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alexbkrieger13 · 8 months ago

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Double vision

Partners on and off the pitch, Bayern pair Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson have firm convictions on all the big topics facing women’s football in an era of exciting growth and mounting pressures

In a room at Bayern München’s training ground, Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder are talking bicycles. One of their favourite things about Munich, the place they have both called home since making the switch last summer from Chelsea to Bayern, is the ease of travel for cyclists in the Bavarian capital.

Eriksson: “Now we live quite centrally so we can use our bikes to get anywhere.”

Harder: “It is a bit easier to bike here in Munich than in London.”

Magda: “We even took our bikes to Oktoberfest once.”

Pernille (laughs): “We were biking straight!”

This is the beauty of an interview with the pair (even one conducted over Zoom, as this one is): you raise a subject and they bounce it around between them, their insights and reflections interspersed with lighter moments and laughter. And, as arguably their sport’s highest-profile couple – Harder is a two-time UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, Eriksson a Sweden stalwart – they have plenty to say.

Both care deeply about matters on and off the football pitch. They are members of UEFA’s Football Board (of which more later), they support the Common Goal project – pledging one per cent of their salaries to support football charities – and on top of that they are advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.

But, first, back to finding their feet in Munich, where the duo bring serious know-how to a Bayern side with big ambitions, despite an early exit from the Champions League in January. In Harder’s case, the Denmark forward knew German football already from her three years with Wolfsburg between 2017 and 2020. For Eriksson, after six seasons in England with Chelsea, this is an entirely new experience – which is exactly what she was hoping for.

“I think that’s how we are as people,” says the former Blues captain. “A reason why we moved is I am really curious about a new culture and a new environment.” From the sounds of things, that decision is paying off too. Away from the pitch, she is enamoured of the local coffee shops; on it, she has been impressed by the way “a lot of the girls take responsibility around the dressing room and with how things should work around the team. There’s quite a clear structure of different responsibilities, and the players take ownership of that. That’s something more like how it was in Sweden, and not at all in England. It makes us take responsibility and it’s something I appreciate.”

As for Harder, she elaborates on the unique culture of Germany’s biggest football club – one which attempts to marry sustained success with humility. “It really is a club where you have to work hard, be humble but also know your worth,” she says. “It’s a bit weird. There is no arrogance: we know we’re good, we know we are a big club, but we know we also have to work hard. There’s a lot of respect for each other, and it’s not only in our team. When we go to the campus and meet the academy boys or some of the other staff, you have the respect. You treat others the way you want to be treated, and that’s a really good value which aligns with my values.”

Now both in their thirties – Eriksson is 30, Harder 31 – they knew the women’s game before its lift-off moments of recent years. Thus, they bring a helpful sense of perspective to any discussion of its development, and how it might evolve in years to come.

If female footballers today have opportunities beyond the dreams of previous generations, they face pressures unknown by their predecessors too, as Eriksson explains. “I think there are two sides to every story. Maybe, when we grew up, there wasn’t that much pressure, but with a growing platform [and how] the women’s game is growing, there is also growing pressure. The fans are growing, social media is growing, so there are two sides to it.

“We can really help the younger generation of today to deal with that kind of pressure, which you have to be able to manage as a footballer,” she adds. “You have to find what you need to focus on and what you should really just shut off and not focus on. You need to find the people that you talk football with and the people’s opinions you shouldn’t care about.”

Harder picks up the thread: “When we were younger, there was only one focus and that was football – to get better and to win. It was just football: that was the thing we played for. Now, there is so much more and, with social media, it’s also about a lot of individual awards, individual recognition, when the focus should be on the team. And I think it’s easier to be distracted [from] having that right focus. That’s something important to think about…”

“And to remind yourself about on a daily basis,” Eriksson cuts in. “And also to spread that within the team – that it’s a team sport and the team wins, the team loses, the team scores, the team concedes. All of those things.”

“Except when Magda scores!” adds Harder with a laugh, teasing her partner over a goal she scored in the week of this interview.

Jokes aside, the pair obviously think a lot about the game, which makes them natural choices to sit on UEFA’s Football Board, the body set up last year to draw on the knowledge of current and former players and elite coaches in the shaping of women’s football. For Eriksson, it’s “inspiring to know you get a direct line to some really big decision-makers”, and the welfare of players – “the football calendar and making football sustainable” – is something both women are keen to highlight.

“We all want a long career, but sometimes if you have to play all the time and have no break, that will shorten it,” says Harder. “Often, we have tournaments in the middle of summer or late summer, so we have four or five weeks before the tournament for our summer holiday, but then we don’t really have that time off because you train to prepare for the World Cup. And then, after the World Cup, [Magda] had ten days and I had two weeks off, and then you just go straight back into it. So, you have to put the tournaments earlier so you have at least four weeks after when you can really, medically, relax and be ready for the new season. Everything else is just too hard mentally and for the body.”

“It was the same last year with the EURO and the amount of injuries we saw after,” says Eriksson, who, ironically, just days after our interview, suffered a metatarsal fracture in her left foot. “Again, [it was] a couple of weeks off for a few, even less for others, and then you are straight back into a high-performance environment where you immediately have to play games. Finding a balance in the calendar where you get the breaks at the right time and don’t have too many games in short spaces of time is the most important thing.

“The fact we are starting now to do research on women’s bodies and women’s players is the first step. With the way we train, the way we train conditioning, everything is based on research on men’s football players, men’s athletes. We don’t know if it’s the same for us. Should we train more or less, or in a different way?”

From Harder comes further food for thought. “When you think about it, we use the same football as the men. It isn’t that I want to change it, but it’s also the same size of pitch and we don’t have the same body; we don’t have the same strength in the muscles. I don’t know the impact from every time I shoot or make a pass, if that’s actually a bigger impact on my muscles than it is on a man’s. That’s something I think it would be quite interesting to look at. I don’t know if it’s something we want to change and have a lighter ball. Maybe it’s just small percentages of how heavy the ball is that could change it.”

“There is rivalry in women’s football, but respect, love and joy always come first”

It’s fascinating to hear this to and fro on the physical side of the game they love, and it’s not the only challenge they see. We talk too about misogyny and what Harder describes as “a mindset of some people who don’t want to change [and see] that women can also play football, women can also be commentating on men’s football, that they also have knowledge about football. They have their mindset and their values about it and it’s really difficult for them to change.”

What is not in question is that women’s football has taken giant steps already in terms of status and recognition. As the commercial opportunities grow, however, neither woman wants to lose the things that make it different from the men’s game. Eriksson recalls the celebratory atmosphere in Australia and New Zealand during the last Women’s World Cup; she cites too the friendly fan dynamics in the club realm.

“We are coming off the back of a fantastic World Cup where there were only positive emotions connected to the games. Of course, some teams win, some teams lose – that’s part of football – but the way the tournament was held and the fan culture, that was amazing. So much positivity, so much joy, and that’s everywhere in women’s football fan culture right at the moment. That is what we want to keep. In women’s football, that rivalry is still there, but the respect, the love and the joy is always what comes first.”

The last word comes from Harder, ever the finisher. “It won’t be easy to keep it like that, but that at least is the aim.”

#great interview #magdalena eriksson #pernille harder #woso #fc bayern frauen #fcb frauen #swewnt #denwnt #hardersson #wlw #swewnt article

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drconstellation · 1 year ago

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When Crowley met Jesus, and the other demon at Golgotha

You know the scene. 33AD. Aziraphale is watching the crucifixion take place and certain fem-presenting demon sidles up to him.

Aziraphale greets them, and finds out they have changed their name.

"What is it now?" he asks them. " Mephistopheles? Asmodeus?"

I know most you have learnt by now that Asmodeus is the demon of lust, and this is obviously Aziraphale's idea of a flirty little joke (perhaps the first we see? because he's the one who's really as "mad as bag of frogs" after all and that's why Crowley's made an appearance, because he was probably just in the area, you know...), but I haven't seen or come across much meta about the first suggested name, which is a GO "lead balloon" moment.

Mephistopheles, Aziraphale? That's the name you thought of here? Of all places? jfc...you bad, bad angel! lmoa! This is a serious, sombre situation you are witnessing!

Mephistopheles is the name of the fictional demon sent to do a deal with the character Faust in a story that dates back to Germany in the early 1500s. Faust was a like a scientist in his day, well educated in things like alchemy and astrology and other mystical arts, maybe even having wizard powers (why not?) But he was hungry for more power so he did a deal with the devil for 24 years of assistance to achieve and gain anything he desired, and at the end of that time he would be claimed by Hell. Needless to say, despite starting off well it didn't have a happy ending. (I wont go into details as there are lots of variants, and its not that short, and they aren't all that relevant to the point of the post.)

It has been a hugely influential story ever since, appearing in many forms over the years; in opera, theater, movies, novels, adaptations such as Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Grey, and Queen's famous song Bohemian Rhapsody. Terry Pratchett also did a parody of it in his 1990 book Eric, and readers have often noted the similarity to the Hell depicted there to the Hell in GO.

Its the origin of the idiom "to do a deal with the devil" and a Faustian bargain. The mortals that enter into the deal with a powerful supernatural entity are usually set up to fail, and we go along with it because we are so used to the trope, its one we've come to expect the bargainer to fail in some spectacular fashion. It's one that keeps being repeated again and again because it so interesting to explore - often the protagonist is looking for some form of happiness, sometimes revenge, and hopes the deal will deliver, but find out the hard way that they should be careful what they wish for because the delivery is a two-edged sword. They may find out that they don't actually want what they thought they wanted, or they get what they want in an very unexpected way.

Back to Golgotha, and our demon and angel. We learn the demon has merely modified their name to Crowley. And yes, they met Jesus.

C: "Seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world."

A: "Why?"

C: "He's a carpenter from Galilee, his travel opportunities are limited."

This is a reference to one of the the tests of faith Jesus was put through before his crucifixion, from the Book of Matthew.

I like this modern version I found:

For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs. Matthew 4:8-11 The Message

Or, you could say: Crowley showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and offered the bargain that he could rule them all if he would renounce God and worship Satan instead, but Jesus just turned to the demonic messenger and simply told him to "fuck off!"

And there we have it, folks. Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus. Touche, Aziraphale, you sly little shit stirrer.

#good omens #good omens meta #aziraphale #crowley #hard times #golgotha #asmodeus #mephistopheles #faust #all the kingdoms of the world #going along with Hell as far as you can #faustian bargains #doing a deal with the devil #you bad bad angel aziraphale #this is no time to be flirting and cracking jokes with your demon

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alpaca-clouds · 1 month ago

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The Canonicity of the Digimon Wonderswan Games

I am right now a bit back into my old Digimon hyperfixation I am afraid. So let me nerd out a bit more about it, or in this case rant about another thing.

See, I am in a bit of a weird position in regards of this fandom. I am from Germany, where we got the dub names and stuff, but the Japanese cut of the anime. But also, I switched to watching the sub already by the time Digimon Tamers was starting to air in Japan, and had fairly easy access to most of the Japanese media for the franchise through the magic of the internet.

As such I grew up with the Japanese stuff for Digimon in the most part. Including the Wonderswan games, that are kinda legendary in the west. And man, let me tell you: I love those games. They are not really good games, I would argue. Like the game mechanics are just not very polished, and like in a lot of Japanese games at the time you needed to grind quite a lot. But I loved the story and the way it was portrayed. And I adore the game version of Ryou. He is my cute baby boy, who needs a serious hug.

However... Something that I have already been annoyed with was the fact that a lot of western fandom has always seen these games as canon. And I kinda get why - at least in regards to Adventure/02 - given that Ryou gets referenced in the canon a lot. It is canon that Ryou exists in this universe, as well as Millenniumon. And it is canon that Ken and Ryou travelled through the digital world. However... The game as it is, is in fact not canon and never was meant to be. This is because games very much contradict several aspects of the primary canon (the show). Let us go through those things, okay?

Anode/Cathode Tamer

This game takes place on New Years Eve 1999, so about 4 (or really 5) months after Digimon Adventure. Millenniumon, a Digimon that has been formed when the data of the defeated Machinedramon fused with a Chimeramon, messed up the digital world and brought back the villains the Chosen Children had already defeated. Being brought back, they kidnap the Chosen children. Agumon turns to a human child - Ryou Akiyama - as he needs a human to evolve. So, Ryou on his own has to fight through the villains of Digimon Adventure to free the chosen children. He is not a Chosen Child himself, though, being made to borrow Taichi's Digivice.

Now, this game is clearly not canon - the villains being brought back is never mentioned again, and it is explicitly said that spring 2000 was the first time that the Chosen Children returned back to the Digital World after their original adventure.

Other than that... I kinda love how vile the villains are in this game. I really adore it. But yeah, definitely not canon.

Tag Tamers

Tag Tamers starts during the events of the second movie. Diaboromon is defeated and just as this happens, Ryou and Ken get contacted by V-mon and Piccolomon. Millenniumon is back, and it is up to Ryou to defeat it. This time he has to partner up with V-mon, who is already destined to be Daisuke's partner. So Ryou and Ken go visit the digital world together - only to find out, that it was all a trap set up by Millenniumon to lure Ryou back.

This game at once is the one most directly referenced in the Show (with Ken's flashback to getting infected with the Dark Spore) and also the more most directly contradicted by the show. Because while the game takes place in March 2000, the series explicitly names the time of Ken and hence Ryou travelling to the digital world as August 2000, exactly a year post-Adventure. More interestingly we do not see any partner with Ryou in the flashback either, and it is pretty clear that if V-mon ever met Ken or Ryou before, he does most certainly not remember.

It should also be noted that in this game Ken and Ryou both get D-3 Digivices, while in the primary canon Ken obviously received a normal Digivice at this point, that only later turned into the D-3 at the Dark Ocean.

D-1 Tamers

D-1 Tamers takes place not too long after Tag Tamers. While watching over Ken, who is sick from the Dark Spore, Ryou finds an online quiz about Digimon and upon answering it gets once more summoned to the Digital World. Here, he is made to participate in the D-1 Tournament against other Children and their Digimon partners, including both characters from the anime and some original characters. However, soon enough it turns out, that the tournament was just something created by the Holy Beasts to train Ryou up to once more fight against Millenniumon.

Basically, the same from before applies. The kids in this game all have D-3 Digivices, that did not yet exist in this universe. Nowhere in canon is it ever mentioned that Taichi and Co. have travelled back to the Digital World at this point - and mind you, the entire thing with the Holy Beasts also does not make a whole lot of sense considering the canon of the show (with the Holy Beasts just being brought back).

As someone who tends to latch onto minor characters very easily, I loved the original characters in this game, even though they have very few lines.

Mind you, if you have been in Digimon fandom spaces for a longer time, you might have come across the picture underneath before and thought to yourself: "Oh, this looks official." However... It is actually Fanart. To be exact this picture seems to originate with a fan-book on the games called Digimon Crusader. (I have been trying to get my hands on that one before. But I have only seen it two times up for auction and never could get manage to set up a proxy in time - as the sellers were never shipping to Europe.)

This is the book by the way:

Brave Tamer

Lastly there is Brave Tamer, a game that is rather hard to describe, because it involves a ton of time travel. Hurray, because this plot was not already convoluted enough. lol

Basically, it starts with Ryou at the very beginning of the Digital World, meeting Monodramon and then timehopping a whole lot to help both the Chosen Children and Tamers (who also show up here, because the game released by the time Tamers was out), and also get some closure. Please note, at this point in time the digital world has fucked up Ryou's mental health for good. lol

The game ends with Monodramon forcing a fusion between himself and Millenniumon, defeating the villain like this and leaving Ryou out of time with a single Digitama.

The plot of this game, due to the time travel, is a whole mess. I adore the game for the worldbuilding it does for the Adventure digital world, even though this, too, is doubtful in terms of canonicity. There is no real harm to take this as canon for the Adventure-world, though obviously the show itself contradicts this in terms of canon for the Tamers-world.

The crossover stuff between Tamers and Adventure verse is also very confusing to say the least. But yeah, given that none of the interactions here ever get referenced anywhere: This is also very certainly not canon. (Also, for some reason Ryou aged 2 years between D-1 Tamers and Brave Tamer, even though Brave Tamer starts up very shortly after D-1 Tamers ends.)

So, what is canon?

All of this might leave you wondering: What is canon for Ryou? Well, it is kinda hard to say. What we can assume is something like this:

In the universe of Digimon Adventure there is or was a boy named Akiyama Ryou. We do not know a whole lot about him, but based on his design he was probably 10 or 11 years old in August of 2000. When Ken first got called into the Digital World, he met Ryou there, and the two of them defeated Millenniumon, getting Ken infected with the Dark Spore. We do not know what happened to Ryou after this, but it seems unlikely that he and Ken stayed in contact, given Ken never brings him up. It is not impossible that he has died, though this is never confirmed, or contradicted by the canon.

In the universe of Digimon Tamers, there also exists a boy named Akiyama Ryou. Other than the boy from the games, he is not from Tokyo, but from a fishing village near Kitakyushu. We do not know whether he has a mother, but he has a father, as well as an uncle who lives in Tokyo. Whenever Ryou participated in the Digimon tournaments, he stayed with his uncle, apparently. In December 2000, Ryou meets Cyberdramon in Tokyo, and realized that Cyberdramon cannot stay in the real world because it is too aggressive. So he decides to travel to the Digital World together with it. Now, technically you can argue whether Cyberdramon is the Digimon resulting from the fusion of Monodramon and Millenniumon, but Ryou is very much a different character with a different backstory.

(And mind you: No, that US Comic that marries the Digimon Tamers story with some of the game story, is very much not canon, like all US-only material.)

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #digimon tamers #digimon anode tamer #digimon d-1 tamers #digimon brave tamer #ryo akiyama #akiyama ryou #canon #digimon meta #text post #long post

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shredsandpatches · 11 months ago

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Before work this morning I read a book chapter about same-sex desire and the development of modernity in early modern Germany and, like you do if you're talking about capital-M modernity in Germany, it started off with the Faust legend, pointing out that homoeroticism has been part and parcel of the Faust corpus even back when Magister Georg Helmstetter, aka Sabellicus, aka Faustus junior was traveling across Germany causing problems on purpose, even without a Mephistopheles to fuck that old man.

I fear it is gauchely anglocentric of me, but I did raise an eyebrow at the brief survey of sub- or super-textually gay Fausts skipping directly from Faustus Georg to Goethe to Mann (both Manns) without even a nod across the North Sea to the first serious dramatic treatment of the story, however. I mean, yes, it's a chapter focused on Germany but Marlowe was only a couple of steps removed from the German source material (the 1592 English Faustbuch is pretty close to the 1587 Spiers). Granted I don't think Doctor Faustus was much known on the continent, even much later--Goethe read it some time after he finished Faust I--but I think it probably supports the larger point that of all the playwrights working in early modern England it's Marlowe who gloms onto that particular subject matter, even without the German social context. Worth a footnote, anyway.

(NB. I am not seriously offended, just to be clear)

#hot faust summer #faustus georg #doctor faustus #sodomite and necromancer #author also says scholarship doesn't comment much on this #which may have been true in 2006 #(it's definitely not true of marlowe though and was not in 2006 either)

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engshoujosei · 2 years ago

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A Sign of Affection

6 volumes (in English as of 4/19/2023. Digital-first, now being published in print, as well.)

Licensed by Kodansha, also available on INKR Comics

Yuki is a college student who’s into friends and fashion. She’s also deaf. A chance meeting on a train leads to a serious crush… but can it grow into something more? A sweet and touching manga romance from the creator of Shortcake Cake!

Yuki, who’s always been deaf, is used to communicating with sign language and her phone. But she’s not used to English, so when a tourist from overseas asks for directions, she nearly panics��until a handsome stranger steps in to help. His name is Itsuomi, and it turns out he’s a friend of a friend. A charismatic globetrotter, Itsuomi speaks three languages, but he’s never had a deaf friend. The two feel drawn to each other and plan a date on a romantic winter’s night…but Yuki’s friend is afraid that she might be setting herself up to get hurt. Could this be something real? Or will these feelings melt away with the snow?

From the acclaimed author of Shortcake Cake, the hit shojo series with more than a million copies in print, this new work is full of real-life details about Japanese sign language and living without hearing, and it’s sure to please fans of romantic stories like A Silent Voice, Kimi ni Todoke, and Love in Focus!

Note: Nominated for the first Ebook Japan manga award in 2020. Nominated for the Kodansha Manga Award in the Shōjo category in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Won the grand prize at the eleventh An An manga award in 2021. Nominated for the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shōjo category in 2022.

Status in Country of Origin

8 Volumes (Ongoing)

Tags:

Affectionate Couple

Assertive Female Lead

Award-Winning Work

Bar/s

College

Couple Growth

Cute Female Lead

Deaf Protagonist

Disability/ies

Female Lead Falls in Love First

First Love

Friendship

Germany

Height Difference

Language Barrier

Multiple Couples

Part-Time Job

Post-Secondary School

Post-Secondary Student/s

Tattoo/s

Travel

Unrequited Love

World Travel

#a sign of affection #manga #art #shoujo #dessert #kodansha #ongoing #Yubisaki to Renren #drama #romance #school life #slice of life #MORISHITA Suu #2019 #2010s #inkr comics

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themculibrary · 1 year ago

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Missing Scenes Masterlist

Links Last Checked: May 11th, 2024

part two

A Short Interlude (ao3) - daisherz365 scott/wanda T, 2k

Summary: During their downtime during the battles between the Avengers Scott shares his sacred 80s mix with Wanda. It isn't the only thing he shares with her much to the amusement of the rest of Team Cap.

Better Angels (ao3) - sabrecmc steve/tony E, 8k

Summary: Chris Evans mentioned in an interview (jokingly, unfortunately) that there was a deleted scene from Civil War with him and RDJ showering together.

Welp. Headcanon accepted.

Billionaire's cake (ao3) - everythingispoetry phil/tony G, 16k

Summary: The first time Phil gets to eat something baked by Tony, it's purely accidental. The other times - not so much. Or: a story about a relationship that starts with donuts and doesn't end because of donuts.

Cap's Reinforcements (ao3) - rockmusicplays G, 2k

Summary: Clint rounds up the rest of Team Cap. Missing scene between the Avengers' compound and the airport meet-up.

course-correct without a map (ao3) - stark2ash G, 1k

Summary: This was his favorite hymn, the son next to Sam whispers, and Sam smiles sadly and nods like it’s an old memory rather than new information, and Bucky sits there in his black tie and jacket and tries to feel like he’s not crumbling back into dust.

(the six months between Endgame and Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

Dibs Not (ao3) - aloneintherain G, 1k

Summary: Inspired by anon: 'AU where the airport fight ends in a minor debate over who has to take Peter home b/c he's literally too young to fly unaccompanied without fuckloads of paperwork.'

Hold On Let Go (ao3) - gracerene steve/tony E, 2k

Summary: The barn smells of stale hay, and some kind of warm wood, and Tony knows that most people would find the scent comforting, but it just makes his skin prickle.

I’m Not Your Babysitter (ao3) - Mrs_N_Uzumaki G, 1k

Summary: “I can’t take this anymore, Tony.” The end of the rope that was Happy’s already little patience has been reached. “I am an asset manager, not a babysitter.”

(A “missing scene” in Homecoming.)

It'll All Come out in the Wash-ington (ao3) - AnonEhouse G, 1k

Summary: What if Tony had talked to Rogers right after SHIELD fell (was pushed), when Rogers was in the hospital and dopey enough to let down his guard and talk freely.

What if Tony got more than a hint of things to come?

Let’s Hear It For Captain America! (ao3) - Magnetism_bind steve/bucky E, 5k

Summary: A missing scene from Captain America: The First Avenger

On Your Right (ao3) - thingswithwings steve/sam T, 5k

Summary: Sam puts the Trouble Man soundtrack on repeat, like a talisman at first, when he thinks that Steve might die. The doctors are grim and serious, claiming that they did what they could for him, removing the bullets and stitching his insides back together. A few hours later, the doctors' faces get less grim, more confused, and a few hours after that, they're throwing their arms up in the air in frustration and grinning with triumph at the same time, because apparently the Super Soldier Serum is worth more than just the fastest mile in human history.

Sam spends that time beside Steve, in the position he's gotten used to after only a couple of days: on his right, waiting to see where he'll run next, ready to get his back.

Overseas Teambuilding Strategies (ao3) - OnMyShore T, 3k

Summary: "We’re three international fugitives, on foreign soil, with a whole lot of enemies and a clown car full of stolen tactical gear."

Or: The one where Steve, Bucky and Sam travel through Germany in a Volkswagen and bicker over who gets to join their team.

Self-Sustained Quantum Superposition (ao3) - rednihilist T, 1k

Summary: Character study masquerading as filler between Siberia & Raft-rescue.

Sympathetic Monsters (ao3) - miss_aphelion N/R, 3k

Summary: Tony doesn’t know what it is to be unmade. He still thinks that Bucky Barnes had a choice. Natasha tries to explain it to him, but Tony doesn’t want to care.

But when it comes to the things that really matter, he rarely gets what he wants.

(Civil War Missing Scene: Tony learns the truth about the Winter Soldier)

Three Men in a VW (ao3) - Brokenpitchpipe steve/bucky T, 3k

Summary: Steve steps back into the car and closes the door, lips still tingling.

“You don’t like blondes,” Bucky says.

Sam chokes.

turn your back on mother nature (ao3) - apocalyvse druig/makkari T, 10k

Summary: the drukkari scenes that were missing from the movie.

What Comes After (ao3) - Shadith G, 4k

Summary: Sam Wilson is the baby of the family. Everyone agrees, even his baby sister.

What do you call a guy who shrinks? (ao3) - Laimelde G, 1k

Summary: Missing scene fic from the end of Civil War. Set just after Steve & Bucky rescuing everyone from the Raft..

For Scott, working with ants was an everyday occurrence, but he sort of forgot that the Avengers didn't know about it. It just hadn't come up during the fight at Leipzig airport, y'know?

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #masterlists #missingscenes #missingscenes masterlist

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xxmyhomexx · 2 years ago

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THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DESERT ROSE

I haven't even checked this story out, but I've seen some people post about one of the LIs, Mustafa, and I have been having my own thoughts despite it only on one season.

They'd go through with the arranged marriage, but rebel against their families, effectively stripping them of their status and power. Depending on the path of Reverie/Rebellion, The Desert Flower/The City Kid, there would be two endings. Mustafa would become politician and Yasmin would be his assistant for The Desert Flower ending, doing better for the city and bringing peace, becoming a beloved and respected couple working together. In The City Kid, both would leave Morocco for Western culture, becoming successful ambassadors for a charity program dedicated to bringing cultures together for world peace and equality.

They'd also have one daughter, a little girl named Chloe. She would have Mustafa's eyes but the looks of her mother with short hair. She would be an only child because of Mustafa's preferences for only one, and Yasmin wouldn't care to have more or not because she would be happy to be a mom regardless. She is the light of their world, and grows up happy.

Mustafa is protective of Chloe, while Yasmin is a more reserved mother. The only ones she’d have contact with in the family would be Jaria and Amira, Mustafa’s sisters whom she’d have a close relationship with. Rabia and Kadir wouldn’t be so lucky, as their views on culture would make her a vulnerable target for control, something Yasmin and Mustafa would never want for their only daughter.

When Chloe would want to study abroad in Germany, being accepted into the University of Münster, Mustafa would not be happy about her decision to leave Morocco/the city regardless of the endings.

He would come home from work one Friday afternoon and notice an open acceptance letter from the school on the coffee table in the living room, storming into Yasmin's study waving it angrily, demanding to know why he was never told about it. Yasmin admits she was going to call but got caught up in an online conference that took most of her time, completely forgetting to notify him. When Mustafa asks where their daughter is, he finds out Chloe is at a friend's house for the weekend, and the couple have a serious talk.

"Besides, all her friends and family are here." He'd cross his arms.

"That isn't what she wants, and you know it." Yasmin would counter, standing from her desk.

"She can travel after her studies from home." Mustafa declared with a stubborn smirk.

"Mustafa..." Yasmin shakes her head.

"Why Germany?!" Mustafa glares at his wife. "Why so far? She's only 17, Yasmin, she is still a teenager."

"She'll be 18 at the end of next month, and you know she loves Germany. Remember she went with her language class last year?"

"Only for a week, and I didn't worry because she goes to a school that cares about their students. This is for FOUR YEARS on a full scholarship, we don't even know if it's safe!"

"Everything is covered, including travels and food. Honey..." Yasmin walks to her husband and embraces him, his anger disappearing into sadness.

"I'd die if something happened to her, Yasmin, in another country where we can't protect her." He'd bite his lower lip.

"She's trained to fight and defend herseld, my love," Yasmin smiles. "We taught her the importance of independence and fitness, all thanks to you, of course."

This makes him smile. "I wanted her to have the life you never did growing up, but I still get worried, even if she just stands on the back porch by herself."

Yasmin giggles. "You are the over-protective one."

"No," Mustafa gives her a dismissive hand wave. "Just when it comes to leaving her, and you, alone. I just care too much to lose our family."

"And that's wonderful," Yasmin says. "But she also needs to experience life for herself, Mustafa. I know you want her to be happy."

"As much as you do," he agrees. "And if Münster is her happiness, I can't take it from her. However, we visit the school beforehand to make it clear they better take care of her. And she needs to contact us every day, even if it's just a quick text goodnight."

Yasmin nods, accepting this is fair for both of them and their daughter.

#romance club #the desert rose #mustafa #yasmin

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rebelcourtesan · 2 years ago

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My Recommendation for 'Serious' Anime

Below is a list of anime I love as they aren't just simple 'kids in school' or 'friendship will beat all odds' tropes. The characters are serious and tackle serious problems and themes.

TRIGGER WARNING: All of these anime have blood, violence, and death in them. Some even have sexual assault and torture. I'll mark the ones that do.

Gotta start with this gem. Humanity lives within walls, protected from Titans, giants with a hunger for human flesh. Eren's life is shattered when the walls is broken by the Colossal Titan and his village is overrun by Titans, eating his mother and ruining his childhood. He joins the cadets to learn how to take on these monstrosities to save humanity and uncover startling revelations within and outside of the walls.

I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but things aren't what they seem with the characters. They do come across as tropes with Eren being the hot headed protagonist, Armin the quiet brains, and Mikasa the cool beauty, but they each come into their own person through character development and events that mark their traumas and their response to it.

I do not understand why this anime isn't talked about more. It's an old anime from 1999, but it's themes still hold true today.

Shu is a carefree boy who meets a strange silent girl, Lala-Ru. While befriending her, they are captured by solders from another world and enlisted in their brutal army to fight a pointless war under the leadership of a deranged dictator who wants to use Lala-Ru special power over water for his own ends.

I'm going to go ahead and tell you this anime is brutal. Bad things happen to good people while villains who did atrocious things regret their actions. While I recommend this anime, it is a hard watch for anyone as there as children are forced to becoming soldiers, girls being raped by soldiers to be used as breeders, and torture.

I am more than happy to announce this gem has been rereleased on Netflix in its entirety of 70+ episodes. While this is an investment of time, (being frank here, far shorter than some more popular anime), this anime should be at the top of anyone's psychological thriller list.

Fed up with corrupt hospital politics of favoring celebrity or wealthy patients in emergency situations, Dr. Kenzo Tenma goes against the hospital director's orders and performs emergency brain surgery on a young boy shot in the head. He saves the lad's life, but 10 years later, realizes he made a terrible mistake as the boy has grown up to become a serial killer. On the run for a murder he didn't commit, Dr. Tenma travels across Europe looking for the monster whose life he should never have saved.

This anime mostly takes place in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall so there are a lot of political situations in this, but most of all it is a fugitive story of Tenma trying to hunt down a killer who is already a step ahead of him and deep conspiracy of his origins. Tough topics are corruption, addiction, and racism is a big thing in this show.

Seriously, one of the best ever written villains, Johann, is so terrifying, I still feel a shudder every time he comes on screen.

Hear me out. While is is technically a 'kids in school' anime, there are scarier things afoot than someone's crush rejecting them.

Koichi has transferred to a new school to class 3-3 and the students receive him with cold and suspicious looks. Also, there's a mysterious girl in his class everyone seems not to see or notice . . .

I can't give away too much without spoiling the plot which has a lot of twists and turns. This is one of my favorite horror anime with a mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. I seriously wish I could hit my head and forget this anime so I can watch it for the first time again.

Think of someone created an anime version of Salem's Lot and you would get Shiki.

In the peaceful village of Sotoba, an mysterious illness afflicts the citizens. People suffering from a strange form of anemia puzzles the town's doctor. Also, a strange family moves into the village in the dead of night and local girl Megumi disappears only to be found in the woods cold and suffering from blood loss . . .

Another excellent horror anime which doesn't pull it's punches. It sports a large cast of characters from the town doctor, the priest of a village's temple, and the school kids who try to save the town, everyone doesn't come out of this with clean hands. The anime styles of the characters are a little funky and remind me of 60's anime, but in a good way.

Don't let the title card fool you.

Madoka and her best friend Sayaka discover a cat like creature named Kyubey who offers to transform them into Magical Girls to combat Witches who prey on innocent people's emotions. Yet, she's warned by a strange dark hair Magical Girl, Homura, not to accept Kyubey's offer.

This anime completely takes the Magical Girl tropes and flips it on its ear. Definitely worth a watch, if only to experience the shocking revelations this anime presents.

Anime Vikings . . .what more should I say? Currently on Netflix with the second season airing each week.

As a young boy, Thorfinn admired his father, village leader Thors and stowed away on his boat when goes away to war. Alas, his fantasy of adventuring with his father is shattered when Thors is killed in a raid and Thorfinn is taken in by the same Vikings who killed his father. He is taught how to fight and survive in battle, grows up desiring a peaceful land where he doesn't have to fight, Vinland.

It's Vikings, so expect a lot of raiding and violence. Not to mention slavery.

This is a gem that came out of nowhere! I had first thought this was a cash grab from the franchise, but damn, if they didn't give this anime their best.

Set in Night City of Cyberpunk, street kid David tries to stand on his own while appeasing his hard working mother, until a tragedy leaves him on his own with a military grade implant he has installed into his body which gives him faster reflexes in combat. He gets taken in by a group of Edgerunners, mercenaries who take any job for money and falls in love with the cool and aloof Lucy.

This anime hits hard by making you care for characters who die violent deaths, not to mention the devastation of the mental illness Cyperpyschosis. In Night City, it's not how you live that makes you a legend, it's how you die.

I'm talking about the 1997 anime series and the movie trilogy. The animation for the 2016 series isn't that great with terrible animation. So I recommend just the 1997.

Set in a low fantasy medieval world, mercenary Guts joins the Band of the Hawk, a mercenary group of young warriors under the command of the beautiful Griffith whose ambition will lead to the group's downfall.

This is another anime with characters you will fall in love with the loyal Guts, determine Casca, and charismatic Griffith. There is multiple attempts of sexual assault on Casca, so be warned before watching.

Years ago, a group of men killed Angelo's family in cold blood. Seeking revenge, Angelo infiltrates the Vanetti Family and befriends the don's son Nero, one of the men responsible for his family's murder.

This is one of the few anime I will only watch dubbed. While I have nothing against the Japanese VAs, the atmosphere and story is so 1920's Prohibitions, hearing the characters speak Japanese breaks the immersion for me. The English cast does a great job with the Brooklyn accents.

This is a story about revenge and how far someone will go for it. Angelo is cold and determine to take down the killers, including Nero, who is a poor friendly soul who is guilt stricken over his actions that day. Not knowing Angelo's true identity, he takes him under his wing and forms a friendship based on lies and subterfuge. Being a mafia story, there will be blood and crime aplenty so be warn if are easily triggered by violence.

#anime recommendations

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randomnameless · 2 years ago

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People don't know a lot of things are relatives; incest is relative (depends on what your culture labels as taboo) and pedophilia is relative too (since it'the sexual majority that determines which case are pedophilia or not, not the civilian majority). But if those critics comes from Americans, they are entitled to the rules of their states, there is others states in America which have marrying your cousin not incest and in which the sexual majority is 16-17, which is the age the most used to place it (iirl in Germany, it's 14 and France 15 so generally round puberty) under the caveat that id doesn't involve a person of power over said civilian minro (like for example not teacher relationship even if the student gave consent, it's only when they reach civilian majority that i'ts ok). However only in FE game zoophilia, something not relative AT ALL, can be more accepted but apparently marrying a dragon is fiction so it's ok but marrying a time travler despite being also fiction is not ok because ... ? sure i would not marry a time traveler irl but i would not be dating a dragon either !

I never meant a dragon irl, so idk if I wouldn't date them on basis of being one lol

And can it really be called zoophilia when Frederick isn't fucking his own horse, but a woman - human - who has magical powers and can change in a giant rabbit? We had lewd paintings and stories about people wanting to play with mermaids, and I don't think it falls under zoophilia if the other party isn't an animal - but that's way too serious for this blog lol

Also, yes, that's where you see some, uh, serious ethnocentrism from several takes online (and at times, can guess where that person is from, or what culture they grew in based on those takes alone!) but if you have to be technical, yes, incest is relative because in some places in the world cousins can marry, at times they could in other places but this was later banned, and the legal age of consent is a clusterfuck I don't want to approach here - re about being too serious - but in general, yes, in some places being 16 means you are of age, when in some other places, you have to be 18.

#anon #replies #when i say things are too serious it's because you have a lot of legal intricacies #and i want to keep this blog a fandom blog lol #but it's kind of fascinating to think about #for someone something might be problematic and for some others it is not #but some people really want to bring their civilisa- i mean rules and cultures over the rest of the world #and it doesn't work so they look like donkeys #fandom woes

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cinematicnomad · 2 years ago

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Hello I hope you have fun traveling!!

Can you tell me about your first crush?

thank you 😊😊 i hope i do too! it's a work trip but i know and like all the people i'm gonna be traveling with from other universities so it should be good.

i had lots of crushes as a kid. like, too many? so i don't really remember the first one (there was a little boy from my pre-school in mexico and all i remember is being very sad after we moved away)? but i can tell you about my first Serious Crush™ which happened in third grade.

there was a boy in my class named sam and, somehow, in that way little kids do, he and i became Best Friends. i was a v tomboyish kid and i spent a lot of time playing soccer at recess with the boys and when we played boy-girl tag i'd play on the boy's team etc etc. sam was a little troublemaker—definitely the kid who always got sent to the principal's office and got in trouble with the teacher, etc. he gave off major calvin and hobbes vibes.

there's not much to the story—at some point it developed into a crush but we just stayed friends and i never said anything. but i remember he called my house a few times to talk to me back when landlines were still a thing and one time he left a very cute voicemail that my whole family got to tease me about. the summer after third grade my family moved to germany, but before we left my big sister was the lifeguard at his local pool and she told me after the fact one day that he had confessed his little 9 year old undying love for me and begged her to give me his email address so we could keep in touch. i created my v first email account so we could keep in contact but if memory serves she copied the address down wrong or lost the piece of paper bc it didn't work out.

about...oh, 5 or 6 years later xanga was a big thing. and on xanga there were different public groups or communities or what have you that you could join and be a member of. and i remember during 8th grade i just became OBSESSED with reconnecting with him. i knew the local middle school he would have gone to so i started joining xanga groups associated to the school and just. randomly messaging any member who seemed to be my age and asking if they knew him 😅

eventually i totally forgot about it until!! several months later one random girl replied, explained that he moved away but she DID know him and gave me his email or phone number. i reached out, we reconnected, had a couple lengthy phone calls, and now we're just random facebook friends lol

sleepover asks

#ask #dbmainblog #oh sam #he never posts on fb now and even changed his name and added like a default blank photo #i think he probably has some govt job where he doesn't want his social media searchable #but his family occasionally post pics and tag him in things #i think he's married with a kid now so we are leading v different lives lol #but oh it was a v intense first big crush and he meant a lot to me

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starseedfxofficial · 5 days ago

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The Secret Sauce that Most Traders Forget Picture this: you're in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war with the Forex market, and the rope is slipping. You tug harder, but the market just yanks back, leaving you flat on the ground. This, my friends, is what happens when you ignore the subtle power of the trade balance in your price action trading strategy. Just like buying those ridiculously impractical shoes on sale that will gather dust in your closet—it’s a missed opportunity to add something truly game-changing to your arsenal. Now, let's get to the good part—how to balance the forces of the market and use price action like a true pro. But first, remember, this isn’t just your typical "support and resistance" lecture. We’re diving into the less-traveled, underground side of Forex, where the magic truly happens. Think of it as discovering the secret menu at your favorite coffee shop—only better, because it can make you some serious pips. The Real Trade Balance Ninja Tactic: Beyond the Textbooks Most traders get so caught up in the flashy indicators and super-duper secret strategies that they forget to look at one simple, powerful metric: the trade balance. When it comes to price action trading, understanding a country’s trade balance is like getting a sneak peek behind the curtain at the Wizard of Oz. Spoiler alert: he’s got some strings you didn’t know about, and those strings move the market. You see, the trade balance is one of those economic indicators that subtly influences the movement of currency pairs. Countries with surplus trade balances tend to have stronger currencies, and those with deficits... well, let’s just say their currencies can look like a sad puppy when global sentiment shifts. Case in point: Germany’s relentless trade surplus often supports the Euro, even when all signs point to otherwise. By keeping an eye on the monthly trade balance reports, you’re adding a secret weapon to your price action toolkit—one that most traders don't even think about. Why You Should Care About Trade Balance in Price Action Trading Now, you might be thinking, "Alright, but how does this help me with price action trading?" Good question! It helps you spot trends before the rest of the herd catches on. Imagine being the first to realize a fundamental shift in a country’s economy—one that starts to reflect in the charts as institutional traders begin to reposition. This is the hidden alpha—the opportunity that everyone misses because they’re too busy checking if their RSI is screaming "overbought." Here’s where the magic happens: price action isn’t just about lines on a chart; it’s about understanding the "why" behind the movement. A sudden widening trade deficit? Expect price action to tell that story with a significant shift in the market. It’s like hearing a thunderstorm coming before seeing a flash of lightning—being that first person to prepare makes all the difference. The Lesser-Known Trick: Trade Balance Patterns & Price Action Synergy Now, let’s talk patterns—not your standard head and shoulders or double tops. We’re talking about synergies between economic trade balance shifts and chart patterns. If you spot an economy moving from a surplus to a deficit, take a look at how the price action shifts in key currency pairs. Many traders miss these subtle shifts, thinking of fundamentals as dry economic jargon best left to analysts with thick glasses. But oh boy, are they missing out! Take Japan, for example. When trade surpluses in Japan started to wane in the mid-2000s, the market gave clues in price action way before analysts did. The changes were there, like breadcrumbs leading Hansel and Gretel, for those willing to follow the trail. By catching these signs early, you could’ve stayed ahead of the crowd. It’s about reading between the lines—understanding not just where price is moving, but why it’s choosing that direction. Price Action + Trade Balance = Chart Whisperer So, how do you become a chart whisperer, you ask? Let’s dive into some elite tactics that combine price action with trade balance insights. - Observe Trade Balance Trends: Use monthly trade balance reports to gauge the economic health of key nations. Germany, the United States, China—keep these on your radar. A declining trade surplus? It’s your cue to start sniffing out weaknesses in currency movements. - Watch for Confirmation in Price Action: Once you have trade balance data, look for price confirmation. If there’s a growing deficit, see if major support levels on the chart are weakening—and prepare for potential breakouts or shifts in market sentiment. - Catch the Institutional Shift: Institutions don’t move money on a whim. They move based on solid, data-backed shifts, like changes in trade balance. By monitoring these, you’ll see subtle changes in price action that clue you into where the big boys are headed. The Unconventional Approach: Puns, Pips, and Progress Let’s take a second here to inject a little humor—because if you can’t laugh about trading, are you even really trading? Remember that time you accidentally hit the ‘sell’ button instead of ‘buy’ and then watched your account turn into a bad sitcom plot twist? Yep, we’ve all been there. The key, though, is not to make those mistakes when it really matters—like when trade balances are shifting, and the market is hinting at something you should probably pay attention to. Why Most Traders Ignore Trade Balance—And Why You Shouldn’t The average trader thinks about indicators, maybe even a few patterns, and calls it a day. But the truth is, the big moves happen when fundamentals and technicals align. Most traders ignore economic indicators like trade balance because it takes effort to connect the dots. But that’s precisely where the edge lies—where you can turn yourself from an average Joe into a trading ninja. And to all those who still think trade balance is just a bunch of nerdy data? Ask them how that indicator-riddled chart is working out. Because while they’re fumbling with stochastic crossovers, you’ll be riding that trade with a rock-solid understanding of why it’s happening. Counterintuitive Insight: Deficits Can Mean Opportunities Here’s a kicker: trade deficits aren’t always a bad thing. Contrary to what your Economics 101 professor taught you, a deficit can also signal opportunity. Countries often finance deficits through investments, which can lead to bullish sentiments in the short to medium term. A rising deficit might actually create a strong buying opportunity in the country's currency—especially if the influx of investments is targeted at growth-driven sectors. Predicting Market Moves With Price Action Precision Alright, let’s piece it all together with a little guide you can keep handy. These steps will help you use the trade balance with your price action trading: - Step 1: Start by tracking the monthly release of trade balance data for major economies. Use platforms like Forex Factory or the Bureau of Economic Analysis. - Step 2: Identify any significant changes—either surpluses moving towards deficits or deficits narrowing towards surpluses. These are major inflection points. - Step 3: Cross-reference these changes with price action on major currency pairs like EUR/USD, USD/JPY, or AUD/USD. - Step 4: Look for patterns that suggest continuation or reversal—flag, wedge, or double top. Confirm that these align with the fundamental story you’re tracking. - Step 5: Plan your entry. Using price action around key support or resistance levels, enter when you see a confluence between economic data and price confirmation. The Edge No One Sees Coming The magic here isn’t just about being ahead of the game—it’s about understanding the full picture. The Forex market is like a giant puzzle, and every trader has different pieces. Most traders look at the same charts, the same patterns. But when you add a deep understanding of trade balance to your price action strategy, you’re playing a different game. You’re not just reacting to price—you’re anticipating it, understanding it, and exploiting it. So next time you’re tempted to gloss over the trade balance data, think again. Ask yourself: do you want to follow the herd, or do you want to ride the hidden trends, armed with elite tactics that most traders ignore? The answer is pretty obvious. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

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pursuingheavenonearth · 9 months ago

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Mykonos, Greece: Arriving at the SuperParadise Beach, June 8, 2023

by David L. Brooks

In June of 2023, I took a one-month vacation to Greece, Spain and Germany, the two latter of which are actually my favorite places to visit. After six days on Mykonos, one of the most expensive tourist destinations on the planet, I traveled on to Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Island (off the coast of Morocco), to Sitges, Spain (a small tourist-friendly seaside town, just south of Barcelona), and to Munich, Germany. It is true that, if you wait to last-minute for your hotel and flight bookings, you will be charged 3-5 times the early-bird price. I booked about 10 months in advance, so that may explain how I could stay at an adequate hotel room on Mykonos for less than $750 for six nights, where booking in June would have cost me $2500 for the same room.

June 8 — I arrived on the island of Mykonos on Thursday afternoon and stood in the airport lobby for a few minutes to use the free Wifi in order to get my bearings and to get Google Maps set so that I could find my way from the airport to my hotel approximately 2 km away. The airport lobby wasn’t huge but it was quite crowded with people waiting for other passengers, many of whom were paid employees of hotels that can afford such a perk for their undoubtedly wealthy guests, as most of the ‘waiters’ had either printed signs or flashed iPads with their intended traveler’s family name or at least their hotel’s name.

I had initially gone directly outside for several reasons:

1) To find out the weather and temperature,

2) to scout out the location of the elegant (new) grocery store where I had planned to shop for my stay’s worth of breakfast and lunch foods, and

3) to get a ‘lay of the land’ view of the immediate area so I’d be sure to have not made any serious miscalculations about my intended tasks: buying a reasonable‘load’ of the week’s groceries and then walking to my accommodation on rather narrow, heavily trafficked roads.

As everything seemed to be in order, I now made my way outside, across the narrow parking lot and then ventured to cross the highway to the upscale grocery store called Flora Supermarket. The building that the maze-like store was housed in was probably an old one that had been remodeled into its reincarnation as a modern grocery store. I say that because, my first impression was was a bafflement at the design and layout of the various departments and merchandise within them. The place was certainly much larger than it first appeared from outside. But perhaps the floor layout was by design and not one forced upon the architect/ owner as I had assumed at first. Obviously, they still used check-out counters at the front entrance. However, the rest of the stores was segmented into various sections of a typical grocery, but in a unique configuration—whether planned or by necessity— it certainly seemed to work positively for the customers. Dry goods were off to one side in their own alcove or rather their own space. Fresh produce had its own ‘wing’ as did the large area that encompassed the meat section, liquor section, and sundries that make a great shopping experience.

Therefore, once I had gotten acclimated to this new shopping layout, I could move from one section to another to complete my selection of the foods I had worked out that I could most easily make good use in an almost non-existent kitchen at the hotel I had never seen.

Once I found the hotel (separate story), I immediately jumped into the shower, changed into some more comfortable summer attire, and headed on foot towards JackieO’s. It was a steep decline down a steep hillside road with lots of construction of new residences on both sides of the winding street, devoid of much natural greenery.

It was amusing that I had almost taken them by surprise as I wasn’t quite dressed for a meal in such a swank establishment. I actually had to be shown and then escorted separately by at least three men, all restaurant employers ( bar staffer, then maître d’ and finally my meal waiter, before I was seated and shown the menu. There may have been one of two other person who were also involved in shepherding the sole customer through the almost labyrinthian level of the spacious culinary Mecca, known as JackieO’s.

The name JackieO’s is prominently displayed at various places along the roadway, so you really cannot miss it. When I got to the entrance of the restaurant itself, I asked the maître D’ if I could pass through the restaurant because I wanted a chance to explore the beach know as Super Paradise Beach located just outside the restaurant property. As seems typical for many Mediterranean cultures, the beach is both honored as well as garnered for its beauty and its wealth or as a valuable income source. I proceeded across the tailored and landscaped ‘plage’ passing by two other small but also well-known restaurant bars. Deciding finally to return back to the largest and most eloquent and practically opulent JackieO’s to try to be seated for an early dinner repast. Looking at the menu was simple enough. An appetizer looked good, but this time I figured I was not going overdo it as is my usual pattern. So I went directly to the main entrees: pasta, seafood and meat (or vegetarian). I choose the seafood pasta dish with original handmade pasta and strips of fresh squid in a lightly tomatoed sauce. It costs 35 euros, a bit pricey but this is Mykonos, after all. I also went ahead an ordered one of the four desserts: a sorbet concoction composed of lemon verbena cream, fruit salad atop a yogurt sorbet, decorated with honey crème and walnut crumble; the price is 20 euros.

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xtruss · 1 year ago

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Henry Ford And The Jews, The Story Dearborn Didn’t Want Told

�� Published: February 4, 2019 | Bill McGraw | Michigan Government | BridgeMi.Com | November 06, 2023

Editor’s Note: Last week, the “Dearborn Historian” quarterly journal (circulation 230) published a 3,700-word examination of auto pioneer Henry Ford’s campaign a century ago to foment anti-Semitism far beyond his hometown. Bill McGraw, the Historian’s editor, chronicled how attacks on Jews by the Ford-owned Dearborn Independent newspaper influenced Adolf Hitler and have since found a receptive audience in neo-Nazis and white supremacists today.

But before the Dearborn Historical Museum could distribute the article, Dearborn Mayor John O’Reilly ordered the issue recalled and fired McGraw. The mayor called the article a “distraction” that lacked “a compelling reason directly linked to events in Dearborn today.”

This is not the only recent instance in which a public official sought to squelch an article they found uncomfortable or “off message.” In June, then-Michigan State University Acting President John Engler ordered MSU’s alumni magazine to scrap a cover story on the psychological wounds stemming from the school’s inaction after several women reported being sexually assaulted by Dr. Larry Nassar. Engler had the story revamped to focus on “positive” reforms since he took office.

Bridge Magazine supports efforts to ensure that serious journalism finds a broad audience in Michigan. McGraw, a former Bridge writer and member of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, offers a fascinating portrait of an iconic Michigan figure, warts and all. Bridge is proud to follow Deadline Detroit in republishing McGraw’s account.

Henry Ford and ‘The International Jew’

Chapter 1: Mass-Producing Hate

Henry Ford was peaking as a global celebrity at the conclusion of World War I, having introduced the $5 workday, assembly line and Model T ‒ revolutionary changes that transformed the way people lived. Reporters staked out the gates of his Fair Lane mansion. Ford loved the limelight and he constantly made news, even running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan as a Democrat in 1918. He narrowly lost.

In the midst of his fame, Ford became a media mogul of sorts, forming the Dearborn Publishing Company and purchasing the sleepy Dearborn Independent weekly newspaper, which was dying of red ink. He published the paper under his name for the first time 100 years ago, in January 1919.

Under Ford, the Independent became notorious for its unprecedented attacks on Jews. But Ford’s anti-Semitism traveled far beyond the Dearborn borders. Showing the marketing expertise that had catapulted Ford Motor into one of the world’s most famous brands, Henry Ford’s lieutenants vastly widened the reach of his attacks by packaging the paper’s anti-Semitic content into four books.

What might have been lost to history as an ugly curiosity has proven to be a Pandora’s box, as the Internet age has given Henry Ford’s anti-Semitic literature a powerful new life. Today, his legacy of hate flourishes on the websites and forums of white nationalists, racists and others who hate Jews.

Experts say “The International Jew,” distributed across Europe and North America during the rise of fascism in the 1920s and ‘30s, influenced some of the future rulers of Nazi Germany.

In 1931, two years before he became the German chancellor, Adolf Hitler gave an interview to a Detroit News reporter in his Munich office, which featured a large portrait of Ford over the desk of the future führer. The reporter asked about the photo.

“I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration,” Hitler told the News.

Ford’s anti-Jewish campaign provoked protests and a boycott of Ford Motor automobiles in the 1920s. Ford offered an apology ‒ received by the public with great skepticism ‒ and closed the paper in 1927. It was too late, though, as copies of “The International Jew” spread widely before and after World War II, influencing generations of anti-Semites. The glowing imprimatur of Henry Ford lent credibility to the preposterous charges against Jews the books contained.

But what might have been lost to history as an ugly curiosity has proven to be a Pandora’s box, as the Internet age has given Ford’s anti-Semitic literature a powerful new life. Today, a century after Ford purchased the Dearborn Independent and 72 years after his death, his legacy of hate is stronger than ever ‒ it flourishes on the websites and forums of white nationalists, racists and others who hate Jews.

Today, “The International Jew” by Henry Ford plays a significant role in fomenting resentment as the United States grapples with rising numbers of hate crimes and anti-Semitic incidents, ascendant white nationalism and a gunman armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle who massacred 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October. When he surrendered, the gunman told police he “wanted all Jews to die.”

An essay posted by the Anti-Defamation League on its website says that by resurrecting decades-old texts such as “The International Jew,” today's anti-Semites demonstrate the longevity of their beliefs, legitimizing them to both dedicated followers and potential recruits.

Because of Ford’s fame, “The International Jew” has been a “particularly powerful tool for haters trying to validate their hostile beliefs,” the essay adds.

Two examples of Ford’s influence online today: On Stormfront, a white nationalist online forum, a contributor has taken the screen name Dr. Ford and uses a photo of Henry Ford as a profile image. On the same forum, a participant whose screen name is AllisonRM wrote last year:

“I'm currently reading The International Jew: Essays from the Dearborn Independent (Ford)… Read these great books!...We, the white race, need to encourage ourselves and our children.”

Heidi Beirich, an expert on extremism in the United States at the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, said extremist websites contain thousands of references to Ford and “The International Jew.”

“In the world of the racist right, Henry Ford is almost a living, breathing human being, “ Beirich said in an interview. She added that extremist leaders use Ford “as an inspiration” and “validator” to impress people while enlisting them to join the movement.

It’s not just extremist websites that are peddling Ford’s books. Shoppers can buy “The International Jew” by Henry Ford on the websites of Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.

“This is a wonderful book that should be required reading for all Americans,” wrote Tara, in a five-star Amazon review. “Sadly, many people like to label Henry Ford as an anti-Semite, when nothing could be further from the truth.”

And then there are the ads. After I explored the availability of Ford’s anti-Semitic books on Amazon in connection with this story, ads for “The International Jew” by Henry Ford began popping up on my Facebook page. They appeared next to ads for what I was actually shopping for ‒ a winter coat.

Chapter 2: Transforming a Country Weekly

Starting with the issue of May 22, 1920, Ford began using the Independent to attack Jews. Every week for nearly two years, the paper published articles that assailed Jews for being sneaky and treacherous and conspiring to control the global financial system, a common Jewish stereotype. Ford also accused Jews of scheming to dominate such American industries as Hollywood, farming and liquor distribution.

“There is no other racial or national type which puts forth this kind of person,” the Independent said in June 1920. “It is not merely that there are a few Jews among international financial controllers ‒ it is that these world controllers are exclusively Jews.”

While anti-Semitism goes back centuries, Ford’s salvos were likely the most sustained printed attacks on Jews the world had ever seen. With his wealth and resources, Ford remains the most formidable anti-Semite in American history.

In 2019, many educated Americans have a vague understanding that Ford had anti-Semitic sentiments. Few people are aware of the details, though, of how Ford spent millions on his paper and the “International Jew” series of books.

The books spread like a virus, translated into 12 languages and distributed on three continents in the years after World War I. The books appeared as fascist forces were organizing, especially in Germany, one of the countries targeted by Ford’s agents.

In its first couple of years, Ford sold more than 200,0000 copies of “The International Jew.” His underlings deliberately declined to copyright the content, so other anti-Semites were free to publish the books. That is one reason Ford’s paper and books are widely available today, in printed form and online. With no copyright, it’s nearly impossible to stop their proliferation.

Chapter 3: Henry Ford, Publisher

After paying $1,000 for the Independent (about $18,000 in today’s dollars), Ford named his closest aide, Ernest Liebold, the newspaper’s general manager. Liebold was a hardcore anti-Semite.

“He hated everything Jewish, and he saw the publication as a vehicle for promoting his agenda,” Steven Watts wrote in “The People’s Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century.”

Ford and Liebold then assembled a crack editorial team by raiding the Detroit News.

For top editor, Ford hired News’ executive Edwin Pipp, a liberal Catholic who had been a muckraking Detroit reporter known as a soft touch because he wrote stories about people down on their luck. William Cameron, a Canadian immigrant who was a star reporter and editorial columnist for the News, came aboard as the lead writer.

Experts have long debated the roles of these three in the production of the Independent, but a general consensus has emerged that Ford, not a skilled writer, talked over ideas with Liebold, who ordered Pipp and Cameron to transform them into stories. Some historians believe Cameron “undertook his assignment disgustedly,” as David Lewis wrote in “The Public Life of Henry Ford,” adding that Cameron ”was either unable or did not try to dissuade Ford from launching the attack.” However disgusted he might have been, Cameron remained a Ford aide into the 1940s.

In serving as the link between Ford and the rest of the world, Leibold was strategic and menacing. With Ford’s money, Liebold organized a network of spies, many with government intelligence backgrounds, to snoop around outposts of Jewish life in America, paying special attention to community leaders. The agents funneled the information to Liebold in Dearborn as grist for the Independent’s anti-Jewish campaign.

Henry Ford ordered that the Independent not be used to publicize him or the company, though the paper’s nickname was “The Ford International Weekly” and Ford forced his dealers to conduct subscription campaigns. Some dealerships threw a copy of the Independent into newly sold Model Ts. Circulation eventually reached 900,000, making it one of the biggest periodicals in the country.

The Independent carried a weekly column by Ford ‒ verbosely ghost-written by Cameron – that filled “Mr. Ford’s Page.” Ford commented on many everyday subjects, but virtually never used his column for the most blatant anti-Semitic content. The Independent’s attacks on Jews ran separately, often starting on page one, almost always without a byline.

Under Ford, the Independent was tabloid in form, cost five cents and ran 16 pages. Its motto: “Chronicler of the Neglected Truth.”

At the beginning, the Independent was unremarkable, filled with long-winded feature articles on national and international subjects such as farming in Europe, the Smithsonian Institute or a cure for leprosy. Most critics found the paper soporific, a Saturday Evening Post without the pizazz.

It was only months, though, before the Independent took a sinister tack. Ford’s pet peeves – distant capitalists, aliens who refuse to assimilate, Bolsheviks (all code words for Jews) ‒ began creeping into the Independent’s pages, according to Neil Baldwin’s 2001 book, “Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate.”

“His own page took on a strident tone as Ford lashed out against unnamed, hidden influences that continued to trouble him,” Baldwin wrote.

Circulation lagged in the early going and Ford lost the equivalent of $3.5 million in today’s dollars in the first year. Staffers knew changes had to be made. “Find an evil to attack,” Joseph J. O’Neil, a veteran New York newspaperman, urged Liebold in a memo. “LET’S FIND SOME SENSATIONALISM,” he typed with emphasis.

Beginning with the issue of May 22, 1920, Ford found his target. That issue of the Dearborn Independent kicked off a 91-week campaign of insults, criticism and lies directed at Jews from Dexter and Davison in Detroit to Krakow, Poland.

“The International Jew: The World’s Problem,” read the inaugural page-one headline.

“There is apparently in the world today a central financial force which is playing a vast and closely organized game with the world for its table and universal control for its stakes,” the article said.

In subsequent weeks, the Independent hammered Jews for scheming to take over Broadway theater, baseball, American agriculture and countless other domains. Ford’s paper also popularized an early 20th-Century forgery from Russia, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” which similarly purports to show Jews are bent on world domination.

Chapter 4: Jews and Others Fight Back

The Independent ‒ put out by Henry Ford, Dearborn-born and bred, legendary Tin Lizzie wizard, American folk hero and one of the world’s richest men ‒ shocked Jewish Americans and many other citizens of diverse backgrounds. It wasn’t long before they began to counterattack. The Independent was controversial from coast to coast in its day.

Pipp, whose Catholic conscience would not allow him to run an anti-Semitic journal, quit and began publishing his own paper, Pipp’s Weekly, that was often critical of Ford. Cameron took Pipp’s place. Ford’s wife, Clara, and Edsel, his only child, put off by the anti-Jewish articles, reportedly distanced themselves from the Independent.

As the Independent launched its anti-Semitic campaign and sent the paper, unsolicited, to libraries and schools across the nation, protests broke out. Some cities attempted to ban the paper, but such moves raised First Amendment issues. Jews organized Ford Motor boycotts. Former President William Howard Taft, a future U.S. Supreme Court chief justice, slammed Ford in a speech. Later, he joined outgoing President Woodrow Wilson and dozens of other VIPs in signing a petition that denounced the Independent.

“God help Henry Ford. God forgive him,” said well known New York Rabbi Stephen Wise, who called Ford the “most contemptible little liar that ever lived.”

Louis Marshall, a New York lawyer and towering figure in the American Jewish community, played a key role in combating Ford and the Independent. His first move was to send Ford a telegram, saying the articles “constitute a libel upon an entire people.”

The Independent was unimpressed. “Your rhetoric is that of a Bolshevik orator,” it fired back, linking Jews and Bolshevism, a common anti-Semitic trope.

In Detroit, Rabbi Leo Franklin, the head of Temple Beth El and an outspoken foe of discrimination, found himself caught between Ford and Marshall. Franklin was a Ford friend and former neighbor who had received yearly Model T’s as a gift. Marshall, in Manhattan, urged a more militant approach toward Ford in Detroit that Franklin was slow to adopt. Franklin eventually returned his 1920 Model T and told the Detroit News that Ford “has fanned the flames of anti-Semitism throughout the world.”

Chapter 5: An Independent Target Sues and Ford Shuts the Paper

After nearly two years, Ford suddenly halted the attacks in December 1922. Just as unexpectedly, he resumed them in 1924 when he went after Aaron Sapiro, a young Jewish activist from California who had become a leader in the farm co-op movement.

Sapiro fought back. He filed a $1 million libel suit against Ford, igniting weeks of sensational coverage in the national press. The case came to trial in 1927, though juror misconduct led to a mistrial.

Ford, freed from being forced to testify under oath, a position from which he had embarrassed himself in the past, issued an apology to Sapiro and eventually settled out of court with him. Ford also took back all of his attacks on Jews and withdrew “The International Jew,” though that proved to be much easier promised than done.

In his apology, Ford called himself “deeply mortified” by the attacks, but blamed underlings, denying he knew about the articles in advance. He relieved Liebold and Cameron from their posts at the Independent, but kept them on the company payroll for years. Few close observers ‒ or average Americans ‒ believed Ford was so removed that he hadn’t been aware of prominent articles in his own newspaper that had sparked an international outcry.

In an editorial headlined “Forgiveness without Fawning,” the Detroit Jewish Chronicle echoed many other papers in casting doubt on Ford’s claim that he had been unaware of the paper’s content.

“That Mr. Ford does not accept personal responsibility for the anti-Semitic articles is also obvious,” the editorial said. “His action in this respect is what is commonly known as ‘passing the buck.’”

Ford closed the Independent in December 1927. But the damage had been done.

“Ford’s well-publicized decision was disingenuous,” wrote Victoria Saker Woeste in “Henry Ford’s War on Jews,” because he knew that even after closing the paper, his hate literature already lived on in hundreds of thousands of copies of “The International Jew."

Chapter 6: Why?

Why did Henry Ford ‒ the entrepreneur Fortune magazine in 1999 named “Businessman of the 20th Century” ‒ spend so much time and money attacking Jews?

Searching for clues, because Ford never discussed his anti-Semitism in depth, historians often have focused on his childhood amid the farms of what are now the streets of east Dearborn. While only a long walk from Detroit in the 1860s and ‘70s, Ford grew up isolated from Jews and most other minorities, and 19th-Century rural America was a place where ancient Jewish stereotypes were widespread.

Experts also point to Ford’s close friend, Thomas Edison, who had a complex history of remarks about Jews, and Ford’s close relationship with Ernest Liebold, whose anti-Semitic views were well known. Historian Douglas Brinkley wrote that Ford’s “increasingly vicious anti-Semitism appears to have grown out of his antipathy toward powerful bankers.”

Ford’s criticism of Jews and hatred of Wall Street were “the foibles of the Michigan farm boy who had been liberally exposed to Populist notions,” wrote historian Richard Hofstadter.

“Ford disliked Jews who he believed exercised disproportionate control over the institutions that were vital to the rural-mercantile economy he wanted to build,” wrote Victoria Saker Woeste.

Chapter 7: Ford Family and Company Win Praise for Reparations

The response to Henry Ford’s anti-Semitism by the Ford family and Ford Motor Co. has received considerable praise from Jewish organizations and other observers.

“The Ford family and Ford Motor Company embarked upon correctives even before the Old Man passed away, Neil Baldwin wrote in “Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate.”

On its website, the Anti-Defamation League says:

In the decades following Ford's death in 1947, the Ford family and the Ford Motor Company have engaged in numerous projects and endeavors in the public interest, including many that have been supportive of Jewish concerns.

In 1997, for example, the Ford Motor Company sponsored the first screening of Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," commercial-free, on national television. Ford Motor is credited with extending economic credit to the young state of Israel and supporting Jewish charities at home and abroad.

Today, two generations of the Ford family are well represented on the board of one of the country’s most elaborate historical complexes, The Henry Ford, in Dearborn, formerly called Greenfield Village, which Henry Ford founded. The chairman of the board is S. Evan Weiner, of the Edward C. Levy Co. in Detroit, who is Jewish.

In November, Weiner welcomed a largely Jewish crowd of several hundred people in the museum during a one-day collaboration with the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan: “The Henry Ford…Through a Jewish Lens.” The program examined Ford’s bigotry and, through pop-up exhibits, celebrated Jews as American innovators.

Steven Watts, a historian at the University of Missouri and author of “The People’s Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century,” spoke about Ford’s exalted place in American culture, but added: “It’s hard to find a more blatant anti-Semite in American history.”

Larry Gunsberg, an officer at the Jewish historical society, told the Jewish News that he found the event “an excellent way for the community to embrace the generational change in the Ford family.

On the “My Jewish Detroit” website, historical society President Risha B. Ring said, “This monumental conversation is long overdue.”

Chapter 8: Ford and the Führer

Henry Ford’s hate campaign took a disturbing turn in the 1920s and ‘30s, when it intersected with Adolf Hitler’s path to power. The collision produced what the 21st Century calls synergy.

Copies of “The International Jew” began re-appearing in the 1930s in the U.S., South America and Europe, especially in Germany, where the Nazi Party was poised to take power. Books wound up on a table in the office of Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party in Munich.

“Hitler’s ravings and public speeches against Jews frequently were based on Ford’s anti-Semitic literature,” Ford expert David Lewis wrote.

One leading Nazi, Baldur von Schirach, the Reichsjugendführer (Hitler Youth leader) in the 1930s, became an anti-Semite after he read “The International Jew” in German, von Schirach testified at the Nuremberg war-crime trials. Found guilty of crimes against humanity for helping to send thousands of Viennese Jews to their deaths, von Schirach served 20 years in Spandau prison.

“If Henry Ford said that Jews were to blame, why, naturally we believed him,” von Schirach is quoted as saying in Baldwin’s “Henry Ford and the Jews.”

Von Schirach added: “You have no idea what a great influence this book had on the thinking of German youth.”

Numerous historians have noted that Ford is the only American mentioned in Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” memoir. After asserting that Jews were increasingly exerting control over American labor, Hitler wrote, “one great man, Ford, to their exasperation, still holds out independently.”

Experts on Hitler have noted Ford’s literature influenced Hitler’s writing in “Mein Kampf.” Reading “The International Jew,” which became a hit in Germany after being published in German in 1922, helped push Hitler further into “conspiratorial anti-Semitism,” Thomas Weber wrote in “Becoming Hitler: The Making of a Nazi.”

“Henry Ford is important for having provided to Hitler confirmation, coming from the very heart of America, of an idea that had been brewing in his mind,” Weber wrote. The idea was that Jews’ control of global finance was behind the world’s problems.

“Henry Ford thus turned into an anti-Semitic icon for Hitler.”

In summer 1938, with the German Wehrmacht having marched into Austria, and despite years of deflecting charges he was an anti-Semite, Ford accepted a 75th birthday present from Hitler. It was the Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle, the highest award the regime bestowed on foreigners.

The golden Maltese cross, surrounded by four small swastikas, was presented to Ford in Ford Motors’ Dearborn offices by Fritz Haller, the German vice consul in Detroit.

News reports about the birthday present from Hitler triggered a bitter backlash across the nation. Ford apologized, again. And again, people laughed when they read his words.

“Acceptance of a medal from the German people does not, as some people seem to think, involve any sympathy on my part with Nazism,” Ford said.

“Those who have known me for many years realize that anything that breeds hate is repulsive to me.”

We can’t know what was in Ford’s heart when he said those words. Perhaps he was genuinely remorseful. Perhaps he accepted the medal to avoid embarrassing an international diplomat, or for business reasons.

Or perhaps anti-Semitism infected him to the bone, and his apology was as cynical as it seems to many. What we do know is that this chapter of his life, which lasted less than a decade, reverberates a century later in a crude hatred that seems impossible to eradicate. It’s an ugly side of the patriarch of one of America’s greatest families and founder of one of its best-known companies.

And the ugliness won’t go away. In November, a reader left this Amazon review of “The International Jew”:

“It's just amazing how enlightened Henry Ford became while living in a world of jew contrived deception ramping up in the USA. The European converted (fake) zionist jew has conquered amerika. Judaism = communism.”

The reader gave “The International Jew” five stars.

#The International Jew #God’s Fucked-up Terrorist People | The Zionist Smelly Leukorrheal Cunts

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serioustravelblogs · 4 years ago

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Small Journey

Arriving at the outskirts of the town of Ladbergen in southern Germany after a long day on our bikes, we had an interminable job finding the hotel which we had booked for two nights. We finally found it. It was at the end of town and in the midst of modern houses and leafy streets. We were surprised to see that our hotel was a renovated medieval era building and that opposite it was a very…

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#30 Years War #Serious Travel Blog about Germany #serious travel story about Germany #Thirty Years&039; War #travel in Germany

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 3 years ago

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Stalin’s Holocaust in Ukraine which The New York Times ignored

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July 16, 2020

Between 1932 and 1933, the Soviet Union deliberately starved to death somewhere between 7 and 10 million people, mostly Ukrainians, in an act of genocide known as the Holodomor. But almost no one outside of the Soviet Union knew about this holocaust for decades. The film “Mr. Jones” directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring James Norton and Peter Sarsgaard shows us why.

The film is based on the true story of freelance Welsh reporter Gareth Jones. In the midst of the Great Depression and the global economic turmoil that came with it, Jones is concerned about the situation in Germany where Hitler has just risen to power. He’s convinced that the Nazis are a threat to the rest of Europe. But given the economic realities of the times, there’s no way Britain could afford another war. The only solution Jones sees to the imminent threat of Hitler and the Nazis is an alliance with Stalin and the Soviet Union who are, according to all the news reports, not simply weathering the crisis, but actually flourishing.

Jones arranges a trip to Moscow with the intention of interviewing Stalin and assessing the Soviets’ ability to hold off a hostile Germany, but when he gets there, he discovers a new mystery. Things aren’t quite right in Moscow. Surveillance, dodging questions, travel restrictions, questionable arrests, suspicious deaths. And hushed whispers by foreign reporters of “something big” happening in Ukraine.

Jones manages to get some unsupervised time in Ukraine—an area that was supposed to be the Black Earth Region, the breadbasket of Europe—and finds horrific conditions. The people there are starving. The grain they’re forced to grow on the newly-collectivized farms is confiscated, along with everything else edible. The people are resorting to eating tree bark and even cannibalism.

This is what the reporters in Moscow were whispering about. This is what New York Times Bureau Chief (and Pulitzer Prize winner) Walter Duranty attempted to distract him from in Moscow. And when Jones finally makes it back home and begins to speak and write about what he saw in Ukraine, it’s what Duranty and the rest of the foreign press corps in Moscow promptly discredit through The New York Times and their home newspapers despite knowing that Jones is telling the truth.

The Communist Party, led by Stalin, managed to cover up millions of deaths – a true holocaust – through a combination of censorship, intimidation, and the willful complicity of people like Walter Duranty and The New York Times. Although the press largely ignored the Holodomor nearly a century ago, Mr. Jones offers serious lessons that force us to reflect on the state of journalism in 2020.

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Mr Jones – trailer for the 2020 movie

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Wikipedia: Gareth Richard Vaughan Jones (13 August 1905 – 12 August 1935) was a Welsh journalist who in March 1933 first reported in the Western world, without equivocation and under his own name, the existence of the Soviet famine of 1932–1933, including the Holodomor.[a]

Timothy Snyder (Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, 2010): "The basic facts of mass hunger and death, although sometimes reported in the European and American press, never took on the clarity of an undisputed event. Almost no one claimed that Stalin meant to starve Ukrainians to death; even Adolf Hitler preferred to blame the Marxist system. It was controversial to note that starvation was taking place at all. Gareth Jones did so in a handful of newspaper articles; it seems that he was the only one to do so in English under his own name ... Though the journalists knew less than the diplomats, most of them understood that millions were dying from hunger. ... Aside from Jones, the only journalist to file serious reports in English was Malcolm Muggeridge, writing anonymously for the Manchester Guardian. He wrote that the famine was "one of the most monstrous crimes in history, so terrible that people in the future will scarcely be able to believe that it happened."[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Jones_(journalist)

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Ukrainian’s Father in Russia Didn’t Believe Him

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Politico magazine February 28, 2022 ‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes  Putin is trying to take down the entire world order, the veteran Russia watcher said in an interview. But there are ways even ordinary Americans can fight back.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/28/world-war-iii-already-there-00012340

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holodomor-Chicago.jpg

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor

Holodomor

Early estimates of the death toll by scholars and government officials varied greatly.[13] A United Nations joint statement signed by 25 countries in 2003 declared that 7–10 million perished.[14] Current scholarship estimates a range of 4 to 7 million victims,[15] with more precise estimates ranging from 3.3[16] to 5 million.[17] According to the findings of the Court of Appeal of Kyiv in 2010, the demographic losses due to the famine amounted to 10 million, with 3.9 million direct famine deaths, and a further 6.1 million birth deficits.[18]

Whether the Holodomor was genocide is still the subject of academic debate, as are the causes of the famine and intentionality of the deaths.[19][20][21] Some scholars believe that the famine was planned by Joseph Stalin to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement.[10][22] Others suggest that the man-made famine was a consequence of Soviet industrialisation.[23][24][25]

...

Despite the crisis, the Soviet government actively denied to ask for foreign aid for the famine and instead actively denied the famine's existence.[87]

...

Many teachers of Ukrainian language were arrested and exiled from the region. By 1932, all Ukrainian language education establishments were closed. The professional Ukrainian theatre in Krasnodar was closed. All Ukrainian toponyms in the Kuban, which reflected the areas from which the first Ukrainians settlers had moved, were changed. The names of Stanytsias such as Kiev was changed to "Krasnoartilyevskaya", and Uman to "Leningrad", and Poltavska to "Krasnoarmieiskaya". The physical destruction of all aspects of Ukrainian culture and the Ukrainian population, and the resultant ethnic cleansing of the population, the Russification, the Holodomor of 1932–33 and 1946–47 and other tactics used by the Union government led to the catastrophic fall in population that associated themselves with Ukrainian ethnicity in the Kuban.

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Bohdan Klid and Alexander J. Motyl, Holodomor Reader: A Sourcebook on the Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. Toronto: CIUS Press, 2012.

The Holodomor Reader is a wide-ranging collection of key texts and source materials, many of which have never before appeared in English, on the genocidal famine (Holodomor) of 1932–33 in Soviet Ukraine. The subject is introduced in an extensive interpretive essay, and the material is presented in six sections: scholarship; legal assessments, findings, and resolutions; eyewitness accounts and memoirs; survivor testimonies, memoirs, diaries, and letters; Soviet, Ukrainian, British, German, Italian, and Polish documents; and works of literature. Each section is prefaced with introductory remarks. The Reader is an indispensable guide for all those interested in the Holodomor, genocide, or Stalinism.

HREC is a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta

https://holodomor.ca/resource/holodomor-reader-a-sourcebook-on-the-famine-of-1932-1933-in-ukraine/

#Mr Jones #Gareth Jones

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