#the story of leif Ericson

[cdchyld]

Just added to Etsy!

~ "The Story of Leif Ericson" by William O. Steele (1954)

[whitepolaris]

The Heavener Runestones

A winding stairway, composed of what seem to be more than a thousand clumsy steps, carry you down into a damp ravine. The noise of civilization quickly fades and give way to the trickle of water and soft rustle of green foliage. If you're lucky enough to avoid any other visitors, you find yourself in a private world of serene seclusion.

Reaching the bottom, you're confronted with a sky-lit cabin. Too large to be a utility shed, yet too narrow to make for any kind of livable space, its purpose might be complete mystery if you hadn't just purchased two souvenir coffee mugs at the top of the stairs. But you know why you're here. You've come to see one of Oklahoma's great enigmas: the Heavener Runestone.

The imposing, twelve-foot-tall slab was discovered around the 1830s by Choctaw Indians. At the time, no underbrush obscured the view atop Poteau Mountain, where the runestone remains, leaving the monolith to stick out conspicuously like a huge broken tortilla chip. The meaning of the eight peculiar symbols carved into its surface were collectively a mystery.

Nevertheless, the stone became somewhat of a local attraction, and for a time the monument was known as Indian Rock.

Then in 1923, a man sent a copy of the symbols to the Smithsonian Institution and received a response stating that the characters were definitely runes (an ancient form of alphabet) and probably Scandinavian in origin. For decades thereafter, specialists studied the inscription, and many agreed that the message had indeed been left by ancient Viklings.

Of course, the thought of horn-helmeted Norsemen trekking across the Sooner State seems absurd. How could explorers from northern Europe have ventured so far inland and have done so hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus claimed the land in the name of Spain? Well, it's been established that Norwegian explorers traveled successfully across the Atlantic Ocean and settled both Iceland and Greenland. Moreover, famed Norse explorer Leif Ericson is regarded as the first European to set foot on North America, which he did five hundred years before Columbus at what is now the Canadian island of Newfoundland. So, according to researchers, it may not be that great stretch to consider that Vikings followed the North American coast and entered the Gulf of Mexico. There they could have used their wide, shallow-bottomed boats to follow the Mississippi River into the continent's interior. Fantastic? Yes. Impossible? Probably no more so than sailing three ships across more than four thousand miles of unknown open ocean.

The monument at Heavener is not the only runestone in the area. In fact, two other smaller stones have turned up near Heavener, as well as three near Poteau, Shawnee, and Turkey. Locals have reported the existence of several more over the years, but most have been lost to vandals and treasure hunters.

So the question remains: What does the Heavener Runestone say? Unfortunately, no one quite knows for sure. Epigraphers have argued over translations for decades. Runes, as it turns out, can be rather difficult to interpret. Scholars and cryptographers have prosed names, dates, and warnings as possible transcriptions. However, the most compelling translation so far appears to be a pithy land claim: GLOME WUZ HERE.

Heavener: Rifle with Artifacts

In addition to its inscrutable runestone, which has become such a popular attraction that it warranted its very own park, the city of Heavener appears to kind of vortex for unexplainable anachronistic artifacts.

In 1928, a miner was working a coal deposit a couple of miles north of Heavener when he struck the side of an unusual structure deep underground. The man, Atlas Almon Mathis, was blasting away a section of coal when he uncovered what appeared to be several man-made blocks. Mathis, whose story has been recounted in several publications, reportedly described his discovery thus: "There were several concrete blocks laying in the room. These blocks were 12-inch cubes and were so smooth and polished on the outside that all six sides could serve as mirrors. Yet they were full of gravel, because I chipped one of them open with my pick, and it was plain concrete inside."

Part of the room in which Mathis was working soon collapsed, exposing even more of the apparently ancient structure. When the air cleared, he was able to see a "solid wall" of polished blocks. Mathis also added that about 100 to 150 yards farther down the tunnel, "another miner struck the same wall, or one very similar." Evidently, the subterranean structure extended for quite a distance.

The coal that was being mined, and in which the wall was found embedded, was dated at around 286 million years old. Unfortunately, no further research was conducted to determine how the structure got there. According to Mathis's story, officials at the mining company pulled everyone out, closed the section of the mine, and told everyone not to talk about what they saw. Most interesting is that this story appears to be a repeat of a similar event that took place in Wilburton two years earlier, in which miners found a similar wall, as well as a solid block of silver cast in the shape of a wooden barrel. No further details of this previous incident exist.

Almost fifty years later, author Gloria Farley, who spent much of her life researching the famed Heavener Runestone, stumbled across another object. In September 1976 an acquaintance asked her to identify a coin that he had found while working around Heavener's Hamilton Homes. The man, Wilbert Stewart, obtained the object in a ditch, though he could not identify it as a coin before he spent two hours scrubbing at the patina that had encrusted it. The coin was described as being a little smaller than a quarter with an apparently Roman profile on the front, and an eagle holding a thunderbolt on the back. Both sides were inscribed in what appeared to be Greek.

The coin was offered for study. A coin expert identified it as a bronze piece called a tetradrachm, struck in Antioch, Syria, in A.D. 63. The profile proved to be that of Nero, with the inscription on the front reading NERO CAESAR AUGUSTUS. Though it's not considered a rare coin, how did it get to Oklahoma? No one in the housing unit where it was found knew anything about it. Beside, the thickness of the encrustation suggested that the coin had been mislaid for quite some time.

The Nero Coin, as it came to be called, might have considered a fluke except that an even older coin was found nearby soon thereafter. It was uncovered by an amateur treasure hunter named Jessie Kelley, who found it just six inches deep in the earth near Cauthron, Arkansas, just nineteen miles from Heavener. Farley's colleagues identified it as a bronze coin almost certainly struck in ancient Carthage, a city in northern Africa that destroyed in 146 B.C. Farley's experts concluded: "There is no question of its antiquity or its authenticity. . . . Indications are that it has remained buried for centuries." This determination precluded the idea that the coin simply belonged to a numismatist who strolled the countryside with his prized possessions and an unfortunate hole in hispocket.

And these weren't the only coins to be found in Oklahoma. Others have popped up, as well, including two minted around 200 B.C., one found by a farm boy in southern Oklahoma, the other scratched up by a hen in the eastern part of the state. The coins, curiously, were identical, both minted in the ancient Italian colony of Thurium. The question raised by the discoveries were probably best summed up by one of the researchers involved, when he asked, "Is it really possible that a collector of Thurium coins has gone about scattering his material all over eastern Oklahoma to be dug up by farm boys and chickens?" Or, as the question suggests, were these coins, and those like them, lost by who actually carried them as working currency?

Maybe the only question that remains now is: What will be discovered next?

[themovieblogonline]

A Safari Romance Review: A Missed Opportunity for Depth and Authenticity

Leif Bristow's A Safari Romance attempts to combine the contrasting worlds of wildlife conservation and commercial amusement, but ultimately falls short of delivering a truly captivating and well-rounded cinematic experience. With Brittany Bristow as Megan Henry and Andrew Walker as Tim Ericson, the film certainly boasts a talented cast, but its potential is squandered by a lack of depth and a somewhat formulaic approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-PV0Jk7le4 The film's premise revolves around the partnership between Megan Henry, a dedicated wildlife biologist, and Tim Ericson, a flamboyant theme park designer. Their collaboration is fueled by differing motivations: Megan is driven by a genuine desire to protect and preserve the African wildlife, while Tim seeks to create a flashy and exaggerated safari attraction for profit. On paper, this contrast promises to be a fertile ground for exploring complex themes of environmental ethics, commercialism, and personal growth. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. The Bad: One of the most glaring issues with the film lies in its character development. Megan and Tim are reduced to one-dimensional representations of their respective professions. Brittany Bristow's portrayal of Megan lacks the emotional depth necessary to truly connect with the audience. While her commitment to wildlife conservation is evident, the script fails to delve into the internal conflicts and dilemmas she must be facing. Similarly, Andrew Walker's Tim is a caricature of a money-driven entrepreneur, never transcending the stereotypes associated with such characters. The lack of nuanced character exploration prevents the audience from fully investing in their journey and eventual romance. The chemistry between the lead actors is palpable, and their interactions carry the film during its more engaging moments. However, their connection is hindered by the film's reliance on contrived situations and convenient plot devices. The progression of their relationship often feels forced, as if the script is ticking off boxes on a romance checklist. The film would have greatly benefited from allowing their partnership to evolve organically, with genuine conflicts and personal growth driving the narrative forward. The African landscapes are undeniably stunning, capturing the raw beauty of the continent's wildlife and terrain. Yet, the film's attempts to blend this natural grandeur with the artificiality of theme park designs often clash, mirroring the discord between its central characters. The scenes featuring the proposed safari attraction lean towards extravagance, with an abundance of CGI and over-the-top set pieces. While this stark contrast is likely intentional, it ultimately makes the film feel disjointed, unable to find a cohesive visual language that serves its thematic ambitions. The Good: The film's soundtrack is a highlight that complements the emotional beats of the story. It effectively underscores the moments of connection between Megan and Tim, providing a sense of warmth and sincerity that is sometimes lacking in their interactions. The score's fusion of African-inspired melodies with contemporary arrangements is a testament to the film's potential to harmonize the natural and commercial worlds, a potential that remains largely untapped. Leif Bristow's direction showcases moments of promise, particularly in scenes where the characters interact with the African wildlife. These sequences offer glimpses of the awe-inspiring beauty and fragile ecosystem that Megan is fighting to protect. However, these moments are few and far between, overshadowed by the film's focus on the burgeoning romance and the clash between Megan and Tim's ideologies. A more balanced approach that prioritized both the personal and environmental aspects of the story could have resulted in a more impactful viewing experience. Overall: A Safari Romance falls short of its potential to be a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between wildlife conservation and commercialism. Despite a talented cast and picturesque landscapes, the film's lack of character development, contrived plot progression, and a failure to reconcile its thematic elements prevent it from truly soaring. While it may provide a pleasant enough romantic escape for viewers seeking lighthearted entertainment, those hoping for a deeper and more resonant cinematic experience may find themselves disappointed. Read the full article

[ericmicael]

Crazy Theory of the Day: Frozen Timeline - New

This post is an update of an old post of mine, at that time I still didn't have access to "Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets - The Story of Iduna and Agnarr". Now that I have the books in hand I am writing this one with the updated information.

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Why the name “Crazy Theory of the Day”: is it because I don't trust what I wrote? Why is it a big fanfic disguised as a theory? No. To explain the reason I will return to “Dangerous Secrets”, in the book Iduna calls the spirits of fire and wind by the names Bruni and Gale, this decades before Olaf names them. Does this mean that Olaf and Iduna have the same creativity for names? That the names of the spirits have always been these and that they spoke to Olaf? So do you mean that the full name of the fire salamander is Bruni Sally or Sally Bruni and Olaf only chose one of the two for the spirit? None of the alternatives, why Bruni and Gale have the same names decades before "Frozen 2" is called Disney, is it easier to identify and market with the same name instead of inventing another name or just calling them spirits. The reason I call this post “Crazy Theory of the Day” is that regardless of how much evidence I gather, how many odds I calculated at the end of the day, Disney can ignore everything in the franchise and give its own version of facts and this is going to be canonical. I think it is crazy to theorize and research about a product that has this risk. Remembering that "Frozen 2" itself is an example of this.

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SOURCES: Frozen 1, The Art of Frozen 1, Frozen Fever, Frozen 2: Forest of Shadows, Frozen 2, The Art of Frozen 2, Frozen 2: The Deluxe Junior Novelization e Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets - The Story of Iduna and Agnarr.

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BM - before the mist

AM - after the mist

Central period of the franchise's chronology: the appearance of mist. It happens 34 years before "Frozen 2" then "34 a.m.".

The first "a.m." corresponds to the canonical period taking into account 34 years of life of the mist in F2, the second "a.m." corresponds to the period of time created in “Dangerous Secrets” that changes the age of the mist.

When there is only one "a.m." both media agree or there is no second opinion.

There are no two "a.m." in the events from "Frozen 1" because the book does not specify how much time has passed, so the book can continue with its time period and the next 3 "a.m." be:

· 29 a.m.

· 30 a.m.

· 32 a.m.

Or follow the number 34 and be equal to the canonical by changing the ages of Anna and Elsa adding 2 years for the women making them 20 and 23 respectively in F1, 21 and 24 in FF, 23 and 26 in F2.

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?? b.m. - Time that lived Aren

?? b.m. - Ice Age

?? b.m. - Runeard arrives in Arendelle

?? b.m. - Runeard marries Princess Rita who accepts the marriage out of obligation

14 b.m. - Birth of Agnarr

12 b.m. - Birth of Iduna

9 b.m. - Queen Rita leaves Arendelle

7 b.m. - Death of the parents and all of Iduna's relatives and destruction of their tribe. Year she moved to the Yelana tribe.

Year 0 - Mist creation

4 a.m. - Agnarr reads "The Little Mermaid"

?? a.m. - Wedding of Agnarr and Iduna - 5 a.m.

10 a.m. - Birth of Elsa - 8 a.m.

13 a.m. - Birth of Anna - 11 a.m.

18 a.m. - Accident with magic. Separation of Anna and Elsa - 16 a.m.

28 a.m. - Death of Agnarr and Iduna - 26 a.m.

31 a.m. - Frozen 1

32 a.m. - Frozen Fever

34 a.m. - Frozen 2

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EXACT YEAR THAT HAPPENS FROZEN

That is the million dollar question. So far there is no proof of the exact year that the films take place, but there are some clues to stipulate:

1. THE BOOK OF ART: in the art book of “Frozen 1” there is a page that says that the film was made to happen in the 1840s without specifying the year and it could be in any period between 1841 and 1850 or from 1840 and 1849/50 depending on your view of the debate of when a decade begins and ends.

2. FROZEN FEVER: in the short there is a moment where an animated map is shown, it is not a real map, it is just something that serves to show the trajectory of a snowball accidentally shot by Elsa de Arendelle to the South Islands crushing Hans against a lot of horse stools. On the map there are roman numbers that are translated 1840.

3. FROZEN 2 - THE MAP: in the Enchanted Forest the sisters Anna and Elsa find their parents' shipwreck and find the map they used to make the voyage 6 years before F2 and at the top of the map there are roman numbers that are translated are 1840.

4. FROZEN 2 - THE BOOK: the second film shows a flashback of when Agnarr and Iduna were young and he was reading a book and it was “The Little Mermaid”, that book was released in 1837. Agnarr was 18 at the time.

BONUS - ANOTHER ART BOOK: again cites the 1840s as something relevant besides including that the ship may have been built in the 1830s. I do not believe that the main ship of Arendelle that had the task of taking the King and Queen for the wedding of a princess (the ship was prepared for this and only on the voyage did they say the real route) was more than ten years old.

So there are all these possibilities about the year that Frozen happens that converge in just one statement the history of the franchise takes place in the 1840s. This without taking into account the change in the time of "Dangerous Secrets".

Recalling that I am not taking into consideration months although I thought about including it, but I thought it would overcomplicate the theories even more that it would not basically change any year.

I still think it's stupid to consider a map as a calendar, but here are the theories taking into account all topics:

·        FROZEN FEVER: creation of the mist (1808), birth of Elsa and Anna (1818 - 1821), death of Agnarr and Iduna (1836), Frozen 1 (1839), Frozen Fever (1840) and Frozen 2 (1842).

·        FROZEN 2 – MAP: creation of the mist (1812), birth of Elsa and Anna (1822 - 1825), death of Agnarr and Iduna (1840), Frozen 1 (1843), Frozen Fever (1844) and Frozen 2 (1846).

·        FROZEN 2 – BOOK: creation of the mist (1833), birth of Elsa and Anna (1843 - 1846), death of Agnarr and Iduna (1861), Frozen 1 (1864), Frozen Fever (1865) and Frozen 2 (1867).

My theories that "Frozen 1" takes place in the exact year of the release of the Snow Queen. There are two topics because there is this doubt about the official launch of the story. The most correct is 1844, including the exact date of Elsa's birth in December, but in the "Frozen 1" art book, Disney uses the year 1845 as the book's release date.

·        THE SNOW QUEEN 1844: creation of the mist (1813), birth of Elsa and Anna (1823 - 1826), death of Agnarr and Iduna (1841), Frozen 1 (1844), Frozen Fever (1845) and Frozen 2 (1847). 

·        THE SNOW QUEEN 1845: creation of the mist (1814), birth of Elsa and Anna (1824 - 1827), death of Agnarr and Iduna (1842), Frozen 1 (1845), Frozen Fever (1846) and Frozen 2 (1848). 

As I do not believe that it is possible for Jennifer Lee to refer to the time that Elsa was born when she listed “Frozen 1” in the 1840s, as the art book puts 1845 as the “Snow Queen” release date, and as I said before map is not calendar in my opinion the most official chronological list of Frozen is:

???? –  Time that lived Aren (there is no specific tip of the year that happens, but Kamilla Benko revealed in an interview that she was inspired by the Vikings Eric the Red and Leif Ericson who lived between the years 900 and 1000. Aren probably lived close to those decades)

???? – Ice Age

17?? - Runeard arrives in Arendelle

17?? - Runeard marries Princess Rita who accepts the marriage out of obligation

1800 - Birth of Agnarr

1802 - Birth of Iduna

1805 - Queen Rita leaves Arendelle

1807 - Death of the parents and all of Iduna's relatives and destruction of their tribe. Year she moved to the Yelana tribe.

1814 - Mist creation

1818 - Agnarr reads "The Little Mermaid"

1821 - Wedding of Agnarr and Iduna

1824 - Birth of Elsa

1827 - Birth of Anna

1832 - Accident with magic. Separation of Anna and Elsa

1842 - Death of Agnarr and Iduna

1845 - Frozen 1

1846 - Frozen Fever

1848 - Frozen 2

Anna and Elsa's age: there is a stupid doubt that I see some people having on this topic. If Elsa is 21 and Anna is 18 in "Frozen 1" which happens in the middle of the year, does that mean that Elsa is actually 4 years older than Anna and would be 22 at the end of that year? No, it is customary to say the age already taking into account the years that the person would complete that year when we refer to people from the past. Stupid doubt solved.

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I always found it interesting how Frozen likes number 3:

· 3 years pass from the birth of Elsa to the birth of Anna

· 3 years passes between the death of Iduna and Agnarr and the beginning of Frozen 1

· 3 years is the age difference between Kristoff and Anna

· 3 years go from Frozen 1 to Frozen 2

I was surprised when I found out that the age difference between Agnarr and Iduna is 2 years and not 3. How old is Honeymaren, will it be 22 or 26? I always saw her as older than Ryder and the boy younger than Kristoff.

[vavuska]

“Cancel culture” is nothing new, so why are we acting like it is? Those in power have written their own version of history as they’d like it to be remembered for ages. That “winners write history” is simply another way of saying that selective erasure (or canceling) of inconvenient truths is built into the fabric of documenting history.

What’s new is that now we’re looking backward to “uncancel” some of the important stories not widely shared about groups of people who have more power today than they’ve had in the past to record their truths for a broader audience.

An exemple is how has been washed, cleaned and packed up, the figure of Christopher Columbus in history books and mainstream european culture.

Some facts that you must know about Christopher Columbus:

- Christopher Columbus didn't discover America as a continent, and wasn't aslo the first European to visit American coasts: half a millennium before Columbus “discovered” America, Viking's feet may have been the first European ones to ever have touched North American soil. The expedition’s leader was Leif Eriksson (variations of his last name include Erickson, Ericson, Erikson, Ericsson and Eiriksson), son of Erik the Red, who founded the first European settlement of Greenland after being expelled from Iceland around A.D. 985 for killing a neighbor. (Erik the Red’s father, himself, had been banished from Norway for committing manslaughter.)

But Christopher Columbus was remarkably the first who came with the intention of a great military conquer.

- He didn't discover that the Earth is spherical: this knowledge was still accepted in the Middle Age and by the Christian doctrine.

Knowledge of the sphericity of the Earth survived into the medieval corpus of knowledge by direct transmission of the texts of Greek antiquity (Aristotle), and via authors such as Isidore of Seville and Beda Venerabilis.

Though the earliest written mention of a spherical Earth comes from ancient Greek sources, there is no account of how the sphericity of the Earth was discovered.

A recent study of medieval concepts of the sphericity of the Earth noted that since the eighth century, no cosmographer worthy of note has called into question the sphericity of the Earth.

Some examples are the papers of Pope Silvester II, who was awer of the knowledge of ancient greek philosophers and also of the researches of Muslim mathematicians. Also Saint Hildegard portrayed the Earth as a sphere in her Liber Divinorum Operum; Giovanni Sarabosco, an Italian astronomist wrote a paper (Tractatus de Spahaera) based on the knowledge of Ptolemy about the sphericity of the Earth; Honorius of Autun, a theologist very popular also in lay community,in his Elucidarium, a survey of Christian beliefs wrote about the sphericity of the Earth. His works was translated frequently into other languages.

Another proof that this knowledge was diffused also in the low folk and not only among the intellectuals of the Church, can be found in some of Berthold von Regensburg homelies in which he explained that the earth is spherical.

A practical demonstration of Earth's sphericity was achieved by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano's expedition's circumnavigation (1519-1522).

- Christopher Columbus was the first European to have the idea to enslave native Americans and force them to work in colonizer's encomiendas. According to Cuneo, Columbus ordered 1,500 men and women seized, letting 400 go and condemning 500 to be sent to Spain, and another 600 to be enslaved by Spanish men remaining on the island. About 200 of the 500 sent to Spain died on the voyage, and were thrown by the Spanish into the Atlantic. (Bergreen, 196-197)

Those left behind were forced to search for gold in mines and work on plantations. Within 60 years after Columbus landed, only a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island.

- If you think that Christopher Columbus was loved and admired by people of his age, you are wrong: he gave land to the settlers and permitted the enslavement of the Taino people to work it. Complaints for his violence against Caribs and Taino Indians, but mostly for his cruelty against Spanish settler, trickled back to Spain, and eventually the monarchs sent a commissioner to investigate. Shocked by conditions at the colony, the commissioner arrested Columbus and his brothers and sent them back to Spain for trial. The brothers were released by the king and queen, but Columbus was removed from his position as governor of Hispaniola.

- Christopher Columbus was the fist European to commit a genocide: 56 years after Columbus's first voyage, only 500 out of 300,000 Indians remained on Hispaniola.

Population figures from 500 years ago are necessarily imprecise, but Bergreen estimates that there were about 300,000 inhabitants of Hispaniola in 1492. Between 1494 and 1496, 100,000 died, half due to mass suicide. In 1508, the population was down to 60,000. By 1548, it was estimated to be only 500.

Some important facts about slavery, Catholic Church and the famous Monarchs of Spain, Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon:

In 1492, Kingdom of Castile and Aragon had a disperate need of money: King Ferdinand and his wife Qeen Isabel used a lot of money in their wars against Portogual and their Conquer of the Emirate of Granada, that was an indipendente Muslim state at the age. They were deeply in debt, also with jews pawloaner, who at the age, were the only allowed to borrow money (Christian doctrine, by the way, didn't allow it), so they wrote the infamous Alhambra Decree with witch all jews were forced to left Spain and their properties passed in the Monarchs' hands.

I red some people associated the Dum Diversas with Columbus, but it has nothing to concern with "discovery" of the "new world": Dum Diversas is a papal bull issued on 18 June 1452 by Pope Nicholas V. It authorized Afonso V of Portugal to conquer Saracens and pagans and consign them to "perpetual servitude". It was referred to the muslim population of North Africa and also to the Turkish territories in Europe.

By the way, the Catholic Chruch condamed slavery in various occasion: in 1537 pope Paul III condemned "unjust" enslavement of non-Christians in Sublimus Dei. In 1686 the Holy Office limited the bull by decreeing that Africans enslaved by unjust wars should be freed. Eugene IV and Paul III did not hesitate to condemn the forced servitude of Blacks and Indians, in Sicut Dudum (1435) and in Sublimis Deus (1537). Their teaching was continued by Gregory XIV in 1591 and by Urban VIII in 1639. Except those formal condemn of slavery, the Church keep an ambiguous sentiment: the condamn was absolute, but most of the government of their age were built on slavery and keep allow their people to profit on slavery, for the reason that "indigenous" people were not Christians, they didn't have a soul, so they were like animals. The Holy See was unable to stop the trade, despite their good intentions.

The pontifical teaching was continued by the response of the Holy Office on March 20, 1686, under Innocent XI, and by the encyclical of Benedict XIV, Immensa Pastorum, on December 20, 1741. This work was followed by the efforts of Pius VII at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to have the victors over Napoleon outlaw slavery. The 1839 Constitution In Supremo by Gregory XVI continued the antislavery teaching of his predecessors, and was in the same manner not accepted by many of those bishops, priests and laity for whom it was written.

[thebabushka]

Thanksgiving

The first "thanksgiving" happened in October of 1621, but the constructed history and significance of that event has been over 500 years in the making.  When I was a child I liked Thanksgiving because it meant family time.  When I became a man I felt angered and betrayed by the truth of the holiday.  Now, as a father, I see Thanksgiving as a teachable moment - a chance to properly frame the history of the day while still enjoying time with my two boys, my wife, and my family.  Holidays are a wonderful chance to remember where we come from, what is important to us, and how we got where we are.  Mark Twain is attributed as saying something to the effect of "history doesn't actually repeat itself, but it often rhymes."  Thanksgiving gives us a lot of opportunity to reflect on this.

In order to better understand the first Thanksgiving, we start nearly 100 years earlier in the 1530s.  The King of England, Henry VIII, wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (she was the first of what would end up being six wives), but the Pope wouldn't allow it.  So the King declared that the Pope was no longer the head of the church.  This set England on a path that renounced Catholicism in favor of the Church of England as the ultimate religious authority, and set the King as the head of that Church.  100 years later, it was not acceptable in England to be any sort of Christian other than as part of the Church of England.

The King of England was a powerful man who may have usurped a religion to get what he wanted.  The religious intolerance of England back then echoes to recent times as strife between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland.  And while today England is full of people who are allowed to practice other religions, it is interesting that in 1620 the pilgrims to America were the "wrong kind" of Christian to be in England.  (Perhaps there will always be "wrong kinds" and "others" in our society, and perhaps the test of our virtue isn't in the certainty of our beliefs, but in our tolerance for alternatives.)

Intolerance was a problem for the group of Christians who would become the Pilgrims, and that intolerance ran both ways.  They wanted to be separate from the Church of England, and to worship in their own way.  But such dissent would not be tolerated and they were persecuted.  So they fled England and moved to Holland where there was some acceptance for differences in religion.  However, these separatists didn't like their children learning dutch and adopting dutch culture.  They found it hard to integrate with Dutch society while retaining strict adherence to their own specific religious and cultural doctrine.  So the decided they needed to move again.

The Separatists were immigrants in Holland, but without the willingness to integrate they could not make Holland their home.  They themselves were intolerant of their new host country.  England wouldn't tolerate them.  They wouldn't accept Holland.  And they refused to change themselves.  Their self-imposed isolation led them to the idea that they could be left alone in America, and land with no King, to do as they pleased... and they intended to establish a new society based on their specific and strict religious and cultural beliefs.

So they worked out a deal with England (and I am simplifying this a bit).  England would give them passage to America, where they would prosper and work off the debt for this passage by sending surplus back to England, to the profit of the investors.  Because of this, the Pilgrims weren't the only people on the Mayflower.  With them were indentured servants they forced to come along, and some "company men" who were responsible for seeing to the financial success of the colony.  In their journals, the pilgrims referred to these people, with whom they would have to live and work, as "the strangers".

So the forces that brought the pilgrims to America were both religious and financial.  Here was a group of people divided between those seeking to create and spread their idea of a religious haven, and those who wanted to make money.

Fortunately the obvious conflict came to a head early, and before they stepped off the boat to start their new colony they wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact, which established a secular government for the colony.  The leadership for the colony would not rest in religion, but would be shared by all.  Well... not all... 41 men signed, out of the 101 total passengers on the ship.  Women, indentured servants, and children were not given authority to participate in the compact and did not sign it.

But this story isn't just about Pilgrims, it's also about the New World: America, and the people who already inhabited it.  While it's likely Norse sailors (specifically Leif Ericson around 1003) were the first Europeans to North America, Christopher Columbus is the most well known.  Ponce de Leon was the first to reach what would become the United States.  These explorers and those that followed brought with them horrible epidemics of disease, for which the native population had no defenses.  Not only were their immune systems unprepared for the new diseases, they had no experience or medicine for treating these new illnesses.  There is no conclusive estimate of the population of Native Americans living in what would become the United States before European explorers arrived, but credible attempts have estimated a population as low as 2 million, and as high as 18 million.  Similarly, we can't know how many died to disease, but we do know that whole villages disappeared after the arrival of the Europeans.  And we know that by 1900 there were only about 250,000 Native Americans left.  Which means that 400 years after Europeans arrived, the population of Native Americans was reduced by somewhere between 90 and 99%, with some tribes disappearing entirely.

When the first settlers started to arrive, they weren't coming to an empty continent.  They were coming to a place where people had been living for thousands of years.  They had trails, and traded with one another.  They had separate and distinct cultures and languages.  They had specialized skill sets and industries.  But now they were all being devastated by unrelenting waves of epidemic disease and war brought by visitor after visitor looking to exploit the resources of the new world.  Those that survived smallpox were still vulnerable to measles, and plague, and new variants of influenza.  Imagine wave after wave of disease killing half or more of the population over and again.  Those who didn't die still got sick.  Who gathered the food?  Who tended to the ill?  It was devastating to the people, and their cultures.  Their infrastructure crumbled, their population reduced, and their way of life was decimated.  The effect of such devastation to the psyche of a people is beyond imagining.

And so it was when the Mayflower arrived 130 years after the first explorers.  On their first two expeditions ashore the pilgrims found graves, from which they stole household goods and corn - which they would plant in the spring.  On their third expedition they encountered natives, and ended up shooting back and forth at each other (bows versus muskets).  The Pilgrims decided they didn't want to settle in this area, as they had likely offended the locals with their grave robbing and shootout, so they sailed a few days away.  They found cleared land in an easily defended area and began their settlement.  This fantastic location was no happy accident.  Just three years previous this place was called Patuxet, now abandoned after a plague killed all of its residents.  The Pilgrims will say they they founded Plymouth, but it might be more accurate to say they resettled Patuxet.

By the time the Pilgrims found Patuxet it was late December, and they huddled in their ship barely surviving the brutal, hungry first winter.  By march only 47 souls survived, though 102 had left port 6 months before.

There were, roughly, three different groups of local Natives.  They had been watching the pilgrims carefully all winter, just as the pilgrims had been watching them.  In the days before there had been frightening encounters between pilgrims and natives, and the pilgrims were rushing to install a cannon in their emerging fortification.  They were on high alert, and expecting confrontation.  Given the history, mutual fear, and mistrust, a violent encounter between the two groups seemed imminent and unavoidable.

The story many of us were told is that Squanto and a group of Indians approached the pilgrims, as if neither had ever seen the other before, and in greeting Squanto raised his hand and said, "How".  The actual truth is that a visiting chief named Samoset strode, alone,  into the middle of the budding and militarizing pilgrim town and said, "Welcome Englishman."  And then he asked for a beer.  (Truth.)  It turns out Samoset was visiting local Wampanoag chieftain Massasoit, and he spoke some broken English, which he had learned from the English fishermen near his home.  He took it upon himself to open negotiations with the new settlers.  He told them about the local tribes, and brokered an introduction to Chief Massasoit, with whom the pilgrims ultimately signed a treaty.

Along with the treaty came Squanto, a Native American originally from the now defunct Patuxet tribe.  Squanto was invaluable to the Pilgrims.  Not only could he act as a translator, but he also knew the local tribes and the area itself.  It was where he grew up.  He knew what food was available, what crops to plant and how, and he knew not only the language but the disposition and history of local tribes.  Speaking with the locals isn't enough if you can't discern their desires and motives.  Squanto was a great friend to the English Pilgrims, and acted in their interests, sometimes to his own peril.  

How did Squanto learn English language and culture? Squanto had been kidnapped by the English captain Thomas Hunt in 1614.  Hunt abducted 27 natives, Squanto among them, which he sold as slaves in Spain for a small sum.   These hostilities, just years before the arrival of the Pilgrims, are the reason for the initial animosity and aggression toward the English Pilgrims when they arrived, and why the natives were wise enough to attack the English, even if their bows were not a match for English muskets.   Exactly how Squanto survived in the old world, or how he got from Spain to England, is unclear.  It is known that a few years after his abduction, Squanto was "working" (likely as an indentured servant) for Thomas Dermer of the London Company.  Dermer brought Squanto back to the location of the Patuxet village in 1619 as part of a trade and scouting venture, but the village had been wiped out by disease.  After acting as translator and negotiator for Dermer on that trip, the now homeless Squanto stayed in America and went to live with Pokanoket tribe.  The terms of this arrangement are not clear.  It is possible Squanto was a prisoner of the Pokanoket, and that he was "given" in a trade that allowed the Dermer to exit a dangerous situation.  Regardless, Squanto chose to live out the rest of his life with the Pilgrims in his childhood home of Patuxet, now renamed Plymouth by the (re-)colonizing English Pilgrims.  Whatever the exact details, Squanto was one of the most traveled men in the area - having been born in America and spending time in Spain, England, and Newfoundland.

Squanto's time with the pilgrims appears full of adventures.  He was sent as an emissary for peace and trade on behalf of the pilgrims to numerous tribes.  It also appears he leveraged his influence among the Europeans to make some of his own demands from these tribes, which drew the ire of many local tribal leaders.  Chief Massasoit even called for Squanto's execution.  When William Bradford (Plymoth's Governor) diplomatically refused, Massasoit sent a delegation to retrieve Squanto from the Pilgrims.  Again Bradford refused, even when offered a cache of beaver pelts in exchange for Squanto, with Bradford saying, "It was not the manner of the English to sell men's lives at a price”.  Squanto was very valuable to the Plymoth colony, but he died in 1622 of "Indian fever".

In October (most likely) of 1621 the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest.  The was indeed a harvest feast attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.  Both groups brought food and games to the three day celebration.  But this was not the start of the Thanksgiving holiday in America.  It was a harvest festival, and harvest was common ground that both cultures celebrated.   The American holiday of Thanksgiving was first celebrated as such when George Washington and John Adams declared days of thanksgiving during their presidencies.  This was followed by a long period where subsequent Presidents did not declare such events.  A writer and editor named Sarah Hale, most famous for penning "Mary Had a Little Lamb", began to champion the idea of a national "Thanksgiving" holiday in a 17 year campaign of newspaper editorials and personal letters written to five different Presidents.  Perhaps because of her insistence and the popularity she garnered for the idea, Abraham Lincoln revived Thanksgiving as a unified national holiday in 1863.  A few years later Congress enshrined it as a national celebration on the 4th Thursday of November.

And this is my Thanksgiving.  It's not the simpleton's story of an awkward greeting followed by a good meal.  It's the story of a King who wanted a divorce, religious self-righteousness, the greed of men, a clash of cultures, a struggle for survival, loyalty and betrayal,  the creation of a national holiday intended to help mend a nation torn apart by civil war, and the myths we created to tie us all together.  As always, truth is a much more engaging and explanatory than a politely shared fiction.

[demethinkstoomuch]

Deme Rates Villagers, Part 4: Bulls and Cows

Disclaimer: Images are from the wiki, all good dogs, my ratings are mainly just there because “Deme gives her abstract thoughts on villagers” is hardly a catchy thing.

How now, brown cow? I��m asking because it’s time for me to rate some animals! These are both fairly small categories, so I’m jamming them together because it is odd to me that they are not together.

Angus

...Well, this is a bull, I guess. He’s got a little hair. Color scheme is pretty basic, not bad, he’s got a little bit of hair, he’s got maybe eyelashes? Or wrinkles? I’m not clear. He sure exists.

Choice / USDA Grading Scale

Belle

Belle is sure a cow. Just a cute little cow with nice eyes, which honestly? Works. I feel sad that we never saw Belle again, probably because there’s another villager that looks just like her, except without the cute eyes.

Also, she makes me think about a Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon-style Bubble Cow. 

Bubble Cow 1 / 2

 Bessie

A blue cow. Funnily enough, she has a nearly identical fella, who I think of as kind of a twin brother, who has made it further through the series’ progression than she has. This is a pattern with cows? Weird identical doubles, one of which was abandoned? 

1 / 2

Carrot

Oh, hey, she’s like some sort of odd, not entirely developed, food villager! Like, she’s not full-on Tangy or Ketchup, but she’s carrot-colored and carrot-named, and that makes me grin. I feel like improvements to her model could make her even cuter, it’s a shame we’ve never seen her again. Food villagers are good, actually.

7 carrots, please /10

Chuck

He’s not a brown cow, but he is a brown bull. He’s kind of Angus, but angrier and with less going for his design.

Not Even Choice / Beef

Coach

Finally, a fun bovine who still exists! Coach, with his illusion of 5 o’clock shadow and his big, hooky eyebrows, really does have a coach-ish vibe. Not, like, Survivor Coach, but that high school teacher who teaches some random subject of little importance, mainly there to coach a sports team or something. Which is odd, because the man I think of in this slot -- though there were quite a few at my High School, but only one who really liked being called “coach,” and he taught study skills (on my schedule due to my schedule being absolutely bonkers in my Junior and Senior years. I spent about half of those classes sitting outdoors near the window, psychiatric orders. We all understood I didn’t need anything it was providing, and so could goof off.) -- was clean-shaven. I have limited ability to recall faces, so I cannot tell you about his eyebrows. Either way, this Coach gives me that vibe, and so, I smile with a certain sentimental fondness.  I am sure he would remind everyone in the classroom that he is making them do ACT prep because Coach loves them. I am sure he does.

 High School Study Skills Coach / Coaches That Come To Mind (So, below Survivor Coach, but above Cartoon Coaches)

Now we’re on a roll! After much deliberation, I have decided that Naomi is cool. Naomi is a good example of cartoony kissy lipped villagers, done with enough extra style that the lips feel like part of a package with her blunt-cut hair and her vivid eyeliner. One gets the sense of a particularly editorial supermodel or something off of her, which is the sort of character-building vibe I like a lot in an Animal Crossing villager, and it makes the contrast of her vivid make-up and vivid fur into something that feels like a thing, you know? 

Fabulous, darling / Snooties

Norma

Oh, isn’t she cute! She’s just got this very rubber-hose era of animation with her eyes, which just makes her adorable. Otherwise, she is just a cute cow. I think I considered her for if I did a Harvest Moon-themed town, because you kind of need a cow, and I like her more than Tipper, below, because Norma has funky little eyes. Honestly, I probably did her a disservice by not marking her as my favorite cow villager when I filled out a meme, but I suppose I wasn’t thinking.

7/10! A real rating for just a cute cow.

Oxford

Well, he gives me very little to have an opinion on, but I like his heavy brow. 

|:[ / 10

Patty

An acceptable, cow-ish sort of cow. Looks like a friend.

shrug, I dunno, 5 / 10

Petunia

Is she multicolored, almost like a cow Bob? Don’t know, don’t really have a feeling, will never see her again. 

Rodeo

Look at this fantastic hellbeast! He and Roscoe the horse make a good pair of demon creatures. In Rodeo’s case, he is helped by his tiny, high up eyes, which are beady red eyes you could imagine shining in the darkness of some sort of underworld... The big smile makes it kinda goofy, but that’s kinda good.

666/10

Stu

Hey, it’s Bessie, but a boy. Like, if he were named Babe, I would applaud a concept, but I don’t know they were going for a big blue ox thing. I don’t know what Stu and Bessie are about. Why was only Stu saved from the dustbin of time, and Bessie abandoned? I call foul!

2 / 2

T-Bone

Naming a bull for a type of steak and then doing nothing with that, is kinda weird, send tumblr post. Also, why are his eyes positioned there? They are too big and tall for that.  Why are his eyes trying to escape his skull? Why do eyes want to be free?

Put those things back in the section of their face where they came from / or so help me!

Tipper

So, Tipper is the other ordinary Holstein cow. She started appearing in Wild World, right after Belle stopped appearing. Why? What’s with that? I put her down as my favorite cow at some point, but I think I am wrong. And baffled. I will add, though, that she’s pretty alright for a normal little cow. Her sleepy eyes and smile give her a dopey but peaceful feeling. And she still reminds me of a Story of Seasons classic bubble cow.

Bubble Cow 2/2 

Verdun

Another villager I never could have seen. His eyes make him feel, not unlike a few other villagers from days of yore, like a Conker’s Bad Fur Day character. It’s not a bad look.

Nintendo / 64 (Technically, as an E+ character, he was for the Gamecube. But Conker was for the 64, so here we are.)

Vic

Oh, I just realized, right at this moment, that the dark brown of the bottom of his face is probably meant to evoke a big Viking-y beard, isn’t that precious? Because of course he has a viking theme, which turns his bull horns into the horns of a helmet, which is just fantastic. I love it. And he has freckles! Vic is great, I’m happy to close this post off on my realizing something fun about a villager I like! 

10 / 9 , Happy Leif Ericson Day, everyone!

So, the cows and bulls were... Not my favorite, but they sure are mysterious. So many odd doubles half-forgotten. Why? I feel like I need to unravel a mystery.

[nevinslibrary]

Comic Book Saturday

So. I have no idea where Vinland is. If it was the Viking’s word for something else, if it’s on Martha’s Vineyard, or if it’s up in Canada somewhere where they found the Viking stuff on the coast.

That said, it’s an awesome story, and, when I saw that there was a graphic novel named Vinland. I had to read it.

It’s about Thorfinn. He learned at the feet of Leif Ericson, who told tales of the land to the west, far to the west. But, then his life is flipped upside down by a raid by other Vikings, and suddenly, he’s being raised by the same Vikings who murdered his family. He has a plan though, first to become a warrior, then kill the leader of those who killed his family, and then find the land that Leif called Vinland.

It was what I was looking forward to, and more, and I definitely can’t wait to read the many (10 so far) volumes left for me to read in this series.

You may like this book If you Liked: Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki, House of Five Leaves by Natsume Ono, or New Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike

Vinland Saga. Book 1 by Makoto Yukimura

[thekoshertribble]

“You’re no mystery to me. I know exactly who you are.” Women of Star Trek Blog Entry #12 “Space Seed” Marla McGivers

*rubs hands excitedly together* Oh boy, we’ve arrived. I’ve been thinking about writing this entry for a while now. This is gonna be a rough one, so buckle up people. This is will be another long post. As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’ll be discussing the main female character in this episode, Marla McGivers.

(content warnings: this entry will discuss abusive relationships both mental and physical in nature. Please proceed with caution.)

Before I crack this episode wide open, I want to relate it to my own life. When I was 15 I was involved in a very unhealthy relationship with an upperclassman at my school. While never becoming abusive, my “boyfriend” regarded me as a possession, and his aggressive tendencies towards others made me constantly afraid of him. I never said “no” to him, in fear of retaliation. This all ended many years ago, but I honestly haven’t been the same since. 

I went to therapy during the relationship and afterwards, and during one of my sessions I showed my therapist this episode.* She immediately understood why I was so drawn to this story. “Khan is [your boyfriend’s name]” she said, “and you’re Marla. I hadn’t realized that before, but she was right. For 10 very painful months, I was Marla.

Marla McGivers may be one of the most tragic characters of the Original Series. Even after it appears she redeems herself at the end of the episode, we learn in “Wrath of Khan” she pays for her mistake with her life years later.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, here. Let’s rewind to the beginning. 

Marla McGivers was a lieutenant on the Enterprise when it came across the Bontany Bay and it’s fateful cargo. She was the ship’s historian, apparently specializing in Earth’s history. We first see her in her quarters, working on a painting of a gladiator. (We don’t often see crewmembers engaged in hobbies, so it’s nice that we get this extra detail about her.) She’s quiet spoken, almost timid. It’s suggested that she doesn’t get much work on the ship, and that not many crewmen know her. When Kirk is talking with Spock and McCoy on the bridge, he says:

KIRK: I'll need somebody familiar with the late 20th-Century Earth. Here's a chance for that historian to do something for a change. What's her name? McIvers? 

So her lack of routine tasks and her timid nature probably makes her a rather forgettable and isolated figure on the Enterprise. (Spock remembers her name, of course, but he’s Spock - he probably has the whole ship’s roster memorized.) But now, she has an opportunity to apply her knowledge on a mission. Marla, Kirk, Scott and McCoy beam over to the Botany Bay. They find it’s full of humans in suspended animation, as Marla explains to the group:

MARLA: I've seen old photographs of this. Necessary because of the time involved in space travel until about the year 2018. It took years just to travel from one planet to another. 

Excuse me, Marla, but it’s November of 2018 and we still don’t have sleeper ships! Where are my goddamn sleeper ships Marla??

*clears throat* Sorry about that. Where was I? Oh, yes. So it finally seems that Marla can apply her knowledge on a mission...aaand then the shit hits the fan. One of the men in suspended animation is hot. And Marla gets, uh, distracted. 

KIRK: Could he be the leader? The leader. Lieutenant?

MARLA: (dragging herself back from just gazing at the man) Yes, sir. The leader was often set to revive first. 

They get the man out of cyro and bring him on the Enterprise to recuperate. Kirk is not exactly happy with Marla, and they have this conversation:

KIRK: If I were to rate your performance as a member of the landing party today I - MARLA: I know, sir. I'm sorry. KIRK: Lieutenant, at any one time, the safety of this entire vessel might depend upon the performance of a single crewman, and the fact that you find a man strangely compelling to you personally - MARLA: Not personally, Captain. Professionally. My profession is historian, and when I find a specimen from the past alive, I'm in the sheer delight of examining his mind. KIRK: And men were more adventuresome then. Bolder, more colorful. MARLA: Yes, sir, I think they were. KIRK: Good. If I can have honesty, it's easier to overlook mistakes. That's all.

It freaks me out that this conversation has not only foreshadowing but double and triple foreshadowing. It not only refers to Marla’s betrayal of the Enterprise, and then saving the Enterprise by betraying Khan, it also can be tied to Spock’s sacrifice in Wrath of Khan. Is your mind blown yet?

Apart from the foreshadowing, it’s an awkward conversation. Marla literally got distracted on her first mission, apparently because the guy they were rescuing was too hot. She tries to wave it off as professional fascination, but Kirk knows it’s not just that, and to her credit, she owns up to it. 

Marla reappears a few scenes later to meet the man they rescued from cryo, some dude who calls himself, “Khan.” She begins to introduce herself but he cuts her off. He already knows who she is. He asks her to “sit and entertain” him, as though she’s only there to amuse him. Determined, Marla sits and begins to question him:

MARLA: I'd like some historical information about your ship, its purpose and

KHAN: And why do you wear your hair in such an uncomplimentary fashion?

MARLA: It's comfortable.

KHAN: But it's not attractive. 

Khan stands, moves Marla to a nearby mirror and just starts pulling the pins out of her hair. “There. Soft. Natural. Simple,” he says, admiring his work as though he were a hairdresser. (If only he were that and not a dictator). Finally, Marla speaks up for herself:

MARLA: Mister Khan, I'm here on business.

KHAN: You find no pleasure here?

MARLA: My interest is scientific. Men of. That is, the world of the past. I'm sure you understand to actually talk to a man of your century - 

KHAN: There. Simple, soft. Please remember.

Marla’s subject is not being cooperative, nor does he seem to understand the concept of personal space. As she turns to leave, he grabs her arm and looks into her eyes:

MARLA: Perhaps some other time, when you feel more like talking about the past.

KHAN: I'm glad you came. Please do it again.

It’s...unsettling to watch this whole exchange. The average viewer might thing she’s starstruck by him, but I see fear in her eyes as well as awe. I think by this time she’s begun to realize just who he is - she can’t confirm it, but her intuition is guiding her. She has admired him and others like him across the safe distance of time, but now, the subject of her fascination is here before her, real and dangerous. This was something she never had to plan for. 

Following this encounter, we learn that Marla suggested inviting Khan to a dinner with the ship’s top officers. Perhaps she did this because she hoped that Kirk could get the answers out of Khan that she couldn’t. I don’t think she made the suggestion simply because she fell head-over-heels for him. It cannot be that simple. Before the dinner, Khan comes to Marla’s quarters, saying he wants her to escort him to dinner. He sees her paintings and compliments her on her technique and her choice of subject. 

The paintings double as a visual cue to the audience. It shows her hobby and her...interest: “old, brave, men of the past,” to borrow Khan’s description. Figures as Napoleon, Leif Ericson, and a gladiator named Flavius. It’s suggested that these men are not simply a “hobby” as Khan asks, teasing Marla. Khan then sees one of a turbaned man hidden under a cloth. He nods and simply reacts, “I am honored.” He holds Marla firmly in his arms, and adds, “but I caution you: such men dare take what they want.” He then kisses her, and we see Marla responding, pulling him deeper into the embrace.

We also see, as Khan indicates with satisfaction, that Marla rearranged her hair in the “natural” way khan had arranged it in sickbay. This and the kiss lead us to conclude that despite Khan’s dominating behavior toward her, Marla still feels some attraction to the 20th century dictator. 

The dinner Marla requested does not go well. Marla sits next to Khan, oddly saying nothing for the whole scene, while Kirk and Spock needle Khan into finally slipping and admitting that he and his fellows on the Botany Bay are in fact the ruthless genetically engineered humans who vanished in the 1990s. Khan is angered enough to leave the dinner early and retire to his quarters, where Marla finds him brooding. Keep and mind that she did not have to talk to him - she seeks him out because she feels the need to apologize for the actions of her superiors. 

MARLA: I wanted to apologize. They had no right to treat you that way.

KHAN: Quite understandable, since I'm something of a mystery to them.

MARLA: You're no mystery to me. I know exactly who you are.

KHAN: Do you? 

MARLA: Leif Ericson, Richard the Lion Heart, Napoleon. 

Marla says this last line with a little “gotcha” smile. Khan’s expression is one of slight surprise (even though he saw his portrait in her quarters earlier.) Then, Khan turns the tables and the fate of the Enterprise will be changed forever. Here is the conversation, with my notes:

MARLA: I don't know if you're going to like living in our time. 

KHAN: Then I'll have to remold it to my liking.

He reaches out to grab her suggestively, but she pushes him away.

MARLA: Please don't.

Angered by her sudden rejection, Khan pushes her away.

KHAN: Go. Or stay. But do it because it is what you wish to do. Well? 

Marla makes her fatal decision. 

MARLA: I'll stay a little longer. 

KHAN: How many minutes do you graciously offer?

MARLA: I only meant -

KHAN: This grows tiresome. You must now ask to stay.

MARLA: I'd like to stay. Please. 

Khan smiles in satisfaction and offers his hand to her. She takes it, and suddenly he is pushing her on her knees before him. She cannot escape his grasp. 

KHAN: Open your heart. Will you open your heart?

MARLA (her voice is small): Yes.

KHAN: I intend to take this ship. Do you agree?

MARLA: Oh, please don't ask me -

KHAN (squeezing harder on her hand) : I need your help.

MARLA: You won't harm anyone? 

KHAN (accusingly): Now you question me?

MARLA (fearfully): No!

KHAN: Will you assist me?

MARLA: Oh, please, Khan, don't ask me -

Khan throws her to the floor.

KHAN: Leave me then. Go, I say.

MARLA (whimpering): No. I promise. I'll do anything you ask.

(Khan smiles with cold-blooded satisfaction down on her as we cut to commercial). 

In a matter of moments, Marla has gone from confident and standing before her fantasy-made-reality to crying quietly at his feet. 

Let me pause the episode narrative for a moment to talk about the overall themes of this episode, since we’ve reached the major turning point. If you’ve seen this episode before, you probably remember the ending in which Khan alludes to Milton’s Paradise Lost, inferring that he is Satan cast into Hell, choosing to rule in Hell rather than serve in Heaven. We can actually expand this literary allusion to the whole episode. Khan of course is Satan, the snake in the garden of Eden, so what does that mean? Say it with me now: Marla is Eve, the Enterprise is Paradise (and Kirk is God, I guess?) Paradise Lost is a retelling of the Fall of Mankind - via the tempting of Eve by Satan - and the promise of Redemption by the sacrifice of Christ. Space Seed, similarly, is the story of Marla’s “corruption” by Khan, resulting in dire consequences for the Enterprise and her crew. And like Milton’s great epic, more than Eve’s repentance will save mankind. A greater sacrifice is required:

Anyway, so Khan and Marla work together to bring over Khan’s people from the Botany Bay, capture the Enterprise bridge and hold the crew hostage. By now, the crew know that Marla is working with Khan. Interestingly, Marla has apparently been given some authority by Khan over his people. We see this when one of Khan’s men begins to hit Lt. Uhura for not cooperating, and Marla loudly orders him to stop.

Marla then stands behind Uhura dominantly. She’s essentially become the “good cop” to Khan’s “bad cop.” 

And then we get to yet another turning point. When Khan threatens to suffocate Kirk in a sickbay decompression chamber to get the bridge crew to cooperate, Marla remembers the words of her dying captain:

Lieutenant, at any one time, the safety of this entire vessel might depend upon the performance of a single crewman.

She turns to Khan, and asks quietly but firmly, “Khan, there’s no reason I must watch this, is there?” This is the most assertive we see Marla. Something has suddenly changed. Khan nods, but remarks that he is disappointed, “I had hoped you would be stronger.” Marla leaves, apparently because she does not want to see her former commanding officer die slowly, and she heads down to sickbay, hides a hypo behind her back, and approaches the guard watching over the decompression chamber: “Khan said to watch him very closely. He may decide to co-operate.” The guard obeys, and as soon as he turns, she stabs the hypo into his neck. She frees Kirk from the decompression chamber, and immediately says: “Captain, I saved your life. Now please don't kill him.” Kirk frees Spock and successfully they regain command of his vessel. Yay! 

But wait...what about Khan and his people? and Marla?? Kirk tells Khan that a nearby uninhabited world is suitable for colonization and that he and his people will live there in exile. Marla, meanwhile is given a choice: court martial or exile with Khan. She chooses the latter. To be fair, it really isn’t much of a choice, between certain imprisonment or uncertain life on a planet. But it’s notable that Marla once again chooses Khan’s side, a choice that Khan admires: “a superior woman. I will take her.”

Sadly, going with Khan does indeed lead to her death by a Ceti Alpha eel some years later, causing Khan to go mad from grief and anger. And we all know what happens next...

Now, I do not mean to sound as though I am “blaming the victim” here. I do not mean to say that Marla got what she deserved or wanted, even though the events of the story revolve around her decisions. As you’ve probably realized, it isn’t that simple. Marla is a complex character - her motivations may seem clear but sometimes they’re clouded. Her behavior goes back and forth between assertive and submissive. Complicating all this is the abusive relationship she has with Khan. From personal experience, I know that when you’re in an unhealthy relationship, you don’t always find yourself standing up for yourself, even when your mind is screaming for you to. People ask you, “why didn’t you just leave?” If it were that simple, I would have left as soon as things went wrong. If it were that simple, Marla would not have apologized to Khan, or helped him take over the Enterprise, or travelled with him to Ceti Alpha V. 

I’m afraid I don’t really have any further insights into this character, so I’m going to end this blog entry here. However, if you have any thoughts on Marla and her motivations in this story, please share them in the comments. Maybe you saw something I missed? And of course, if you enjoyed it, please leave a like or reblog. See you next time, when I discuss: A Taste of Armageddon!

P.S. If you’re in an abusive or unhealthy relationship, please get help. It may feel as though no one knows you’re hurting but keep on reaching out until someone hears you. And please stay safe.

*My therapist had never seen Star Trek, and I wanted to show it to her to explain how it influenced me. We’ve both come to the conclusion that Star Trek very likely saved my life. It basically served as a coping system for a few years.

[recentanimenews]

Summer Time Rendering TV Anime Reveals More Cast Member, Ending Theme Song

  Summer fun will begin a little early this year, with the adaptation of Yasuki Tanaka's Shonen Jump+ manga series Summer Time Rendering starting on April 14 and running through the summer ... time. Ahead of the premiere, the series revealed more of its supporting cast and the ending theme song that will be heard during the end credits.

  Joining the cast of Summer Time Rendering will be:

  Akio Otsuka (All For One in My Hero Academia) will be voicing Seido Hishigata

  Tessho Genda (Taira no Kiyomori in The Heike Story) will be voicing Alain Kofune

  Yoji Ueda (Leif Ericson in Vinland Saga) will be voicing Tetsu Totsumura

  Katsuyuki Konishi (Laxus Dreyar in Fairy Tail) will be voicing Masahito Kirikiri

  cadode will be performing the ending theme "Kaika" for the series. The opening theme song "Hoshi ga Oyogu" was previously confirmed to be performed by Macaroni Empitsu. It can heard in the previous promotional video for the anime:

    Summer Time Rendering was first released on the Shonen Jump+ service in Japan, with the 13-volume series picked up by Udon Entertainment, which describes the series as such:

  A tragic incident calls a young man named Shinpei back to his hometown on the remote island of Higotoshima, Japan. But something sinister awaits upon his return, and a chilling sequence of events unfolds that will have dire consequences for Shinpei, for Japan, and for the entire world!

  The Summer Time Rendering TV anime will be directed by Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) at OLM. The series is set to stream both in Japan and internationally on Disney+ from April 14, though no details on the international release have been confirmed as of yet.

  Source: Comic Natalie

  ----

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs the YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

By: Daryl Harding

[skyanfeeds]

South Dakota summer camp enrollments double in 2021 after COVID-19 drove closures  Sioux Falls Argus Leader

[thomasluvjaymes]

Pre-production for The Lighthouse is now underway in Nova Scotia, with a lighthouse set being built at Cape Forchu on the Leif Erikson trail. The area will be closed until 11th May, at which point the production will move to a different location. The lighthouse set, which will stand 20-metres tall upon completion, will replicate 20th century architecture to match its period setting. Additional scenes will be filmed in a hangar at Yarmouth airport. Speaking to The Chronicle Herald, Leland Anthony, the warden for the municipality of Yarmouth explains: “it’s the rock formation that [the production] wanted in the Leif Ericson Park. They also liked the fact that there was a flat area next to a rocky backdrop.” Directed by Robert Eggers and co-produced by New Regency and RT Features, The Lighthouse will tell the story of an ageing lighthouse keeper played by Willem Dafoe, with Robert Pattinson co-starring. A24 have already signed on for worldwide distribution. . 📸 E #TheLighthouse #WillemDafoe #RobertPattinson #RobertEggers #CapeForchu #Yarmouth #NovaScotia #Canada #A24 #RTFeatures #NewRegency

[biblioncollection]

This Country of Ours, Part 1 | Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall | Early Modern, Reference | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 1/2 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. Another fine history book for children! Published in 1917, Marshall’s book of stories from the history of the United States begins with accounts of exploration and settlement, and ends with the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. This is Part 1: Stories of Explorers and Pioneers, from Leif Ericson to Sir Walter Raleigh. Read along and view the original illustrations at mainlesson.com. Part 2: https://ift.tt/1dhcm1c Part 3: https://ift.tt/1BNrkIe Part 4: https://ift.tt/1dhcjSX Part 5: https://ift.tt/2VUjGrQ 6: https://ift.tt/35K5OVy 7: https://ift.tt/2OVkpY8 by Kara) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[cottonfreakz]

Vinland Saga Trailer got that vengeance and violence

Viking warfare is brutal in a new trailer for Vinland Saga, an upcoming TV anime based on the seinen manga by Makoto Yukimura about a young man on a journey of revenge and redemption during the age when the Viking longboats were the scourge of the northern European seas.

The original Vinland Saga manga is serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon seinen manga magazine, and an English language version is also available from Kodansha Comics, who describe the story as follows:

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band’s leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery … the land Leif called Vinland.

The Vinland Saga TV anime is directed by Shuhei Yabuta and features animation production by Wit Studio. The series will broadcast in Japan on the NHK network beginning on July 07, 2019, and Vinland Saga will also be streamed in Japan and in other world markets on Amazon Prime Video.

[jadeimpression]

Criminal (Part 2)

Part Two

Reading List: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

(Bucky x Reader) Summary: AU where Bucky is part of the white collar crime division of the Brooklyn police and you're a well known thief that he's had in his sights for years but has never caught. What happens when you get in too deep and have to turn to the one person who's been longing to lock you away for as long as he's been after you?

Word Count: 1736

Warnings: 18+, AU, language, threats, sexual innuendos.

A/N: Not much Bucky in this chapter but he will make an appearance in the next chapter in a very big way. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

It had been a month since the night you left your little taunt for Detective Barnes at the club. You weren’t exactly sure when he found it but within the next few days he was really trying to make trouble for you. The Detective was offering deals to fences, forgers and other thieves trying to get information about you, but of course no one was talking, after all there is honor among thieves whether people believe it or not.

The game of cat and mouse had escalated and you honestly found it to be a bit of a turn on. Who didn’t want a drop dead sexy man with access to handcuffs chasing after them? Besides from the stories you’ve heard Detective Rogers might be the good cop but Detective Barnes was definitely the bad cop. A few threats may have been made with the attempt to get information so of course someone was going to eventually cave, you just hadn’t suspected he had that in him.

Your first name, (y/n), was apparently one of the bits of information to make its way to Detective Barnes from someone under duress. To most normal people it might be terrifying the lengths he was willing to go to gather information on you, however you found it rather flattering. Apparently the man had dubbed it his personal mission to bring you down and you honestly haven’t a clue why. Everything you stole was insured and it wasn't as if the owner couldn’t live without it. Half the time it took longer than necessary for people to even realize they were missing their “prized” possession which they loved to show off to friends to reestablish their ranking in the social order.

You of course were passionate about your job so it only made sense that the person trying to catch and stop you would be passionate about theirs as well. You did have to wonder if Detective got bonuses on recoveries and bringing thieves in, at least then his obsession with you would make sense. Maybe you had stolen something from someone that he was acquainted with, the potential reasonings for his crusade were countless and you didn’t really care very much about the why it was just nice to have the attention of a stunning and brooding man despite the way it occurred.

Sitting in front of vanity in your room you ran a brush through your (y/c/h) the damp strands becoming detangled and cascading over your shoulders. Your cell phone began to ring and you reached over pressing your index finger against the cool glass screen to answer before putting it on speaker. “What can I do for you Dimitri?” Your voice was a smooth as honey as you answered one of your best clients of the Russian mob. For a moment he said nothing and that caused the fine hairs on your arm to stand on end since he wasn’t a quiet man and always knew exactly what he wanted.

The voice which greet you in return was in fact Dimitri’s but he began to speak in a hushed tone that you weren’t used to. “There’s a big card game going done in two days and it’s being held by the Irish, I need you to get into the game and sell the money that’s going to be held in the safe.” Your breath caught in your throat and the hairbrush nearly fell from your hands. You were accredited with far more thefts than you had actually done and never had you stolen anything from any of the mob families, only things for them because it opened up doors to favors in the future. This however was not a job that you could do and Dimitri of all people ought to know that.

“I don’t steal from the mob Dimitri, only for the mob when necessary. I know better than to shit where I eat and the Irish pay good money when they want something returned. I’m not going to risk my reputation over this. It doesn’t sound like you’re offering me protection and you know they will kill me if find out I stole from them.” You lay the hairbrush on the smooth wooden top of the vanity and tried to stop your hands from shaking from the mere idea of going against any of the mob families.

Stealing from the Irish was suicide and saying no to the Russians was an equally dangerous move to make but you had always made it clear you worked for how paid and wouldn’t steal from any of the mobs in the city. There were just some lines which shouldn’t be crossed and some risks you weren’t willing to take. “(y/n), you’re the only one who can get into that game without rising suspicion and we’re willing to offer you protection and get you out of the city once the job is done.” Dimitri was hearing your words but he wasn’t truly listening. “It’s just one job, (y/n) and it would set you up for life. Just think about it and I’ll call you tomorrow, if you don’t take this job you’re going to regret it.” There was a lack of malice in his voice and you could hear voice in the background which seemed to be coming closer. Did he mean you would regret in a mob retaliation way or in a you would regret turning down good money way? You weren’t sure since his voice gave nothing away. “I have to go.” There was a click followed by silence as you stared at your reflection in the mirror the shock evident on your features.

The next day when your phone range when Dimitri called you didn’t answer. You had made it clear the day before that you weren’t interested in the job in question, it wasn’t the type of job you took on and why he thought it was you weren’t sure. Normally when the Russian mob needed something you met with the head of the family but you had made friends with Dimitri and now things were often funneled down through him to save time.

The one single call was all you recieved so he must have gotten the point. Dimitri would find someone else for the job because it wasn’t going to be your body found in Brower Park. Even with the offer of protection from the Russians it was just going to start a mob war and no matter what Dimitri said you knew the Russians wouldn’t start a mob war just to protect you. The moment the job was done your life would be void and any future you may have had would be over.

Since Detective Barnes had been doing such a fluttering job on finding out about you today was all about finding out more about him. The illegally good looking team of Barnes and Rogers apparently had the day off and the two were playing a basketball game with some friends at the courts in Leif Ericson Park. You had the feeling the two men were more than just partners but also friends and their outing today proved it. Of course that was the farthest thought from your mind as you watched Detective James Buchanan Barnes run up and down the court shirtless in a pair of black and red basketball shorts. Even from this distance you were sure sweat was trickling its way down his face, caressing his jaw and sliding down his throat and over his chest before highlighting that deliciously sinful six pack he had.

Before, you had been attracted to the Detective by what little you could see of him but right now there were only a few things left up to the imagination and he could have easily had a career in modeling opposed to police work. Of course you had the feeling most people didn’t want to see a model with scarring along his shoulder and prosthetic metal arm but it just gave the Detective an air of danger. You vaguely remembered skimming a news article about a rookie cop a few years back who had sacrificed his arm for the safety of a little girl. Maybe it was time you find that article again and read the whole story because you were intrigued to say the least the sun glinting off the reflective surface.

Readjusting the designer Ray-Ban’s on the bridge of your noise you glance up at the bright sun which was slowly beginning to descend in the sky marking the end of the day. As much as you truly wanted to continue watching the two gorgeous detectives you knew the longer you stayed here the more of a risk you were running since Detective Barnes now knew what you looked like. There would be time enough in the future to observe him so you decide to throw in the towel for the day and return to your loft and just enjoy an evening in since you didn’t have any jobs planned for the next fews days and no recon to do. A bottle of wine and hot shower later you were curled under the fine Egyptian cotton sheets with a high thread count and teetering on the edge of sleep consciousness barely hanging by a thread. That’s when you heard sound of something heavy slamming against the front door of your loft.

Leaping out of bed in a panic you quickly grabbed a pair of jeans of the floor and slid them up your thighs and over your hips before zipping and buttoning them as something once more slammed against your door. Grabbing a shirt you pulled it over your head and slid you arms though being as quiet as possible in the process of slipping into your tennis shoes and tying them quickly. You could hear angry Irish voices coming from the other side of the door and you didn’t understand why nor did you have the time to consider or figure it out. Shoving your phone into your pocket along with your keys you’re quick to retrieve your go bag from the corner. Given the life you lead you knew there were times you might need a quick exit and you already had yours mapped out, the problem was where would you go? The other question was, what in the hell was going on?

[healthmaria]

In a quiet spot in Seattle, a place called Ballard is a new Nordic Museum. Immigrants from the Nordic countries flocked to that place at the beginning of the twenties century. I felt at home walking in the streets and visiting a Danish ex-pat family.

The entrance of the Nordic Museum

The surroundings of the Nordic Museum

A big screen with videos from the Nordic countries, here Greenland

Excerpt from Wikipedia on Ballard:

Historically Ballard is the traditional center of Seattle’s ethnically Scandinavian seafaring community, who were drawn to the area because of the salmon fishing opportunities. The neighborhood’s unofficial slogan, “Uff da”, comes from an Almost Live! sketch that made fun of its Scandinavian culture. In recent years the proportion of Scandinavian residents has decreased but the neighborhood is still proud of its heritage. Ballard is home to the Nordic Museum, which celebrates both the community of Ballard and the local Scandinavian history. Scandinavians unite in organizations such as the Sons of Norway Leif Ericson Lodge and the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle. Each year the community celebrates the Ballard SeafoodFest and Norwegian Constitution Day (also called Syttende Mai) on May 17 to commemorate the signing of the Norwegian Constitution.

Locals once nicknamed the neighborhood “Snoose Junction,” a reference to the Scandinavian settlers’ practice of using snus.

The museum is built in the typical modern Danish minimalistic architect style. Instead of fine flowerbeds outside, there are rough, wild plants similar to those you find at our coasts. The idea, I think, is that there is hardly any maintenance on them.

The Scandinavian countries are Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Linguistically our languages are coming from the same root.  The Nordic countries are those plus Iceland, The Faroe Islands and Greenland and Finland.

The history of the Nordic countries is explained, which is unusual for us who come from these countries.

  In the 19th century, all the Nordic countries experienced mass emigrations. They were coping with severe challenges that let to social unrest and scarce opportunity. From the 1820s and over the next hundred years, millions of people left home and came to America.

A chart on the numbers of immigrants from the Nordic countries

You can read about the number of immigrants who came from our part of the world to the United States and go into detail about their individual stories.

The story of a Swedish immigrant who came in 1914

The Finnish people are known for their resilience. They fought the invasion of the  Red Army during WWII. A teenage boy fled the Russian army on this bicycle together with his mother and sister. They managed to come to the United States some years later. Their country was devastated after the war. For many years they lived in the shadows of the Soviet Union.

A young Finnish teenager escaped the Red Army in 1939. He ended up in Seattle with his family in the 1950s

The Evening News from London November 1939

A young Finnish teenager escaped the Red Army in 1944 on his bicycle on display at the museum.

Danish journalist Jacob Riis didn’t go to Seattle, but his work was displayed at the museum. He lived to try to improve the conditions for poor immigrants and worked himself to death in his effort. I wrote about him in one of my first blogposts.

A copy of Jacob Riis’ book on poor immigrants coming to New York about the 1880s and onwards

A copy of Jacob Riis’ book on poor immigrants coming to New York about the 1880s and onwards

I was lucky to go to Seattle last summer before hell broke out. I wanted to find traces of life from my father’s uncle Valdemar who left everything behind in 1911 and lived for the rest of his life in Seattle. Likewise, my husband and I wanted to see the beautiful buildings that our blogger friend Paulas’ father, who as a young man from Denmark, made a prominent career as a builder.

Stories From the Nordic Museum in Ballard, Seattle In a quiet spot in Seattle, a place called Ballard is a new Nordic Museum. Immigrants from…