#national book development board

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #14

Austin Butler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sofia Coppola are just some of the names in this edition of Your Week in Books Continue reading Your Week in Books #14

[thatboypeeju]

I ATTENDED MY FIRST PHILIPPINE BOOK FESTIVAL! 📚✨

This is probably one of the happiest I've been as of recent. Buhay na buhay ang literaturang Pilipino sa PBF 2024. Kung mayaman lang ako pinakyaw ko na mga paninda nila. Grabe! Ang sarap sarap mabuhay sa panahon na may laya tayong magbasa, matuto, at ipagdiwang ang sining ng pagsusulat, pagguhit at paglikha. Sana mas marami pang kababayan natin ang maabot ng mga pistang tulad nito.

Today, not only did I get to go on a friendly date with a good college friend of mine, but I also got to buy books and artworks from local writers and artists, attend seminars, watch shows, see fellow book club members, eat good food, document life as it happens, and just have some downtime from work to really live life. I needed this, and I'm glad I attended. This is what life should be about.

Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng taong nagtulong-tulong sa pag-organisa ng PBF 2024 at sa lahat ng publishers, manunulat, mangguguhit, at mga maliliit na taong bumubuo nito. You are doing an important work. 🌻

[shainnehost]

The Philippine Book Festival is happening this 2023!

The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines! Happening on June 2-4, 2023 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and on August 18-20, 2023 in SMX Davao. See you there!

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[magussanctorium-if]

The Magus Sanctorium. Pentagiim's elite and esteemed school for mages across the continent. Hard to get into with an advanced curriculum and hands-on experience, many would kill to be accepted into the fray. But behind shiny spells and gilded bookcases belies a lit powder keg of pent up tensions and small slights that threaten the whole continent with all out war. A single slip up will light the fuse, so be careful. And don't forget your 7 page essay is due next week!

The Magus Sanctorium is a highly ambitious WIP and new interactive CYOA pair of games. The focus is heavily on romance, relationships, and fantasy adventure with high-replayability value. It is inspired by JRPGs, RPGs, romance visual novels, any media with a magical boarding school, and Dungeons and Dragons, among others. It will lean more towards a story-based focus, but will have stat-based mechanics.

You play as a new transfer student, having transferred to The Magus Sanctorium after moving continents. Being homeschooled to suddenly thrust into an elite boarding school is a culture shock. As you go about going to classes and making friends, your schooling is abruptly upheaved as war breaks out across the continent. Which house you decided to join determines how the war will affect you and how you can help or hinder your former classmates or lovers.

Note: Because this is still a WIP, some names of characters or places may change during development.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #the magus sanctorium

Status: In Development (Writing Chapter 2)

Demo (1/2 of Chapter 1) || Character Introductions || House Introductions || FAQ || Ask Guidelines || Tag Navigation || World Lore || Current Anonymous Survey Form || Dev's Main Blog ||

Create and customize your character. Select their gender, pronouns, appearance, their proficiencies and deficits, and personality among others.

Choose between 5 different houses each with their own cast of characters. Each student is divided into houses by which nation they come from, not by arbitrary traits.

Decide how to build your stats by choosing which classes to attend and which skills to train in. Influence your house members to train or attend certain classes to boost group skills.

Romance any of the 15 romance options (5 male, 5 female, 5 nonbinary), or select any of the 10 poly routes instead. Choose for a softer romance by picking one of your house members or go for an angsty romance by romancing someone outside of your house.

Build your relationships with your classmates before you're turned against each other and get to know what makes them tick. It pays to have friends across house lines.

Explore and learn about a high fantasy world steeped in magic and years and years of conflict. Perhaps it takes an outsider's perspective to bring about peace...

Participate in a war and potentially reveal long kept secrets that could change the fate of Pentagiim.

Thalen Oakdane (they/them) - The proud and rigid Leader of the Fern Bears, the house from the Rasuaides Empire. They are strict with their rules.

Sumiel Tidewood (she/her) - The graceful and shy Leader of the Cobalt Snakes, the house from the Espersland Republic. She just wants the best for everyone.

Casithar Seedcloud (he/him) - The young but earnest Leader of the Maroon Rams, the house from the Iseadesh Alliance. He's trying his best.

Ariela Wyvernhair (she/her) - The prickly but well-meaning Leader of the Violet Foxes, the house from the Lupuv Caelait Territory. A rose wrapped in thorns.

Zanis Ironforce (he/him) - The charismatic and cunning Leader of the Sun Eagles, the house from the Quailax Kingdom. He is always 5 steps ahead.

Drelyth Hollymoon (she/her) - The vice-leader of the Fern Bears. She is kind and confident, always pushing herself to aim higher and higher.

Afthel Scalesun (they/them) - A member of the Cobalt Snakes. Quiet and introverted, they prefer the comfort of their books than that of their house members.

Anwyn Greenspear (he/him) - A member of the Maroon Rams. He is a known flirt and playboy, often earning him the ire of his house members.

Lamatri Glowillow (they/them) - The enigmatic and mysterious vice-leader of the Violet Foxes. You barely see them, but they seem to know everything about you.

Traki Goldreaver (they/them) - A member of the Sun Eagles. It's also their first year enrolling. Enthusiastic and energetic, but a work-in-progress.

Azaha Elmbasher (he/him) - A member of the Fern Bears. An idealistic and daydreamer artist who enjoys making life hard for his house leader.

Rumik Gullcaller (he/him) - A member of the Cobalt Snakes. Sumiel's childhood friend, he is protective and intimidating often scaring away most classmates.

Daeri Silkdream (she/her) - A member of the Maroon Rams. A bit ditzy and arrogant, her exaggerated personality belies her true strength.

Saevain Sageblossom (she/her) - A member of the Violet Foxes. Stuck-up and arrogant, she has a family legacy to fulfill as a Prime Magus. But is that what she wants?

Cyian Stonepelt (they/them) - The vice-leader of the Sun Eagles. Gloomy and apathetic, they'd much rather be doing anything else but this.

Poly Romance Options: Thalen & Azaha, Sumiel & Rumik, Casithar & Daeri, Ariela & Saevain, Zanis & Cyian, Drelyth & Saevain, Afthel & Traki, Daeri & Afthel, Ariela & Casithar, Traki & Drelyth

[luimnigh]

What is your Hogwarts house?

It is typical of the specific brand of British arrogance to assume that the entire nation of Ireland would be perfectly fine with sending all their children to a British boarding school.

Even before the stunning ignorant worldbuilding of there only being eleven schools to cover the entire planet introduced after the books had ended, it betrayed a very British lack of understanding of the world at large.

To put it simply, if I were living in the fantasy world of Queen TERF, and I mean the one with wizards and not the one she's developed to try and justify her bigotry, I would not have attended fuckin' Hogwarts.

[songoftrillium]

I haven't said much about world building lately, but I've been pretty busy doing history development.

On Hidden Histories and the Pursuit of Questions

I've been world building for a while now, with my first experiments in expansive works starting on long-gone text-based boards, I find that with every world build (and particularly for Dead Mountain where I have to show my notes), I've had to develop new skills in order to do the subject-matter any justice.

I remember history being my least favorite topic in school, but it wouldn't be until much later in life I'd find my main problem is the education system far more than the history itself. By the time I started this project however, I developed a love of research somewhere along the way.

There is a saying that history is written by the victors, but I think that there are histories that exist in between those lines. Wars and conflicts never really end on a street level, and instead they melt from one season and event to the next. Approaching Dead Mountain would be the first time I've tried to learn about Native American history in a format that wasn't offered in a school text book, and I was struck by a number of things. Among which is an ultimate goal to learn what the different nations called and associated with different places.

There's a big push in this state to decolonize by letting go of the colonist names for places, and that doing so helps to shift the perspective of the reader's understanding of a location's grounding by inherently getting a sense of who named it, and why it has that name.

a big starting point for this game; renaming locations to ones that would most closely align with people that predate colonization by using the names given these places by the Nations that came beforehand. This is also unfortunately one of the hardest problems I've faced too.

[empirearchives]

Napoleon and Nicolas Appert: The invention of canned food

“Although he [Napoleon] continued so far as possible the Revolutionary practice of having armies live off the land, he also did his best to develop an efficient commissariat. A famous part of his supply system was canned food, particularly meat, for the army. Nicholas Appert had started the food-canning industry in 1804, building a factory that employed fifty people. His method prescribed putting the food in glass jars, which were next carefully stoppered, and then cooked in boiling water for lengths of time varying with the type of food. The navy first used the canned food, with great success even on extended cruises. In 1810 the Minister of the Interior awarded Appert 12,000 francs on condition he make his process public.”

— Robert B. Holtman, The Napoleonic Revolution

The inventor of canning, Appert, deposited samples of his invention to the imperial government in 1809, specifically to the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry [Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale].

He published his findings in 1810, titled: Le livre de tous les ménages ou l'art de conserver pendant plusieurs années toutes les substances animales et végétales [English tr: The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances For Several Years]. It was “a work published by the order of the French Minister of the Interior, on the report of the Board of Arts and Manufactures”.

For his discovery, the government paid him 12,000 francs and gave him free lodgings and a workshop in the Hospice des Quinze-Vingts. Every prefecture in the French Empire was supplied with a copy of his book, and the prefects were assigned the responsibility of disseminating the information widely. Two more editions were created under the empire, and another in 1831.

His factories were ransacked and destroyed during the invasions of France in 1814 and again in 1815. He was able to rebuild and won several gold medals from the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry and eventually became a member of the Society.

Appert is quoted as saying “I sacrificed everything for humanity, all my life”.

Additional Sources:

English translation of Appert’s 1810 publication

Nicolas Appert inventeur et humaniste, Jean-Paul Barbier, 1994 (Fondation Napoléon)

Collection A. Carême: Le conservateur 1842 (archive.org)

Defining Culinary Authority: The Transformation of Cooking in France, 1650-1830 by Jennifer J. Davis

[loola-a]

@fe-oc-week day 1 - introductions !

this is my best friend forever, florence von giselle !

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Birthday: 13th December

Fódlan birthday: 13th of the Ethereal Moon; Imperial Year 1161

Age: 18-19

Relatives: Mylan Von Giselle (Father)

Celeste Von Giselle (Mother)

Nationality: Adrestian Empire (Exiled)

Hometown: Dukedom of Giselle, which has since been merged with Hrym territory.

Residence: Garreg Mach Monastery

Factions: Ivory Swans

Occupations: Heir of House Giselle

Personal Ability: Ghostly Seance - Once per game + if unit is at max HP, able to revive any 1 fallen ally. [This only works if the revived unit fell during that specific battle, and the unit will also go back to being dead once the battle ends!]

Early Life:

Florence is the only child and heir to House Giselle. She’s childhood friends with Lindhardt, Bernadetta and Lysithea.

In 1167 during the Insurrection of the Seven, House Giselle along with House Hrym tried to secede from the Empire and join the Leicester Alliance. Working with the neighbouring House Ordelia, Hrym and Giselle raised an insurrection, but the Empire swiftly suppressed it. In retaliation for the uprising, Hrym’s main genetic line was eradicated. Four years later, House Giselle was found to have also colluded with Ordeila and Hyrm and were exiled from the Adrestrian Empire. Her family secretly relocated to Ordelia territory.

House Giselle is not noted as one of the seven involved in the Insurrection of the Seven as, after their exiling, all records of the House were destroyed.

Two years later, she developed an illness that took the life of her mother and left Florence bedridden for several years. While she eventually regained mobility, her legs remain very weak.

Personality:

Hating battles and loving peace and quiet, Florence does her best to avoid the harsh realities of the world, often idling about in escapist activities such as reading, composing or looking for ghosts. Her interest in seances and the occult stemming from the loss of her mother at a young age, and her desire to talk to her once more.

Despite being the heir to House Giselle, Florence has little love for her House, as it has lost all political and social standing due to their role in the Insurrection of the Seven. She often expresses guilt and remorse for her fathers actions, believing that the exiling of her House was the catalyst for all of her grievances in life. Due to her house being banished from the Empire and forced into hiding, not only was she separated from her home and her friends, but they were also unable to treat the sickness that took her mother’s life and left her bedridden for many years. In fact, in a majority of her endings, she abandons her claim to House Giselle altogether. Good for her!!

Lost Items:

A Planchette: A pointer made for a board used to contact ghosts. It probably belongs to someone who enjoys the occult.

Late Return Notice: A request letter from the library asking for a late book to be returned. It probably,y belongs to someone who frequents the library.

A Piece of Unfinished Music: An unfinished sheet of music. It probably belongs to someone who enjoys composing.

Quotes:

Choir Practice: “Hmm… I wonder if I could incorporate this melody into- Oh. My apologies, Professor.”

Cooking: “I’m quite useless at cooking, my mother always used to say I could burn an empty pan,”

Counsellor:

“Whenever I try to talk to someone about ghosts, they get scared and run away. I don’t mean to scare anyone, I just want to talk about my interests.”

“There’s a restricted section of the library that has all the interesting books locked away. How would I gain access to them without being expelled?”

“It’s my fathers fault that our House fell into ruin. I have no desire to inherit a House so wrought with disappointment and betrayal.” (war phase)

Dining Hall:

Favourite dish: “I haven’t eaten this since I was a child, how lovely.”

Neutral dish: “I usually just bring my food back to the library with me…”

Disliked dish: “I think I left something… somewhere. I should go.”

With Edelgard:

(Before C Support)

Edelgard: How are you liking your food, Florence?

Florence: It’s… fine. I’m sorry, I think I hear someone calling for me.

(After C Support)

Edelgard: Florence, I hear that you like to compose music! You must show me your work some time

Florence: I suppose I could…

With Jeritza:

Jeritza: …

Florence: …

Recruitment:

Requirements not met: “Sorry Professor, I have some books that I have to return to the library urgently. If I’m late again they might ban me.”

Requirements met: “Professor, I have a request…”

Accept: “Wonderful. I have heard your classroom is haunted. Is that true?”

Decline: “Oh. alright then…”

Gift:

Favourite: “For me? Are you sure?”

Neutral: “This is nice”

Disliked: “Oh… alright.”

Lost Item:

Not theirs: “That’s not mine. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep looking.”

Theirs: “Oh, you found it! I wondered where it had gotten to.”

Tea Party:

General: “Next time you should come to one of my seances. You can still bring the tea if you like.”

Favourite Tea: “Ah, this smell reminds me of being a child,”

Favourite Teas: Angelica Tea, Crescent-Moon Tea, Lavender Blend, Mint Leaves

Introducing own topic:

“I once spoke with a ghost who sounded a lot like you, Professor.”

“While I enjoy composing, I’m not a fan of singing or dancing myself. I’ll leave all that to the professionals.”

“You don’t get scared when I talk about ghosts, that’s what makes you different from the others around here.”

“Staying in the library past curfew wouldn’t get me in trouble, would it?”

“The things you might have heard about my House, I would prefer if you forgot all of it. People like to exaggerate…”

“Have you ever seen a ghost, Professor?”

Observe:

*humming* “Hm? Oh, it’s just… a song I’m working on.”

“Please don’t stare at me,”

End: “I had fun, thank you very much. I hope you invite me again soon.”

this ended up ridiculously long so if u made it this far tysm i love you

[ilaw-at-panitik]

The Finalists of the 41st National Book Awards

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) announce the finalists of the 41st National Book Awards, an annual prize honoring the most outstanding book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines.

For this cycle of the National Book Awards, a total of 235 titles were submitted across 34 categories consisting of 7 languages: Filipino, English, Bikol, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Tausug, and Waray. Following the awarding of winners during the 40th cycle in May 2023, the 41st iteration of the awards is slated to take place in February 2024.

See the full list here.

[lboogie1906]

Léon Damas (March 28, 1912 - April 22, 1978) was a poet, editor, diplomat, and cultural theorist who was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. He was the youngest of five children born to parents Ernest and Marie Aline Damas.

He left French Guiana to attend the prestigious Lycée Victor-Schœlcher. He attended the University of Paris. His scholarship was for the study of law, he developed an interest in the humanities and social sciences. Influenced by Andre Breton’s anti-colonial pamphlet Légitime Défense, by his encounters with the work of Harlem Renaissance poets like Claude McKay and Langston Hughes, and by the growing community of US Black expatriate writers and artists, he began to assert his identity as a poète Nègre.

He and Aimé Césaire met Léopold Sédar Senghor. The three founded the journal L’Étudiant Noir, called Négritude.

He was the first Black writer to address the impact of colonization on the psyche of the colonized. He introduced this colonial and postcolonial condition more than 20 years before philosopher Frantz Fanon would label such traits “the colonized personality”.

He was the author of nine other volumes, including five additional books of poetry, three essay collections, and one book of short stories. In addition to a writing career that spanned 40 years, he held several prominent and influential positions in military, diplomatic, and government organizations. He served in the French army during WWII. He was elected to the Chambre des Députés of the French National Assembly. He became the overseas editor for Radio France, a contributing editor on the board of the journal Presence Africaine, and a representative of the African Society of Culture for the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

He traveled extensively in Africa, Latin America, the US, and the Caribbean. He settled in DC, where he accepted a visiting professorship at Georgetown University. He was offered a permanent position at Howard University, where he remained on the faculty until his death. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #16

Another week, another roundup of book news! Carla de Guzman, Christopher Nolan, and Komiket in Taiwan in this week’s edition! Continue reading Your Week in Books #16

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

#20yrsago HOWTO break Google Print DRM https://web.archive.org/web/20041011120549/http://vitanuova.loyalty.org/weblog/nb.cgi/view/vitanuova/2004/10/07/2

#15yrsago Japanese court overturns Winny ruling, says file-sharing software is legal even if used for infringement https://web.archive.org/web/20091009232138/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20091008p2a00m0na016000c.html

#15yrsago Robert E Howard collection, HEROES IN THE WIND: revisit your heroic past https://memex.craphound.com/2009/10/08/robert-e-howard-collection-heroes-in-the-wind-revisit-your-heroic-past/

#10yrsago Sore losers: How casinos went after two guys who found a video poker bug https://www.wired.com/2014/10/cheating-video-poker/

#10yrsago Fixing the unfixable USB bug https://www.wired.com/2014/10/unpatchable-usb-malware-now-patchsort/

#10yrsago 20 meaningful things you can do about climate change http://thischangeseverything.org/twenty-things-you-can-do-to-address-the-climate-crisis/

#10yrsago 10% of Americans have 10 or more alcoholic drinks every day https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/

#10yrsago $35 Firefox OS smartphone – back to the drawing board https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/testing-a-35-firefox-os-phone-how-bad-could-it-be/

#5yrsago For the first time ever, taxes on the 400 richest Americans were lower than taxes on everyone else https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/06/opinion/income-tax-rate-wealthy.html

#5yrsago Supreme Court greenlights lawsuit over Amazon’s wage-theft from warehouse workers https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-amazon-com/u-s-supreme-court-rejects-amazon-warehouse-worker-wage-appeal-idUSKBN1WM1FI/

#5yrsago Bernie Blindness: a subreddit for noting the way press narratives ignore or smear Bernie Sanders https://www.reddit.com/r/bernieblindness/top/

#5yrsago Checkm8: an “unstoppable” Iphone jailbreaking crack https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/developer-of-checkm8-explains-why-idevice-jailbreak-exploit-is-a-game-changer/

#5yrsago After an injunction against Pacifica radio, New York’s WBAI is back on the air https://twitter.com/2600/status/1181423565389942786

#5yrsago How the “Varsity Blues” admissions scam punished deserving, hard working kids so that mediocre kids of the super-rich could prosper https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/08/how-the-varsity-blues-admissions-scam-punished-deserving-hard-working-kids-so-that-mediocre-kids-of-the-super-rich-could-prosper/

#5yrsago Facebook’s 2016 election billboards: Buy all your elections with us! https://twitter.com/MarietjeSchaake/status/1180166896294887424

#5yrsago Podcast: Why do people believe the Earth is flat? https://ia601006.us.archive.org/35/items/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_311/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_311_-_Why_do_people_believe_the_Earth_is_flat.mp3

#5yrsago The cloud vs humanity: Adobe terminates every software license in Venezuela, keeps Venezuelans’ money https://helpx.adobe.com/la/x-productkb/policy-pricing/executive-order-venezuela.html

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

[antaxzantax]

(1/2) You know who Alfred reminds me of? Brigadier General John Nicholson. You probably heard of him. He worked for the East India Trading Company and was so bad, even they thought him excessive. He helped suppress various Indian rebellions, was a brutal colonialist bully, and even supposedly had a cult that worshipped him.

These characters have in common that they attended British boarding schools and were then sent to the British colonies. This is relevant because British boarding schools are holes of physical and emotional violence from which all kinds of monsters emerge.

There is a recent book that details just that: Sad Little Men: Private Schools and the Ruin of England by Richard Beard. The book is summarized as: “A furious denunciation of the private boarding school system which produces damaged men prone to dissembling, hypocrisy, snobbery - and a blind belief in their right to run the country.”

In the chapters in which Alfred goes to school I have attempted an interpretation of this experience to recreate a fundamental part of the life and formation of global elites. Basically, these are boarding schools where children between the ages of 13 and 18 are institutionalized to be indoctrinated into English nationalism, ultra-conservatism and the status quo. In Alfred's case, it would also be Scottish nationalism, Catholicism and imperialism.

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that Alfred developed a strong preference with sadism.

[usafphantom2]

The story of the U-2 that took off from USS Ranger aircraft carrier and spied over French Polynesian nuclear test site at Mururoa atoll

Project Whale Tale and the U-2G

In the 1960s, U-2s could not reach certain remote targets because political difficulties prevented basing the aircraft in some foreign nations. The CIA and US Navy, therefore, studied the idea of launching U-2s from aircraft carriers.

Project Whale Tale fitted a few U-2s with arresting hooks at the rear of the fuselage. The hooks would snag cables strung across aircraft carrier decks and “capture” aircraft, bringing them to a quick stop.

To withstand rough carrier landings, Project Whale Tale U-2s were given stronger landing gear, and also wing spoilers to overcome the U-2’s tendency to glide instead of landing on the carrier deck. Aircraft thus modified were designated U-2G.

The first U-2 takeoff from a carrier took place on Aug. 5, 1963, from the USS Kitty Hawk, off San Diego, Calif. The first U-2 carrier landing occurred on March 2, 1964, aboard the USS Ranger.

The only operational use of the U-2 aircraft carrier operation concept

As told by Kevin Wright in his book We Were Never There Volume 2: CIA U-2 Asia and Worldwide Operations 1957-1974, little more than two months later in May 1964, the US Navy and the CIA conducted the only operational use of the U-2 carrier operation concept under the unclassified code name Fish Hawk.

U-2

Det H commander Colonel William Gregory, was on board USS Ranger for the voyage, having selected personnel and much of the required equipment for the mission. The U-2s had quietly flown to Hickham AFB, Hawaii. Then the two U-2Gs (Art 348 and 362) flew out to join USS Ranger, piloted by Jim Barnes and Buster Edens. Arriving from Hawaii the two flew approaches and trapped landings onto USS Ranger to renew their carrier qualification. Their aircraft were equipped with the newly delivered 112B/Delta II and B cameras.

The aircraft had made radio silent arrival onto USS Ranger in an attempt to hide the operation. Even on the carrier, the two U-2s were kept in a secure area protected by Marines. Representatives from Eastman Kodak and NPIC were on board Ranger to process and assess the tracker camera imagery. The main mission film was to be returned to San Diego by A-3B Skywarrior as soon practicable.

The French Polynesian nuclear test site at Mururoa atoll

Their target was the newly constructed Polynesian nuclear test facility at Mururoa atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago. The French switched to the south Pacific after abandoning their original nuclear test site in Algeria.

The unknown story of the U-2 aircraft that took off from USS Ranger carrier and spied over French Polynesian nuclear test site at Mururoa atoll

U-2G N808X Carrier touchdown on Feb. 29, 1964. Modifications included fitting tail hook and nose bumper in case the aircraft nosed down on the deck after catching a wire.

US intelligence development agencies monitored the development of the French weapons programme. Following an announcement that Prime Minister Georges Pompidou would visit the site in July 1964, the CIA seized the opportunity to photograph the new facilities in the period before nuclear tests began.

The mission plan called for a single sortie, with the new 112B camera, and a small ELINT payload, with two backup flights in case of weather or technical issues. As USS Ranger approached 800 miles from the archipelago the aircraft was readied for the first flight. Two missions were planned. W224A flown by James Barnes on May 19, 1964 with Colonel Gregory recording W224A’s departure at precisely 0700L.

U-2 missions over French Polynesian nuclear test site

Ranger’s radar soon lost contact with him as Barnes climbed to 68,000ft. His task was to cover the primary objective on Mururoa, and several secondary targets, mostly other atolls including Hoa which became an advanced support base. No opposition was expected as Barnes broke the usual cardinal rule of aerial opposition photo-reconnaissance and passed over the main target area twice. He flew over other atolls before imaging the settlement at Papeete, then turned north-eastwards to rendezvous with USS Ranger. He began his let down 100 miles before reaching the carrier and landed straight on.

print

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. U-2S Dragon Lady “Senior Span”, 9th RW, 99th RS, 80-329

The second mission, W234A, a repeat of the first, was flown on May 22 by Buster Edens. There had been significant cloud over some of the first mission’s target areas, but by combining both days imagery coverage of all the primary and secondary target areas was achieved.

After the completion of operations, USS Ranger headed to San Francisco. The U-2s departed as they arrived within range of land to touch down at NAS Almeda, then flying on to Edwards AFB.

U-2 crash during aircraft carrier landing practice

On Apr. 26, 1965 veteran CIA pilot Buster Edens died when his U-2G crashed at Edwards AFB. He was due to carry out carrier landing practice on the simulated deck constructed there. On his first approach, he was told to cut power and extend spoilers by the LSO. On touchdown, his left wing touched the runway and dragged along it for some 50ft. Edens applied power and got airborne again and was told to gain altitude and check his aircraft. Just two miles from the control tower he appeared to enter a low-level spin and hit the ground.

We Were Never There Volume 2: CIA U-2 Asia and Worldwide Operations 1957-1974, is published by Helion & Company and is available to order here.

The unknown story of the U-2 aircraft that took off from USS Ranger carrier and spied over French Polynesian nuclear test site at Mururoa atoll

U-2G N315X being moved above deck on USS Kitty Hawk.

Photo credit: CIA, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

@Habubrats71 via X

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Robert Tracinski at The UnPopulist:

Project 2025 is a governing blueprint prepared by the Heritage Foundation, one of the right’s most prominent intellectual organs, to ensure that an incoming Trump administration can count on personnel unshakably loyal to Trump to execute an agenda that fully reflects MAGA priorities. For much of the year, Project 2025 has been a controversial campaign issue: The Biden and then Harris campaigns tried to tie Trump to this unpopular and vaguely sinister-sounding plan, while the former president repeatedly tried to disavow all knowledge. Elon Musk, who is now Trump’s second-biggest financial donor, even suggested earlier this week that “Project 2025 is just QAnon for lefties,” implying that concerns over Project 2025 are equivalent to the far-right conspiracy theory that a network of Satanist cannibal pedophiles is behind opposition to Trump.

Yet the origins of Project 2025 are all out in the open. At a Heritage Foundation dinner in April 2022, Donald Trump acknowledged the crucial role that the conservative organization would be expected to play in the years that followed: “The critical job of institutions such as Heritage is to lay the groundwork, and Heritage does such an incredible job of that. ... [T]hey’re going to ... detail plans for exactly what our movement will do ... when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.” A year later, Heritage did just that when it published its 900-page policy document outlining a vision for a second Trump presidency. “Large portions” of that document, according to a New York Times analysis published last week, “were written by longtime Trump loyalists who were advisers to Mr. Trump during his first term.” And the connections between MAGA and Heritage go well beyond Project 2025’s origins: Trump’s pick for vice president, JD Vance, has written the foreword for Heritage President—and Project 2025’s architect—Kevin Roberts’ forthcoming book on “taking back Washington to save America.” To understand this connection, let’s establish some context.

An Administration in Exile

Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that he was prevented from doing what he really wanted in his first term. He blames the “deep state” of entrenched lower-level bureaucrats, but it was also the “shallow state”—his own direct appointees, including aides and cabinet officers—who watered down, slow-walked, and sometimes overtly resisted Trump’s urges, usually out of moral or legal concerns. For example, when Trump tried to shake down a foreign leader for political favors, he was ratted out by non-political members of the national security services who understood their loyalty to be to the United States, not to Trump personally. This led to his first impeachment.

Trump and his supporters complained bitterly about this “disloyalty” and insisted that the president should have unlimited ability to set the U.S. government’s agenda for whatever personal reason of his own. In effect, they felt he should be an elected autocrat. Russell Vought, Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget and a key figure in the development of Project 2025, summed up the problem: “We had people, appointees, that were not on board with the president’s viewpoint. ... I don’t think that will be the occurrence again.” Heritage set out to make sure the next administration would be staffed only by loyalists. In fact, this is precisely what big DC think tanks like the Heritage Foundation exist to do. They provide an administration in waiting, where political appointees in the executive branch—secretaries and under-secretaries and deputy under-secretaries—can find a refuge in exile, so to speak, while the other party is in power. Then, when it’s the incoming administration’s turn to govern, these institutions serve up a ready reserve of political appointees.

Heritage did unusually well in 2017 at placing their people within the Trump administration, and they have since adopted the goal of “institutionalizing Trumpism.”

[...]

A Punitive Agenda

What is that agenda? The sheer breadth of Heritage’s 900-page document detailing Project 2025 is possibly its best protection, since it allows Heritage’s Kevin Roberts to talk about it in vague generalities that make it sound eminently reasonable, knowing that it’s unlikely the average person will ever read any of it for himself. But the substance of Project 2025 is more insidious than has been widely reported.

[...] Let’s stipulate that even if this is Trump’s blueprint, he may not be able to implement all of it, particularly given his mercurial style of leadership. But in this regard, personnel is policy in another sense: Trump is likely to rely on Heritage people for the day-to-day running of his administration, and they will keep pursuing this agenda even when his attention wanders—because they see increasing Trump’s power as a way to increase their power. The specific abuses of government power envisioned in Project 2025 are less important than this attempt to stack the federal bureaucracy with pliant loyalists. Trump once publicly praised Heritage for the role he expected it to play in paving the way for a future Trump administration free from the constraints imposed by personnel loyal first and foremost to the Constitution. Project 2025 was instead designed to achieve Trump’s goal of making the entire apparatus of the U.S. government responsive to his personal whims. Many Trump supporters argue—conveniently forgetting small matters like Covid and Jan. 6—that his first administration was not a disaster despite all the dire warnings. To the extent that his first administration was not worse, it is because he was largely stymied in imposing his will by men of conscience. A study of how the “shallow state” of first-term Trump appointees blunted his worst urges lists one of their main motives: “appointees saw themselves as constitutional guardians or the ‘adults in the room’ who could protect the country from Trump's potentially unwise or illegal directives.” Project 2025 is an attempt to ensure there will be no such “constitutional guardians” the next time.

The regressive Project 2025 agenda from Heritage will guide a 2nd Donald Trump term, even though Trump has claimed to “disavow” it.