's Folk Tolkien wrote:

Elsewhere is told of the wanderings of Thorin Oakenshield, last of the direct line of Durin,(3) in search of revenge and the restoration of his fortune; and how by the help of Gandalf the Grey he was indeed avenged at last,(4) and Smaug was slain, and after the Battle of Five Armies the kingship under the Mountain was restored. Yet Thorin Oakenshield, grandson of Thror, was slain in that battle, and the right line was broken, and the crown passed to Dain, a kinsman of Thorin.

3. Thorin Oakenshield was not the 'last of the direct line of Durin'; no doubt my father meant that he was the last in the unbroken descent of the kings from father to son (cf. 'the right line was broken' a few lines below).

This is pretty clear – there is nothing about Fili and Kili, only about Thorin and Dain. The “right line was broken” by Thorin's death, otherwise Fili and Kili would be mentioned. Note three is explicit about Tolkien's meaning of “last of the direct line of Durin”.

Going back to dwarven culture, it fits. Putting all of the facts together - Dwarf-women are not named on family trees. They join their husband's family. They do not go outside. They do not go to war, or partake in dwarven crafts. - shows a strong parallel between dwarven culture and some of our world's most sexist cultures.

A bower is “a lady's private apartment in a medieval hall or castle” (source). However, she does not live in it alone; she is merely constrained within it:

The idea of a more private refuge that we expect from the home was in many ways gendered female, not just ideologically but also architecturally (see Wood, Medieval House, and Lámperez y Romea, Arquitectura Civil). It was most associated in the Middle Ages with the residential upper-story solar block, the part of the home most associated with with women and such female domestic activities as sewing, reading, birthing, tending the sick, childcare, sexual activities, and laying out the dead (solars, chambers, and bowers were all names for women's rooms). Women were as closely associated with the chamber as men with the hall: “knights sat in the hall/Ladies in the chamber all” (Zupitza, quoted in Girouard, English Country House, 46). [cut] Modern architectural history, though generally treating the chamber as peripheral to the main interests of the family, offers structural evidence of its centrality: halls were not always defended, but the solar wing – often in the form of a residential tower – was (Faulkner, “Manor House Plans”; Wood, Medieval House, chap. 12). The separate spaces of women, however, were shared rather than truly private, refuges from external rather than internal threats. - Violence Against Women in Medieval Texts, by Anna Roberts

One young Chinese woman explains the mentality behind not being on the family tree:

In China, only the males are recorded in family trees. When my brother was born, a huge fuss was made because he was the son of an only son, and therefore, he was the one who would continue this branch of the family. Never mind that he had an older sister. His name will go in the family tree. My name will not. [cut] One’s paternal relatives are considered to be more closely related and more important. [cut] This shows a blatant preference for the paternal side of the family, once again stressing the masculine link as the more important familial link. Genetically speaking, one receives equal amounts of DNA from both parents, and yet the mother’s bloodline is considered to be of secondary importance. (source)

In Yemen, women cannot leave their house without their husband's permission. Dwarven women are not allowed outside of the Mountain unless something like Smaug happens, and then they must disguise themselves as men (the binary clothing structure is explicit).

It continues to fit even more when we look at the rest of the hypermasculine dwarven culture.

About parenting:

To these they are devoted, often rather fiercely: that is, they may treat them with apparent harshness (especially in the desire to ensure that they shall grow up tough, hardy, unyielding), but they defend them with all their power, and resent injuries to them even more than to themselves. The same is true of  the attitude of children to parents. For an injury to a father a Dwarf may spend a life-time in achieving revenge. Since the 'kings' or heads of lines are regarded as 'parents' of the whole group, it will be  understood how it was that the whole of Durin's Race gathered and marshalled itself to avenge Thror. - The Peoples of Middle-earth, Durin's Folk

Thorin, to Gandalf about Bilbo: “He is soft,” he snorted. “Soft as the mud of his Shire, and silly. His mother died too soon.” - Unfinished Tales, The Quest for Erebor

Thorin implies that it is mainly the mother's job to raise the children, and says soft is bad. Parents are “harsh” so children grow to be “tough, hardy, unyielding”. Vengeance is very important.

They are a tough, thrawn race for the most part, secretive, laborious, retentive of the memory of injuries (and of benefits), lovers of stone, of gems, of things that take shape under the hands of the craftsmen rather than things that live by their own life. But they are not evil by nature, and few ever served the Enemy of free will, whatever the tales of Men alleged. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix F

Therefore they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity, and they suffer toil and hanger and hurt of body more hardily than all other speaking peoples; and they live long, far beyond the span of Men, yet not for ever. -  The Silmarillion, Of Aulë and Yavanna

A warlike race of old were all the Naugrim, and they would fight fiercely against whomsoever aggrieved them: servants of Melkor, or Eldar, or Avari, or wild beasts, or not seldom their own kin, Dwarves of other mansions and lordships. - The Silmarillion, Of the Sindar

Thus there grew up in those regions the economy, later characteristic of the dealings of Dwarves and Men (including Hobbits): Men became the chief providers of food, as herdsmen, shepherds, and landtillers, which the Dwarves exchanged for work as builders, roadmakers, miners, and the makers of things of craft, from useful tools to weapons and arms and many other things of great cost and skill. To the great profit of the Dwarves. Not only to be reckoned in hours of labour, though in early times the Dwarves must have obtained goods that were the product of greater and longer toil than the things or services that they gave in exchange  -  before Men became wiser and developed skills of their own. The chief advantage to them was their freedom to proceed unhindered with their own work and to refine their arts, especially in metallurgy, to the marvellous skill which these reached before the decline and dwindling of the Khazad.

[cut]

In the battles that followed the Dwarves were outnumbered, and though they were the most redoubtable warriors of all the Speaking Peoples they were glad to make alliance with Men. -  The Peoples of Middle-earth, Of Dwarves and Men

We see clearly that this dependency on others for food does not equate to perceived worthiness. In The Quest for Erebor, Unfinished Tales, we get a good look at dwarven prejudice against hobbits.

Gandalf narrates:

I soon understood that his heart was hot with brooding on his wrongs, and the loss of the treasure of his forefathers, and burdened too with the duty of revenge upon Smaug that he bad inherited. Dwarves take such duties very seriously.

[cut]

We actually passed through the Shire, though Thorin would not stop long enough for that to be useful. Indeed I think it was annoyance with his haughty disregard of the Hobbits that first put into my head the idea of entangling him with them. As far as he was concerned they were just food-growers who happened to work the fields on either side of the Dwarves' ancestral road to the Mountains.

[cut]

“What!” cried Glóin. “One of those simpletons down in the Shire? What use on earth, or under it, could he possibly be? Let him smell as he may, he would never dare to come within smelling distance of the nakedest dragonet new from the shell!”

“Now, now!” I said, “that is quite unfair. You do not know much about the Shire-folk, Glóin. I suppose you think them simple, because they are generous and do not haggle; and think them timid because you never sell them any weapons. You are mistaken. Anyway, there is one that I have my eye on as a companion for you, Thorin. He is neat-banded and clever, though shrewd, and far from rash. And I think he has courage. Great courage, I guess, according to the way of his people. They are, you might say, “brave at a pinch.” You have to put these Hobbits in a tight place before you find out what is in them.”

“The test cannot be made,” Thorin answered. “As far as I have observed, they do all that they can to avoid tight places.”

“Quite true,” I said. “They are a very sensible people. But this Hobbit is rather unusual. I think he could be persuaded to go into a tight place. I believe that in his heart he really desires to - to have, as he would put it, an adventure.”

“Not at my expense!” said Thorin, rising and striding about angrily. “This is not advice, it is foolery! I fail to see what any Hobbit good or bad, could do that would repay me for a day's keep, even if he could be persuaded to start.”

[cut]

Thorin's eyes glistened as the memories of lost treasures moved in his mind; but “A paid thief, you mean,” he said scornfully. “That might be considered, if the reward was not too high. But what has all this to do with one of those villagers? They drink out of clay, and they cannot tell a gem from a bead of glass.”

“I wish you would not always speak so confidently without knowledge,” I said sharply. “These villagers have lived in the Shire some fourteen hundred years, and they have learned many things in the time. They had dealings with the Elves, and with the Dwarves, a thousand years before Smaug came to Erebor. None of them are wealthy as your forefathers reckoned it, but you will find some of their dwellings have fairer things in them than you can boast here, Thorin. The Hobbit that I have in mind has ornaments of gold, and eats with silver tools, and drinks wine out of shapely crystal.”

“Ah! I see your drift at last,” said Balin. “He is a thief, then? That is why you recommend him?”

At that I fear I lost my temper and my caution. This Dwarvish conceit that no one can have or make anything 'of value' save themselves, and that all fine things in other hands must have been got, if not stolen, from the Dwarves at some time, was more than I could stand at that moment. “A thief?” I said, laughing. “Why yes, a professional thief, of course! How else would a Hobbit come by a silver spoon? I will put the thief's mark on his door, and then you will find it.”

[cut]

But you know how things went, at any rate as Bilbo saw them. The story would sound rather different, if I had written it. For one thing he did not realize at all how fatuous the Dwarves thought him, nor how angry they were with me. Thorin was much more indignant and contemptuous than he perceived. He was indeed contemptuous from the beginning, and thought then that I had planned the whole affair simply so as to make a mock of him. It was only the map and the key that saved the situation.

[cut]

So I had still to persuade Thorin to take him. There were many difficulties on the road afterwards, but for me this was the most difficult part of the whole affair. Though I argued with him far into the night after Bilbo had retired, it was not finally settled until early the next morning. Thorin was contemptuous and suspicious. “He is soft,” he snorted. “Soft as the mud of his Shire, and silly. His mother died too soon. You are playing some crooked game of your own, Master Gandalf. I am sure that you have other purposes than helping me.”

[cut]

“Do so then!” I said. “I can say no more - unless it is this: I do not give my love or trust lightly, Thorin; but I am fond of this Hobbit, and wish him well. Treat him well, and you shall have my friendship to the end of your days.”

I said that without hope of persuading him; but I could have said nothing better. Dwarves understand devotion to friends and gratitude to those who help them. “Very well,” Thorin said at last after a silence. “He shall set out with my company, if he dares (which I doubt). But if you insist on burdening me with him, you must come too and look after your darling.”

So we have an exceptionally hypermasculine culture that exalts fighting, vengeance, and crafts of stonework, mining and crafting, and weaponry; and also derides femininity. They are also the only culture that exalts secrecy and prejudice in it's theory (reality is a whole different matter, because there are prejudiced people of all races). Unfortunately, their treatment of females doesn't surprise me in the least.

Now, the elves!

First, the basics of elvish nature.

Whereas the Elves remain until the end of days, and their love of the Earth and all the world is more single and more poignant therefore, and as the years lengthen ever more sorrowful. For the Elves die not till the world dies, unless they are slain or waste in grief (and to both these seeming deaths they are subject); neither does age subdue their strength, unless one grow weary of ten thousand centuries; and dying they are gathered to the halls of Mandos in Valinor, whence they may in time return. But the sons of Men die indeed, and leave the world; wherefore they are called the Guests, or the Strangers. Death is their fate, the gift of Ilúvatar, which as Time wears even the Powers shall envy. - The Silmarillion, Of the Beginning of Days

Whereas their own fëar [souls], being designed to remain in Arda to its end, imposed long endurance on their bodies; for they were (as a fact of experience) in far greater control of them. (Author's Note 5, p. 341)

Note 5.

They were thus capable of far greater and longer physical exertions (in pursuit of some dominant purpose of their minds) without weariness; they were not subject to diseases; they healed rapidly and completely after injuries that would have proved fatal to Men; and they could endure great physical pain for long periods. Their bodies could not, however, survive vital injuries, or violent assaults upon their structure; nor replace missing members (such as a hand hewn off). On the reverse side: the Elves could die, and did die, by their will; as for example because of great grief or bereavement, or because of the frustration of their dominant desires and purposes. This willful death was not regarded as wicked, but it was a fault implying some defect or taint in the fëa, and those who came to Mandos by this means might be refused further incarnate life. - Morgoth's Ring, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth

The Elves had (as they said themselves) a 'great talent' for memory, but this tended to regret rather than to joy. - Morgoth's Ring, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth

“Nay!” said Legolas. “Alas for us all! And for all that walk the world in these after-days. For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream. But I count you blessed, Gimli son of Glóin: for your loss you suffer of your own free will, and you might have chosen otherwise. But you have not forsaken your companions, and the least reward that you shall have is that the memory of Lothlórien shall remain ever clear and unstained in your heart, and shall neither fade nor grow stale.”

“Maybe,” said Gimli; “and I thank you for your words. True words doubtless; yet all such comfort is cold. Memory is not what the heart desires. That is only a mirror, be it clear as Kheled-zâram. Or so says the heart of Gimli the Dwarf. Elves may see things otherwise. Indeed I have heard that for them memory is more like to the waking world than to a dream. Not so for Dwarves.” - Lord of the Rings, Farewell to Lórien

The elves' souls are bound to the Unseen Plane (see here), and so their souls control their bodies – they can just lie down and reject bodily life if they decide to. But there is a great grief in this – their memories and emotions never fade the slightest bit, no matter how many millennia's pass. And if they do 'die' from grief, oblivion still isn't theirs, because their souls and memories still go on. They just become disembodied spirits in the Halls of Mandos, completely consumed by their memories and emotions.

Now, elven gender roles.

In all such things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children, the neri and nissi (12) (that is, the men and women) of the Eldar are equal - unless it be in this (as they themselves say) that for the nissi the making of things new is for the most part shown in the forming of their children, so that invention and change is otherwise mostly brought about by the neri. There are, however, no matters which among the Eldar only a ner can think or do, or others with which only a nis is concerned. There are indeed some differences between the natural inclinations of neri and nissi, and other differences that have been established by custom (varying in place and in time, and in the several races of the Eldar). For instance, the arts of healing, and all that touches on the care of the body, are among all the Eldar most practiced by the nissi; whereas it was the elven-men who bore arms at need. And the Eldar deemed that the dealing of death, even when lawful or under necessity, diminished the power of healing, and that the virtue of the nissi in this matter was due rather to their abstaining from hunting or war than to any special power that went with their womanhood. Indeed in dire straits or desperate defence, the nissi fought valiantly, and there was less difference in strength and speed between elven-men and elven-women that had not borne child than is seen among mortals. On the other hand many elven-men were great healers and skilled in the lore of living bodies, though such men abstained from hunting, and went not to war until the last need.

As for other matters, we may speak of the customs of the Noldor (of whom most is known in Middle-earth). Among the Noldor it may be seen that the making of bread is done mostly by women; and the making of the lembas is by ancient law reserved to them. Yet the cooking and preparing of other food is generally a task and pleasure of men. The nissi are more often skilled in the tending of fields and gardens, in playing upon instruments of music, and in the spinning, weaving, fashioning, and adornment of all threads and cloths; and in matters of lore they love most the histories of the Eldar and of the houses of the Noldor; and all matters of kinship and descent are held by them in memory. But the neri are more skilled as smiths and wrights, as carvers of wood and stone, and as jewelers. It is they for the most part who compose musics and make the instruments, or devise new ones; they are the chief poets and students of languages and inventors of words. Many of them delight in forestry and in the lore of the wild, seeking the friendship of all things that grow or live there in freedom. But all these things, and other matters of labour and play, or of deeper knowledge concerning being and the life of the World, may at different times be pursued by any among the Noldor, be they neri or nissi. - Morgoth's Ring, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

A little bit of subconscious sexism comes through here on Tolkien's part, but he wrote this later in life and most of it fits. The bit about elven healing doesn't – it is contradicted by pretty much everyone (Glorfindel, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Beleg, Mablung) (tinw has an excellent essay on healing here, which includes all cases of elven healing).

As for the sexism, Tolkien states several times in these two paragraphs that any elf can be and do anything they want. Looking at his elven women, we see a large variety in personalities:

While still in early youth Fëanor wedded Nerdanel, a maiden of the Noldor; at which many wondered, for she was not among the fairest of her people. But she was strong, and free of mind, and filled with the desire of knowledge. In her youth she loved to wander far from the dwellings of the Noldor, either beside the long shores of the Sea or in the hills; and thus she and Fëanor had met and were companions in many journeys. Her father, Mahtan, was a great smith, and among those of the Noldor most dear to the heart of Aulë. Of Mahtan Nerdanel learned much of crafts that women of the Noldor seldom used: the making of things of metal and stone. She made images, some of the Valar in their forms visible, and many others of men and women of the Eldar, and these were so like that their friends, if they knew not her art, would speak to them; but many things she wrought also of her own thought in shapes strong and strange but beautiful.

She also was firm of will, but she was slower and more patient than Fëanor, desiring to understand minds rather than to master them. When in company with others she would often sit still listening to their words, and watching their gestures and the movements of their faces. Her mood she bequeathed in part to some of her sons, but not to all. Seven sons she bore to Fëanor, and it is not recorded in the histories of old that any others of the Eldar had so many children. With her wisdom at first she restrained Fëanor when the fire of his heart burned too hot; but his later deeds grieved her and they became estranged. - Morgoth's Ring, Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

Míriel was the name of his mother, who was called Serindë, because of her surpassing skill in weaving and needlework; for her hands were more skilled to fineness than any hands even among the Noldor. - The Silmarillion, Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

and:

Silver was her hair and dark were her eyes, but her hands were more skilled to fineness than any hands even of the Noldor. By her was the craft of needles devised; and were but one fragment of the broideries of Míriel to be seen in Middle-earth it would be held dearer than a king's realm, for the richness of her devices and the fire of their colours were as manifold and as bright as the glory of leaf and flower and wing in the fields of Yavanna. - Morgoth's Ring, Of the Silmarils and the Darkening of Valinor

and:

She was a Noldorin Elda of slender and graceful form, and of gentle disposition, though as was later discovered in matters far more grave, she could show an ultimate obstinacy that counsel or command would only make more obdurate. She had a beautiful voice and a delicate and clear enunciation, though she spoke swiftly and took pride in this skill. Her chief talent, however, was a marvellous dexterity of hand. This she employed in embroidery, which though achieved in what even the Eldar thought a speed of haste was finer and more intricate than any that had before been seen. - The Peoples of Middle-Earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor

Indis: She was not of the Noldor, but of the Vanyar, [of the kin >) sister of Ingwe; and she was golden-haired, and tall, and exceedingly swift of foot. She laboured not with her hands, but sang and made music, and there was ever light and mirth about her while the bliss of Aman endured. [cut] Therefore she remained unwedded, when her people departed to Valinor, and she walked often alone in the fields and friths of the Valar, [turning her thought to things that grow untended >] filling them with music. - Morgoth's Ring, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

Aredhel: When she was grown to full stature and beauty she was tall and strong, and loved much to ride and hunt in the forests. There she was often in the company of the sons of Fëanor, her kin; but to none was her hearts love given. - The Silmarillion, Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië

Galadriel: Her mother-name was Nerwen ("man-maiden"),1 and she grew to be tall beyond the measure even of the women of the Noldor; she was strong of body, mind, and will, a match for both the loremasters and the athletes of the Eldar in the days of their youth. - Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn

I do not have any short quotes to give for Luthien, Idril, or Arwen; but the great deeds of Galadriel and Luthien are well-known (Luthien also wandered alone in the forests a lot in her youth). Idril is a remarkable politician; and though Arwen is often overlooked by fans, she has a great influence in LotR (for more on that, see my Arwen essay).

So while Tolkien's own subconscious sexism came through a little, it can be dismissed – the history of Middle-earth systematically shows the opposite of “invention and change is otherwise mostly brought about by the neri.”

Another relevant passage:

Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, the White Lady of the Noldor, daughter of Fingolfin, dwelt in Nevrast with Turgon her brother, and she went with him to the Hidden Kingdom. But she wearied of the guarded city of Gondolin, desiring ever the longer the more to ride again in the wide lands and to walk in the forests, as had been her wont in Valinor: and when two hundred years had passed since Gondolin was full-wrought, she spoke to Turgon and asked leave to depart. Turgon was loath to grant this, and long denied her; but at the last he yielded, saying: “Go then, if you will though it is against my wisdom, and I forebode that ill will come of it both to you and to me. But you shall go only to seek Fingon, our brother; and those that I send with you shall return hither to Gondolin as swiftly as they may.”

But Aredhel said: “I am your sister and not your servant, and beyond your bounds I will go as seems good to me. And if you begrudge me an escort, then I will go alone.”

Then Turgon answered: “I grudge you nothing that I have. Yet I desire that none shall dwell beyond my walls who know the way hither: and if I trust you, my sister, others I trust less to keep guard on their tongues.”

And Turgon appointed three lords of his household to ride with Aredhel, and he bade them lead her to Fingon in Hithlum, if they might prevail upon her. “And be wary,” he said; “for though Morgoth be yet hemmed in the North there are many perils in Middle-earth of which the Lady knows nothing.” Then Aredhel departed from Gondolin, and Turgon's heart was heavy at her going.

But when she came to the Ford of Brithiach in the River Sirion she said to her companions: “Turn now south and not north, for I will not ride to Hithlum; my heart desires rather to find the sons of Fëanor, my friends of old.” And since she could not be dissuaded they turned south as she commanded, and sought admittance into Doriath. - The Silmarillion, Of Maeglin

As Aredhel points out, the only power over her Turgon has is ordering her to keep the location of his kingdom a secret. And when she wouldn't change her mind, her escort had to do what she said. She had the power, and she knew it.

Another factor is how possessiveness is framed. Eöl and Maeglin are portrayed as villains corrupted by Morgoth, and they are very possessive. Likewise, Thingol's possessiveness of Luthien is damned and leads to catastrophic consequences.

Lúthien indeed was willing to wander in the wild without returning, forgetting house and people and all the glory of the Elf-kingdoms, and for a time Beren was content; but he could not for long forget his oath to return to Menegroth, nor would he withhold Lúthien from Thingol for ever. For he held by the law of Men, deeming it perilous to set at naught the will of the father, save at the last need; and is seemed also to him unfit that one so royal and fair as Lúthien should live always in the woods, as the rude hunters among Men, without home or honour or the fair things which are the delight of the queens of the Eldalië. Therefore after a while he persuaded her, and their footsteps forsook the houseless lands; and he passed into Doriath, leading Lúthien home. So their doom willed it. - The Silmarillion, Of Beren and Lúthien

It is “the law of Men” that believes “it perilous to set at naught the will of the father” - not elven belief.

Also, without getting into the whole controversy of Gil-galad's parentage, one of the main components of Maeglin's tale is that he lusts after the one person who stands between him and the power he craves: “Then the heart of Idril was turned to him, and his to her; and Maeglin’s secret hatred grew ever greater, for he desired above all things to possess her, the only heir of the King of Gondolin.” - The Silmarillion, Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin It is stated explicitly that Idril is Turgon's heir.

Also highly relevant is the elven attitude towards fighting. All elves are naturally peaceful, and only fight “at need.” A quote above said that dwarves often fought with each other; but there are only three cases of an elf killing another elf, and they are held as some of the most traumatic and devastating events in elven history (the kinslayings).

Regarding weapons:

While still in his early youth he wedded Nerdanel, the daughter of a great smith named Mahtan, among those of the Noldor most dear to Aulë; and of Mahtan he learned much of the making of things in metal and in stone.

[cut]

The Vanyar indeed held him in suspicion, for they dwelt in the light of the Trees and were content; and to the Teleri he gave small heed, thinking them of little worth, tools too weak for his designs. But the Noldor took delight in the hidden knowledge that he could reveal to them; and some hearkened to words that it would have been better for them never to have heard. Melkor indeed declared afterwards that Fëanor had learned much art from him in secret, and had been instructed by him in the greatest of all his works; but he lied in his lust and his envy, for none of the Eldalië ever hated Melkor more than Fëanor son of Finwë, who first named him Morgoth; and snared though he was in the webs of Melkor's malice against the Valar he held no converse with him and took no counsel from him. - The Silmarillion, Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

And when Melkor saw that these lies were smouldering, and that pride and anger were awake among the Noldor, he spoke to them concerning weapons; and in that time the Noldor began the smithying of swords and axes and spears. Shields also they made displaying the tokens of many houses and kindreds that vied one with another; and these only they wore abroad, and of other weapons they did not speak, for each believed that he alone had received the warning. And Fëanor made a secret forge, of which not even Melkor was aware; and there he tempered fell swords for himself and for his sons, and made tall helms with plumes of red. Bitterly did Mahtan rue the day when he taught to the husband of Nerdanel all the lore of metalwork that he had learned of Aulë. - The Silmarillion, Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor

But the Teleri withstood him, and cast many of the Noldor into the sea. Then swords were drawn, and a bitter fight was fought upon the ships, and about the lamplit quays and piers of the Haven, and even upon the great arch of its gate.

[cut]

Thus at last the Teleri were overcome, and a great part of their mariners that dwelt in Alqualondë were wickedly slain. For the Noldor were become fierce and desperate, and the Teleri had less strength, and were armed for the most part but with slender bows. - The Silmarillion, Of the Flight of the Noldor

Therefore Thingol took thought for arms, which before his people had not needed, and these at first the Naugrim smithied for him; for they were greatly skilled in such work, though none among them surpassed the craftsmen of Nogrod, of whom Telchar the smith was greatest in renown. A warlike race of old were all the Naugrim, and they would fight fiercely against whomsoever aggrieved them: servants of Melkor, or Eldar, or Avari, or wild beasts, or not seldom their own kin, Dwarves of other mansions and lordships. Their smithcraft indeed the Sindar soon learned of them; yet in the tempering of steel alone of all crafts the Dwarves were never outmatched even by the Noldor, and in the making of mail of linked rings, which was first contrived by the smiths of Belegost, their work had no rival.

At this time therefore the Sindar were well-armed, and they drove off any creatures of evil, and had peace again; but Thingol's armouries were stored with axes and with spears and swords, and tall helms, and long coats of bright mail; for the hauberks of the Dwarves were so fashioned that they rusted not but shone ever as if they were new-burnished. And that proved well for Thingol in the time that was to come. - The Silmarillion, Of the Sindar

Against the words 'Melkor spoke to the Eldar concerning weapons, which they had not before possessed or known' my father wrote on the typescript: 'No! They must have had weapons on the Great Journey.' Cf. the passage in QS on this subject (footnote to §49): 'The Elves had before possessed only weapons of the chase, spears and bows and arrows.' - Morgoth's Ring, Annals of Aman

Tolkien doesn't use gendered terms for the elven armies, and we are given specifics of Galadriel and Idril fighting with swords:

Galadriel: Even after the merciless assault upon the Teleri and the rape of their ships, though she fought fiercely against Fëanor in defence of her mother's kin, she did not turn back. - Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn

Now is the face of that chieftain [Tuor] grim and he looks not to live long - and there in his house upon the walls Idril arrays herself in mail, and seeks Eärendel.

[cut]

But his mother coming set about him a tiny coat of mail that she had let fashion in secret, and at that time he was glad and exceeding proud, and he shouted in pleasure. Yet Idril wept, for much had she cherished in her heart the fair city and her goodly house, and the love of Tuor and herself that had dwelt therein; but now she saw its destroying night at hand, and feared that her contriving would fail against this overwhelming might of the terror of the serpents.

[cut]

Now then Meglin had Idril by the hair and sought to drag her to the battlements out of cruelty of heart, that she might see the fall of Eärendel to the flames; but he was cumbered by that child, and she fought, alone as she was, like a tigress for all her beauty and slenderness.

[cut]

When Meglin saw this he would stab Eärendel with a short knife he had; but that child bit his left hand, that his teeth sank in, and he staggered, and stabbed weakly, and the mail of the small coat turned the blade aside; and thereupon Tuor was upon him and his wrath was terrible to see. He seized Meglin by that hand that held the knife and broke the arm with the wrench, and then taking him by the middle leapt with him upon the walls, and flung him far out.

[cut]

Then Tuor and his men must get them to the battle of the Gate, for the noise of it has grown very great, and Tuor has it still in his heart that the city may stand; yet with Idril he left there Voronwë against his will and some other swordsmen to be a guard for her till he returned or might send tidings from the fray.

[cut]

Coming now at length to a greater quiet Tuor asked Voronwë for tidings, in that Idril spake not and was well-nigh in a swoon; and Voronwë told him of how she and he had waited before the doors of the house while the noise of those battles grew and shook their hearts; and Idril wept for lack of tidings from Tuor. At length she had sped the most part of her guard down the secret way with Eärendel, constraining them to depart with imperious words, yet was her grief great at that sundering. She herself would bide, said she, nor seek to live after her lord; and then she fared about gathering womenfolk and wanderers and speeding them down the tunnel, and smiting marauders with her small band; nor might they dissuade her from bearing a sword. - The Book of Lost Tales, The Fall of Gondolin

Now, Tolkien wrote this in 1917, and Middle-earth didn't really exist yet; so the gendered pronouns of the warriors should be overlooked. However, he never really revisited the fall of Gondolin, so it's all we have. All I have to say is don't mess with Idril. She got her son out and then went to help her people, telling her guards to stick it.

The anti-fighting belief goes even further than not having weapons before evil came or not killing other elves:

Then Turin took up a drinking-vessel and cast it in Saeros' face, and he fell backward with great hurt; and Turin drew his sword and would have run at him, but Mablung restrained him. Then Saeros rising spat blood upon the board, and spoke as best he could with a broken mouth: “How long shall we harbour this woodwose? Who rules here tonight? The King's law is heavy upon those who hurt his lieges in the hall; and for those who draw blades there outlawry is the least doom. Outside the hall I could answer you, Woodwose!”

But when Turin saw the blood upon the table his mood became cold; and with a shrug he released himself from Mablung and left the hall without a word.

Then Mablung said to Saeros: “What ails you tonight? For this evil I hold you to blame; and maybe the King's law will judge a broken mouth a just return for your taunting.”

“If the cub has a grievance, let him bring it to the King's judgement,” answered Saeros. “But the drawing of swords here is not to be excused for any such cause. Outside the hall, if the woodwose draws on me, I shall kill him.”

“It might well go otherwise,” said Mablung. “But if either be slain it will be an evil deed, more fit for Angband than Doriath, and more evil will come of it. Indeed I feel that some shadow of the North has reached out to touch us tonight. Take heed, Saeros, lest you do the will of Morgoth in your pride, and remember that you are of the Eldar.”

[cut]

Mablung was in the forefront of these, and he was troubled in mind, for though the taunting had seemed evil to him, 'malice that wakes in the morning is the mirth of Morgoth ere night'; and it was held moreover a grievous thing to put any of the Elven-folk to shame, self-willed, without the matter being brought to judgement. - The Children of Hurin, Turin in Doriath

Taunting and shaming other elves is considered the work of evil, and not acceptable.

Now, relationships. Elves only fall in love once in their life (technically it is possible for them to fall in love a second time, but we are only given two cases in all of Tolkien's works, and both times there was a greater power at work).

They had few children, but these were very dear to them. Their families, or houses, were held together by love and a deep feeling for kinship in mind and body; and the children needed little governing or teaching.(3)

3. A: 'They had few children, but these were dear to them beyond all else that they possessed. (Though no Elf would speak of possessing children; he would say: "three children have been added unto me", or "are with me", or "are in my house"; for their families were held together...' (the brackets being closed at the words 'or teaching').

[cut]

But these ceremonies were not rites necessary to marriage; they were only a gracious mode by which the love of the parents was manifested,(8) and the union was recognized which would join not only the betrothed but their two houses together.

[cut]

In happy days and times of peace it was held ungracious and contemptuous of kin to forgo the ceremonies, but it was at all times lawful for any of the Eldar, both being unwed, to marry thus of free consent one to another without ceremony or witness (save blessings exchanged and the naming of the Name); and the union so joined was alike indissoluble. - Morgoth's Ring, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

We also have the quote above that states that the “sentiment of affection for sister's children” is the strongest amongst elves.

So. The foundation of elven-kind is memory and emotion. Their souls control their bodies. Elvish memories remain crystal clear, no matter how many decades or centuries pass. They never fade, even the slightest bit. Connected to memory is emotion. Elves feel things in a clearer way. They are ruled by emotion. They can literally just lie down and kill themselves with their mind, if they wish. There is nothing more important to an elf than their relationships, of any kind. Their anti-possessiveness goes so far that they will not even say 'I have two children'. They are naturally peaceful, and consider even taunting as someone being touched by evil. All elves are equal, and nothing is restricted by gender.

This is the polar opposite of dwarven culture.

So, how do Tauriel and Kili fit into this? (for evidence of everything I'm about to say, see my Tauriel essay and my Kili essay)

Let's start with Kili. He is a complete cultural anomaly. Kili doesn't have that internal sense of dwarven pride. He is very open-minded, and exemplifies the saying, “A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet.” He is genuinely curious and admiring of Bilbo and his house. Kili also defends him and shows faith in him by betting on him. Though raised on the evilness of elves, Kili doesn't have any prejudice or dislike for them. He sees Tauriel as a breathtaking and awe-inspiring being far above him while never showing the slightest hint of jealousy or possessiveness towards her, and has thought about the nature of nature; thus contradicting everything dwarven culture believes in. He follows his heart and morals no matter what. He is amazingly resilient and light-hearted; even though he does have a self-esteem issue. No one ever believes me when I say Kili has a slight self-esteem issue, but he does. He hides his negative emotions and has a very hard time holding grudges (which dwarven culture exalts).

Kili shows this several times – after being completely humiliated in front of the entire Company he just says “funny” and looks down (being hurt and vulnerable instead of getting angry and lashing out), and immediately joins in the food fight; he immediately lightens the conversation after telling Tauriel about his promise to his mother; he continues to play down his injury even after Thorin tells him he doesn't get to continue on the quest; he doesn't want Fili to defend him to Thorin but drop it and go with the others; and he makes his dazed speech about Tauriel.

Kili also never appears emotionally invested in fighting – he explores and complements Bilbo's house while Fili is lovingly taking out his weapons. In Mirkwood, Kili doesn't just ignore the disappearance of his weapons; he starts fancying Tauriel because of her impressive skill when she saved his life, and smiles softly after her retort. According to his culture, she has just emasculated him at least twice; and his reaction is not to get angry, but to fall in love with her. He is perfectly comfortable with being the more feminine one in their relationship.

We see in Rivendell just how quickly Kili's 'abnormality' is dealt with – Dwalin publicly humiliates Kili immediately when he catches Kili in awe of elven beauty.  

Overall, Kili's personality is much more elven than dwarven.

Now, Tauriel. She is Thranduil's foster daughter and Legolas’s best friend/honorary sister. We see over and over that the only people of higher rank are Thranduil and Legolas. However, we only see Legolas co-lead a patrol, give a few small and isolated orders, hold and interrogate the orc at Thranduil's cue, and convey Thranduil's orders to their people. It is Tauriel who has to give Thranduil the report on the spiders and is immediately given charge when the dwarves escape. She is the one who essentially is Thranduil's second hand; at least in matters of security (I'm sure he has a steward as well).  Legolas is more of a follower than a leader, and that explains why he does not seem to have any other role than that of Prince. Tauriel is a natural leader; and scared of her love for Kili, she hides behind her strong sense of duty. She also cannot turn away from Thranduil - Kili's life is in danger, and yet Tauriel doesn't go after him. She goes to confront Thranduil. Thranduil, for his part, realizes just how badly he's messed up when Tauriel and Legolas leave him heartbroken in Dale.

Even if the dwarves could get past her essentially being Thranduil's daughter, she would still never be accepted because the basis of her very being is not accepted – being a leader and a warrior. Kili himself is not wholly accepted by his people; he hides parts of himself to avoid being taunted and shamed.

I'm not saying that Thorin would turn his back on Kili – after the dragon sickness, I think it likely he would grudgingly accept Kiliel. But he is the King, and he is constrained by his people and culture.

While the elves don't like the dwarves any more than the dwarves like them, they would understand that Kili's it for Tauriel, and the grief mortality brings to the relationship. Tauriel fits perfectly in her culture, and seems well liked. Her people would likely care about her happiness. And personality wise, Kili would honestly fit better with the elves. They would most likely see that.

[marcusssanderson]

50 Softball Quotes and Sayings Celebrating the Sport

This softball quotes collection will help you celebrate this amazing sport.

Softball is a great sport that involves less muscle and more intellect. In order to win the game, softball players must always think ahead and make decisions while in duress as they run the scenarios on the field.

Originally from Chicago, softball teaches the values of hard work and persistence. It teaches you how to survive in adversity because when playing the game, you are likely to fail more than win.

Softball also helps develop teamwork, which is a crucial skill if you want to be successful in life. Teamwork is a skill that applies both at the softball field and in the real world; whether you’re a boss or just an employee. The game helps you see how your actions affect other people.

In honor of this amazing sport, here is our collection of exciting and inspirational softball quotes, softball sayings, and softball slogans, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Softball quotes and sayings celebrating the sport

1.) ”Softball is for everyone. Fast-pitch is for athletes.” – Unknown

2.) ”Softball has given me so much in life. It’s taught me the kind of person I want to be, and given me a sweet sisterhood. It even led me to my husband.” – Jennie Finch

3.) ”We play this game (softball) with emotion and love._ Coach always says ‘Emotionally, physically, mentally — come to the field prepared.’_ Because if you don’t bring that to the field, you’re going to get beat.” – Laura Berg

4.) ”Softball: Where good girls steal.” – Unknown

5.) ”Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Unknown

6.) ”Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal, suck it up princess. This is softball.” – Unknown

7.) ”When I step into batter’s box, the fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a battle between me and the pitcher. And more than anything, I want to win.”  – Mary W.

8.) ”If it were easy, they’d call it baseball.” – Unknown

9.) ”Your body is not made to throw like we throw. That’s why you see softball pitchers pitching two or three games a day. It’s a natural movement in softball. In baseball it’s not a natural movement.” – Jamie Moyer

10.) ”Softball isn’t a one woman sport, there’s 11 other girls who become your sisters. And don’t forget that you win as a team and lose as a team.” – Unknown

Softball quotes that show how amazing the sport is

11.) ”Softball is like love, first you learn the rules of the game, and then you forget the rules and play from your heart.” – Unknown

12.) ”It’s a game of making great pitches at the right time, being opportunistic by getting a run at the right time and playing good defense. –Mike Candrea

13.) ”There is a way to play this game (softball) physically, but it’s the mental part that’s going to separate gold from silver and silver from bronze.” – Lisa Fernandez

14.) ”What I love about the game (softball) is that the game doesn’t know who is supposed to win.” – Sue Enquist

15.) ”Softball is life with the volume turned up, how loud is your game, crank it up!” – Unknown

16.) ”The softball gods giveth and the softball gods taketh away, but that evens out over the season.” – Yvette Girouard

17.) ”I am who I am. I’m going to be who I am. And I’m going to give my all to the game in the way that I do it.” – Lonni Alameda

18.) ”I played softball. I was on an all-star team. I traveled with the team. I loved it.” – Elizabeth Banks

19.) ”Everybody knows that pitching and defense win championships. It’s all about defense. It’s that way in pretty much every sport. So if we can pitch and play defense we have a chance at a championship. But you can also win quite a few games by hitting.” – Ehren Earleywine

20.) ”I played softball for a few years growing up. Both my brothers played baseball.” – Maggie Lawson

Softball quotes for both players and fans

21.) ”When all the girls were getting all made up and getting into all that girl stuff in junior high I was out playing softball or touch football with the guys.” – Catherine Bell

22.) ”I grew up on the softball field. Every day I would take my glove and my bat with me.” – Yoenis Cespedes

23.) ”Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams.” – Allison, West Morgan Softball

24.) ”Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

25.) ”Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.” – Arthur Ashe

26.) ”I think that certain players are going to approach the game differently. I am more of a quiet person. I like to have more of a focused energy and internal energy whereas some people need to be bouncing off the walls to be ready for the game.” – Caitlin Lowe

27.) ”Softball, it’s more than just a game!” – Coach Dave, Sluggers Softball

28.) ”Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine! Softball is amazing that way as a sport. Everyone on the field has a slightly different ability that makes them perfect for their position.” –  Jennie Finch

29.) ”Growing up, I played softball and I was a cheerleader.” –  Carrie Underwood

30.) ”I played softball. I was on an all-star team. I traveled with the team. I loved it.” – Elizabeth Banks

Softball quotes everyone should know

31.) ”This game is about the long run. LIFE is about the long run. Pick successes that can build your confidence over time and stay in the process. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, but you can’t see the light if you fall into the trap of all the failures trying to pull you down.” – Unknown

32.) ”The true definition of confidence has nothing to do with other people who surround us and statistics on a sheet of paper.  The only place that confidence comes is from inside YOU. Yes, you. Our confidence belongs to us, no one else.” – Unknown

33.) ”Softball gives girls a chance to show the boys how it’s really done.” – Unknown

34.) ”Once I step on that field all my stress, family problems and heartache go away…” – Unknown

35.) ”It’s never too early to follow your dreams.” – Unknown

36.) ”We’re going to step on the field knowing that every team we’re going against is going to push their game to that whole new level that we probably hadn’t seen. … We’ve just got to be ready to step up with them.” – Crystl Bustos, third base, Team USA

37.) ”It’s always about wanting to one-up myself from the day before. There’s never an absolute 100% perfect performance, but going out and striving for that perfect performance is what keeps me going.” – Cat Osterman, pitcher, Team USA

38.) ”By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Giselle C., shortstop, California

39.) ”Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Unknown

40.) ”Dream big and work hard.  Play with passion and the sky is the limit.  Fastpitch rocks!” – Jennie K., catcher, Arizona

More softball quotes to inspire and motivate

41.) ”To play it takes talent, but to win it takes desire!” – Unknown

42.) ”Softball isn’t a game it’s a way of life. We play because we love the game, not for our parents, our siblings, or to impress people by how far you.” – Unknown

43.) ”Softball is from the top of the heart every game you play its played by love in your heart.” – Unknown

44.) ”Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – George Herman Ruth

45.) ”To some Softball is a game; to others it’s Life.” – Jennie Finch

46) ”Be ready for that curve ball, because you have no idea where it’s going. Not even the pitcher knows.” – Unknown

47.) ”I make my weaknesses my strengths and my strengths stronger.” – Lisa Fernandez

48.) ”A boy once told me that I play like a girl. I told him if he tried a little harder, he could too.” – Unknown

49.) ”Softball girls aren’t afraid of a little dirt.” – Unknown

50.) ”My parents taught me a long time ago that you win in life with people, and that’s important, because if you hang with winners, you stand a great chance of being a winner. – Pat Summitt

Did you enjoy these softball quotes?

Besides being a league competition sport, you can also play softball as a recreational sport. When played regularly, the popular summer past time has numerous health benefits too.

It can help with body conditioning, mental wellness and of course, burning of calories and fat. So, if you are struggling to lose weight, softball can be a fun way to lose the weight and gain your self esteem back.

Did you enjoy these softball quotes collection? Which of the quotes was your favorite? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below.

The post 50 Softball Quotes and Sayings Celebrating the Sport appeared first on Everyday Power Blog.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Bandits as Heroes,” Toronto Globe. March 22, 1933. Page 4. ----- Owen Sound Sun-Times: One day this week two bank bandits, Theodore and George Girouard, sentenced for their crime to the the penitentiary for terms of eight and ten years, respectively, were taken to that institution. Their departure from Toronto was made quite an event by one of the Toronto newspapers. They were not only pictured as they were being taken aboard the train, but their reactions after they got aboard and their remarks on the way to the place where they will spend the next few years were featured and they were almost treated as heroes, instead of as black criminals.

[dry-valleys]

“Ludwig of Bavaria meets Crac des Chevaliers” Sir Simon Jenkins.

Beeston Castle sits on a hill which has been a site of fortification since the Bronze Age and was built in its present form by crusader Ranulph of Chester in 1225. Despite passing it on the Two Saints Way and the Sandstone Trail, I’d managed to avoid actually going inside until last week.

Although little used in the centuries that followed its construction, it saw action in the Civil War as was occupied by Parliament in 1643 and captured by Royalists in the same year, only to be repeatedly beseiged and taken by Parliament in 1645.

Later, it became something of a tourist attraction, prompting local landowner Lord Tollemache (”one of those tremendous, rock-hewn Victorians who seem built on a larger scale than ordinary men”- Mark Girouard) to restore it. The remarkable lord also had Peckforton Castle constructed in 1842, completed in 1851, as a Gothic display of mid-Victorian aristocratic wealth and bastion against “revolution”. (5 is Peckforton from Beeston, (6) is Peckforton from below and (7) inside Peckforton). 

It’s hard to see which site has more totally relinquished its original purpose, as the Tollemache family left Peckforton in 1939 whereupon it became a film set then a hotel!

The view from the top is fantastic and certainly rewards the climb, with the industry of Ellesmere Port and Merseyside (9, with 10 being a closeup) in view. “This is industrial England at its most discreet”- Jenkins).

Last week and (2,6) November 2015, (10) May 2016 and (3) an engraving by the legendary Buck brothers from 1727.

[addcrazy-blog]

New Post has been published on Add Crazy

New Post has been published on https://addcrazy.com/how-software-is-ingesting-the-banking-enterprise/

How software is ingesting the banking enterprise

Ethan Bloch changed into in junior high school in Baltimore in the course of the dot-com growth.

For his bar mitzvah — the right that welcomes thirteen-12 months-old Jewish boys into adulthood — Bloch received $7,000 in cash.

It changed into 1998 and, like such a lot of amateur investors on the time, he plunged his wealth into the inventory market, normally software and telecommunication names like Lucent and Nortel.

He fast tripled his cash. With the aid of age 15, it changed into all long past.

“This knocked me over the head and left a burning interest that I nevertheless bring nowadays,” said Bloch, now 31, from the San Francisco headquarters of his monetary-tech start-up Digit. “I found out I failed to recognizes— about how any of this become running.”

Now Bloch is playing into any other fashion it really is taking up Silicon Valley: Device learning.

Using the combination of massive statistics units, exploding compute capability within the cloud and a host of analytics gear, entrepreneurs are education computer systems to make more and more state-of-the-art selections. Sooner or later, the professionals say, we will land at genuine artificial intelligence, where computers are clever enough to train computers.

And it’ll upend the traditional banking industry.

Supporting clients with their price range

It is infrequently a directly line from the dot-bomb blunder to Bloch’s new gig developing an automatic financial savings device for millennials. However, Bloch says he’s been captivated with finance for almost two decades, even while going for walks his first software start-up Flowtown, a social media advertising, and marketing platform.

Bloch sold Flowtown to Demandforce for some million bucks in 2011. The following 12 months, having banked sufficient cash to follow his passion, Bloch set out on an assignment to enhance purchasers’ financial fitness. The tagline on his internet site is, “Store cash, without thinking about it.” The company is to start with focused on more youthful clients, who’ve grown up in an era dominated By means of smartphones and a loathing for brick-and-mortar banks.

Stashed away without the client feeling it. Based totally on the personalized algorithm, Digit places a couple of bucks or so per week into a financial savings account, notifying users with a simple text to assist them pay off university or credit score card debt or put together for a marriage. It additionally serves up reminders to dispose of past due expenses and these days launched a notification bot on Fb Messenger.

Digit says that It is saved extra than $350 million for its clients.

That consists of people like Jenn Chen, a former community manager at a San Francisco software organization who is now in among jobs. Chen has saved near $16,000 over the last 3 years The use of Digit, money that would have otherwise remained in her bank account and greater than in all likelihood had been spent.

“It started out off small and as time went Via, I commenced seeing extraordinary methods I could growth that amount and be Adequate,” she stated.

The financial savings had been of particular significance after a success-and-run twist of fate left her with a hefty out-of-pocket payment for hospital bills.

The converting personnel

According to Goldman Sachs, Device learning and AI will enable $34 billion to $forty three billion in annual “fee savings and new sales possibilities” within the monetary region With the aid of 2025, as institutions use technological improvements to maximize buying and selling opportunities, lessen credit chance and decrease compliance and regulatory fees.

What meaning for the exertions force is a complicated equation. The banking region shriveled dramatically all through last decade’s financial crisis, with the failure of huge institutions like Undergo Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual and mass layoffs somewhere else. 3 of the 4 biggest U.S. Banks — Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Financial institution of us — have fewer personnel than they did in 2008.

Jobs maximum in jeopardy from here are people who lend themselves to automation. Bank tellers will see an eight percent decline between 2014 and 2024, and the range of insurance underwriters will drop Through eleven percentage, Consistent with the U.S. Bureau of labor Statistics. At the turning aspect, economic corporations are hiring software builders and data scientists, regions of employment increase.

Arvind Purushotham, a handling director at Citigroup’s venture making an investment arm, is backing start-using fraud detection and protection whose era can probably be carried out internally on the banking giant. even as there is a shift in the abilities required to satisfy the monetary challenges of the destiny, the issues are still being solved Via humans.

“We think of human-assisted AI and AI-assisted human beings,” said Purushotham, “There are some things that humans can do that software programs cannot wish to trap as much as in decades.”

Increasing the lending pool

The problem Douglas Merrill is making an attempt to address will require sophisticated machines.

Merill, who spent 5 years as Google’s leader statistics officer, is the founder and CEO of ZestFinance, an L. A.-Primarily based begin-up it really is out to quit the predatory gadget of payday lending By means of building algorithms which can underwrite humans with little to no credit score records.

(he’s among a handful of ex-Googlers making use of laptop technological know-how to finance. Patron lender Upstart was created By way of former Google executives and is led With the aid of Dave Girouard, who formerly ran Google’s agency enterprise. PeerStreet, a market that suits actual property with investors, became co-founded Through Brett Crosby, a former product advertising and marketing director at Google.)

Merrill, who has a Ph.D. in cognitive technological know-how from Princeton University, lives and breathes these things.

From his vantage factor, real Machine learning is nearly totally absent from the lending enterprise no matter a speedy acceleration during the last half of decade in online banking and underwriting. Consumer lenders like LendingClub, Prosper and SoFi have built full-size Internet-Based totally agencies The usage of technology, However, they’re nonetheless focused on debtors with correct, if no longer pristine, credit score.

That technique does not anything for People who warfare to make ends meet and rely on cash advances from one of the united states’ 20,000 payday lenders that populate often low-profits regions.

ZestFinance is seeking out non-traditional statistics — information that cannot be located in credit documents — to decide the varieties of conduct which can assist are expecting whether someone will repay debt. It seems that a prospective borrower who fills out a utility in all capital letters is a more-than-average credit chance.

even as mounds of facts exist that might help in developing new credit score models, a lot of it sits in places which can be very difficult to attain. As an example, finding out if a Bank account is open can be “awesome tough,” Merrill said.

“I didn’t foresee how difficult might be to get access to a big quantity of those 0.33-celebration records streams,” said Merrill, whose a hundred-man or woman team consists of extra than 30 facts technological know-how and Machine gaining knowledge of professionals. “To run massive facts and System studying store you need to have massive information and Machine mastering.”

This week, ZestFinance brought the Zest Automated Device studying (ZAML) platform, establishing up the generation to any Financial institution, credit score card provider or vehicle finance agency.

Merrill is likewise checking out his algorithms in perhaps the world’s best ocean of messy records: China.

Via partnerships with e-store JD.Com and Net search company Baidu, ZestFinance is aiming to help create a system for lending to half one thousand million those who lack any credit score records.

“creditors in China are beginning to apply those superior techniques that analyze non-traditional variables, whether or not search, shopping or other facts, to shape the spine of a new credit infrastructure,” Merrill wrote these days in Chinese enterprise ebook Boao Evaluate. “The credit landscape in China is about to trade drastically.”

https://addcrazy.com/

[attendantdesign-blog]

New Post has been published on Attendantdesign

New Post has been published on http://attendantdesign.com/how-software-is-eating-the-banking-industry/

How software is eating the banking industry

Ethan Bloch became in junior high school in Baltimore throughout the dot-com boom.

For his bar mitzvah — the ceremony that welcomes 13-year-old Jewish boys into maturity — Bloch acquired $7,000 in cash.

It became 1998 and, like so many beginner traders on the time, he plunged his wealth into the inventory market, more often than not software program and telecommunication names like Lucent and Nortel.

He quickly tripled his cash. Through age 15, it turned into all long gone.

“This knocked me over the head and left a burning curiosity that I nonetheless carry these days,” stated Bloch, now 31, from the San Francisco headquarters of his economic-tech start-up Digit. “I realized I did not realizes— about how any of this changed into working.”

Now Bloch is playing in some other fashion it really is taking over Silicon Valley: System mastering.

The usage of the aggregate of large information sets, exploding compute potential inside the cloud and a host of analytics gear, entrepreneurs are training computers to make an increasing number of state-of-the-art selections. Ultimately, the professionals say, we will land at real artificial intelligence, where computers are clever sufficient to educate computer systems.

And it’ll upend the traditional banking industry.

Supporting purchasers with their price range

It is hardly an instant line from the dot-bomb blunder to Bloch’s new gig growing an automated savings tool for millennials. However, Bloch says he’s been obsessed with banking finance industry for nearly a long time, even while walking his first software begin-up Flowtown, a social media advertising platform.

Bloch offered Flowtown to Demandforce for some million bucks in 2011. The following year, having banked sufficient coins to follow his passion, Bloch set out on a venture to improve customers’ financial fitness. The tagline on his internet site is, “Store cash, without considering it.” The enterprise is, first of all, focused on younger consumers, who have grown up in an era ruled By means of smartphones and a loathing for brick-and-mortar banks.

Ethan Bloch turned into in junior excessive college in Baltimore at some stage in the dot-com increase.

For his bar mitzvah — the ceremony that welcomes thirteen-yr-antique Jewish boys into adulthood — Bloch obtained $7,000 in cash.

It changed into 1998 and, like such a lot of newbie traders at the time, he plunged his wealth into the stock market, frequently software and telecommunication names like Lucent and Nortel.

He speedy tripled his money. With the aid of age 15, it turned into all gone.

“This knocked me over the top and left a burning interest that I nevertheless deliver these days,” stated Bloch, now 31, from the San Francisco headquarters of his monetary-tech begin-up Digit. “I realized I did not understands— about how any of this become operating.”

Now Bloch is playing into some other fashion that is taking over Silicon Valley: System studying.

The usage of the aggregate of large statistics units, exploding compute capacity inside the cloud and a host of analytics tools, marketers are training computers to make an increasing number of sophisticated choices. Ultimately, the professionals say, we’ll land at actual artificial intelligence, wherein computers are clever sufficient to train computers.

And it’ll upend the traditional banking enterprise.

Helping clients with their finances

It is hardly ever an immediate line from the dot-bomb blunder to Bloch’s new gig developing an automated savings device for millennials. But Bloch says he’s been obsessed on finance for almost two many years, even whilst running his first software program begin-up Flowtown, a social media advertising platform.

Bloch offered Flowtown to Demandforce for some million greenbacks in 2011. The following yr, having banked enough cash to follow his ardor, Bloch set out on a venture to enhance consumers’ economic health. The tagline on his website is, “Save cash, without considering it.” The organization is initially focused on younger consumers, who’ve grown up in a technology dominated By means of smartphones and a loathing for brick-and-mortar banks.

These five industries are being revolutionized Through AI These 5 industries are being revolutionized By way of AI Wednesday, 15 Feb 2017 | 2:18 PM ET | 02:23 Digit’s software program plugs right into a person’s bank account, analyzing charges and earnings and figuring out how a great deal money will be stashed away without the purchaser feeling it. Based totally on the customized set of rules, Digit puts a few bucks or so every week right into a financial savings account, notifying users with an easy textual content to assist them in paying off college or credit card debt or preparing for a wedding. It additionally serves up reminders to do away with the past due to charges and lately launched a notification bot on Fb Messenger.

Digit says that It’s stored more than $350 million for its customers.

That includes humans like Jenn Chen, a former network manager at a San Francisco software corporation who’s now in among jobs. Chen has saved close to $sixteen,000 over the last 3 years Using Digit, cash that would have otherwise remained in her bank account and more than probably have been spent.

“It started out off small and as time went Via, I commenced seeing exceptional ways I may want to boom that amount and be Adequate,” she said.

The savings had been of unique importance after a hit-and-run coincidence left her with a hefty out-of-pocket charge for medical institution bills.

The converting staff

According to Goldman Sachs, Device getting to know and AI will permit $34 billion to $43 billion in annual “cost savings and new revenue possibilities” within the monetary zone By means of 2025, as institutions use technological improvements to maximize trading opportunities, reduce credit threat and lower compliance and regulatory prices.

What which means for the labor pressure is a complicated equation. The banking area shriveled dramatically during final decade’s economic disaster, with the failure of huge institutions like Undergo Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual and mass layoffs some place else. three of the four biggest U.S. Banks — Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Financial institution of The united states — have fewer personnel than they did in 2008.

Jobs most in jeopardy from here are those who lend themselves to automation. Financial institution tellers will see an 8 percentage decline among 2014 and 2024, and the range of coverage underwriters will drop By way of 11 percentage, In step with the U.S. Bureau of labor Facts. On the flip side, monetary firms are hiring software developers and facts scientists, areas of employment increase.

Arvind Purushotham, a handling director at Citigroup’s project making an investment arm, is backing start-u.S.in fraud detection and safety whose era can probably be implemented internally on the banking large. whilst there may be a shift inside the capabilities required to fulfill the monetary challenges of the destiny, the problems are nonetheless being solved With the aid of human beings.

“We consider human-assisted AI and AI-assisted humans,” stated Purushotham, “There are a few things that humans can try this software program applications can not hope to catch up to in many years.”

Expanding the lending pool

The hassle Douglas Merrill is attempting to tackle would require state-of-the-art machines.

Merill, who spent five years as Google’s leader data officer, is the founder and CEO of ZestFinance, an L. A.-Based start-up it’s out to cease the predatory gadget of payday lending Through constructing algorithms that can underwrite human beings with little to no credit history.

(he’s among a handful of ex-Googlers making use of laptop technological know-how to finance. Purchaser lender Upstart became created By former Google executives and is led By way of Dave Girouard, who formerly ran Google’s organization commercial enterprise. PeerStreet, a marketplace that suits actual property with buyers, turned into co-based By way of Brett Crosby, a former product advertising director at Google.)

Merrill, who has a Ph.D. in cognitive science from Princeton University, lives and breathes these items.

From his vantage factor, real Device gaining knowledge of is sort of totally absent from the lending enterprise regardless of a speedy acceleration during the last 1/2-decade in on-line banking and underwriting. Purchaser creditors like LendingClub, Prosper and SoFi have constructed substantial Net-Primarily based organizations The use of technology, However, they may be still concentrated on borrowers with top, if not pristine, credit score.

That approach does not anything for People who war to make ends meet and depend on cash advances from one of the USA’s 20,000 payday creditors that populate commonly low-earnings areas.

ZestFinance is searching out non-conventional statistics — data that can not be located in credit score files — to decide the types of conduct that may help are expecting whether or not someone will repay debt. It turns out that a potential borrower who fills out a software in all capital letters is a more-than-common credit score risk.

whilst mounds of information exist that might assist in growing new credit models, a great deal of it sits in places that are very hard to reach. For example, locating out if a Financial institution account is open may be “super tough,” Merrill said.

“I did not foresee how tough would be to get get entry to to a massively wide variety of these 1/3-birthday celebration facts streams,” stated Merrill, whose a hundred-character crew includes extra than 30 statistics technology and System gaining knowledge of professionals. “To run a large records and Device getting to know keep you have to have huge facts and Gadget gaining knowledge of.”

This week, ZestFinance added the Zest Computerized Gadget learning (ZAML) platform, starting up the generation to any Financial institution, credit score card provider or car finance enterprise.

Merrill is also trying out his algorithms in perhaps the arena’s best ocean of messy statistics: China.

Thru partnerships with e-retailer JD.Com and Net search provider Baidu, ZestFinance is aiming to help create a system for lending to half of 1000000000 people who lack any credit score history.

“creditors in China are starting to apply Those superior strategies that examine non-conventional variables, whether seek, buying or different facts, to shape the backbone of a new credit score infrastructure,” Merrill wrote recently in Chinese commercial enterprise e-book Boo Evaluate. “The credit score landscape in China is set to change considerably.” The revolution is coming, But slowly

The facts indicate human creditors in the U.S. Are nevertheless secure, in the interim. In step with the BLS, the number of loan officials will growth 8 percent annually Via 2014.

Because the election of Donald Trump, Bank stocks have rallied as investors bet that a Republican-managed government will ease regulations on huge economic companies just as growing quotes will assist enhance profits. Stocks of Citigroup, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Bank of The united states have every jumped more than 20 percent considering the fact that Trump declared victory on Nov. 9.

But as JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon wrote in his letter to shareholders in 2015, “Silicon Valley is coming.”

right here’s one cause. Adyen, a 500-character payments begin-up with offices in Amsterdam, San Francisco, and 10 different towns, generates more than $1 million in revenue consistent with an employee. That appears greater like Google than JPMorgan, which is around $four hundred,000 in step with a worker.

During the last two years, Adyen has been staffing up on facts scientists to increase structures for stopping fraud. Adyen’s clients range from Airbnb, Netflix, and Spotify to easyJet and NH Inns. Whilst consumers sign on or make purchases on those apps, Adyen’s software receives to paintings figuring out how an awful lot it is able to agree with the client and whether another form of authentication is needed.

It is an intricate formulation. Requesting more records, be it the answer to a secret query or a code that is dispatched to a cell cellphone, makes it more likely the Customer will drop off without finishing the transaction. Minimizing fraud while maximizing so-known as conversions are the goal, and it requires a customized enjoy.

Adyen’s engine analyzes the shopper to figure out in real time if It is an ordinary client and if the tool, 1ec5f5ec77c51a968271b2ca9862907d cope with and account facts are acquainted. A relied on buyer can cross right Via, But any purple flags may additionally mean greater facts is wanted. Sam Halse, Adyen’s leader running officer, stated customers see a 1.four percent boom in sales The use of the software program.

“it truly is a large variety on the bottom line, which was inside the past truly misplaced revenue,” Halse stated.

For Adyen, the algorithm maintains getting smarter, gaining knowledge of greater approximately character buyers and extensively how fraudsters behave.

Suranga Chandratillake, a partner at London-Based totally undertaking firm Balderton Capital, said synthetic intelligence in finance represents the following level of the human capital alternative. The first large one became the automated-teller Device. Then got here Net and mobile banking.

Now, It is what Chandratillake calls “pseudo white-collar jobs,” wherein machines are being trained to understand styles on bureaucracy like loan packages and insurance claims and to act with better accuracy in much less time than human beings.

“These are jobs that require human judgment However which might be very repetitive,” said Chandratillake. “To crack These you need a smart AI founder and group But you furthermore might want someone who has information in a few weird area of interest like this and can see how to take advantage of it.”

[vermiculated]

july august i am trying so hard

who doesn’t love a romance novel? @mysharkwillgoon and I have been enjoying the fruits of some very determined searching and listing at our county library

And Now We Have Everything - Meghan O'Connell

The Wanderers - Meg Howrey

The Period House - Richard Russell Lawrence and Teresa Chris

Emergency Contact - Mary K Choi

Still Waters - Curt Stager

Long Black Veil - Jennifer Finney Boylan

Off The Deep End - Nic Compton

The Shepherd's Hut - Tim Winton

The Way I Die - Derek Haas

The Monster On The Road Is Me - JP Romney

How To Read Nancy - Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden

The Discovery of Jeanne Baret - Glynis Ridley

Rock Steady - Ellen Forney

When Skies Have Fallen - Debbie McGowan

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson

Some Hell - Patrick Nathan

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life - Samantha Irby

Parting Shot - Mary Calmes

Just Drive - LA Witt

Us - Sarina Bowen

Hot Head - Damon Suede

Idyll Threats - Stephanie Gayle

Wanted A Gentleman - KJ Charles

A Seditious Affair - KJ Charles

Florida - Lauren Groff

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh - KJ Charles

Sabrina - Nick Drnaso

What He Left Behind - LA Witt

A God in Ruins - Kate Atkinson

Undead Girl Gang - Lily Anderson

The Family Plot - Cherie Priest

Dare Me - Megan Abbott (vg)

Give Me Your Hand - Megan Abbott

Finding Your Feet - Cass Lennox

Life in the French Country House - Mark Girouard

Debbie Harry Sings In French - Megan Brothers

The Toll-Gate - Georgette Heyer

The Corinthian - Georgette Heyer

The Witch - Jean Thompson

American Hippo - Sarah Gailey

Afraid to Fly - LA Witt

Idyll Fears - Stephanie Gayle

A Gentleman's Position - KJ Charles

A Book of Tongues - Gemma Files

Princes at War - Deborah Cadbury (vg)

Elephants Can Remember - Agatha Christie

A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle

Our Kind of Traitor - John Le Carre

Super Graphic - Tim Leong

Julian is a Mermaid - Jessica Love

The Refrigerator Monologues - Cathrynne Valente

How to Taste - Becky Selengut

Fight No More - Lydia Millet

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score - Cat Sebastian

Chief's Mess - LA Witt

American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Tang

The Merry Spinster - Mallory Ortberg

So You Want To Be A Robot - Merc A Rustad

Government Issue - Richard Graham

Eric Fischl - Arthur C Danto et al

Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music - Gregory Alan Thornbury

Days of Awe - AM Homes

[linleywild]

Since the eighteenth century, when fancy dress entertainments became a more regular and popular form of entertainment, social commentators have wrestled with what people’s costumes reveal about their character. In April 1880, an author for London’s Gentleman’s Magazine averred:

The character of the dress of a person stands so near to the character of the person who is the wearer of it, it is difficult to touch on one without the other.[1]

Nearly one hundred years later, in 1959, American author Lawrence Langner was still pondering the issue:

The selection of the fancy dress costume is never an accident when there is full freedom of choice, but it is an expression of a conscious or unconscious desire of the wearer.[2]

The enquiry is no less pressing today, and in 2009 journalist Leah McLaren wrote a short piece for the Spectator entitled, ‘Why do we long to be Nazis and tarts?’. At its heart, McLaren’s playful essay raises an interesting question about the motivation for fancy dress costume among the social elite.

It is conventionally argued that the donning of fancy dress in public enables people to vent; this is clothing as psychological salve. By temporarily inverting established norms and criticising social traditions and civic leaders, people are able to appreciate their necessity. I’m simplifying things, but for a large number of examples where fancy dress costume is worn, this basic notion seems to hold. However, the explanation is less satisfactory for fancy dress entertainments involving social elites – and a large number of recorded fancy dress events have been hosted by this privileged group – who have tended to dress as controversial figures from history, including Emperor Nero (businessman Philip Green), a Nazi Stormtrooper (Britain’s Prince Harry) and Marie-Antoinette (Britain’s Princess Beatrice).

If it seems unremarkable that the wealthy would wish to find pleasurable outlets for their money in the form of lavish fancy dress entertainments, the subjects they have favoured for their costumes appear perplexing, even troubling.

One of the first royals to adopt what might be considered a controversial form of fancy dress was Queen Victoria. Victoria held three costumed balls during her reign. Her third, hosted in the claustrophobic throne room of Buckingham Palace on 13 June 1851, was a Stuart Ball. Now this was surely an odd choice. Just under a decade earlier, The Queen had hosted a fancy dress ball to recreate the court of England’s conquering King Edward III, who had triumphed over the French in the Hundred Years’ War. This subject may not have been ideal for Anglo-Franco relations, but you can imagine how the concept would have appealed to an English monarch, especially as the medieval virtues of chivalry had become newly popular thanks to the writings of Walter Scott.[3] The reason for hosting a costume ball in honour of the Stuart King Charles II, who belonged to one of Britain’s longest ruling and most controversial dynasties, is less clear.

The Queen was not alone in her sympathies for this family, however. Throughout the nineteenth century, many aristocrats and royals dressed as figures from Britain’s Stuart dynasty and court. France’s equally controversial Bourbon dynasty, which included the autocratic rulers Louis XIV and Louis XVI, were no less popular at this time. According to Emilia Müller, ‘at the Bradley Martin’s Ball [hosted in New York in 1897] there were more than fifty women clad as Marie-Antoinette, whereas for the Vanderbilt Ball [hosted in New York in 1883] no less than twenty men chose to personify “Louis XVI”’.[4] Across the Atlantic, American elites went so far as to decorate their costumes with jewels that had belonged to Marie-Antoinette and Catherine the Great of Russia. These socially insensitive garment choices are perhaps analogous to today’s ‘Colonial and Native’ and ‘Chav’ parties favoured by royals and entrepreneurs.

So what is going on? Two suggestions come to mind, although I’m not convinced they provide a full explanation: First, and as anthropologist Victor Turner notes, nothing underlines regularity so well as absurdity or paradox.[5] This is a rendition of the ‘fancy dress as psychological salve’ thesis, but the comedic reversal of order and social position through costume has long been used by rulers to reinforce their singular authority. A good example of this is provided by the eighteenth-century court of Peter the Great of Russia. Peter’s loathing of long sermons and stuffy court etiquette may have influenced the antics of the Assembly, but historian Lindsey Hughes argues that the Tsar’s comedic reversal of order reinforced his authority, even if it did help to let off steam in a manner akin to popular festivities held throughout the period.[6] Peter’s rule in this fantasy placed in sharp relief his rule in reality.

Second, by dressing as their ancestors, the political and social elite could remind people of their distinctive heritage. If the hosts and party-goers were newly minted and their genealogy were insufficiently grand, no problem: a fancy dress costume would enable them to create fictional linkages to figures of the past; whether the people they imitated had been loved or loathed was of little consequence, for this was fancy dress worn, subtly, but no less significantly, to challenge and to assert.[7]

Both explanations have merits, but both assume that the aristocrats concerned were fully conscious of the signification of their clothing. When Mrs Bradley sent agents from Tiffany & Co. in New York to a Parisian auction house to buy jewels formerly worn by Marie-Antoinette, it is reasonable to assume that she knew what she was doing.[8] It is difficult to suggest the same for Prince William, who once dressed as a ‘Chav’, and his brother, Prince Harry, who dressed as a Nazi Stormtrooper. The Princes’ fancy dress decisions could have been influenced by a subconscious socialised behaviour, but this point is easier to raise than refine. This is something I need to think on…

  [1] Anon., Gentleman’s Magazine, April 1880, vol. 246, 469.

[2] L. Langner, The Importance of Wearing Clothes (Los Angeles: Elysium Growth Press, 1991), 149.

[3] M. Girouard, The Return to Camelot: Chivalry and the English Gentleman (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1991).

[4] E. Müller, ‘Fashion & Fancy in New York: The American Monarchs’, 5.

[5] V. Turner, The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure (New Brunswick & London: Aldine Transaction, 2008), 176.

[6] L. Hughes, Russia in the Age of Peter the Great (New Haven and London: Yale University Press,1998), 249-266.

[7] Müller, ‘Fashion & Fancy in New York’, 4.

[8] Ibid., 5-6.

What Lies Beneath: the meaning & motivation of (aristocratic) fancy dress costume Since the eighteenth century, when fancy dress entertainments became a more regular and popular form of entertainment, social commentators have wrestled with what people’s costumes reveal about their character.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Bad Medicine For Suspect,” Border Cities Star. February 14, 1933. Page 3. ---- Windsor Police Took Alleged Robber Once Before ---- Arrested in 1931 --- Stanley Lawrence Held For Toronto Bank Holdup Is Remanded --- Windsor police have been bad medicine for Stanley Lawrence, 24, of Hamilton, who was arrested in a downtown hotel yesterday morning by Detectives Campbell and Max- well as a suspect in a Bank of Toronto branch holdup com- mitted on February 8. In March, 1931, he was also picked up here and returned to Hamilton to answer a robbery charge. 

CHARGED AS GUN TOTER Lawrence, who was registered here as John Boyd, was formally charged in Windsor Police Court today for having a revolver in his possession dangerous to the public peace. He was not asked to plead to the charge but was remanded in custody to Thursday. 

In the meantime detectives, aided by Detective-Sergeants Harold Waterhouse and Norman Tinsley, who arrived here last night from Toronto, will continue an investigation which they hope will lead to the arrest of the second man in the hold-up. Lawrence has maintained a stubborn silence since his arrest and refuses to account for the $755 found in his possession. 

HAD SMALL RADIO Detective Inspector Renaud stated this morning that Lawrence had a small radio in his room but that it was not connected. He does not believe that the radio is significant. He intimated that the second man in the hold-up may be in hiding here, admit- ting that a trap had been set for his capture yesterday afternoon without success. He believes that the wanted man was warned by early newspaper publicity which followed Lawrence's arrest. 

Detective-Sergeants Waterhouse and Tinsley stated they would remain in Windsor for the next few days, continuing their investigation. 

Lawrence whose parents resides in Hamilton, was arrested four hours after he had checked in at a Sandwich street hotel. Detectives Maxwell and Campbell had been investigating another case and their suspicions were aroused at sight of the name "John Boyd" on the hotel register, with the address, Baltimore, Maryland. Lawrence was in bed at the time the officers searched his room and found a gun under the pillow and the money. in $5, $10 and $20 denominations, stuffed in the pillow case. 

The gun, police learned subsequently, tallied in serial number with a revolver stolen in the Bank of Toronto branch at Kenilworth and Queen street, Toronto, while it was being robbed last week. The gun, a 38-calibre Ivor Johnson, was removed from the teller's cage. The bank robbery netted the bandits $5,833.

When Lawrence arrived in Windsor he registered at one of the larger hotels as John Raynor. He had a key for that hotel in his possession at the time of arrest. Watch was kept by the local police yesterday afternoon and last night, for the possible arrival of Lawrence's confederates. 

Walkerville police Sunday night picked up a car said by Chief Smith to have been used in the Toronto holdup. The automobile, bearing a Michigan license, was found on Lincoln road, near Sandwich street. It had been first observed on Lincoln road Sunday morning and evidently had been abandoned the previous night. A medicine bottle bearing the label of a Toronto drug store was found in the car.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Girouard Wrote to Draper Offering To Give Self Up,” Toronto Star. March 16, 1933. Page 1 & 3. ---- George Willing to Surrender If Leniency Promised. His Brother ---- HOLD-UP 'WENT SOUR' ---- Special to The Star Kingston, March 16.- Laughing and jesting until the cold, gray penitentiary walls came in sight, the two Girouard brothers, whose devotion to each other has landed them both behind the bars, made the trip to Kingston yesterday, where Theodore will serve ten years and George eight. When that is all over, and the wounds from the lashes, which are part of their sentence, have healed, they hope the world will be so adjusted that a couple of licensed aviators will be able to earn a decent living by flying and won't have to rob banks and shoot at policemen. 

"If the going isn't any easier by then, we'll both hit it off for the friendly old bush again," said George, striking a manacled fist against the palm of his free hand. 

 Theodore, who figured in a gun- fight with Constable Oswald Brown, was not handcuffed to either of the sheriff's officers who accompanied the prisoners. His right arm - his shooting arm - was stuck out in front of him, still encased in a heavy plaster cast. 

"Irons would be ironical," he punned, "with my shooting arm in this condition." 

Despite the apparently gay and resigned spirit of the two gunmen who, on Feb. 3, lined up the staff of the Royal Bank of Canada, Church and Wellesley Sts., and scooped up nearly $3,000, prison officials were taking no chances.. Breaking all precedent, they took their prisoners on the noon train, instead of the early morning one, smuggling them aboard at Danforth station, instead of the Union, as had been expected. 

"Mounties Don't Miss" George was asked why, after escaping with the loot, he had not headed for the north, with which he was familiar, instead of for the densely populated United States. 

"I figured that in the north there. were the Mounted Police," he explained. "And beside, both of us are known in that country. But it was mostly because of the Mounties. They don't miss up very often. "You," he said, indicating one of the sheriff's officers, "were once in the mounties, so I guess we'd better not start anything on the trip down, eh?" 

The brotherly love which has so characterized the case throughout, lasted until they disappeared behind the prison gates of the penitentiary. On the train they shared chocolate bars, lit each other's cigarettes, and joked, each obviously striving to keep high the spirits of his brother. 

The chocolate bars were ten cents each or three for a quarter. George wanted to buy three.

"What's the use of that? You'll only have to give them up at the pen," cautioned Theodore. "And what's left over won't be much good after eight years." 

Hoped to Aid Brother George, who surrendered himself in New York after a three-week chase, was asked why he had apparently been so ready to give himself up. 

"Well, after I'd left my brother shooting it out with the cops, I read that he'd been wounded and caught," he said. "That kind of took the spirit out of me. 

"I knew that he'd take the rap. You know how you'd feel. You see, we've always kind of palled around together. The whole thing went sour on me then. We'd wanted the dough to buy an aeroplane together. We've both got our license."

"What did you want an aeroplane for?" 

"We wanted to fly back and forth to Bear Lake, where we've got some claims staked in Radium country. 

"I wrote to Chief Draper after I saw that in the papers about Theodore, and told him if he would guarantee that my brother got a light sentence, I'd give myself up. I asked him to put an ad. in the classified columns of The Toronto Star if that was o.k. But he didn't do a thing about it. 

"Then my lawyer, from Nashua, New Hampshire, got in touch with me through personal columns in the papers. I wrote to him and told him I was ready to quit.. In the States they often let a captured man down easy if his pal will surrender. I guess you don't do t: at here." 

Plan to Study "You mean your sentences were heavier than you expected?" "No, we're not kicking against the sentences. We're going to study while we're in there. They say the courses up there are great. I heard of one guy who couldn't read or write when he went in, and when he came out he had his high school en- trance. They got him again for something, and the last I saw of him he was aiming to get his junior matriculation. That's what we're going to do, something like that. 

"Maybe when we come out, things will be fixed so's we can make a living out of flying," said Theodore. "Flying will be away advanced by that time. Now what there is of it is all sewed up by the big companies." 

Then, with apparent satisfaction: "We'll have a clear conscience then, and nothing against us. We'll be able to go ahead like anybody else." 

"And if we can't." added George, "we can always make a.living in the bush if we get enough money to start right. Theodore can knock the head off a partridge at 30 yards." 

"But not a policeman?" suggested one of his companions. 

"Don't kid yourself," laughed George. "He's a crack shot, and could have-well, we'd arranged for him to do the shooting if we got in ro a scrap. That's how good he is, and that's why he jumped out of in the car to mix it with the cop. But in we didn't want to pull off any murder." 

"Through With Rough Stuff" The two asked the officers details of prison life. Did they get cigarettes? Who went to Collins Bay? Was it true they could get books now? 

Yes, they got their choice of fine cut or pipe tobacco, replied the officer. They had as much right inasmuch as they were first offenders, as anybody else to go to Collins Bay, if the warden saw fit. And they were allowed certain books. 

"But a lot depends on how you have yourself," the guard added.

"Oh sure, we're both through with rough stuff," replied George. 

Both men liked to talk about th northern Canada and the open spaces. That was the country they liked, flies and all, they said. Theodore, looking woefully at his crippled arm, wondered if his hunting arm had been spoilt by the wound. 

"I'd keep that cast on as long as possible," suggested one of the officers. "It will get you out of a lot the  of work." 

"That's just what I don't want," shot back the prisoner, “you're locked up all day. work is a relief. It prevents you from thinking about things. Sitting and stewing over things will break me down more quickly than the lash." 

The young men lost some of their nonchalance when Kingston reached, but were gay enough to wave a cheery goodbye as the Limestone portico swallowed them up.

GIROUARD BROTHERS LEAVE FOR PENITENTIARY Here is shown George (right) and Theodore (left) Girouard as they left, manacled and in charge officers, from the Danforth railway station, for Kingston penitentiary yesterday for armed robbery at the Royal Bank, Wellesley and Church Sts. branch, Toronto. Theodore will serve 10 years and receive 15 lashes, George 8 years and 10 lashes. Theodore was captured after a gun duel with a police officer at St. George and Bloor Sts., immediately after the robbery. George was arrested in New York.  Theodore’s arm is seen still in the cast, a souvenir of a police bullet.

[AL: Theodore was convict #2984 at Kingston Penitentiary, and worked mostly in the blacksmith shop at the prison. His health was poor due to the injury to his arm, and he never received his lashes due to this health concern. He was deported in October 1938. George was #2983 and worked as a machinist in the quarry, servicing the stone crusher. He did receive his lashes. He was deported May 1938.  Both men were first timers, French Canadian immigrants to the United States, who had come to Canada in 1922. They had no criminal records, and they were good conduct prisoners inside - with only four reports between the two of them over 5 years in the penitentiary.]