#operation: first noel

[leaawrites]

Pretty Little Liar

Noel Gallagher x fem!actress!reader

Summary: in which, a picture makes insecurities rise from the depth.

Warnings: age gap, fluff, bit of angst

Wordcount: 0.8k

Part 2, Masterlist

“And what about this picture?”

Her co-star shifted over the photo, which had been all over the news for the last two weeks, of her and Noel Gallagher leaving a restaurant almost at the same time. Walking closely behind the other. They climbed into the same car as well, though the press didn’t catch that moment.

Feeling her pulse quicken, she hoped the lie-detector wasn’t catching up. It was good publicity, her management told her as they proposed the idea of them going out and being seen for the first time since they started seeing each other.

“Just having dinner with a music legend,” she answered, looking calmly down at the picture while pinching her skin to stop her face from heating up and her heartbeat from racing in fear and the feeling of love she felt every time she saw him. “Nothing romantically.”

What a fucking liar she was.

“She’s telling the truth,” the woman operating the machine said, making Y/n visibly relax into her seat again.

Her shoulders relaxing and a deep breath falling out of her mouth, escaping her lings where it was previously held hostage.

“That’s right, haters. Nothing going on between them, stop saying nasty shit now.” Y/n laughed gratefully as her co-star looked straight at the camera, with a serious tone and a death stare on his face.

The publicity was good, though it wasn’t exactly one that could be controlled. The moment the picture was released, people started commenting on everything. The age difference, the problematic of it all and, of course, on it being nothing more than a make pretend and that she was only after him for the fame.

If only they knew.

Slumping down on the sofa in London two weeks later, after the press tour was finally over and the video released, the comments stopped flooding in at a mass. They were still there sometimes, but nothing too serious.

“I can’t believe they believed you that,” Noel called from the kitchen, the video still playing on his phone as he was preparing tea for the two of them.

“What can I say? I’m just such an amazing actress,” Y/n said, smirking as she heard his laughter echo from the other room.

His feet gently padding on the floor as he walked over to her again, two cups in his hands. Putting them down on the table, he leaned over to her, pressing his lips on her forehead before moving down. Travelling over her cheek, over her jaw and neck until they finally landed on her lips.

Pulling her closer with his hand on her cheek, he could feel the smile spreading on her face from the familiar contact she craved for too long now. The hasted goodbye or good morning pecks weren’t enough for either, both feeling more contempt with the slow, raw emotions lingering between their lips.

“I missed you so much, darling,” Noel whispered, his lips still close to hers, but leaving space to breath.

“I missed you too,” she answered, her hand moving through his hair.

She knew this was problematic and nothing she saw herself being tangled in two years prior, but it happened and nothing could make her regret it. Noel was sweet and gentle, he was funny, making her feel secure in a world so cruel and unpredictable.

He made her feel loved.

Watching him closely, she saw the familiar look of awareness flash through his pupils, though now it seemed threatening. Like the realisation that with every calm there would be a storm following.

“What is it?” She asked, hooking her leg around his waist and moving him closer towards her.

His lips falling on her collarbone before answering hesitantly, “If you ever wanna stop I won’t blame you.”

His words made her eyes open wide in shock, though before she could answer, Noel continued speaking. “I know this isn’t exactly what you expected it to become after that party and I understand if you find someone else. Someone your age.”

“Noel,” she warned him to stop speaking.

“I know that you deserve better.”

“No,” she said, putting her hands on either side of his face and moving his head up for him to look at her directly. His eyes holding emotions as deep as oceans. “I want you, okay? I decided that this would be alright and that we would happen, you were the one wanting to distance yourself at the beginning and now you’re doing it again, why?”

“The people-”

“The people? That’s all you’re worried about? You, fucking Noel Gallagher, who doesn’t give a fuck about anyone’s opinion is fearing someone else’s opinion all of a sudden?” It felt like she laughed right at him, laughing in his face out of shock at his stupidity.

“This isn’t about me, alright? This is about you. If this comes out, your name will be all over every headline and I know how much stuff like this can pull you down. I don’t do this out of selfishness, I do this because I love you.”

Rolling her eyes, she threw her head back in annoyance at his words. “God, I love you too, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m telling you to stop being so stupid and just let things go their way. We can’t change how they perceive this, but I know that I can handle anything as long as you’re there, alright?” She asked, watching him nod his head before he sat down next her and pulled her into his chest now.

[ciceroprofacto]

SOA supplementals

Primary Sources / Letters

Papers of George Washington RevWar Series volume 11 (all)

The Army Correspondence of Colonel John Laurens in the Years 1777-1778 compiled by William Gilmore Simms (p.145-162)

The Papers of Henry Laurens volume 13 (p.33-140)

The Political Writings of Alexander Hamilton by Holloway and Wilson (p.7-117)

Backstory / additional context

The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch (all)

The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution by Benjamin Carp (all)

Kidnapping the Enemy by Christian M. McBurney (all)

Strategy, Politics, Staff

Fatal Sunday by Lender and Stone (p.xi-122)

Washington's Secret War by Thomas Fleming (all: p.223-244)

To Starve the Army at Pleasure by E. Wayne Carp (various)

The Valley Forge Winter by Wayne Bodle (all: p.163-220)

George Washington's Indispensable Men by Arthur Leftkowitz (p.15, 45-157)

John Laurens and the American Revolution by Gregory Massey (p.86-106)

Washington's General: Nathaniel Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution by Terry Galloway (p.165-171)

Wives / Women of the Army

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts (various)

The General & Mrs Washington by Bruce Chadwick (p.209-222)

Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady (p.118-126)

Caty: A Biography of Catherine Littlefield Greene by John & Janet Stegeman (p.48-59)

Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fenn (p.98-103)

Spies

Revolutionary Spies Intelligence and Espionage in America's First War by Tim McNeese (p.99-209)

General Washington's Spies on Long Island and in New York by Morton Pennypacker (p.1-119)

Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose (all)

Spies in the Continental Capital by John Nagy (all)

George Washington's Secret Spy War: The Making of America's First Spymaster by John Nagy (all)

Allies / foreign officers / special forces

Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution by Joe Richard Paul (all)

Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations by Craig Nelson (p.99-145)

Special Operations During the American Revolution by Robert Tonsetic (p.7-149)

Light Horse Harry: A Biography of Washington's Great Cavalryman by Noel B. Gerson (p.1-60)

John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy by Evan Thomas (p.97-133)

The Admiral and the Ambassador by Scott Martelle (p.49-54)

Tadeusz Kościuszko and Casimir Pulaski: The Lives of the Revolutionary War's Most Famous Polish Officers by Charles River Editors (Pulaski section)

Pulaski: A Portrait of Freedom by R.D. Jamro (p.85-99)

Steuben / Drill

The Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart (p.105-113)

The Life of Von Steuben by Frederich Kapp (p.120-136)

Baron Von Steuben's Revolutionary Drill Manual: A Facsimile Reprint of the 1794 Edition (all)

Lafayette

For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette and Their Revolutions by James R. Gaines (p.98-106)

Adopted Son by David Clary (p.154-179)

Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger (p.65-71)

The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio (p.59-64)

[usafphantom2]

50 years ago today.

On Sep. 1, 1974, Maj. James V. Sullivan and Maj. Noel Widdifield set a new world speed record from New York to London, as our friend Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) on her Facebook Page Habubrats. It took less than two hours.

This mission might’ve been the ‘gateway plan’ to have SR-71 stationed in England. The United States was fortunate to be able to house two SR-71s at RAF Mildenhall years later. This was a huge help to have SR-71 in Europe [SR-71 Reconnaissance Operations at RAF Mildenhall was from April 1976 to 1990. Prior to Det 4 being established, UK permission was required for each sortie flown. According to the SR-71 Blackbirds website, the SR-71’s stay would be no longer than 20 days for each visit.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that Det 4 would be a permanent SR-71 Detachment with two aircraft assigned. The UK remained in control of the more sensitive missions. The two aircraft Detachments ceased operations on Nov. 22, 1989. The last aircraft departed the UK on Jan. 18, 1990.

The US Government has given the United Kingdom an SR-71 #962 for public display at Duxford Imperial War Museum for its contribution to ending the Cold War.]. Blackbirds based at Mildenhall could fly around the Baltic Sea and take pictures of potential targets in the Soviet Union using their side-looking cameras [without crossing the Soviet border].

On September 1, 1974 Major James V. Sullivan, 37 (pilot) and Noel F. Widdifield, 33 (reconnaissance systems officer) flashed across the starting line (radar gates in New York) at approximately 80,000 feet and speed in excess of 2,000 miles per hour. Exactly 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds later, they had set a new world speed record from New York to London England.

The average speed was 1,807 statute mph over the 3,461 statute mile course, slowing to refuel one time from a specially modified KC-135 refueling tanker. The aircraft was placed on static display at Farnborough Air Show for 1 week. It marked the first time the secret plane had been on public display outside of the United States. ”Kelly” Johnson, the aircraft designer, was on hand for the event. He remarked, “It (the SR-71) has exceeded all my expectations.”

Another historic speed record was set on the return trip to the United States. Captain Harold B. Adams, 31 (pilot), and Major William Machorek, 32 (reconnaissance systems operator), set a speed record from London to Los Angeles. They returned the Blackbird 5,447 statute miles in 3 hours 47 minutes and 39 seconds for an average speed of 1,435 miles per hour. The difference in the two speed records was due to refueling requirements and having to slow over major US cities.’

Even so a large number of people in Los Angeles reported broken windows due to the sonic boom. One of those people was actress, Zaza’s Gabor, who complained bitterly about her broken windows. To appease her Captain Adams and Major Machorek went to Zazas Home to apologize. They brought their wives with them. Zaza only allowed the SR-71 Crew to come into her home! The wives had to sit in the car. Very bad manners on the movie stars part.

The trip from New York to London 50 years ago became a beautiful friendship between allies, the United States and Great Britain .

We both worked hard to win the Cold War.

This article was originally in the aviationgeek club written by Linda Sheffield. published by Dario Leone

Artwork by Force Graham

@Habubrats71 via X

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Fairyland by Catherynne Valente

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

Beyonders by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."

Jonah, Chip, and Jonah's sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere - and people who seem to appear and disappear at will. The kids discover they are caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different things for Jonah and Chip's lives.

Do Jonah and Chip have any choice in the matter? And what should they choose when both alternatives are horrifying?

The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Pongo and Missis had a lovely life. With their human owners, the Dearlys, to look after them, they lived in a comfortable home in London with their 15 adorable Dalmatian puppies, loved and admired by all. Especially the Dearlys' neighbor Cruella de Vil, a fur-fancying fashion plate with designs on the Dalmatians' spotted coats! So, when the puppies are stolen from the Dearly home, and even Scotland Yard is unable to find them, Pongo and Missis know they must take matters into their own paws!

Tales of Magic by Edward Eager

Four children wish on a Half Magic coin that gets their mother Alison half-way home, rescued by Mr Smith. Mark's wish zaps them to a desert without island, where half-talking cat Carrie gabbles to a camel. Romantic Katherine battles Launcelot. Eldest Jane rejects siblings for another family. Stubborn youngest, Martha, causes a riot downtown.

Bambi by Felix Salten

Bambi's life in the woods begins happily. There are forest animals to play with -- Friend Hare, the chattery squirrel, the noisy screech owl, and Bambi's twin cousins, frail Gobo and beautiful Faline.

But winter comes, and Bambi learns that the woods hold danger -- and things he doesn't understand. The first snowfall makes food hard to find. Bambi's father, a handsome stag, roams the forest, but leaves Bambi and his mother alone.

Then there is Man. He comes to the forest with weapons that can wound an animal. He does terrible things to Gobo, to Bambi's mother, and even to Bambi. But He can't keep Bambi from growing into a handsome stag himself, and becoming...the Prince of the Forest.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

Pauline, Petrova and Posy are orphans determined to help out their family by attending the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. But when they vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea it's going to be such hard work! They launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the spotlight, and practice, practice, practice! Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. But practical Petrova finds she'd rather pilot a plane than perform a pirouette. Each girl must find the courage to follow her dream.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Rebecca’s father had died three years before and the family farm had become heavily indebted. In order to ease the burden on her widowed mother, Rebecca is sent to live with her lonely aunts at their farm and there she spends the next seven years till she becomes an adult. Rebecca brings her youthful enthusiasm and imagination to their quiet life and often clashes with her stern Aunt Miranda. Yet, Rebecca finds love and acceptance with her Aunt Jane and she grows up to be a proper and intelligent young lady who never loses her sunny outlook and kind heart.

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Being a princess isn't all that...

You've heard the fairy tale: a glass slipper, Prince Charming, happily ever after...

Welcome to reality: royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, acting like "a proper lady," and—worst of all—a prince who is not the least bit interesting, and certainly not charming.

As soon-to-be princess Ella deals with her new-found status, she comes to realize she is not "your majesty" material. But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat, especially when you're crushing on another boy in the palace... For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk—and no ladylike behavior allowed.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jaqueline Kelly

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger.

As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

[soundslivemagazine]

In Defence Of Oasis

Exploring the hype behind one of Britain’s most loved and raucous rock n roll bands.

Unless you’ve been living under the most soundproof of rocks this week, you will have heard the news. After a decade and a half of the alluring ‘will-they-won’t-they’ drama, the Gallagher brothers Noel and Liam have rekindled just as suddenly as they’d ended it all backstage at a gig in Paris in 2009.

The rumours abound on social media suddenly began to feel a lot less like fantasies when Oasis, Noel and Liam’s accounts all teased an announcement last Saturday. Oasis had made announcements since their split, usually about anniversaries, merchandise and documentaries, this wasn’t out of the ordinary. In fact, the band would soon be marking 30 years since their era-defining debut album Definitely Maybe came out in August 1994. Singer Liam Gallagher had also threatened to reunite the band on plenty of occasions in the ensuing decade, but never made good on his word. Why should this time have felt different?

In theory, it shouldn’t have. The village eventually loses interest in the boy crying wolf. And yet, when Liam Gallagher stepped onto the Main Stage at Reading festival to perform a headlining set on Sunday and opened with nostalgic on-screen visuals of Oasis, any doubt left in fans’ minds quickly evaporated.

The following Tuesday, the band confirmed what we already knew: Oasis, the biggest Britpop band of the 1990s, were back in action.

The avalanche of articles followed like they hadn’t in over 20 years: Oasis had undoubtedly reignited the fantasies of music magazines and publications that were otherwise scaling down in the face of rising operational costs. We’ve now seen over 20 NME articles, news on the BBC website, a revived radio documentary on BBC 6 Music, countless Rolling Stone thinkpieces, news in SPIN Magazine, the Manchester Evening News, gossip in the rags of the Sun, Mail, Metro. The mural in Manchester. The millions of people that tried to get tickets for the reunion dates that sold out in hours. It’s easy to be sick of it all, to think there wasn’t a band more overrated, overhyped or beloved than Oasis.

But let’s forget the hymns for a moment. Let us re-examine the appeal of the band before the myth: five boys from Manchester who believed in nothing more than the rock ‘n’ roll dream. And certainly, nothing less.

Cast your mind back to 1994, before the success and idolatry, before their songs would be turned into design-for-life anthems, before the band would be permanently woven into the fabric of British music history. Strip all that away and try to imagine hearing a then-relatively unknown Oasis for the first time. Imagine being told that half the band was not yet 22 years old, that they were a new band, releasing their third-ever single? Can you imagine, however simple it may have been lyrically, hearing Live Forever for the first time? In particular, just 4 months after Kurt Cobain’s suicide, after many fans were left feeling like they were staring at the definitive end of an era of honest independent music?

In 1994, Oasis were ’77’s punk all over again. Entering a landscape of artists (a term Liam Gallagher has derided) who internalised their music and recoiled at the notion of explicit success, Oasis were a brash rejection of shoegaze and indie’s philosophies, even going as far as to instruct the presenters of BBC Radio 1’s Evening Sessions to tell the world that Oasis were not an indie band. They were a rock ‘n’ roll band, and a band that dared to aim high, openly and with no apologies (all apologies for the pun). 

That was a philosophy they would live by until the bitter end, for better or worse. In a world of falling ambition and no hope, as Britain emerged ravaged by the Thatcher years to find there was nowhere left for its young to go, Oasis were determined to write their own destiny, largely for themselves, but invariably, for their entire generation. 

Keep reading

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Enjoy The Ride-Noel Vermillion X Reader

A little idea that popped in my head while thinking on another ask.

Noel nervously fidgeted as the train rattled along the tracks.

“Take a breath Second Lieutenant Vermillion.” you muttered as you flipped through the magazine that was on the table.

“But… First Lieutenant-” Noel began to speak before she was cut off.

“There are fifty N.O.L. Operatives on this train, none of which are below the rank of Sergeant. Of those fifty, five are first lieutenants, Yayoi and myself included, ten are second lieutenants like yourself, and there is also Major Kisaragi on board as well. The likelihood of them even getting this far is slim, getting past us is even slimmer, and even if they do manage that they’ll have the Major to contend with.” you stated before setting the magazine on the table and reaching down for the glass of water on the table.

“In other words, enjoy the free first class ride.” you stated before taking a sip out of your glass and looking out the window.

Said window was promptly smashed through by a Ninja Of Ikaruga.

“Not. A. Word. Vermillion.” you told the blonde who had thrown her arms in front of her face to protect herself whilst you glared at the shards of glass that was now in your water.

You then stood up and faced the Ninja as you poured the water out of your glass and onto the floor.

You tossed the glass to the Ninja who easily caught it and looked at the glass in confusion.

Using his distraction to your advantage, you spun around and kicked the glass out of his hand with the heel of your foot and into his face, shattering it and blinding him in one fell swoop.

“I CAN’T SEE!!!” The Ninja shouted before you grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his head into one of the tables and grabbed an ashtray with your other hand.

Next, you pulled him upright and then smashed him across the face with the ashtray, shattering it before grabbing him by the collar and swinging him around, tossing him out of the window he came in from and into a tree that caused a sickening crunch to ring out before both him and the tree disappeared in a blur.

Then, the rest of the windows on the train car shattered, Ninja’s coming in through each one.

“Sigh and I was hoping to have a nice relaxing trip with my crush.” you thought to yourself as you grabbed a glass bottle from off one of the tables and approached the Ninja’s whilst Noel began to scramble to her feet, Bolverk already in her hands.

“Right then Vermillion, I’ll handle the ones in front of me. You handle the ones behind me.” you told Noel as you walked forwards, and past her.

“Loud and clear, First Lieutenant.” Noel responded as she walked forwards and past you.

You approached the group of Ninja’s, tossing the glass into the air and catching it by the spout, holding it like a club as the sharp retort of gunfire sounded through the carriage.

“So, who’s first?” you asked with a grin.

In an instant, the first one was upon you, his knife ready to cut into you.

You stepped past the knife, smashing the bottle over his head, disorienting him before you grabbed him by the head, pulled him into the air and then slammed him down, causing the wooden floor to snap and buckle from the force. You then picked him up by the collar and threw him back into the group.

“Next.” was all you said as you began to walk forward.

This time, two of their numbers came at you.

Like the first, they were dealt with quickly.

The second had several of his tendons cut by a broken glass bottle, his head slammed through a table, cracking his skull and breaking his nose, occipital bone, jaw, and several teeth.

The third had his jaw shattered, ribs cracked, and knee kicked in before being thrown into the wall of the train.

You continued forward, undeterred,

The fourth rushed in with the fifth, sixth, and seventh.

The fourth had his forearm snapped like a twig followed by an elbow to the temple.

The fifth was sent into the sixth with a kick to the chest followed by a left hook across the face, a right hook, a left, and then being grabbed by the head with both hands and having your knee slammed into his face before being tossed to the side.

Next the sixth who was still off balance from having the fifth kicked into him.

You capitalized on this by grabbing him by the collar and hitting him with a powerful strike to the face, sending him back from the force before you pulled him back towards yourself and punched him again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Finally, you sent him flying with one last blow, leaving only the seventh standing, sword in hand.

He looked to be the leader.

He pointed the blade at you, ready to attack, only looking for an opening.

You continued to move towards him.

He continued to move back.

Then, with a flash of seither and in the blink of an eye, you had him by the throat. His sword arm broken, ribs shattered, leg destroyed, and jaw fractured in half a dozen different places.

You then unceremoniously dropped him on the ground as Noel fired her last shot, subduing the enemy in this car.

“Now then, back to enjoying the ride.” You declared as you turned on your heel to return to your seat.

“But First Lieutenant-” Noel began to exclaim before the temperature dropped to frigid levels and light began to explode out of the car behind the one you were in.

“Trust me, Major Kisaragi and First Lieutenant Yayoi have it covered.” you answered the question Noel was unable to finish as you sat down before gesturing to the seat across from you while you swiped the glass off the table and into the floor.

Noel sat down in her seat, clearly not quite used to all of this.

“Now then, seeing as your time in first class was ruined, how about the next time you are off I’ll take you on a First Class ride, free of charge?” You offered with a smile as you picked the magazine back up.

“…First Lieutenant, are you asking me out?” Noel asked, confused.

“Why of course. I happen to find you quite interesting Miss Vermillion.” you answered without a hint of embarrassment in your voice and a slight grin on your face.

[exchangestudentnova]

𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒊 13 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 (𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉) 𝒑𝒕 1

Features: The blue lock characters (including the manga characters) in an AU where they are members in the organization called Gotei 13 present in the anime Bleach.

IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE ART, credits go to the original owner (the original artist: @/fun1_fn on Twitter). This post is inspired by the art work above! I found these and thought it'll be fun to write about a cross over of my two favourite anime!

[ 1st DIVISION ] COMMAND

Role: Dealing with Soul Society law and monitoring the other divisions. Even subordinate members of the First Division are considered model Shinigami.

Characters: Noel Noa, Lavinho, Chris Prince, Marc Snuffy, Julian Loki

Explanation: All members of division 1 have great strength and power. They hold authority over the other divisions. As these characters have enough knowledge and experience to serve as coach/masters and guide the other players, they would definitely be first division members.

[ 2nd DIVISION ] SPECIAL FORCES / ASSASSINATION AND UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS

Role: They handle all undercover operations regarding Seireitei security. Members are tasked with assassination, policing, detention and message couriers.

Characters: Chigiri Hyoma, Asahi Naruhaya, Eita Otoya, Tabito Karasu

Explanation: These characters are known for their skills which will be benefit them to carry out assassinations.

[ 3rd DIVISION ] INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION

Role: Responsible of the act of sending out shinigami to gather information. They are also the ones that sort all outgoing and incoming information.

Characters: Meguru Bachira, Jyubei Aryu, Alexis Ness

Explanation: Bachira and Aryu are energetic characters that would love to go out to gather information while Ness seems the type of guy to gather info convertly.

[ 4th DIVISION ] MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPLY

Role: They are responsible for both treating the injured and doing most of the manual labor, such as cleaning the Seireitei. The 4th Division administers emergency first aid to injured division members.

Characters: Okuhito Iemon, Nijiro Nanase, Yo Hiori

Explanation: These characters have a gentle nature, which is best suited for the 4th division.

[ 5th DIVISION ] KIDOU CORPS / KIDOU TACTICS AND CONTROL

Role: They are responsible for all sealing and magical workings inside Soul Society, as well as recording and storing any new kidou.

Characters: Reo Mikage, Rin Itoshi

Explanation: Being a member of this squad requires an in depth knowledge of Kido. High level Kido is something not everyone can perform, so these characters are well suited because of their academic level.

[ 6th DIVISION ] INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Role: They handle all of Gotei 13's internal affairs, such as monitoring shinigami activity and handling any disturbances. They are responsible for apprehending shinigami that breaks Soul Society laws and detaining criminal offenders until they are judged.

Characters: Kenyu Yukimiya, Sae Itoshi

Explanation: These characters have a good head on their shoulders, they will do well in this division.

[ 7th DIVISION ] SEIREITEI-RUKONGAI DIPLOMACY

Role: The 7th Division maintains peace between Seireitei and Rukongai. When souls have complaints/suggestions/questions, they sent to the 7th Division where it is read, ignored, taken into consideration and decided upon.

Characters: Zantetsu Tsurugi, Ranze Kurona

Explanation: They are smart enough to handle diplomacy issues.

P.S : Ahhh I so happy I wrote this! This was on my mind for quite a while now and I finally wrote it down! All the above information was taken from the blue lock/ bleach wiki pages as well as some other sources as well. Btw did you guys know that in bleach, only the 6th Division members play actual football? Toshiro did play once but only in the beginning.

Part 2

[noelcollection]

An American Voice

Since the events of 2020, we have attempted to be more active and reach out to LSU Shreveport campus. This action of outreach is meant to help student, faculty, and campus personnel be aware of a rare and unique resource that is available to them, and any visiting persons to the campus. We have just started our 2024 J.S. Noel Collection Pop-up Exhibits, we aim to highlight a vary small section of the James Smith Noel Collection that might interest various research. This time we focused on one person, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in June in 1872 after the United States’ Civil War, his parents were former slaves. He was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio; and started writing from a young age. He wrote is first poem at the age of 6 and read it aloud at the age of nine for a local church congregation, “An Easter Ode.” Dunbar was 16 when he published two poems in the Dayton’s newspaper The Herald; “Our Martyred Soldiers” and “On the River” in 1888. A few years later he would write and edit Dayton’s first weekly African-American newspaper, The Tattler. Paul L. Dunbar worked with two brothers that were his high-school acquaintances to print the paper that lasted six weeks. Those brothers were Wilbur and Orville Wright, the fathers of American aviation. Dunbar was the only African-American student at Central High School in Dayton.

Dunbar’s parents had been slaves in Kentucky, following the emancipation, his mother moved to Ohio, and his father escaped before the Civil War ended. Joshua Dunbar went to Massachusetts and volunteered with the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. His parents, Matilda and Joshua, were married on Christmas Eve and Paul L. Dunbar arrived six months later. His parents had a troubled union, they separated after the birth on Paul’s sister; but his father would pass away in August in 1885 when Paul was only 13 years old. His mother played a key role in his education, she hoped her son would become a minister. He was elected president of his high school’s literary society which lead to him to become editor of the school newspaper and debate club member.

Paul Laurence Dunbar finished school in 1891 and took a job as an elevator operator to earn money for college where he hoped to study law. Dunbar had continued to write and soon a collection of poems he wanted to publish. He revisited the Wright brothers, but they no longer had a printing faculty and lead his to the United Brethren Publishing House in 1893. Oak and Ivy was soon published and he busied himself selling copies as he operated the elevator. The book contained two sections, Oak with its traditional verse; and Ivy was written in dialect.

His literary talents were recognized and Attorney Charles A. Thatcher offered to pay for college; however, his interest in law had shift to his writing. Dunbar had been encouraged by the sell of his poetry, and Thatcher helped by arranging for Dunbar to do readings in a nearby city. Psychiatrist Henry A. Tobey also took an interest and assisted in distributing Dunbar’s first book. The two contained to support Dunbar through the publication of his second collection of verse, Major and Minors, in 1896. While he was consistent at publishing, he was a reckless spender resulting in debt. He was a traditional struggling artist as he tried to support himself and his mother.

There was hope in the summer of 1896 when his second book received a positive review in Harper’s Weekly, William Dean Howells brought national attention to his poems; calling them “honest thinking and true feeling” and praising his dialectic poems. There was a growing appreciation for folk culture and black dialect. His popular works were written in the “Negro dialect” that is commonly associated with the antebellum South; though he also wrote in the Midwestern dialect that he grew-up hearing. Dunbar would write in various styles, including conversational English in poetry and novels. He is considered to be the first important African American sonnet writer. His use of the “Black dialect” in writing has been criticized as pan-handling to readers.

Dunbar was a diverse writer, he experimented with poetry, short stories, novels, plays, and a musical. He even ventured beyond the lens of the lives of African Americans and attempted to explore the struggles of a white minister. The Uncalled, Dunbar’s first novel, held similar names and themes of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and was not well favored. It was with his venture into novel writing that he dared to cross the “color line” with his first novel which focused solely on white society. He continued to try to capture white culture but the critics found them lacking.

He moved past novel writing and began to work with two composers, Dunbar wrote the lyrics for the first musical that would be preformed by an all African-American cast on Broadway; In Dahomey. Beyond his writing career, Dunbar was also active the early civil rights movements happening in 1897. He married after a trip to the United Kingdom in 1898, Alice Ruth Moore was also a poet and teacher from New Orleans. She also published a collection of short stories, and they wrote companion poems together. There was a play in 2001 based on their relationship.

Dunbar had taken a traditional job with the Library of Congress in D.C. and with his wife in tow they moved there. However, with his wife’s urging, he left his job to focus on his writings and his public readings. This also allowed him to attend Howard University for a time. However, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1900 and his doctors suggested that drinking whisky would alleviate the symptoms. They also moved to the cold dry mountains of Colorado for his health. This resulted in trouble in Paul and Alice’s marriage, they separated in 1902 but never formally divorced.

Dunbar returned to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio in 1904 to be with his mother, his health continued to decline and depression consumed his mind. Paul Laurence Dunbar died from tuberculosis at age 33 on February 9, 1906 and was interred in Dayton.

Dunbar did not become one of the forgotten poets of literature, his use of dialect in his poetry allowed for his works to remain relevant and important in poetic criticism. We of the James Smith Noel Collection at LSU Shreveport are proud to retain and maintain a small collection of his works and show case their importance.

[mariacallous]

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark First Amendment case on Friday that will determine the fate of TikTok in the United States. For more than two hours, the nine justices questioned lawyers for TikTok, content creators, and the US government about a law passed last year that, if left to stand, could result in a ban of the popular video-sharing app on January 19.

Speaking with WIRED, experts said it was unlikely that the court would side with TikTok and block the ban from going into effect. While the justices were concerned over the First Amendment implications of the law, they appeared convinced that the app poses a substantial risk to US national security.

TikTok’s lawyer, Noel Francisco, and Jeffrey Fisher, who represents the creators, argued that, as written, the law banning TikTok violates the rights their clients have to free expression; removing access to the TikTok algorithm, they claim, would remove a speech outlet for creators and the company itself. For the government, solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar argued that the law does not censor the defendants, but quarantines the app from parent company ByteDance and Chinese influence.

“I don't think [the law] reflects Congress seeking to set out in advance what kind of speech we should have reflecting certain views on certain topics,” Prelogar said. “Instead, it's about trying to close off the vulnerability that our foreign adversary nation could exploit.”

“This case boils down to speech. What we're talking about is ideas,” Francisco said in his rebuttal, dismissing national security concerns that the TikTok algorithm could be used to manipulate Americans. “That whole notion is at war with the First Amendment. If the First Amendment means anything, it means that the government cannot restrict speech, in order to protect us from the speech. That's precisely what this law does from beginning to end.”

While many of the justices voiced concern over the law’s First Amendment threats, they also appeared amenable to the government’s argument that the law was more targeted toward severing TikTok’s connections with ByteDance than limiting its free-speech rights.

For more than five years, US officials have warned that TikTok has the potential to influence American perception of the Chinese government. In public interviews and congressional hearings, officials like FBI director Christopher Wray have also suggested that TikTok gathers US user data that the Chinese government could weaponize to surveil Americans online. TikTok has denied that it shares any US data with ByteDance or the Chinese government.

Donald Trump was the first to try banning TikTok in 2020, when he issued an executive order that quickly got held up in litigation throughout the remainder of his presidency. Upon taking office, President Joe Biden rescinded the order and began negotiating with TikTok to reach a deal designed to satisfy the government’s national security concerns while allowing TikTok to continue operating, an effort that became known as Project Texas. When no deal could be reached, Congress responded by approving the ban-or-sell bill, titled the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, setting the January 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a suitable buyer or be removed from US app stores. The law allows for Biden to extend that deadline an additional 90 days.

Soon after Biden signed the bill to ban TikTok in April, the company and a consortium of its users retaliated by filing lawsuits accusing the federal government of violating their First Amendment rights. In December, a federal appeals court upheld the ban law, leaving TikTok with only one legal pathway left to save itself: an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Many of these same arguments were made at Friday’s hearing. Justice Brett Kavanaugh called the government’s data security rationale “strong.” Justices Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch called into question the government’s assertion that the app could host “covert” Chinese manipulation operations, arguing that TikTok’s algorithm was just as opaque as those belonging to other social media companies.

“We all now know that China is behind it,” Kagan said.

Fisher, who represents the creators involved in the case, argued that the justices did not have to answer questions related to security, which would be better resolved by broader data privacy legislation.

“If Congress, in this very law, regulated data security in other ways with the data brokers, that's perfectly permissible,” Fisher told the court. “But the question before you today was narrower. The question is, is this law before you sustainable on security grounds? And that answer has to be no,” Fisher told the court.

Justices expressed some doubt as to whether the law actually limits TikTok’s freedom of expression, given the option to divest. “TikTok can continue to operate on its own algorithm on its own terms, as long as it's not associated with ByteDance,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said.

If the ban goes into effect, Apple and Google would be required to remove TikTok from the US versions of their app stores, preventing any new downloads from happening in the country. Internet hosting and data storage providers will also be forbidden from offering their services to the company. Users with TikTok already downloaded onto their devices may still continue to have access, at least for a short period of time after the ban goes into effect. Once removed from app stores, users won’t be able to download updates to TikTok, and the app could become more buggy and difficult to use over time. TikTok’s lawyer told the justices that the app would go dark after January 19.

Blake Reid, a tech law professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said that the justices seemed to target TikTok’s corporate structure, leaving the app’s counsel little time to argue the merits of the data security argument. “I'm not sure that Tiktok will lose that argument, but because they spent so much time on it, they didn't get to make the arguments about the national security stuff and the privacy and security stuff, which I think is the weakest part of the government's case.”

The justices seemed more sympathetic to the government’s security concerns, says Alan Rozenshtein, a law professor and former national security adviser to the Justice Department. “It's very plausible that Tiktok picks up a couple of votes,” Rozenshtein says. “I think the three most likely are justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch, and maybe Kagan, but I struggle to see TikTok getting five votes, which is what it needs to strike down this law.”

In a press conference following the hearing on Friday, Francisco said the argument went “really well” and that the justices “vigorously questioned both sides.”

It’s unclear when the court would issue its decision, but Rozenshtein and Reid believe it will come sooner rather than later. TikTok’s lawyer, Francisco, suggested that the justices could issue a stay or an injunction to stop the ban from going into effect as scheduled, but they gave no signals as to whether they would consider it.

Trump also pleaded with the nation’s highest court to stop the ban from going into effect in an amicus brief filed last month, promising to find a “political” solution to save TikTok once he retakes power. “President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing national security concerns,” Trump lawyer D. John Sauer wrote in the filing. The court has not yet responded to the brief.

If the justices uphold the ban, a deal with Trump might just be TikTok’s last shot at survival.

[hellsgate-roadhouse]

Article by: noel kirkpatrick (September 5 2018)

Call it Apocalypse 2040.

In the early 1970s, a computer program called World1 predicted that civilization would likely collapse by 2040. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had programmed it to consider a model of sustainability for the world.

The prediction has resurfaced because Australian broadcaster ABC recirculated a 1973 newscast about the computer program. The program's findings, however, never really went away, as its results have been re-evaluated over the nearly 50 years since they first appeared.

The bad news for us is that the model seems to be spot-on so far.

The computer model was commissioned by the Club of Rome, a group of scientists, industrialists and government officials focused on solving the world's problems. The organization wanted to know how well the world could sustain its rate of growth based on information that was available at the time. World1 was developed by Jay Forrester, the father of system dynamics, a methodology for understanding how complex systems operate.

When deciding the fate of civilization, the program considered several variables, including pollution levels, population growth, the availability of natural resources and global quality of life. These factors were considered in tandem with one another as opposed to separately, following the Club of Rome's perspective that the world's problems are interconnected.

Such an approach was novel in the 1970s, even if the forecast World1 produced wasn't intended to be "precise." The program produced graphs that demonstrated what would happen to those metrics in the future, without even accounting for things like climate change. The graphs all indicated a downward trajectory for the planet.

According to the 1973 ABC segment, World1 identified 2020 as a tipping point for civilization.

"At around 2020, the condition of the planet becomes highly critical. If we do nothing about it, the quality of life goes down to zero. Pollution becomes so seriously it will start to kill people, which in turn will cause the population to diminish, lower than it was in the 1900. At this stage, around 2040 to 2050, civilized life as we know it on this planet will cease to exist."

This was not the end of the model. In 1972, the Club of Rome published "The Limits to Growth," a book that built off the work of World1 with a program called World3, developed by scientists Donella and Dennis Meadows and a team of researchers. This time the variables were population, food production, industrialization, pollution and consumption of nonrenewable natural resources.

"The Limits to Growth" pushed the collapse of civilization to 2072, when the limits of growth would be the most readily apparent and result in population and industrial declines.

Criticism of the book was nearly immediate, and harsh. The New York Times, for instance, wrote, "Its imposing apparatus of computer technology and systems jargon ... takes arbitrary assumptions, shakes them up and comes out with arbitrary conclusions that have the ring of science," concluding that the book was "empty and misleading."

Others argued that the book's view of what constitutes a resource could change over time, leaving their data shortsighted to any possible changes in consumption habits.

The tide for the book's finds have changed over time, however. In 2014, Graham Turner, then a research fellow at the University Melbourne's Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, collected data from various agencies within the United Nations, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other outlets, plotting their data alongside the findings of the World3 model.

What Turner found that was that the World3 model and then-current statistical information tended to coincide with another, up to 2010, indicating that the World3 model was onto something. Turner cautioned that the validation of World3's model didn't indicate "agreement" with it, largely due to certain parameters within the World3 model. Still, Turner argued that we were likely on "cusp of collapse" thanks to a few different factors, in particular what Turner called the end of peak easy oil access.

Writing in The Guardian, Turner and Cathy Alexander, a Melbourne-based journalist, explained that neither the World3 model or Turner's own confirmation of it signaled that the collapse was a guarantee.

"Our research does not indicate that collapse of the world economy, environment and population is a certainty," they wrote. "Nor do we claim the future will unfold exactly as the MIT researchers predicted back in 1972. Wars could break out; so could genuine global environmental leadership. Either could dramatically affect the trajectory.

"But our findings should sound an alarm bell. It seems unlikely that the quest for ever-increasing growth can continue unchecked to 2100 without causing serious negative effects – and those effects might come sooner than we think."

[stellarcollisionfic]

tell me about the noel/andreja side plot you seem to be starting in the fic!!! I love the idea of them together

Welllllll 😅 I originally went into writing this with the intent of having Jade/Andreja being absolute “ride or die”s to each other. I feel like Andreja/Jade/Sarah honestly could’ve worked as a dynamic but I was wayyyy too far into the fic by the time I fully had that realization. (Throuple oneshot!!!! 👀)

But- I was writing an ensemble scene (I think when Abigail comes to take shots at literally all of Constellation) and it occurred to me that Noel and Andreja would be…so cute?

I think their relationship comes about after Andreja chases after Noel and protects her during the Starborn attack. When Sarah and Jade are arguing abt the bounty and Noel and Andreja slip away together? And when Noel puts her hand on Andreja’s knee to quiet her when she’s all riled up about getting Jade back? All little fledgling couple moments 🥹

Andreja is a fighter, a protector- but she’s got an open mind, and she’s learning to assimilate. Noel is a bit of an introvert- but she’s brilliant and she hates work in the field. I think Noel would be compassionate to Andreja’s plight- and I think Andreja would see how vital Noel is to their operation. And opposites attract, of course 🤭 I get great joy from imagining how awkward their first date would be like, or what intimacy looks like to them.

Unfortunately (as you know quite well lmao) I write wayyyyyy too much as is, so I’ve settled for hinting at it in order to keep the focus on our Captain/Commander duo instead 😭

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims at Popular Information:

Former President Donald Trump has promised that he will start mass deportations if he wins in November. The promise has become a central selling point of his 2024 campaign. At a campaign rally in Michigan this summer, Trump vowed, “As soon as I take the oath of office, we will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”  In April, during an interview with TIME, Trump laid out his plan for mass deportations, stating that he will use “local law enforcement” and “the National Guard.” Trump also said he would “not rule out” building new migrant detention facilities and that he would use the military “if necessary.” When TIME told Trump that deploying the military against civilians is prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act, Trump responded, “Well, these aren’t civilians. These are people that aren’t legally in our country.”

Trump has promised that one of his first targets will be Springfield, Ohio, where Trump and his allies have, on numerous occasions, falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants are eating neighborhood pets. “[W]e will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations. We’re gonna get these people out,” Trump said last week at a press conference in California. (The Haitian immigrants that Trump and his allies are targeting are in the country legally.) Trump also promised to prioritize deportations from Aurora, Colorado, where Trump has falsely claimed that Venezuelan immigrants are “taking over the whole town.” [...]

The human capacity problem

The scale required to orchestrate Trump’s proposed policy is far beyond the capacity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Trump’s solution is to use local law enforcement. In an interview on Fox News, Trump said that he would give local police “immunity” to do “the job they have to do,” and that “the officers understand who the migrants are.” Using local law enforcement would result in police officers having less time to perform their other duties. A March report by the Center for Migration Studies of New York cited research that found putting local police officers in charge of immigration responsibilities would make “local communities less safe” and immigrants, fearing deportation, “less likely to report crimes or cooperate with police.”

[...]

The enormous price tag

ICE acknowledges that each deportation is costly and difficult. In its 2023 annual report, the agency stated, “Removal management is a complex process that requires careful planning and coordination with a wide range of domestic and foreign partners and uses significant ERO resources.” According to that report, ICE deported 142,580 non-citizens from the U.S. in 2023. Its budget for removals and transportation last year was over $420 million, meaning that it cost nearly $3,000 to remove each person from the country. If Trump successfully deported the estimated 11 million non-citizens currently in the U.S., it would cost $33 billion just to transport people out of the U.S. — more than triple ICE’s total budget in 2023. But the cost of actually moving a person off U.S. soil is only one part of the equation. It also costs ICE money to track people down and keep them in custody before their deportation. NBC reported that ICE currently has about 40,000 beds in detention centers which each cost $57,378 a year to maintain. If Trump enacted his mass deportation plan of 11 million people, ICE would need to expand its detention capacity drastically.

[...]

The nationwide civil rights violation

Trump’s promise of mass deportations would cause major civil rights violations. The policy would effectively result in local law enforcement engaging in a mass racial profiling campaign, as there is no objective way to identify undocumented immigrants. According to a report by the Center for Migration Studies of New York, “[i]mmigration ‘sweeps’... often lead to profiling, usually on racial or ethnic grounds.” The report argues that this would lead to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants being “unjustly detained and even deported,” and give them “little opportunity to legally respond to their arrest and detention.” In a memo released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in response to Trump’s proposed immigration policies, the group warns that Trump’s plan could also lead to violations of “constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure, including arrests and detentions without a specific reason to detain a certain individual.”  

The massive detention camps

Once the Trump administration identifies undocumented immigrants, it would need to detain them somewhere before deporting them. Trump has suggested that massive detention centers would need to be built in order to keep up with the number of deportations being processed. Aside from the economic cost, detention centers have been the sites of numerous human rights abuses. Undocumented immigrants in detention centers have been denied urgent medical care, sexually abused, and kept in chain-link pens.

The damage to the economy

[...]

The U.S. is already facing a labor shortage, and removing 11 million undocumented workers (about 5% of the total workforce) would only make the problem worse, pushing up prices on goods and services. Mass deportation would also impact the housing market, putting many of the 1.3 million mortgages of mixed-status households in danger, and cut tax revenue to the government and Social Security. 

Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy is a quagmire if it ever gets implemented, because it is a grave insult to civil liberties, police resources, and the economy.

Vote Kamala Harris to protect civil liberties!

[penna-nomen]

Joyeux Noel, Joyeux Neal

I've posted my fill for the Operation More White Collar holiday grab bag! My prompt was: Movies

That stymied me at first, since last year I posted a WC holiday story titled Movie Night 😆 This time I went with the concept of home movies and wrote a story set during and after the final season. So I'm posting on the anniversary of the series finale.

Here it is! ~4000 words of angst, fluff, and romance that culiminates on Christmas

[usafphantom2]

SR-71 OL-Griffiss AFB

OL-Griffiss AFB

Rome, New York

1973

Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War SR-71 operation provided a series of 11.4 hour round-robin sorties to the Middle East. Plans were originally made to fly these flights from Beale AFB to the Middle East and recover at Mildenhall, United Kingdom. Upon arrival at Mildenhall to set up recovery operations, Colonel Patrick Halloran, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Commander, was informed that the British Government had second thoughts about the operation and denied authority to operate from the United Kingdom. The UK's reasoning was a possible Arab oil embargo against their nation. Two SR-71's were assigned to performed the historic 11.4 hour flights, tail numbers #964 and #979. These flights to the Middle East were code named:

"Giant Reach"

(Photo courtesy Tom Pugh)

On 13 October 1973, Pilot Jim Shelton and RSO Gary Coleman in #979, departed Griffiss AFB on the first of a series of flights to the Middle East. After 11.13 hours of flight time involving 6 refuelings and more than five hours of flight above Mach 3.0, Jim Shelton landed SR #979 back at Griffiss AFB, NY. The "Photo Take" was highly successful and provided Defense Analysts and the President of the United States with information about the actual Syrian military situation.

On 25 October 1973, Pilot Al Joersz and RSO John Fuller flew SR #979 on another 11.13 hour non-stop round robin sortie to assess the ground situation around the Sinai and Galilee.

On 02 November 1973, Pilot Bob Helt and RSO Larry Elliott in SR #979,flew a similar Trans-Atlantic sortie to the Yom Kippur War zone in 11.22 hours of flight.

The last flight from Griffiss AFB was 11 November 1973. Blackbird #964 was flown by Pilot Jim Wilson and RSO Bruce Douglass and landed at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. This sortie lasted 10.49 hours. As snow fell in Rome New York, Colonel Pat Halloran opted for a warmer climate and moved operations to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC.

These SR-71 Reconnaissance flights were instrumental in defusing the war and provided positive intelligence photos to the deeply distrusting Israelis and Arabs. With the shooting war over, OL-SB, Seymour Johnson became the base of operation for continued surveillance of the war zone to insure compliance with the peace accord.

OL-SB

Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina

SR-71 "Giant Reach" Operations

On 02 December, 1973, Pilot Jim Sullivan and RSO Noel Widdifield flew the first SR-71 to the Middle East from the Seymour Johnson AFB location. In aircraft #964, this crew flew the round-robin sortie to the Sinai region and returned to Seymour Johnson in 9.56 hours.

On 10 December, 1973, Pilot Pat Bledsoe and RSO Reggie Blackwell flew SR #979 to the Middle East and back in 10.0 hours.

On 25 January, 1974, Pilot Buck Adams and RSO Bill Machorek flew SR #971 in a around-robin sortie to the Middle East in 10.04 hours.

On 07 March, 1974 Pilot Ty Judkins and RSO John Morgan flew SR #979 in 9.45 hours

The final "Giant Reach" flight occurred on 06 April, 1974. SR-71 #979, Piloted by Lee Ransom and RSO Tom Allocca flew to the Middle East and returned to Seymour Johnson AFB in 9.46 hours.

In all, four Sorties were flown from Griffiss AFB, NY averaging 11.4 hours each flight and five Sorties from Seymour Johnson AFB, NC averaging 10 hours each .

SR-71 pilot, Colonel Jim Wilson's recollection of one of the historic SR-71 flights to the Middle East during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 is reproduced below for the Blackbird Community.

Mort Jarvis adds: The whole history of this operation is pretty interesting, like flying the Detachment Package into England and than saying the SR can't land in England and turning around and going to Griffiss, NY. If the SR was still flying with the Real Time down link of Recon intelligence, which the SR was modified to carry prior to retirement, the target take could of been in the command function hands within seconds of the take. I still think the SR-71 could do a better job than what Intel is being obtained now.

Col. Jim Wilson, USAF ( Ret.) Writes:

On Oct 6th 1973, Egypt and Syria opened an offensive against Israel on two fronts, launching a coordinated series of air, armored and artillery attacks into the Sinai and Golan Heights . The preemptive strike came as a result of a failure to resolve territorial disputes arising from the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.

Since no diplomatic progress was being made toward peace, Egypt 's Sadat was convinced that to gain legitimacy at home, he must initiate a war with limited objectives.

Along the Suez Canal, 80,000 well-equipped members of the Egyptian army crossed the Suez and attacked fewer than 500 Israeli defenders. And in the Golan Heights , approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks.

Initial Israeli military losses were significant. And assistance was requested from the USA .

At that time, our reconnaissance satellites didn't have the capability to provide the intelligence needed to sufficiently assess the situation. So, we were alerted to prepare to fly SR-71 missions over the area of conflict, then recover in England . It was a mission within the design capability of the aircraft, although such a long, logistically-difficult mission never previously accomplished.

Within the first few days of the conflict, the supporting Arab nations initiated an oil embargo, making oil a weapon of war and contributed to a decision by the British government to deny us a recovery any place in England .

A Plan B was rapidly drawn up to fly the SR-71 out of the East Coast, then recover back in New York at Griffiss AFB. These newly planned 12,000 mile missions would require (5) five air to air refuelings from (16)sixteen KC-135 tankers based in Spain .

In the utmost secrecy, we mobilized and deployed. A few days later, our first photo/electronic reconnaissance mission was successfully completed.

I was a fairly young pilot in the squadron, with only 120 hours of SR-71 time under my belt. I was assigned to fly a backup SR-71 and to stay at Griffiss in an alert posture, and be prepared to fly follow-on missions. Then I served as back-up alert on two more successful missions.

My turn to be the primary aircraft came up next. The excitement level was high. And I certainly wanted to be part of another success.

Takeoff was at 2AM on a brisk and clear autumn night with about fifteen inches of snow already on the ground. It was peacefully calm . . until I lit both of the 34,000 lb. thrust afterburners.

The first 450 miles had to be flown subsonic at .9 Mach, since we had to clear the commercial aircraft flight tracks off the East Coast before I could safely re-fuel. Most pilots don't know the true meaning of dark until they've been in a situation like this. You might compare it to refueling in an inkwell. I then made made three radio silent electronic rendezvous with three tankers out over the North Atlantic before dawn . . taking on 10,000 gallons of fuel.

After completing a few post-refueling checks, I lit the afterburners and started my acceleration to a leisurely Mach 3 cruise across the Atlantic . The airplane performed flawlessly, thanks to the extra special effort by the maintenance guys.

About 2000 miles across the Atlantic , I watched with excitement as the sun came up right in my face, giving me a nice vantage point.

The next refueling was a couple hundred miles north of the Azores . I took on another 10,000 gallons from a couple more tankers.

I started my second acceleration and headed for Gibraltar . At 80,000 feet, cruising through the center of the narrow straits with clear weather and 100 miles of visibility on both sides. Spectacular.

Then I proceeded down the Mediterranean toward Israel where the weather was becoming worse as per flight plan's forecast.

The third air refueling south of Crete , although in poor weather, went along as scheduled. Now packing in a full load of 80,000 lbs of JP-7 fuel, I lit the afterburners and started the acceleration toward the target area.

At maximum fuel flow in full afterburner, a RED engine oil quantity low light illuminated steady on my emergency warning panel.

In almost unbelief . . I momentarily stared at it !

I instantly scanned oil pressure, rpm, exhaust gas temperature, nozzle position for other indications of trouble. Although there were no confirming indications of problems, I couldn’t just ignore the situation and continue on into the target area with the possibility of an engine failure at supersonic speed out over the Sinai.

We had no viable emergency airfields that could handle the SR-71. And I certainly did not want to be a no-notice, no-flight plan, single engine emergency arrival at David Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Especially, since the Israeli government had not been told about our missions, and they were focused on major battles for their own survival.

I took the engines out of afterburner to access the situation, and think about the best course of action.

Then I had a pleasant surprise.

After coming out of afterburner the critical red warning light went out. I became fairly-well convinced that it was a false momentary indication.

But it had cost me roughly 400 gallons of critically needed fuel. My tankers were now 80 miles behind me . . and they were moving further away each second. And re-joining them to top off fuel, would present a whole new set of problems [ I won't get into.]

I decided to re-light the burners and press on. I had a 5 second flash of the same red light during acceleration. Then it went out. Stayed out.

My flight track went down the Suez past Cairo before making a left turn at Mach 3.15 to cross the battle lines in the Sinai. With panoramic and specific point cameras providing imagery of hundreds of targets on both sides of the SR-71, I flew North across the Dead Sea and Golan Heights . Approaching Lebanon , I made a sweeping right turn out over Syria and then back to the Sinai on a parallel flight path for maximum coverage. The airplane was running well. I pushed it up a bit to Mach 3.2 before exiting Egypt near Port Said .

Once out over the Mediterranean , I started a descent to 25,000 feet to hit my fourth set of refuelers.

But as fate would have it, I was not only beong low on fuel because of my previous oil low warning problem, but now a thunderstorm had reached up and it was now enclosing the air re-fueling contact point.

Using our internal electronic azimuth and distance measuring equipment, my backseater got me to within less than a mile behind my tanker. But now, visibility was so poor that I could not see it.

In lousy weather, very low on fuel, I continued twenty miles down the refueling track. By this time, there was just one-half mile and 1000 feet of separation from the tanker.

Small break between the clouds. Hooked up.

I had less than 15 minutes of fuel left, when we made re-fueling contact with the tanker and started transferring. The nearest emergency runway was roughly 100 miles away on Crete .

Needless to say, I was very thankful to my tanker buddies, backseater, and good equipment for that rendezvous. What a relief ! It gave me an entirely new meaning to ' finding a gas station ' . . when I really needed one.

We completed a fifth 10,000 gallon air refueling near the Azores before proceeding on a leisurely Mach 3 flight across the mid-Atlantic to a landing at Seymour Johnson.

Within 20 minutes, our people had the photo and electronic intelligence equipment downloaded, then onboard a dedicated AF courier flight to a Photo Interpretation Center in D.C.

Including 6 hours 41 minutes of supersonic speed, the round-trip flight covered more than 12,000 miles in 10 hours 49 minutes.

After landing, I remember wondering what Lindbergh would have thought about the amazing advancements in aviation technology.

These missions were not declassified until the early 1990's when the SR-71 program was closed at the end of the Cold War. Most of the remaining birds are now in various museums.

The one I flew is the centerpiece at SAC's Air and Space museum near Omaha .

Col. Jim Wilson, USAF ( Ret.)

[abridged ]

SR-71 Photo Archive taken at Seymour Johnson AFB during the Yom Kippur War Operation "OLSB"

Entire SR-71 crew at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina during the Yom Kippur War 1973.

The following personnel participated in the first missions flown out of OLSB. Additional crewmembers (not listed) also participated in these missions. This is the manifest for the Wing Staff personnel on the left and Maintenance on the right.

The following photos are the only ones known to exist of the SR-71 Operations at Seymour Johnson from October, 1973 to April, 1974. At the time, Seymour Johnson was in the process of an ORI (Operational Readiness Inspection) with their B-52's and KC-135's. The Seymour Johnson Wing Commander was not the least bit impressed when we showed up with a DOD directed mission (Yom Kippur War Flights). He was irate about usage of his facilities (We cleared out one of his large hangars and put the two SR's, KC-135Q and our mobile film processing center in the hangar). Additionally, he complained of fuel usage from his facilities by the 9th SRW. A phone call to the Pentagon by 9th SRW Commander Colonel Patrick Halloran resulted in the following, as Pat said: "The problems just went away". The critical war assessment missions were flown as scheduled and we departed Seymour Johnson in April of 1974. I am sure they were glad to see us go home.

The photos show the trailer which was purchased and moved into the hangar for SR-71 Operational Control and the Photo Processing Center which was comprised of 2X4's and plastic sheeting to keep the dust out. The two SR's were parked side by side in the hangar with the KC-135Q tanker opposite the Blackbirds. The flights lasted 10 or 11 hours and in one instance, the Pilot had to be assisted out of the Blackbird. The photo reconnaissance "Take" resulted in conclusive evidence of the location of Arab and Israeli forces. The photos provided the President and Defense Analysts with firm decision making capabilities to help defuse the Yom Kippur War.

OL-SB Photo Archive

[221b-sociopath-street]

#ted lasso for dummies

01×01 Pilot

00:00:56 'But it's Hockney!'*

*David Hockney is one of the most influential British artists 🎨 of XX century. Known by his contribution to the pop art movement of the 60's.

As cliche as it is, the work of art that Rebecca and Higgins refers to is called 'Football Player'. And in real life it was sold for £22,500.

00:02:20 'Liam and Noel. Though, perhaps not an Oasis.'*

*It is impossible to imagine Britain and its culture without one of the biggest and most acclaimed bands of the 90's. Oasis is a quintessence of most hated and beloved band. Alcohol, drugs, canceled gigs, bad press, accusations of imitating the work of other musicians, rivalry between brothers and the boundless love of the fans - it's all about Oasis. So, maybe comparison made by Rebecca between George Cartrick's testicles and Liam/Noel Gallagher of Oasis is a pointer to beef (rivalry) history of latter.

00:04:04 'Jack Kerouac. The Dharma Bums'*

*The Dharma Bums is a 1958 novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. Description of mountain climbing, cycling, hitchhiking, poetry readings, jazz drunk parties is done through the prism of Buddhism. So maybe it makes sense: Ted and his philosophy of life and work?!

00:06:58 'Okay. That's Tower Bridge. Right. Not the London Bridge, because this one is still up'.

*For me as a foreigner it's a bit confusing?! Is it a reference to Operation London Bridge - the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II created in 60's, where the phrase 'London Bridge is down' is like signal of Queen's death to the PM and others, setting the plan into motion? Or is it like some touristy stuff?

00:08:39 'Y'all got Nathan's hot dogs 🌭 here?'*

* An American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurant's  specializing in hot dogs. There are some restaurants in GB, but Nates lack of knowledge about them msybe suggests their unpopularity.

00:13:22 'Trent Crimm, The Independent.'*

* The Independent during 1986-2016 British print newspaper, nowadays - online newspaper. And it is owned by representative of the terrorist country and ex kgb agent 😵

00:18:57 'Wales. Is that another country?'*

*Yeap, Wales is a country (with it's own capital Cardiff) that is a part of another country - 🇬🇧 . Besides it UK consists of: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

00:19:03 'It's kinda like America these days.'*

*Perhaps Ted is equating the countries within the UK to states in America OR is taking about sovereign states and dependent territories in the Americas(such as Canada, Brazil, Cuba and other)?!

00:19:25 'And am I getting notes of Axe body spray?'*

*If you are a man and you forget your body spray while traveling from the USA to GB, remember: AXE=LYNX 🤣

00:20:07 'Last time I saw eyes that cold, they were going head-to-head with Roy Scheider. Jaws? No, All that jazz.'

* Jaws and All That Jazz are among seven Scheider movies that are considered classics. And it's all known fact that he was really great performer, who knew how to hold the audience's attention both in the role of a shark-hunting sheriff and in the role of theater director/choreographer who was alcoholic, a driven workaholic and a womanizer .

00:22:29 'Never thought it would end being coached by Ronald fucking McDonald'*

*Ronald McDonald is a mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. 

I remember my first time at McDonald's and that creepy as fuck statue of clown, thank fucking God he is not around anymore in UA restaurants.

00:24:48 'Well, I hope you never run into Biz Markie.'*

*We share your sentiment Ted. It is really bad. Biz Markie, was an American rapper and singer. Sometimes was referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop". Fellas, it is all we need to know.

Part 2

[sharkys-disco-stick]

Sgt. Evelyn ‘Seven’ Kane

7-7-7

Evelyn Noel Kane would enter the United States Marine Corps after high school, hoping to find a place in the world and experience a sense of family and camaraderie she couldn’t get back home.

An incident at the end of her first enlistment gave her the nickname ‘Seven’—a moniker that she cannot shed and that no one can seem to pinpoint the exact origin of.

Numerous combat deployments to the Middle East left her decorated, but jaded and cynical. It was on one such deployment that Evelyn, then a corporal, would be recruited for an operation by Captain John Price, who needed her knowledge of an area to smoke a war criminal out of hiding.

Despite a rocky start, Price was impressed by what he saw during their time together, and told her that it wouldn’t be the last time they collaborated. It would prove true years later, when he approached her with an offer for a spot in his new task force, 141.

7-7-7

Art by the wonderful @redreart that I’ve literally been holding onto since January.