#to leave the city for diplomatic or military mission to their allies

[cienie-isengardu]

As The War of Rohhirm kicked me back into LotR, I decided to rereading some parts of the books for research's sake and now I'm overthinking how Boromir, Aragorn and Faramir described men of Rohan.

Boromir

“‘How far can you bear me?’ I said to Gwaihir.

“‘Many leagues,’ said he, ‘but not to the ends of the earth. I was sent to bear tidings not burdens.’

“‘Then I must have a steed on land,’ I said, ‘and a steed surpassingly swift, for I have never had such need of haste before.’

“‘Then I will bear you to Edoras, where the Lord of Rohan sits in his halls,’ he said; ‘for that is not very far off.’ And I was glad, for in the Riddermark of Rohan the Rohirrim, the Horse-lords, dwell, and there are no horses like those that are bred in that great vale between the Misty Mountains and the White.

“‘Are the Men of Rohan still to be trusted, do you think?’ I said to Gwaihir, for the treason of Saruman had shaken my faith.

“‘They pay a tribute of horses,’ he answered, ‘and send many yearly to Mordor, or so it is said; but they are not yet under the yoke. But if Saruman has become evil, as you say, then their doom cannot be long delayed.’

“He set me down in the land of Rohan ere dawn; and now I have lengthened my tale over long. The rest must be more brief. In Rohan I found evil already at work: the lies of Saruman; and the king of the land would not listen to my warnings. He bade me take a horse and be gone; and I chose one much to my liking, but little to his. I took the best horse in his land, and I have never seen the like of him.”

“Then he must be a noble beast indeed,” said Aragorn; “and it grieves me more than many tidings that might seem worse to learn that Sauron levies such tribute. It was not so when last I was in that land.”

“Nor is it now, I will swear,” said Boromir. “It is a lie that comes from the Enemy. I know the Men of Rohan, true and valiant, our allies, dwelling still in the lands that we gave them long ago.”

“The shadow of Mordor lies on distant lands,” answered Aragorn. “Saruman has fallen under it. Rohan is beset. Who knows what you will find there, if ever you return?”

“Not this at least,” said Boromir, “that they will buy their lives with horses. They love their horses next to their kin. And not without reason, for the horses of the Riddermark come from the fields of the North, far from the Shadow, and their race, as that of their masters, is descended from the free days of old.”

(The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, book II, chapter 2 - The Council of Elrond)

Aragorn

“What do you know of these horsemen, Aragorn?” he said. “Do we sit here waiting for sudden death?”

“I have been among them,” answered Aragorn. “They are proud and wilful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel; wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs, after the manner of the children of Men before the Dark Years. But I do not know what has happened here of late, nor in what mind the Rohirrim may now be between the traitor Saruman and the threat of Sauron. They have long been the friends of the people of Gondor, though they are not akin to them. It was in forgotten years long ago that Eorl the Young brought them out of the North, and their kinship is rather with the Bardings of Dale, and with the Beornings of the Wood, among whom may still be seen many men tall and fair, as are the Riders of Rohan. At least they will not love the Orcs.”

“But Gandalf spoke of a rumour that they pay tribute to Mordor,” said Gimli.

“I believe it no more than did Boromir,” answered Aragorn.

(The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, book 3, chapter 2 - The Riders of Rohan)

Faramir

“But the stewards were wiser and more fortunate. Wiser, for they recruited the strength of our people from the sturdy folk of the sea-coast, and from the hardy mountaineers of Ered Nimrais. And they made a truce with the proud peoples of the North, who often had assailed us, men of fierce valour, but our kin from afar off, unlike the wild Easterlings or the cruel Haradrim.

“So it came to pass in the days of Cirion the Twelfth Steward (and my father is the six and twentieth) that they rode to our aid and at the great Field of Celebrant they destroyed our enemies that had seized our northern provinces. These are the Rohirrim, as we name them, masters of horses, and we ceded to them the fields of Calenardhon that are since called Rohan; for that province had long been sparsely peopled. And they became our allies, and have ever proved true to us, aiding us at need, and guarding our northern marches and the Gap of Rohan.

“Of our lore and manners they have learned what they would, and their lords speak our speech at need; yet for the most part they hold by the ways of their own fathers and to their own memories, and they speak among themselves their own North tongue. And we love them: tall men and fair women, valiant both alike, golden-haired, bright-eyed, and strong; they remind us of the youth of Men, as they were in the Elder Days. Indeed it is said by our lore-masters that they have from of old this affinity with us that they are come from those same Three Houses of Men as were the Númenóreans in their beginning; not from Hador the Goldenhaired, the Elf-friend, maybe, yet from such of his people as went not over Sea into the West, refusing the call.

“For so we reckon Men in our lore, calling them the High, or Men of the West, which were Númenóreans; and the Middle Peoples, Men of the Twilight, such as are the Rohirrim and their kin that dwell still far in the North; and the Wild, the Men of Darkness.

“Yet now, if the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us, enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them, and can scarce claim any longer the title High. We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things. For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valour as things good in themselves, both a sport and an end; and though we still hold that a warrior should have more skills and knowledge than only the craft of weapons and slaying, we esteem a warrior, nonetheless, above men of other crafts. Such is the need of our days. So even was my brother, Boromir: a man of prowess, and for that he was accounted the best man in Gondor. And very valiant indeed he was: no heir of Minas Tirith has for long years been so hardy in toil, so onward into battle, or blown a mightier note on the Great Horn.” Faramir sighed and fell silent for a while.

(Lord of the Rings: The Two Tower, book 4, chapter 5 - The Window on the West)

[the-good-spartan]

So I know that Spartiates were not allowed to leave Sparta except for military excursions and specific rituals/events because of the extreme isolationist policies, but I read somewhere (I think maybe Plutarch but that could be wrong) that outside of those times only on the rarest occasion with special permission from the government could they leave, which would imply that like while rare it did happen at least once or twice for it to be a noted thing that got recorded. Do you have any speculations or theories as to what kind of circumstance could warrant being granted that permission? The only thing I can think of is if like a wife or child fled or was kidnapped and a citizen got permission to go after them and get them back

Thank you for the ask! Here are my thoughts :)

To begin with, the passage in Plutarch is pretty unequivocal:

Consequently [Lykourgos] did not grant Spartiates permission to be away from the city and to travel freely, acquiring foreign habits and copying lifestyles based upon no training as well as types of government different from that of Sparta. [Lyk 27]

There doesn’t seem to be much wriggle room in that; but because he’s writing very late, it’s possible that he has either exaggerated, or is the inheritor of exaggerated information.

By the Roman period, Classical Sparta had become a philosophical icon and taken on a semi-mythological form. Their culture had gone through at least two, perhaps three, complete cultural breaks and had been revived each time after a lapse of many years. There is a lot of room for incorrect ideas of the past to enter the record in all this - from the Spartans themselves as much as outsiders interpreting what they saw and read.

So. Plutarch may be right, and perhaps we should believe that no homoioi traveled - but my feeling is that this is too strict to be realistic. Spartans do pop up in stories throughout the histories in places other than Sparta (when not on campaign or diplomatic missions, obviously) so we know at least some of them could and did travel.

One idea I really like is that it was only those between the ages of 20 and 30 who were barred from travel - a period when they were homoioi, but not yet technically men (namely, the hebontes). There’s an episode during the Arkhidamian War which might support this reading. A group of young men were chosen to stand as governors in Makedonia - their young age was mentioned quite specifically as making it highly unusual that they’d been sent from Sparta.

There’s also the fact that Spartans are attested as having xenia connections all over Hellas, including Athens, and these must’ve - at least in part - been formed and maintained by attending religious games and festivals. I don’t think it’s too much to imagine a homoios going to another polis to celebrate with friends; and I think it highly likely they sometimes used that event as a chance for back channel diplomacy, intelligence gathering, or just testing the mood of an allied polis - as well as having a good time, hopefully, whatever that looked like for a Spartan.

If they were military aged, they probably would’ve needed permission to leave, but unless they were of known bad character, or there was disturbance going on within Lakedaimons borders, I think it would’ve been granted as a matter of course for the most part.

So - if I was writing a story, and needed someone out of Sparta at a particular time - I’d consider giving him friends who’d invited him to the Dionysia, say; or he’d gone to attend the Eleusian Mysteries; or he had a brother who was a contender in the wrestling at the Isthmian Games. These are all likely scenarios.

I hope this answers your question! :)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 27, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

America is in a watershed moment. Since the 1980s, the country has focused on individualism: the idea that the expansion of the federal government after the Depression in the 1930s created a form of collectivism that we must destroy by cutting taxes and slashing regulation to leave individuals free to do as they wish.

Domestically, that ideology meant dismantling government regulation, social safety networks, and public infrastructure projects. Internationally, it meant a form of “cowboy diplomacy” in which the U.S. usually acted on its own to rebuild nations in our image.

Now, President Joe Biden appears to be trying to bring back a focus on the common good.

For all that Republicans today insist that individualism is the heart of Americanism, in fact the history of federal protection of the common good began in the 1860s with their own ancestors, led by Abraham Lincoln, who wrote: “The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves---in their separate, and individual capacities.”

The contrast between these two ideologies has been stark this week.

On the one hand are those who insist that the government cannot limit an individual’s rights by mandating either masks or vaccines, even in the face of the deadly Delta variant of the coronavirus that is, once again, taking more than 1000 American lives a day.

In New York, where Mayor Bill de Blasio has required teachers to be vaccinated, the city’s largest police union has said it will sue if a vaccine is mandated for its members.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday issued an executive order prohibiting any government office or any private entity receiving government funds from requiring vaccines.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has also forbidden mask mandates, but today Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper ruled that DeSantis’s order is unconstitutional. Cooper pointed out that in 1914 and 1939, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that individual rights take a back seat to public safety: individuals can drink alcohol, for example, but not drive drunk. DeSantis was scathing of the opinion and has vowed to appeal. Meanwhile, NBC News reported this week that information about the coronavirus in Florida, as well as Georgia, is no longer easily available on government websites.

On the other hand, as predicted, the full approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration has prompted a flood of vaccine mandates.

The investigation into the events of January 6, when a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, also showcases the tension between individualism and community.

Yesterday, after months in which Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, called for the release of the identity of the officer who shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, Capitol Police officer Lieutenant Michael Byrd, the 28-year veteran of the force who shot Babbitt, gave an interview to Lester Holt of NBC News.

Right-wing activists have called Babbitt a martyr murdered by the government, but Byrd explained that he was responsible for protecting 60 to 80 members of the House and their staffers. As rioters smashed the glass doors leading into the House chamber, Byrd repeatedly called for them to get back. When Ashli Babbitt climbed through the broken door, he shot her in the shoulder. She later died from her injuries. Byrd said he was doing his job to protect our government. “I know that day I saved countless lives,” Byrd told Holt. “I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that’s my job.”

The conflict between individualism and society also became clear today as the House select committee looking into the attack asked social media giants to turn over “all reviews, studies, reports, data, analyses, and communications” they had gathered about disinformation distributed by both foreign and domestic actors, as well as information about “domestic violent extremists” who participated in the attack.

Representative Jim Banks (R-IN) immediately responded that “Congress has no general power to inquire into private affairs and to compel disclosure….” He urged telecommunications companies and Facebook not to hand over any materials, calling their effort an “authoritarian undertaking.” Banks told Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson that Republicans should punish every lawmaker investigating the January 6 insurrection if they retake control of Congress in 2022.

Biden’s new turn is especially obvious tonight in international affairs. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a country we entered almost 20 years ago with a clear mission that became muddied almost immediately, has sparked Republican criticism for what many describe as a U.S. defeat.

Since he took office, Biden has insisted on shifting American foreign policy away from U.S. troops alone on the ground toward multilateral pressure using finances and technology.

After yesterday’s bombing in Kabul took the lives of 160 Afghans and 13 American military personnel, Biden warned ISIS-K: "We will hunt you down and make you pay.”

Tonight, a new warning from the State Department warning Americans at the gates of the Kabul airport to “leave immediately” came just before a spokesman for CENTCOM, the United States Central Command in the Defense Department overseeing the Middle East, announced: "U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties."

Biden’s strike on ISIS-K demonstrated the nation's over-the-horizon technologies that he hopes will replace troops. Even still, the administration continues to call for international cooperation. In a press conference today, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby responded to a question about U.S. control in Afghanistan by saying: “It’s not about U.S. control in the Indo-Pacific. It’s about protecting our country from threats and challenges that emanate from that part of the world. And it’s about revitalizing our network of alliances and partnerships to help our partners in the international community do the same.“

Meanwhile, this afternoon, news broke that the Taliban has asked the United States to keep a diplomatic presence in the country even after it ends its military mission. The Taliban continues to hope for international recognition, in part to claw back some of the aid that western countries—especially the U.S.—will no longer provide, as well as to try to get the country’s billions in assets unfrozen.

A continued diplomatic presence in Afghanistan would make it easier to continue to get allies and U.S. citizens out of the country, but State Department spokesman Ned Price said the idea is a nonstarter unless a future Afghan government protects the rights of its citizens, including its women, and refuses to harbor terrorists. Price also emphasized that the U.S. would not make this decision without consulting allies. “This is not just a discussion the United States will have to decide for itself.… We are coordinating with our international partners, again to share ideas, to ensure that we are sending the appropriate signals and messages to the Taliban,” he said.

Evacuations from Afghanistan continue. Since August 14, they have topped 110,000, with 12,500 people in the last 24 hours.

Perhaps the news story that best illustrates the tension today between individualism and using the government to help everyone is about a natural disaster. Hurricane Ida, which formed in the Caribbean yesterday, is barreling toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. When it hit western Cuba today, it was a Category 1 storm, but meteorologists expect it to pick up speed as it crosses the warm gulf, becoming a Category 4 storm by the time it hits the U.S. coastline. The area from Louisiana to Florida is in the storm’s path. New Orleans could see winds of up to 110 miles an hour and a storm surge of as much as 11 feet. Louisiana officials issued evacuation orders today.

The storm is expected to hit Sunday evening, exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina did. But this time, there is another complication: this is the very part of the country suffering terribly right now from coronavirus. Standing firm on individual rights, only about 40% of Louisiana’s population has been vaccinated, and hospitals are already stretched thin.

Today, President Biden declared an emergency in Louisiana, ordering federal assistance from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the region ahead of the storm, trying to head off a catastrophe. The federal government will also help to pay the costs of the emergency.

—-

Notes:

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/pentagon-officials-hank-taylor-john-kirby-press-briefing-transcript-august-27-afghanistan-update

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/27/weather/tropical-storm-ida-friday/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/health-louisiana-coronavirus-pandemic-1a2264b5a43033ed70fe9790c2e89437

NYPD story is from the New York Post, but a citation from them always stops the delivery of lots of letters, so I’m going to suggest people look for it themselves.

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-39_prohibiting_vaccine_mandates_and_vaccine_passports_IMAGE_08-25-2021.pdf

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/27/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-louisiana-emergency-declaration-2/

://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/27/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-live-updates/#link-KFQMWZKFSNH4DBBMK2VAJMAZF4

Meredith Lee @meredithlleeCENTCOM: "U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties."

78 Retweets151 Likes

August 28th 2021

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/08/27/afghanistan-live-updates-taliban-kabul-news/5611093001/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1277715

https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-health-education-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-1908088a0b5c5b02d89fd7e007822408

Ryan Struyk @ryanstruykThe United States is now reporting 1,194 new coronavirus deaths per day, the highest seven-day average since March 19, according to data from @CNN and Johns Hopkins University.

246 Retweets677 Likes

August 27th 2021

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-during-capitol-riot-breaks-silence-n1277736

Jim Banks @RepJimBanksRead my letter to 1/6 Chair @BennieGThompson about his norm shattering decision to spy on his colleagues. @ATT @Verizon @TMobile @Facebook @Twitter @FCC

136 Retweets311 Likes

August 27th 2021

/photo/2

https://news.yahoo.com/gop-rep-jim-banks-republicans-195845753.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/27/politics/us-military-airstrike-isis-k-planner-afghanistan/index.html

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.27

410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days. 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England. 1557 – The Battle of St. Quentin results in Emmanuel Philibert becoming Duke of Savoy. 1593 – Pierre Barrière failed an attempt to assassinate Henry IV of France. 1689 – The Treaty of Nerchinsk is signed by Russia and the Qing Empire (Julian calendar). 1776 – Battle of Long Island: In what is now Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeat Americans under General George Washington. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: The city of Toulon revolts against the French Republic and admits the British and Spanish fleets to seize its port, leading to the Siege of Toulon by French Revolutionary forces. 1798 – Wolfe Tone's United Irish and French forces clash with the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar, part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in the creation of the French puppet Republic of Connacht. 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeats the British Royal Navy, preventing them from taking the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France. 1813 – French Emperor Napoleon I defeats a larger force of Austrians, Russians, and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden. 1828 – Brazil and Argentina recognize the sovereignty of Uruguay in the Treaty of Montevideo 1832 – Black Hawk, leader of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans, surrenders to U.S. authorities, ending the Black Hawk War. 1859 – Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well. 1881 – The Georgia hurricane makes landfall near Savannah, Georgia, resulting in an estimated 700 deaths. 1883 – Eruption of Krakatoa: Four enormous explosions almost completely destroy the island of Krakatoa and cause years of climate change. 1893 – The Sea Islands hurricane strikes the United States near Savannah, Georgia, killing between 1,000 and 2,000 people. 1896 – Anglo-Zanzibar War: The shortest war in world history (09:02 to 09:40), between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. 1914 – World War I: Battle of Étreux: A British rearguard action by the Royal Munster Fusiliers during the Great Retreat. 1915 – Attempted assassination of Bishop Patrick Heffron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona by Rev. Louis M. Lesches. 1916 – World War I: The Kingdom of Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering the war as one of the Allied nations. 1918 – Mexican Revolution: Battle of Ambos Nogales: U.S. Army forces skirmish against Mexican Carrancistas in the only battle of World War I fought on American soil. 1922 – Greco-Turkish War: The Turkish army takes the Aegean city of Afyonkarahisar from the Kingdom of Greece. 1927 – Five Canadian women file a petition to the Supreme Court of Canada, asking, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?" 1928 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact outlawing war is signed by fifteen nations. Ultimately sixty-one nations will sign it. 1933 – The first Afrikaans Bible is introduced during a Bible Festival in Bloemfontein. 1939 – First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft. 1942 – First day of the Sarny Massacre, perpetrated by Germans and Ukrainians. 1943 – World War II: Japanese forces evacuate New Georgia Island in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. 1943 – World War II: Aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe razes to the ground the village of Vorizia in Crete. 1955 – The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records is published in Great Britain. 1956 – The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the world's first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on an industrial scale. 1962 – The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA. 1963 – An explosion at the Cane Creek potash mine near Moab, Utah kills 18 miners. 1964 – South Vietnamese junta leader Nguyễn Khánh enters into a triumvirate power-sharing arrangement with rival generals Trần Thiện Khiêm and Dương Văn Minh, who had both been involved in plots to unseat Khánh. 1971 – An attempted coup d'état fails in the African nation of Chad. The Government of Chad accuses Egypt of playing a role in the attempt and breaks off diplomatic relations. 1975 – The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group. 1979 – The Troubles: Eighteen British soldiers are killed in an ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, in the deadliest attack on British forces during Operation Banner. An IRA bomb also kills British royal family member Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat at Mullaghmore, Republic of Ireland. 1980 – A massive bomb planted by extortionist John Birges explodes at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada after a failed disarming attempt by the FBI. Although the hotel is damaged, no one is injured. 1982 – Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altıkat is shot and killed in Ottawa. Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claim to be avenging the massacre of 11⁄2 million Armenians in the 1915 Armenian genocide. 1985 – Nigeria's military government is overthrown by another clique of army officers. 1991 – The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 1991 – Moldova declares independence from the USSR. 2003 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant. 2003 – The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. 2006 – Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash. 2009 – Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies begin three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region. 2011 – Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

[newstfionline]

Monday, August 16, 2021

U.S. Air Force veteran comforts children plagued by gun violence (Reuters) Like many cities across the United States, Washington has seen a spike in shooting-related deaths during the pandemic. Homicides were up 19% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. This month’s data shows that the city has already clocked more cases than at the same time last year. “It’s like a war zone. It’s like being in the military,” Jawanna Hardy said. Frustrated by the senseless loss of life, Hardy, an Air Force veteran and now a 34-year-old high school English teacher, launched ‘Guns Down Friday,’ an outreach program to support neighborhoods plagued by gun violence—including the one she has lived in since childhood. She has raised money for shooting victims’ gravestones, advocated for more streetlights, and trained people how to treat bullet wounds themselves. She drives her van—adorned with photos of young gun violence victims—through the streets to greet youngsters. On a recent Friday, she arrived with water balloons. “Put your guns down and pick your water balloons up!” Hardy cried through a megaphone as children outside an apartment complex in southeast Washington laughed and scrambled to drench one another. She knows her Friday night street parties will not stop gun violence but hopes they can at least provide children a brief respite from the constant fear in which many live.

Haitians scramble to rescue survivors from ruins of major quake (Reuters) Haitians labored overnight to pick through shattered buildings in search of friends and relatives trapped in the rubble after a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean country on Saturday, killing 1,297 people and injuring at least 5,700 more. The 7.2 magnitude quake flattened hundreds of homes in the impoverished country, which is still clawing its way back from another major temblor here 11 years ago, and has been without a head of state since the assassination of its president last month. Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were rent open by the violent shudders that convulsed Haiti. Access to the worst-hit areas was complicated by a deterioration in law and order that has left key access roads in parts of Haiti in the hands of gangs, although unconfirmed reports on social media suggested they would let aid pass.

Want to stay long term in France? First come the classes on how to be French. (Washington Post) In France, la vie en rose comes wrapped in red tape. Foreigners hoping to stay here long term must sign an “integration contract” and agree to uphold French values. The contract requires four days of civic education, yet what’s taught is more akin to a government crash course in how to be French. There are discussions about Marianne—the symbolic embodiment of the French Republic—and about classical culinary dishes, such as duck confit and escargot. France 101 covers both the cultural (how to visit museums) as well as the practical (how to navigate the national health-care system). The classes, plus language lessons for anyone whose fluency doesn’t measure up, help determine whether an applicant gets a multiyear visa. Every year, an average of 100,000 people take the courses, in cities across the country. The contemporary agreement explicitly states that receiving an extended residency visa is conditional on abiding by its terms, a key one being deference to French values. After an applicant signs the document, the language test is administered and 24 hours of classes scheduled.

Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul’s abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an “open, inclusive Islamic government.” Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor—who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital—remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam.

From hubris to humiliation: America’s warrior class contends with the abject failure of its Afghanistan project (Washington Post) Twenty years ago, when the twin towers and the Pentagon were still smoldering, there was a sense among America’s warrior and diplomatic class that history was starting anew for the people of Afghanistan and much of the Muslim world. “For you and us, history starts today,” then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage told his Pakistani counterparts. Earlier this month, as the Taliban raced across Afghanistan, retired Lt. Col. Jason Dempsey, a two-time veteran of the war, stumbled across Armitage’s words. To Dempsey, the sentiment was “the most American thing I’ve ever heard” and emblematic of the hubris and ignorance that he and so many others brought to the losing war. “We assumed the rest of the world saw us as we saw ourselves,” he said. “And we believed that we could shape the world in our image using our guns and our money.” Both assumptions ignored Afghan culture, politics and history. Both, he said, were tragically wrong. Michèle Flournoy, one of the architects of President Barack Obama’s troop surge in Afghanistan in 2010, said, “In retrospect, the United States and its allies got it really wrong from the very beginning. The bar was set based on our democratic ideals, not on what was sustainable or workable in an Afghan context.” Flournoy acknowledged in hindsight that the mistake was compounded across Republican and Democratic administrations, which continued with almost equal fervor to pursue goals that ran counter to decades—if not centuries—of the Afghan experience.

Afghanistan’s collapse leaves allies questioning U.S. resolve on other fronts (Washington Post) The Taliban's stunningly swift advances across Afghanistan have sparked global alarm, reviving doubts about the credibility of U.S. foreign policy promises and drawing harsh criticisms even from some of the United States' closest allies. And many around the world are wondering whether they could rely on the United States to fulfill long-standing security commitments stretching from Europe to East Asia. "Whatever happened to 'America is back'?" said Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defense Committee in the British Parliament. "People are bewildered that after two decades of this big, high-tech power intervening, they are withdrawing and effectively handing the country back to the people we went in to defeat," Ellwood said. "This is the irony. How can you say America is back when we're being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than [rocket-propelled grenades], land mines and AK-47s?" As much as its military capabilities, the United States' decades-old role as a defender of democracies and freedoms is again in jeopardy, said Rory Stewart, who was Britain's minister for international development in the Conservative government of Theresa May. "The Western democracy that seemed to be the inspiration for the world, the beacon for the world, is turning its back," Stewart said. Rivals of the United States also have expressed dismay. Among them is China, which fears that the ascent of an extremist Islamist government on its western border will foster unrest in the adjoining province of Xinjiang, where Beijing has waged sweeping crackdowns on the Uyghur population that have been denounced by the West. The United States' Arab allies, which have long counted on the U.S. military to come to their aid in the event of an attack by Iran, also have faced questions over whether they will be able to rely on the United States.

Torrential rains lash wide areas of Japan, three feared dead after landslide (Reuters) Torrential rain lashed much of Japan on Sunday, flooding roads and buildings in the western part of the country, while three people were feared dead after a landslide in central Nagano prefecture. Large parts of Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have seen record levels of rainfall, causing rivers to overflow and triggering landslides. While the rain had stopped in much of Kyushu as of Sunday morning, Tokyo and other parts of the country were pounded by the downpour. Japan “will continue to face conditions in which a large-scale disaster could occur at anytime, anywhere,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a ministerial meeting on Sunday. He called on local municipalities and relevant organisations to cooperate and act with speed on rescue missions and aid.

More military personnel deployed to enforce Sydney Covid restrictions as entire state locks down (CNN) Additional Australian military personnel will be deployed to enforce tighter Covid-19 restrictions in the greater Sydney area next week, authorities announced Saturday, as the entire state of New South Wales (NSW) prepares to go under lockdown. Stay at home orders will be applied across the country’s most populous state, with people only permitted to leave home to shop for essentials, receive medical care, outdoor exercise with one other person, and work if residents cannot work from home. Schooling will also be moved back online. Sydney, the capital of NSW, has been under lockdown measures for more than seven weeks now, and they will likely be extended further; they were set to end on August 28 but the state government has indicated restrictions will remain through September.

Fuel explosion in Lebanon kills 28, wounding dozens (AP) A warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in northern Lebanon early Sunday, killing at least 28 people and injuring 79 more in the latest tragedy to hit the Mediterranean country in the throes of a devastating economic and political crisis. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion near the border with Syria. Fuel smuggling operations have been ongoing for months. The Lebanese Red Cross said a fuel tanker exploded and its teams recovered 28 bodies from the site in the border village of Tleil. In a statement, it said it evacuated 79 people who were injured or suffered burns in the blast. Hours after the blast, Lebanese Red Cross members were still searching the area for more victims as Lebanese soldiers cordoned the area.

'Once the best in the Middle East,' Beirut hospital pleads for fuel as it faces shutdown (The Week) A once-famed Beirut hospital is now pleading for international aid to avoid running out of essential resources. The American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon, is making an urgent appeal to the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Children's Fund, to supply the hospital with fuel before it's forced to shut down by Monday. Lebanon is mired in an economic and political crisis, and the nationwide fuel shortage is currently the most dire consequence. That's perhaps most clearly reflected in the plight of AUBMC, which said 40 adults and 15 children living on respirators would die immediately and many other patients will be at great risk if the shutdown is not avoided. The medical center said it's been rationing fuel and electricity for weeks, but is running out of both. Liz Sly, The Washington Post's Beirut bureau chief, notes that the American University hospital "was once the best" in the entire Middle East region; the announcement shows that the country is "truly heading to disaster," she writes.

[eagle-eyez]

Kabul: The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country.

Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul's abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, said that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an "open, inclusive Islamic government."

Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by US-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold.

Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the US Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women's rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor — who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital — remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city.

Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the US Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport.

Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport, according to two senior US military officials. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for fleeing Afghans.

Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the US Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam.

"This is manifestly not Saigon," he said on ABC's This Week.

The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to return to the embassy, but it was not clear if he would be allowed to. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.

As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country.

"The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation," said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. "God should hold him accountable."

Ghani later posted on Facebook that he left to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone.

As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates.

In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated that the capital would not come under insurgent pressure for a month.

The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America's longest war, which began after the 11 September, 2001, terror attacks. A US-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, but America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq war.

For years, the US sought an exit from Afghanistan. Then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month.

After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as "tense."

It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former president Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani.

Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul.

"We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully," he said. Afghanistan's acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not hold back his criticism of the fleeing president.

"They tied our hands from behind and sold the country," he wrote on Twitter. "Curse Ghani and his gang."

The Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not enter people's homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer "amnesty" to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.

But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. Reports of gunfire at the airport raised the specter of more violence. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door.

"What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban?" Getee Azami cried. It wasn't clear what happened to her after that.

An Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the US Embassy.

"You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan," said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she will be able to graduate in two months. She said her generation was "hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now."

In another development, the United States lowered the flag on its embassy in Kabul and has relocated almost all staff to the airport, where US forces are taking over air traffic control, officials said Sunday.

"We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights," the Pentagon and State Department said in a joint statement.

"Almost all" personnel from the embassy have relocated to the airport including the acting ambassador, Ross Wilson, who remains in touch with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a State Department spokesperson said.

"The American flag has been lowered from the US embassy compound and is now securely located with embassy staff," the spokesperson said.

The shuttering of the US embassy, which was one of the largest in the world, comes nearly 20 years after the United States returned following the defeat of the Taliban regime.

With stunning speed, the Taliban retook the country in little more than a week after President Joe Biden began the final withdrawal of troops, closing America's longest war.

The United States has sent 6,000 troops to the airport to fly out embassy personnel as well as Afghans who assisted the United States as interpreters or in other support roles and now fear retribution.

Their mission will be "focused solely on facilitating these efforts and will be taking over air traffic control," the joint statement said.

On Monday "and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been resident in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the US mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals," it continued.

Witnesses on social media have complained about disruptions to commercial flights as priority was given to the US airlifts out of Kabul.

Sunday began with the Taliban seizing Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country's last government-held border post.

Later, Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former US base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters.

With inputs from AP and AFP

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3g3QeKY

[verfugen]

Six Great Houses pt. 3 [final]

Ortas Combine, ruled by: House Fuji

“Powerlessness is a sin, remember it well.” - Motto of House Fuji - 

     Unlike how most Houses which had formed kingdoms by conquering the lands, Ortas Combine is actually one of the largest pre-existing kingdom which had existed over in Valga’s North Eastern hemisphere for over hundreds of years, which predates most of other Kingdoms’ existence. Currently, they pride themselves as the oldest kingdom of all the six. 

     Carrying the symbol of the sun, Ortas Combine was well-known for its artistic creations and its rich culturally diverse people united under a single banner. For that, they were known to welcome all those who wishes to be part of its grand Empire. With its rays symbolizing the 12 states and 12 noble houses that rule over them as providential lords ruling over them, with the Emperor in the middle, it stood was one of the strongest Kingdoms. Among those said noble houses was House Fuji of the Algridans. 

     At the time, the dynasty which had ruled over these lands was one of the greater Houses: Liao, now known to be annulled completely from the Ortas’ extensively long records, along with the rest of its past rulers. This was due to the House Fuji’s planned coup d'etat which they’d been letting it simmer since the day they became one of the great noble houses of the kingdom, and the uprising of the Six Great Houses only gave them the perfect raison d'etre. With it, they vindicated their cause. This in turn garnered the support of the entire eleven noble houses which had pledged their loyalty to the House Fuji. 

     However, they had a steep battle ahead. The Capitol of the Ortas Combine had the single largest military force, yet loyal to their child Emperor guarding it and its overall geographical location would have turned the entire siege into a meatgrinder. However, the House Fuji had decades to prepare for this, and their head, Kazuhito Fuji easily seized the throne of the child Emperor in a siege that lasted a single week. This was all thanks to the support of the House Hawkburn which had backed their military campaign. 

     With his rule established, the House Fuji burnt all records of the previous rulers and proclaimed themselves as ‘The new dynasty that shall cleanse the world’. After establishing their dictatorship, Ortas Combine began the single largest, if not the bloodiest of all military campaigns that the world had ever seen. Though most Houses were merciful to those that surrendered, and often provided refugees with a relief to integrate them, House Fuji was determined to establish themselves as the absolute powerhouse of the North East hemisphere. They were willing go as far as performing a cultural cleansing and ge.nocide all to make sure that their history would be written in THEIR favor. 

     Once the five years of constant military campaign came to an end and the Six Houses met once more, it was the Emperor of the Ortas Kingdom that had volunteered himself as the Emperor of the new lands they had conquered. Naturally, the Five Great Houses voted against them after seeing what the head of the House Fuji had done, as with his former ally of Hawkburn turned their backs against them. Kazuhito called Solace a traitor, Solace called Kazuhito conceited, and Kazuhito called him a hypocrite. This single argument turned Polaris Concord and Ortas Combine into bitter enemies. 

     To this day, it is not strange to see them fighting on occasional border skirmishes with one gaining grounds over the other, even proxy wars by using ‘terrorists’ and mercenaries against another. 

Royal Confederations of Aerzira, ruled by: House Ceru

“Aerzira is place of opportunity, but also a place where one can lose many things: Morality, common good practices, and even compassion. If you want to live here, you best leave those things behind. Otherwise, you will find yourself working in most undesirable of places, or worse. My advice? Take it, or leave it.” - Resident of Royal Confederation of Aerzira - 

     Like many of the Kingdoms formed by the Six Great Houses, the Royal Confederation of Aerzira were originally made up of individual kingdoms -- but rather than the noble houses, much of the kingdoms in that region’s powers were largely given to the middle class: The merchants. Therefore, there was hardly need for wars save for the occasional defense against overly ambitious kingdoms and some war-like nomadic Amorian tribe raids. However, due to its immensely hot climate, any ill-prepared armies even attempting to invade Aerzira was met with its natural wall of sandstorms, giant carnivorous sand worms, and excruciating hot weather before even coming anywhere near its green borders. 

     Without a proper guide like a Merchant to guide anyone, to even travel out in the open was a suicide. The guides made excellent money from the would-be merchants, the travelers, the foolishly ambitious, and even from kingdoms alike. Instead of weapons, and force of arms, the kingdoms of Aerzira talked by ‘cracking one’s own pursue’, a well-celebrated term that meant making bind contracts, making deals, and trades. It certainly helped when Aerzira was rich with the ruins of the Wardens’ lost cities and technologies, making it a hub for any archeologists and researchers alike. House Ceru of the Cyurens were one of such people. These archeologists and researchers that struck a gold mine so potent that it made them tremendously powerful and rich almost overnight. 

     They had their hands in one of the ‘Keys’ that the Wardens had failed to destroy. 

     The news of this quickly spread throughout the region and entire kingdoms scrambled over on top of each other to try and make deal with the House Ceru to possess such powerful arcane artifact. The head of the house, Meru Ceru, the current possessor (even to this day) of the Key ‘Barbatos’ instead of giving into the deals divided his power and wisdom to two other members of his House, and with their supreme new-found knowledge of the Wardens driven by their greed, they quickly became power players of the merchants. And in a span that lasted over hundreds of years, they controlled the entire Aerzira region both politically and economically, while giving the illusion of them being separated states and kingdoms. In reality, the kingdoms were entirely under the thumbs of House Ceru’s mercy. 

     And when Six Houses came together, they offered their support of the other five by giving economic aids and benefits, fueling their unstoppable war machine campaign with trades and deals that the other factions could not turn down. Unlike the other houses, they had no intention of expanding outwards, they were content with little kingdom of desert they had, and quickly became economic leaders of Valga. Their economic prowess was only seconded by the Federation of Nolgrun. 

     Today, the Kingdoms, instead of ‘kings’ have presidents and prime ministers, all set by the House Ceru and they are the top current leaders of medical field and lucrative entertainment industries. Out of all the Kingdoms, they are one of the least aggressive and have very little means of waging war. Why would they need to? The entire desert does it for them. 

United Clans of Votrary, ruled by: House Dhargor

“Let them hate us, as long as they fear.” - Motto of House Dhargor - 

     House Dhargor was strangest of the Six Houses. From start to finish, they have always been Amorians and has never been accepting of any other races into their House as one of their kin. They are proud warriors that have originated from clans and war-like roots, with strong honor-bound system and warrior-centric society that often gives them a view of ‘uncultured savages’ by most of other kingdoms. As such, their factions are looked down upon by just about everyone when engaging them in any sort of diplomatic talks, because due to the smallest of provocations would incite either skirmish, honor duels, or even ‘blood games’ to settle whatever matters. 

     Due to their nature, House Dhargor started with very little support of the other Great Houses and have focused on winning against small clans, local kingdoms and claiming wild lands as their own. Though their lands are not as big as other five, this formed a very closely-knit society of Amorians with like-minded individuals that viewed honor as their livelihood. And as civilization advanced, so did they and have kept to their old roots even with cities and skyscrapers towering over their skies. In addition, their constant warfare has led them becoming extremely potent fighters on urban grounds and jungles alike, making them extremely sought after as potential military recruits by other kingdom.  

     The United Clans of Volrary is also divided by caste, the highest of them being the ‘Great Khan’, the King of their great United Clan, the ‘Khan’, the leaders of the individual clans, the warriors, merchants, workers, farmers and slaves/servants. The lowest of the low are the ‘outcasts’. The warriors that murdered their own kin, or have turned against their own kingdom made them ideal mercenaries that any kingdom could ever hope to recruit for fulfill whatever mission parameters they had in mind. In addition, the fact that they were outside factor made them plausibly deniable factor within the Agreement of the Six.  

     However, with the world being continued to being polluted from magic, the United Clans of Votrary have began to take a firm stance on preserving nature and wild life as it is the world they all share. This began the greatest philosophical divide among them, with majority of them going on offensive against other kingdoms, or systematically isolate themselves like their ancestors from the eld on how they ought to deal with other five kingdoms. Due to the fact that the United Clans live near the borders of Polaris Concord, and Ortas Combine’s conflicts, and Holy Alliance of Udrasal’s unwanted religious push into their region, Volrary have been becoming increasingly more aggressive. 

     Over the years, the Clans have been becoming increasingly xenophobic as well. Anyone who is not an Amorian are considered enemies of their society, have been driven off their own lands, made slaves, or worse. With it, they have been becoming more increasingly militaristic to both expand and defend their borders. 

[alexsmitposts]

Why are Tel Aviv and Washington Inflaming the Situation in the Persian Gulf? During the run-up to the anniversary of the insidious assassination of Iranian General Soleimani – and after one month had passed since the equally controversial massacre of leading nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh – Israel and the United States, which are ones responsible for this atrocity, are demonstratively increasing their military presence in the Middle East, and doing so in demagogic fashion under the guise of fearing “retaliation from Iran”. The United States, located both at a considerable distance from Iran and outside the range of its missiles, having provoked this crisis clearly fears only a missile attack on its diplomatic mission in Iraq, as well as other American facilities in the region. Washington is trying to validate these fears with reports from American intelligence services, according to which pro-Iranian armed formations that can deliver a “retaliatory strike” have allegedly stepped up their activity in Iraq. However, on December 21 Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denied these suspicions, which especially resounded in recent statements made by US Secretary of State M. Pompeo about the alleged complicity of pro-Iranian militia in the latest rocket strikes executed on Baghdad’s “Green Zone”. Along with that, Khatibzadeh wrote on Twitter that for Tehran “attacks on diplomatic facilities are unacceptable”. Washington still dispatched additional warships and a squadron of fighters to the Middle East, and demonstratively conducted a nonstop flight of a B-52 strategic bomber that has the ability to carry nuclear weapons, by doing so intending to “intimidate Tehran”. In addition, on December 21 a US naval unit entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz that included a USS Georgia (SSGN 729) Ohio-class submarine, which carries up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and is capable of taking on board up to 66 special operations service personnel, as well as two Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers: a USS Port Royal (CG 73) and a USS Philippine Sea (CG 58). Previously, at the end of November, a USS Nimitz (CVN-68) aircraft carrier was sent off the Persian Gulf “to help contain the enemy”; this was rationalized by the need “to have additional defensive capabilities in the region in case of any unforeseen circumstances”. As far as Israel goes, it clearly fears a “retaliation strike” from Iran since, given the Jewish state’s modest size, a successful attack on it could actually terminate its existence. This is especially true if the strike were to hit the Dimona Nuclear Research Center, which is considered to be the site where Israeli nuclear weapons originated; Tel Aviv neither confirms nor denies that the center exists. Incidentally, Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani already delivered a warning to Israel that “if Iran decides to put up resistance, then one missile strike on the Dimona reactor would be enough”. It is clear that Iranian missiles will not really be launched at Dimona, since this is fraught with consequences that entail nuclear contamination and destruction not only for Israel, but for Iran and quite a few neighboring countries across the region. And that is why the Iranian media occasionally names another target: the Israeli city of Haifa. Israel, fearing the hysteria itself that potential military action could unleash, in a speech made by IDF Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi on December 21 cautioned Iran not to attack Israel, stating that “the Jewish state will retaliate against any aggression”. Along with that, A. Kohavi evidently pointedly forgot to mention that it is not Iran, but Israel itself, that has already demonstrated its aggressive stance toward the Islamic Republic to the whole world by organizing and initiating acts of terrorism and assassinations – and not only against nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. After all, this is far from the first time that Iranian scientists and leading representatives from Iranian society have been killed by an Israeli act of terrorism. For example, in Tehran, five nuclear physicists have been assassinated recently – and this specifically includes Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the architect of Iran’s ballistic missile program. All this points to the systematic destruction of the best Iranian scientists employed in the defense industry, which is being accomplished by the international community with impunity. This series of assassinations of prominent Iranian scientists, politicians, and military personnel – who ended up being unacceptable for the United States and Israel – substantiates the suspicions first voiced long ago that Western intelligence services and Israel have adopted the terrorist practice of eliminating key personnel and various prominent figures in those countries with which they are at war; this is done to weaken their defense systems and technological potential. In addition to the words it speaks to help deter Tehran, Tel Aviv has taken a series of measures to test the combat readiness of its army against any potential foreign attacks, and is active about consulting with Washington – especially with representatives from the Pentagon – about how to work out joint coordination for the two countries to take military action against Iran. In particular, large-scale, unprecedented exercises came to an end in December, during which the capabilities of the three levels of Israel’s anti-missile defense (ABM) systems to neutralize various air threats were put to the test. Senior Israel Defense Forces officers, according to the Internet publication Breaking Defense, held “negotiations on coordination work” with their counterparts in the US Central Command (CENTCOM, which includes the Middle East) to bolster cooperation between the armed forces in the two countries “against Iran possibly taking revenge in the region”. According to this publication, the IDF has reached its highest degree of readiness, in particular with regard to repelling “some of the 140,000 missiles that Iran-backed Hezbollah has in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen”. At the same time, it has been reported that although the Israeli command does not disclose the details about how it prepares for war, its tactical and operational anti-missile defense systems, and long-range missile systems, are still on high alert. In addition, as reported by The Times of Israel, on December 17, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley arrived in Israel as part of his Middle East tour to discuss the threat that Iran poses to Washington’s allies, including the Jewish state. As part of preventive measures taken against the armed situation in the region potentially escalating, Israel began to actively spread out its naval fleet around Iran. An Israeli Navy Dolphin-class (Type 800) submarine carrying cruise missiles on board passed through the Suez Canal, and on December 21 demonstratively surfaced in the Persian Gulf, in the waters that stretch between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Dolphin is a series of German modified diesel-electric submarines that are specially designed for Israel, and which have from 6-10 torpedo tubes. Besides torpedoes, they are armed with mines and Popeye Turbo SLCM cruise missiles that have a range of up to 1,500 km, and are capable of carrying nuclear charges with a capacity of up to 200 kilotons launched from torpedo tubes. The Israelis regularly keep at least two of their submarines.in the Indian Ocean, in the immediate vicinity of the Persian Gulf. Today, in the assessments made by numerous experts, there is reason to presume that in January 2021, before Donald Trump leaves the White House, a joint American-Israeli missile strike could be launched against Iran, primarily to neutralize Iran’s air defense systems, as well as its nuclear industry facilities. However, while ramping up the degree of military tension in the region Tel Aviv and Washington cannot help but clearly see that Iran does not intend to attack either the United States or Israel. Iran is not in an ideal condition to wage war now, since its economy is seriously undermined by the restrictive measures imposed on its oil sales abroad, as well as by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the deficit inflicting its national budget, and the weakening of its national currency. Yes, military operations “against American and Israeli aggressors” can raise patriotic sentiments in the Islamic Republic for a certain period, but they would quickly drain the Iranian economy and militaristic zeal. In addition, hoping for a change in the attitude taken toward it after the White House administration changes, for political and economic reasons it would now be clearly disadvantageous for Tehran to carry out any large-scale “retaliatory strike”. Therefore, the maximum that Tehran is capable of doing today, without causing itself significant damage, is to carry out a special operation against the Israelis involved in the murder of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh – or to inflict a targeted strike on American facilities in the region through its “proxies”. As for the United States, Israel, and their allies taking military action against Iran right now, it should be kept in mind that the Islamic Republic, despite all its existing economic problems, is a pretty tough nut to crack in terms of its military, and aggression against it would have serious costs. And this cost is obviously unacceptable for either Trump or Netanyahu, who intend to keep pursuing their political careers.

[naruto-v2]

History of Naruto

Warring Clans era, pre-hidden villages

Huge drop in intermarriages between different clans and a more careful selection of having children. Feudal lords/daimyo ( a large land owner) and other warlords who were not ninja would hire various clans of ninja to fight for them. These clans had no allegiance specifically to any feudal lord or country except what allegiance they might have by way of being hired repeatedly by a lord and having a good relationship.  the clan is everything, here’s no national loyalty. In this era, the clan leader is responsible for his (let’s be real, his) kinsmen. He chooses the jobs to take, he chooses who fights, he oversees training, he ensures payment, he invests, he arranges marriages. Older people would train their own children or bring them out to missions with them to gain experience.

The clan and its continuance was the priority over individual lives. In this landscape, some people over time developed the ability to mold chakra better and better. They started out little better than ordinary soldiers in the real world, taking jobs for hire (mercenaries) but by the Founders Era, shinobi had become so much more powerful than civilians (especially with ninjutsu) that even children were able to be effective soldiers. The power breakthroughs started coming faster and faster, amping up the arms race and resulting in unprecedented bloodshed, which led Hashirama and others to seek a better way.

Why Child soldiers?

People are dying at a rapid rate, resources are in high demand, clan wars raid and take all the assests (Land, resources, money, women and children), leaving many clans devastates. Still, there are so many different clans fighting for the limited number of jobs. To survive, the clans need to maximize their workforce and the children need the experience early on. 

Village Era

Villages start popping up all over the place to ensure common wealth and propper security. Rather than hundreds and thousands of competing clan loyalties, you now have something like a dozen or two hidden villages–a big drop. As a sort of shinobi union, they have more pull in setting prices and preventing people from skipping payment. Clan leaders have all the power within their clan. Clans own a piece of the village, paying taxes based on its population and size of land, minus how much it contributes to the village. You pay taxes to the clan or to the village. 

Year -1: Izuna dies at age 24.

Year 0: Early planning stages of the village. The Uchiha, being poorer than the Senju, having lost so many people, have started to give up hope. The majority of them are children, so many are starting to deflect to the other side.  Hashirama, of course, lets them in, with Tobirama’s condition that they are watched closely.

Year 1/Village founded between Uchiha, Senju, Yamanaka, and Akimichi: Hashi is 28, Tobi is 26, Mada is 29, Mito is 24. Hashi is elected hokage later in this year. 

Year 2: Hashi takes office at the start of the year, marrying an Uchiha to establish the peace. The Academy is opened and there is a restriction placed that only children above 13 can enter the battlefields. Tobi disagrees with Hashi’s peaceful yet weak methods. He spreads rumors that Uchiha get strong by killing their own members and taking their eyes, as Madara had done, and other terrible lies that poses them in a bad light.

Year 3: Madara warns Hashirama that Tobirama may be up to something but Hashirama dismisses it as Madara is merely overreacting.

Year 4: Hashi organizes the first Five Kage Summit and the they reach the consent that each nation should get at least one Kyuubi to balance the power. Hashi gets an alliance with the Uzumaki and adopts their symbol as part the Konoha symbol in return for one of their members to become a jinjuriki. 

Year 5: Madara leaves in a state of despair at age 34 after Hashirama is assasinated at night by Tobi and his followers. (He was too trusting, poor guy.) Tobi kills his Uchiha wife to eliminate any evidence and pins the blame on Madara, stating that he was jealous of the position. Tobi, 31, becomes Hokage. He is extremely cruel to the Uchiha and somehow creates a bitterness with Sand Village. He had an alliance with the Water and the Cloud. Later that year, he marries an Uzumaki, the host of the Kyuubi, a weapon to ensure Konoha’s dominance. 

Year 7: Tobi is extremely utilitarian so tons of new jutsu inventions, massive funds towards the military and weapon research. All the other countries are afraid of this development as by the time word gets out, Konoha is rumored to have the strongest army. He starts a war with many other countries to increase Missions for money. Sand and Stone quickly build a pledge of loyalty to Tobi. Communication sucks at this point and Tobi is monitoring any message pigeons. He builds a trade network and decreases the age for shinobi from his brother’s idiotic 15 years old to 12 years old. He increases the fighting classes in academies, thinks if you can’t fight, you are worthless. Racist towards uchihas and chakra cripled people.

Year 8: Hyuuga clan alliance 

Year 20: Tobi dies at age 46 after being hokage for 15 years. Shokkou Nara at 25 years old, Tobi’s disciple and supporter, becomes Hokage and continues Tobi’s ideals. He creates a council to help him manage the growing city. 

2nd great war due to land disputes, Konoha is trying to take back its fertile land from sand, who in desperation invents the puppet technique. After Tobi, Fire had increased greatly, but not enough. With the massive and powerful army Tobi has created, Konoha wins, putting Sand into a terrible economic status. The nation increases so much that Sokkou creates a council to help direct the nation and grants all the daimyos control over their village as long as they abide by the pledge of loyalty.

Year 41: When Sokkou, a ruthless and land hungry man, kills all of Hinata Hyuuga’s family, Konoha is raided by her and other rebels she gathered. She is a strong headed woman who does not tolerate violence and helps reform Konoha security and defense measures. She rebuilds an alliance with Stone and shinobi are directly financed by the state in order to assist in both common good projects (eg imagine all the infrastructure mud and water (Brick) release can do or Akimichis moving stuff) and helping those who cannot currently afford what they need (especially after constant war which is at least partly your fault, ninja). Non-ninjas are still not represented but are safer in the city so they stay. External affairs are rocky, still tensions with Sand and surrounding Countries for having stolen their land. The era of internal reform.

Year 68: Hinata retires at age 69 and puts Senju Ariko 20 in her place

Year 72: Trade flourishes, chunin is reformed to ban killing and to unite the allied countries, age of prosperity and peace, strong diplomatic ties. The era of Prosperity

Year 78: Senju Arik, 31, falls in love with Daimyo's son.

Year 79: Her actions are discovered and this nearly causes a civil war as the other daimyos feel that she has been favoring him and giving him more benefits/security. She stops seeing him but it's not enough to quell the increasing tensions between the daimyos and the capital city. Shinobi are angry as some Daimyos start giving out less missions to Hidden Leaf Village as a way of protest. When she is assassinated by an enemy, peace returns. The council, made up of her best friends, installed her adviser, Masanori Kazamatsuri as the next Hokage. She enforces rights and protections for the civilians as she had a brother who was born with a failed chakra system. This empowers the civilians to speak their concerns. She accepts their proposal for a separate academy for non ninjas so that there is less discrimination in school and they can focus on academics/skills for a civilian job. Having the insane belief that there will be peace fo a long time, she does not keep up a strong military and defense, causing other countries to take advantage and raid the country. In addition, she is terrible with politics and the economy falls into depression. Daimyo’s are once again directing their missions to more competent villages and swearing alliance to other hidden villages. Many people start moving to other hidden villages.

Year 85: After massive protesting from the citizens, Masanori is taken off the Hokage position. Hiruzen takes the Hokage position at age 25 with Danzo as his adviser. Due to the last Hokage, there is only a fractional population of when Konoha was at its height of prosperity. He rebuilds the military and defense, creating the Anbu to take care of underground missions. 

lowers the war age drastically in order to get more soldiers on the front line. He explained that it was good to build bonds early, and difficult missions will be forestalled until 13. His view is extremely nationalistic. 

Year 90: Just as he cleaned up all the issues and leveled the economy, rebuilding alliances and trade, they are hit with a drought. With the loss of the economy’s greatest profit, agriculture, Hiruzen drastically lowers the age for graduating academy. He foresees a tumultuous time ahead and gathers three top students, including his son, from the Academy and places them under him. They later become the powerful sannin. 

Year 93: The Third Great Shinobi War starts

Year 99: 6 year old Kushina gets the kyuubi from Kiki, who dies due to Suna’s new poisonous techniques. Late into the year, war ends with a treaty between Sand and Fire. 

Year 112: Orochimaru is chased out of the village for being discovered experimenting on people. 

Year 113: Hiruzen, facing criticism for his own son doing such cruel things, retires at age 53 after being hokage for 28 years. Minato, age 19 becomes the youngest Hokage after performing amazing feats in war. 

Year 117: Kyuubi attack. Minato dies at age 24 after being hokage for 5 years. Kushina dies at 24. Naruto is born. Minato’s right hand man and previous teammate Toushirou at age 24 (The black haired guy on Team Jiraiya) takes the position. He believed that the best course of action is to confine Naruto into an apartment that is surrounded by strong genjutsu to hide it from others. He is very trusting of Danzo, an important council member, and allows Danzo to form the root. Due to Itachi’s reports, he believes that the Uchiha will harm Konoha. He allows Danzo to order their massacre for the benefit of peace. He assigns a personal anbu caretaker with her life on the line if she disobeys to take care of Naruto and visits him every month. He saw how Orochimaru had deflected, Kakashi was traumatized, and Gai had attachment issues, connecting to their young age of graduation so he increased genin to 13, chunin to 15 (most pass at 17), and jonin to 18(most pass at 20). Genin had 3 tiers:

Tier 1: D-C- start leaving the village with an older group

Tier 2: D-C-B - out of village with a jonin allowed

Tier 3: mostly B rank missions 

He added lesson plans to all the three man teams, revolutionizing the school system.

Year 132: Hiruzen dies by Orochimaru’s hands. Toushirou dies defeating Rasa. As due to a monarchy, Kankuro becomes the next hokage as he had been trained in politics by his father since his childhood. The council realizes that big things are happening, what with Asuma dying earlier that year, kyuubi attacks all over the place. The other viable candidates all seem to have grudges against Naruto, but he is necessary to the village’s military power so the council orders Jiraya to take the position. He declines, stating that he is crucial to gathering information. He takes Naruto to bring Tsunade, Naruto’s grandmother, back as she will protect Naruto. She becomes the next Hokage.

2 year skip: Kankuro works to reform Gaara’s image but many people are still afraid of him.

[on-cerulean-wings]

Shield of Rememberence was a good, simple story for Quinn. For those not following my screen caps of it (which still left out plenty and y’all should go read it yourself) I’ll give a quick run down.

Recently, Quinn’s been hunting rogue mages with the 11th Battalion, though hasn’t been too successful since there’s only a small handful of Demacian Rangers and the 11th isn’t trained to face an enemy who runs at the first chance they got. During these months, Quinn lost three rangers which weighed heavily on her, since it’s revealed she trains every ranger and likely knows them by name.

Quinn’s been ordered off the hunt and to instead escort Garen on a diplomatic mission. The would have shelved the responsibility to one of her other rangers since she’s not a fan of cities and settlements, but the demand came straight from Tianna herself and demanded her by name. She couldn’t refuse to such an order.

While en route to the rendezvous point, Quinn spotted smoke in a valley, later revealed to be coming from a burned down cabin. She watched and waited until she felt safe, since bandits apparently use this tactic often to ambush people, before investigating. Her quick investigation found it was the cabin home of a widow and her child, no where to be found. She discovered a series of runes she recognized but couldn’t necessarily identify as magic or not. Not her area of expertise. Much later, we find out these runes are marked for protection by a tribe of people that had left the Freljord, which kinda helps with my headcanon that Quinn was of Freljordian descent herself (though it’s also kind of unlikely).

Finished with her investigation, this is when Quinn meets up with the Greenfang warden from Legends of Runeterra. Quinn hasn’t seen the duo in over a year and we are informed his name is Dalin and his dog’s named Rigby. Dalin and Rigby found the scene an hour before her and gathered from the locals that the woman was named Asta and she’s of foreign descent. It’s also rumored she’s a mage. It’s believed the people who abducted the widow and child were allies of Sylas from the Freljord.

Many times it’s mentioned Quinn prefers traveling on foot than flying with Valor, only using him when absolutely necessary. It’s also said how she’s able to move at “a mile-eating pace she could sustain for hours on end.” Not only does she have good stamina, but she’s fast on her own two feet and very aware of her surroundings/footing, traveling over rocks and rotting trees.

Eventually, the ranger team find the raiders who took the widow and child. They were going to escape if Quinn hadn’t used Valor to cut them off at a pass she’s been at only once before when she was a child. It’s heavily implied this is close to the location where Caleb died to the Tuskvore. Dalin and Rigby are currently bringing up the rear and trying to catch up.

While hidden, Quinn was able to take out the first of the raiders who was acting up a scout up the mountain non-lethally by slamming the pommel of her hunting knife, described as almost being as big as a short sword, to his head. She quickly tied him up and waited for the rest. Once the others did show up, she confronted them.

A short scuffle that resulted in a bolt in the leader of the raider’s shoulder and knee and almost his death with a stab to the chest blocked by chain mail and Quinn’s knife at his throat before Asta, revealed to be the leader’s brother, intervened.

Quinn bandaged the leader’s knee and learned that Asta was trying to head home since everything at her home reminded her of her dead husband. She feared that because of her lineage, her daughter may be a mage and taken away from her by the Mageseekers. Here we see Quinn has a distaste for the group and the current state of dismay in Demacia. It’s revealed that some of Asta’s neighbors were likely the ones who burned down the cabin, trying to find any evidence that Asta was a mage. The runes under the crib were blessings of protections, but not magical in any way. Just tradition.

The party, who are identified as Skaggorn from a distant independent tribe, show Quinn and Dalin where they came into the nation since the borders are closed and only people with express permission from the high council are allowed in and out. Dalin thought Quinn was following along to then still arrest them there, but Quinn let everyone go. Dalin was against this, talking about the laws and oaths they took. Quinn doesn’t pull rank often, but she did in this case to get him to follow her orders. Dalin’s a very by-the-books guy, and Quinn even states how if he wants simple, easy decisions, then he’s better off with the normal infantry. Quinn is shown to not like the rigorous chain-of-command in the military, even hating being called boss when she is the lead of the rangers.

Quinn and Dalin eventually depart on good terms, though he still questions if letting them go was the right thing. He expresses that he doesn’t like it, but that matters aren’t as straightforward as he wishes. Quinn instructs him to talk to the local garrison to cover the blindspot that the group came in from with a new watchtower. She leaves for her mission with Garen, running off into the night.

[otome-reviews]

SLBP “The Bride’s Memories, Fleeting as Tears in Rain” Event Review

Props to Voltage for exploring past the traditional happily ever after! This event has been a little surprising to me in several ways - first, I didn’t expect it to ever exist, and second, well...let’s just say there is no correlation between how much I like a character and how good I thought their stories were, lol. My personal ranking, from least to most fave:

In Masamune’s ES, Hideyoshi and the Hojo clan are preparing to go to war against each other. Both of them want the Date clan to help...and both of them want MC as a hostage as well. WTF? The retainers are split, Masamune’s obviously reluctant to do anything, and MC ends up getting chloroformed by Hojo sympathizers at some point, only for M to conveniently save the day at the last second. She convinces M she wants to be a hostage, and the story ends up with MC in a palanquin, on her way to...somewhere.

My tolerance for unrealistic bullshit in SLBP stories is pretty high, but this story was just too damn much, lmao. Masamune clearly has the position of power here as the third party...can’t he just declare that he’ll ally himself to the first clan to rescind their hostage demand?! Hideyoshi and Masamune seemed to get along ok in M’s Act 2...I’m sure the guy could be made to see reason. I did like the beginning scene where Masamune strokes MC’s hair and lets her sleep in, but to be very honest I kind of thought the rest of the story was crap. ^_^

Personal enjoyment: 1/10

In Kojuro’s ES, he and MC decide to take care of a boy from the enemy Ashina clan who’s lost his memories (not sure why they couldn’t have just watched him from a distance, tbh). Except then the whole town becomes convinced that said boy is Kojuro’s “bastard” child from before MC, and gets super mad at him! I’m sure this is exactly how people in ancient Japan would’ve reacted to a powerful man’s extramarital child, lol. In the end, boy regains his memories, the Ashina clan learns about him and declares war with the Date clan over the “hostage” they imprisoned, and that’s that. 😂

I mean... I’m glad the story didn’t end with some bullshit reason to separate K from MC?! Besides that, I’m not really sure what the point of this whole ES was. The plot was pretty boring imho, and Kojuro was absent/distant/not romantic for a large part of it. I’m not sure why MC was so insistent that Kojuro be nice to an enemy child, either. Also I saw that trap coming from a mile away once Kojuro mentioned the Ashina were plotting something, and I can’t say I’m super excited to see how this story plays out.

Personal enjoyment: 2/10

Nobunaga spends most of his ES humiliating his new retainer Murashige. From forcing Murashige to eat mochi directly off his sword (not an innuendo!!) to insulting his young son’s drawing of him to giving a military leadership position to Hideyoshi when Murashige made the most strategic sense, one really starts to wonder how Oda “no people skills” Nobunaga was ever able to get that close to Divine Rule in the first place, lol. In any case, to nobody’s surprise Murashige ends up betraying Nobunaga at a crucial moment, and Nobunaga ends up divorcing MC (this again?! 😂) after a night of astounding sex.

Things I did like about this route: Nobunaga secretly being nice to the son when he thinks nobody’s watching. That sex scene. Nobunaga getting pissed with Murashige claiming his young wife is the most beautiful woman in world (of course, lmao). Things I didn’t love so much: Nobunaga’s total lack of communication regarding why he does the shit he does! I bet we’re going to find out during the sequel that Nobunaga knew all along that Murashige was suspicious. ^_^

Personal enjoyment: 6/10

After saving the road to a neighboring province from kidnappers and murderers, Yukimura truly proves himself to be the hero we all know he is in his ES! There isn’t too much plot beyond that, but this story is full of cute/hilarious moments instead, such as the poor idiot freaking out when he learns that MC’s gravely injured herself after several rounds of telephone, lmao (spoiler: she just cut herself, a little, while cooking). There’s also a bit of drama/angst when the neighboring province tries to poach Y for a few months to handle some problem I don’t remember and he’s reluctant to leave MC, but he eventually does leave, only to quash said problem... and have a cliff fall on him. !!

This story was definitely super light on the plot, lol. But no plot is better than a bad plot, imho! I did really like the little slice of life moments we got between MC and Yukimura, such as his adorable reaction to MC figuring out how to carve a turnip chrysanthemum ^_^ These two dorks are so in love and impressed with each other. I thought it was super sweet!! Best quote: “I cannot put anything or anyone else before you, even in my thoughts.”

Personal enjoyment: 7/10

Mitsuhide’s ES is a cute little treat. Here, the poor guy’s been obviously overworking himself, to the point of not having time to accept MC’s care/food (!). And in the meanwhile, people in town have been collapsing for mysterious reasons! After M himself also passes out, he realizes the townsfolk have been suffering from malnutrition after switching from farming to fishing. While MC teaches them how to cook veggies with the fish (lol), he saves the day by establishing a vegetable/fish trading route, and everyone lives happily ever after! ...Except not, because MC finds the guy coughing BLOOD. Uh oh.

I thought the plot was a little silly (do the townsfolk really need some uppity city girl teaching them how to cook vegetables?! lmao), but it was nonetheless a lovely, self-contained, and interesting read! The real star of this story was definitely Mitsuhide himself, who apart from being an overworked sweetheart for the whole ES, also busted out the single best line of dialogue in this event: “When I eat your food...that’s how I know I am home.” Awww 😍 I’m really hoping we learn his illness isn’t terminal in the sequel!

Personal enjoyment: 8/10

Saizo’s story is one of the more adventure-filled ones! Here, the ninja’s been sent alongside Yukimura on a diplomatic mission to one of their more remote territories/villages. Unfortunately, the son of the village elder holds a grudge against Saizo due to murder (understandable). Said son also kidnaps MC and tries to rape her (less understandable!), but of course, Saizo saves the day. MC talks S down from killing the guy, but the ungrateful bastard claims Saizo’s attacked him and has him arrested...! Yikes.

This story was delightfully dramatic, and I really enjoyed it. Not to mention, Saizo was sweeter than I’ve ever seen him before! From buying MC a cord she was eyeing to resting in her lap to talking in the onsen with her to acknowledging that MC’s made him less murderous, this guy showed that he definitely is capable of doing the romance thing when he wants to. Not to mention, his saving MC scene was super badass (The ravens have come...and so has he)!! I’m quite curious to see what’ll happen in the sequel!

Personal enjoyment: 9/10

I may not have loved every story in this latest event (cough Date clan), but every CG looks so good, like wow! My favorite is definitely Nobunaga’s ;)

Anyway, what did you think of this event?? ^_^

[sstaylor]

Read Chapter One of The Expeditioners and the Lost City of Maps

Chapter One 

“We’ll be arriving in Gryg City soon,” a BNDL agent called through the half-open door of the baggage compartment. “Mr. Mountmorris says you can come up to the front if you want to see our arrival.”  

I made my way through the piles of suitcases and trunks, and along the narrow passageway that led to the main passenger areas of the big government airship.  

The lounge in the central gondola was filled with people—black uniformed BNDL, or Bureau of Newly Discovered Lands—agents, government officials, and other trainee Explorers like myself from the Academy for the Exploratory Sciences. We were all on our way to Grygia, and we crowded around the floor-to-ceiling windows of the gondola to watch the jagged peaks of the Carpathian Mountains rise up below us. 

The airship was moving fast and for a terrible moment I thought we were going to hit the snow-capped mountains in front of us. But just when it looked like all hope was lost, we soared up and over them and then we were looking down at the wide white and dark green bowl of the Grygian Valley, the huge Grygian fir trees poking out of the heavy snow cover. It was early January, deep winter in Eastern Europe.

Grygia had been the first of the New Lands to be discovered, and its discovery had kicked off the New Modern Age of Exploration. Unlike us, Harrison Arnoz had made his way up and over these mountains in the early spring. He’d found a greener, more alive valley, filled with unknown species of ancient, towering trees, and the Grygian Tree Dwellers living in their intricately-constructed treehouses, complex networks of bridges connecting them to other trees and Tree Dweller communities. 

But I knew that I was seeing what he had seen—from a different vantage point—and it was thrilling. 

As we descended, the streets and buildings of Gryg City came into focus. The slopes of the mountains directly surrounding the city were covered with Grygian fir trees, but not far outside, huge swaths of the mountainside had been completely cleared. I could see big machines moving around in the logging camps. And at the other end of the valley, I could see the huge holes that had been dug into the hillside for the Gryluminum mines.  The Gryluminum pits and strips of treeless ground looked like wounds and scars on the surface of the mountains. 

 “Hey! Baggage boy, you’d better get back to your work. We’re almost there.” 

I looked up into the jeering face of my Academy classmate Lazlo Nackley, standing by the windows with his friend Jack Foster and another classmate, Kemal Asker.

“Come on, Lazlo, leave him alone,” Kemal said, giving me an apologetic shrug. I liked Kemal and I knew he hated the way Lazlo had been treating me.

“What? It’s true. Mr. Mountmorris is going to need his bags. And you’re his baggage boy.” Lazlo laughed. 

My brother Zander and our friend Sukey Neville came running into the gondola, Zander’s trained parrot Amerigo Vespucci on his shoulder. Sukey was wearing her uniform as a member of the trainee flying corps, an olive green flight suit, tall brown leather boots, and a brown jacket with a bright red “ADR Flying Squad Trainee” patch on it. Her copper-colored curls were pinned up on top of her head, but a few had escaped around her face. Sukey was a Neo, or Neotechnologist, but without her bright clothes made from synthetic materials, she looked just like all the other trainee pilots. 

Except for the tiny green lights embedded in her ear. They blinked at me a few times before resuming a steady glow. 

Zander was wearing his black ADR Officers Training Corps uniform, just like Jack and Lazlo. “Hey, Kit. They let us watch from the cockpit,” Sukey said. “It’s amazing. I thought we were going to hit the mountains, but we didn’t. Oh, look! There’s the aerodrome.” 

We were descending now, very slowly. Below, I could see the wide landing platform of an aerodrome. Smaller airships bobbed on their platforms. Suddenly, there was a loud rushing sound and a glider raced along the ground below us and rose up into the sky with a roar.  

 “It’s a flying machine,” someone shouted. “One of the new gasoline engine ones!” 

We all watched as it flew up dangerously close to the gondola’s window and then disappeared up into the sky. 

“Whoosshhhhh,” Pucci chortled, mimicking the sound of the flying machine. 

“It must be a test flight from the ADR base outside Gryg City,” Sukey said. The Agency for the Defense of the Realm was building military bases all up and down the border with the Indorustan Empire, and now that we were at war with the Indorustans they were moving soldiers and pilots to all of them.

I turned around and met Sukey’s eyes. She was on her way to finish her training at the base. It would be her in the flying machine in a few weeks or months. 

“Where’s M.K.?” I asked them. My little sister had spent most of the voyage down in the control room. I missed her. Sukey shrugged. Zander said he hadn’t seen her.

“See you later,” I told them. “The baggage needs me.” 

I headed back to the baggage compartment. I had to repack Mr. Mountmorris’s bags before we landed and then carry them off the airship myself. He didn’t allow anyone else to touch them, which would have been flattering except that I hated him and I found it a little humiliating to have to organize his underwear.

Another black-suited, scowling BNDL agent was stationed outside the door to the baggage compartment and he eyed me up and down as I approached and said, “Mr. Mountmorris wants to see you. He’s in his berth.” 

“But I thought I was supposed to get his bags together. We’re about to dock.”

“That was the order. You’d better hurry.”

Mr. Mountmorris was in the fanciest of the passenger berths. I had spent the voyage sleeping in a cramped box-like berth next to the baggage compartment, on the bottom bunk, beneath an engineer who snored and talked in his sleep about someone named Carla. 

When I entered, Mr. Mountmorris’s assistant, Jec Banton, nodded at me. Mr. Mountmorris was sitting at a table pulled up to the window so he could see the view. The table was laid with a teapot, cups, and a plate of cupcakes and pastries decorated with bright green frosting. 

“Hello, Mr. West,” he said, without turning around. “We are almost there. Exciting, isn’t it? Your first trip to Gryg City.”

His thin hand hovered over the cupcakes. Finally he chose one, plucking it off the plate as though it were a flower in a garden. I watched him lick the frosting from the top before putting it down. 

“It would be if I knew what I was doing here.” I paused. “Sir.” 

He turned quickly and fixed his eyes on me. He must have had lots of different pairs of colored lenses to go in his eyes. When I’d first met him, they’d been green. Today they were a deep shade of violet.

“You want to know what you’re doing here, do you?” 

“It would be really nice,” I told him. “I’ve been in top secret clandestine services training for the past six months. I’ve learned how to survive in the desert, to trail someone for ten hours without being caught. I’ve learned how to make a weapon out of a dinner fork and to make basic conversation in thirteen languages. I know how to find a meal in the rainforest and I can find a perfect hiding spot within twenty seconds of walking into almost any room. And now, I am on my way to Grygia as your ‘baggage assistant,’ which seems to involve a lot of organizing of your socks. Yes, I would like to know what I‘m doing here.” I’d been holding in my anger for a long time and it poured out of me now. It was hot in the berth and sweat trickled down my right temple. 

Mr. Mountmorris smiled and waved a hand toward the window, and Gryg City beyond. “You are here to carry out a top secret mission in accordance with your training,” he told me. 

“Oh, right,” I said sarcastically. “Yes, the top secret handling of the baggage. Will my mission involve socks or underwear today, Mr. Mountmorris?” 

Jec Banton raised his eyebrows in disapproval, but Mr. Mountmorris just smiled and chose another cupcake. 

 “Mr. West, do you know how much your training over the last six months has cost the Bureau of Newly Discovered Lands? No? Well, let me tell you. More than one thousand Allied Dollars per day. As you say, you have had courses in world languages, in self-defense, in code-breaking and cartography. You know how to find water in a barren desert and you know how to disappear in any city in the world.” 

He waited a moment, then asked me, “Do you think that we would spend that much money on you if we meant to have you manage baggage for the entire trip?”

I gulped. “No, I guess not.”

“Do you think that maybe, just maybe, we need to be careful about how we insert you into Simeria? Because there are many people who are interested in what our intentions are there and the moment you step off this airship you will surely be followed by clandestine agents of the Indorustan Empire?”

“I suppose that yes, that would make sense.” I kept my eyes on the green cupcake in his hand. 

“And do you think that perhaps this mission is all part of your cover? You do remember the lessons on creating a cover, an acceptable public identity that allows you to achieve your clandestine aim, do you not?”  

“Oh, this is all my . . . ? Oh,” I gulped. “Sorry.” 

“Apology accepted. Now, Mr. West, I was just about to tell you that when we have arrived in Gryg City and I have had the afternoon to settle in at the Royal Grygian Hotel, I would like you to come and see me in my suite and I will brief you on your mission.”

“O–o–okay,” I stammered. 

“And remember what I said about you being followed. For the moment, you must make no effort to go undetected. In fact, it would be good if you were seen walking around Gryg City. You are a trainee Explorer, coming along on my diplomatic mission as my baggage handler. You may act as though you are exactly that.” 

At that moment, the airship bumped gently against the landing platform. I heard a loud whoosh as the burners slowed. Through the windows, I could see workers scurrying around on the platform, securing the airship with ropes.

“Oh look,” Mr. Mountmorris exclaimed cheerfully, his face now as bright and joyful as a kid’s on Christmas morning. “We’re here!” 

[corkcitylibraries]

It Seems Like Nothing Changes

Paul Cussen

March 1919

The ‘German Plot’ internees are released.

Terence MacSwiney is released on humanitarian grounds to support Muriel through a severe attack of influenza. 

Ireland’s first diplomatic mission is set up at the Grand Hotel in Paris where Sean T Ó Ceallaigh and George Gavan Duffy try to get recognition for the Irish Republic before the Paris peace conference. Their mission is expensive and frustrating as the cost of living and working in Paris mounts and the press turn a deaf ear to the Irish. Ó Ceallaigh, exasperated, writes to Cathal Brugha looking for:

a few thousand pounds—don’t be too greatly shocked by the light way I speak of it for the purpose of smoothing a passage to the presence of great men here and of securing the ear of the press. You can get nothing whatsoever done otherwise.

Admiral Sims returns to the United States on board the Mauretania and Rear-Admiral H.S. Knapp succeeds him in command of Naval Forces in Europe.

The ‘Battle of Bow Street’ breaks out when around two thousand foreign soldiers and sailors clash with local police in London. Thirty servicemen are arrested and seven American soldiers and sailors are handed over to Military Police and Shore Patrol as well as four Canadian servicemen later charged with incitement to riot. Six other injured servicemen are kept under guard in hospital before a later appearance in court.

The Journal of a Disappointed Man by Bruce Frederick Cummings, writing as W.N.P. Barbellion, is published.  It is a personal account of multiple sclerosis, unique philosophy and personal resignation, described by its author as "a study in the nude".  It is published by Chatto & Windus though it was originally optioned by Collins who eventually rejected the book because they feared its "lack of morals" would damage their reputation. The preface to the first edition is written by H.G. Wells.

The Thrill Book, a pulp magazine tending towards speculative fiction, is published by Street & Smith with a plan to publish twice a month.

In the Division II final Knockavilla lose 0-0 to Millstreet 0-2. Kinsale win Division III of the county hurling championship, beating Doneraile by 4-1 to 2-1.

1 March          

The Cork Examiner reports on the findings at a conference held at the Institute of Hygiene in London the previous day at which nose and throat specialist Sir St. Clair Thomson said that “influenza was undoubtedly “Splashed!” upon us by coughing and sneezing – even by laughing”.  In the Irish Times report on the conference, Thomson advised that “a person who coughed without putting up his hand or sneezed without using a handkerchief should be prosecuted for indecency”. All speakers at the conference “emphasised the importance of good food and fresh air”.

The beginning of the Samil Movement when 33 racial representatives meeting at Taehwagwan, Seoul announce that Korea will no longer be under Japanese rule.

2 March      

Sergeant Leslie Glynn dies at North Fever Hospital (B.1892, USA)

First congress of Communist International opens at the Kremlin.

4 March      

Gunner Tom Barry arrives home from Egypt

4-5 March   

The Kinmel Park mutiny takes place in Wales. 15,000 Canadian troops are stationed there awaiting repatriation after the Great War.

                  The mutineers were our own men, stuck in the mud of North Wales, waiting impatiently to get back to Canada – four months after the end of the war. The 15,000 Canadian troops that concentrated at Kinmel didn't know about the strikes that held up the fuelling ships and which had caused food shortages. The men were on half rations, there was no coal for the stove in the cold grey huts, and they hadn't been paid for over a month. Forty-two had slept in a hut meant for thirty, so they each took turns sleeping on the floor, with one blanket each.                                            - Noel Barbour Gallant Protestors, 1975

6 March      

Pierce McCan, member of the First Dáil representing Tipperary East dies in Gloucester Jail having been arrested under the ‘German Plot’ and held for ten months without charge or trial (b. 1882, Ballyanne Desmesne, Wexford)

7 March      

Acting CSM Arthur Vincent dies at the Central Military Hospital (b. 1887, Northumberland)

10 March    

Matthew Hogan, a fifteen year old from Tipperary, is kidnapped by police and moved to an unknown destination.

11 March       

Sergeant Michael O’Riordan dies of influenza (b. 1888, Douglas)

12 March    

Private William Smith dies of an accidental gunshot wound to the head at Ballyvonaire Military Camp (b. 1892, Sunderland)

13 March       

Stoker 1st class William Whitmill dies of TB (b. 1892, London)

Private Laurence O’Sullivan dies of influenza at Cork Central Military Hospital (b. 1887)

16 March      

 Robert Barton, Sinn Féin TD for West Wicklow, escapes from his cell in Mountjoy Gaol, leaving behind a note:

                       I am about to make an escape from your hospitality. If I escape, well and good, if not I am prepared to suffer the consequences... I hope that we may shortly turn your prison to a useful national purpose.

17 March      

 Nat King Cole is born in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 1965)

Dutch steel workers strike for an eight hour day and minimum wages.

Commander Petr A. Solodukhin's brigade overwhelm the French and White Russian troops garrisoned at Bolshie Ozerki.

18 March       

The analytic philosopher Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe is born in Limerick (d. 2001)

Seán Moylan is arrested for a seditious speech in Cullen.

19 March        

Alfred Person (46) is shot dead at his home 146 Richmond Road, Dublin. The father of a British Army staff sergeant he is thought to have been shot while attempting to prevent raiders from taking guns from his collection.

20 March    

IRA volunteers raid Collinstown airfield outside Dublin. They capture 75 rifles and approximately 5,000 rounds of ammunition.

22 March    

The Cork Branch of the Irish Women’s Association (founded by the Countess Bandon in December 1915) closes its depot, 37 Grand Parade, at its final meeting.

23 March    

The 6th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment and troops from the American 339th Infantry Regiment attack Bolshie Ozerki losing 75 men.

Mussolini founds the Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista) in Milan.

People march in Brisbane in the second demonstration against the War Precautions Act (legislation based on the British Defence of the Realm Act). Contrary to assurances made to the police red flags of various sizes are unfurled by the marchers and their numbers swell to over 1,000.

24 March    

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, is born in Yonkers, New York.

A crowd of up to 8,000 march in Brisbane protesting against the Red Flag marchers. Fighting lasts for two hours and 100 men receive bayonet wounds while between 14 and 19 police officers are injured. Sadly 3 police horses are shot, one of which later dies, while 19 of the injured protestors (ex-servicemen) are evacuated by ambulance.

28 March    

Two paintings by E.E. Cummings appear in a show of the New York Society of Independent Artists.

29 March    

Piaras Beaslaí, Pat Fleming and eighteen other republican prisoners escape over the wall of Mountjoy using a rope ladder.

Resident Magistrate, John Milling is shot dead in Westport, County Mayo reportedly because he sent volunteers to prison for unlawful assembly and drilling. The retired RIC District Inspector is 46.

30 March    

Two RIC constables, Constable Hayes and Constable Creed, while patrolling at the Cork and Muskerry Terminus on the Western Road, bid good morning to a man walking along the middle of the road. When the man does not reply, they proceed to stop and question him. The man produces a revolver and Constable Hayes is shot through the hip (an injury from which he makes a full recovery). The man escapes in the direction of Hanover Street.

31 March    

The Red Army launch attacks against the Allied and White Russian forces in the Battle of Bolshie Ozerki. Both sides suffer heavily from exposure despite sunny days. Nighttime temperatures fall to -20°C.

[uriello-bello]

"A historical chronological depiction from an imaginary Italy: a guess the reference game" Inspired thanks to P.J. Farmer, Alan Moore, John Myers Myers and Kim Newman. Edited! Expanded! Corrected!

Unknown: Pdor Mythos Unknown: Appears the superheroes gene "Vip" 10'000 A.C: In the Mediterranean basin lives a society of amazoness 71 A.C: Spartacus leads a slave rebellion 55 A.C: Tros of Samothrace takes the parts of the Breton resistance against the Roman conquest of Britain 50 A.C: Julius Caesar's complete conquest of Gaul finds resistance against a village in Armorica 11 March 44 A.C: Julius Caesar is murdered 80: Barbarian Ardarico's conquest of Rome miserably fails; Flavian Amphitheatre is inaugurated and Timo becomes a gladiator 128: Architect Lucius Quintus Modestus time travels until the 21st century and reachs the modern Japan VI century: King Alboin befriends and welcomes a sly and smart peasant to his court 726: Girolama Pellacani is raped by the Longobards 1050: Brancaleone of Norcia is born 1076: The saint hermit of Bismantova is sent to Aquileia in search of allies at the behest of Pope Gregory VII, but is hindered by the devil 1080: Brancaleone of Norcia takes part at the first crusade 1141: Baudolino is born 1150: Various supernatural events takes place at the castle of Otranto 1249: The company of Selva Bella participates at the mission to free Enzo of Sardinia 1271: Marco Polo begins his travel toward the Orient 1280: Marco Polo reaches the court of Kublai Khan and tell him about the 55 cities 1295: Marco Polo returns to Venice XIV Century: To win the maritime war against Venice, the Genoese captain Luigi Gottardi builds the underground canal of Meloria 1300: Poet Dante Alighieri visits, during a week, the afterlife 1327: William of Baskerville is involved in a murder case sets in a benedictine abbey 15 April 1452: Leonardo da Vinci is born 1478: Takes places the quests of the "Company of the Gallows" XVI Century: Arte Spalletti becomes an artist 1534: Two english brothers find a passage for a subterranean world where the time flows more slowly and is populated by a society of pygmies 1537: During the battle of Turin, a french soldier mysteriously survive to several deadly wounds 1570: To save her lover, war-prisoner at Famagosta in Cyprus, the duchess of Eboli wears an armor and under the alias of Captain Storm fights several battle against the Ottoman Empire 1595: The suicide of two lovers leads peace in a longtime feud between two Veronese families 1630: The black plague continues its killspread, Spanish local lord Don Rodrigo is found dead 1650s: Alchemist Girolamo Fumagalli develops the basic technique of thanatography 7 January 1730: In Siena is approved the Notice of Violante of Bavaria 1741: Totò Sapore invents pizza to bring peace between the French and Neapolitan armies 1750s: Armando Catalano seeks the treasure of the Templars 1764: Father Schedoni is involved in a conspiracy 1790: Scandal of the decayed noble Mazzini family 1798: Nobleman and ufficial Fabrizio del Dongo is born 25 March 1799: Jacopo Ortis dies 1801: Vampire Giovanni Nosferatu is born 1825: History professor Mercurio Loi disappears 1826: Dr. Weiss solves the Fritzheim case 1829: A frenchman discovers the Spada family's treasure located in Montecristo Isle 1850: Count Isidor Ottavio Baldassarre Fosco reaches England to plan a political conspiracy 1855: Teresa Uzeda Princess of Francalanza dies 1860: Wooden puppet Pinocchio becomes a real children 1863: Three persons, claiming to be part of a scientific expedition, are spotted been ejected from Mt. Stromboli 1864: Countess Marina Vittoria Crusnelli of Malombra gets possessed 1870: Enrico Bottini is born; Edwin Drood mysteriously disappears, leaving a secret still unrevealad 1874: As social experiment, some prisoners are released in a deserted island to create a self-managed isolated colony; Arsène Lupin is born 1878: Rosso Malpelo dies 1885: A frenchman from Tarascon survive to a fall during an attempt to reach the peak of Mt. Blanc 1887: Professor Sandrelli develops a substance that cancels gravity 1888: Full of remorse, baron Carlo Coriolano of Santafusca admits of being a killer 1889: Masked hero "Hidden Face" and Ugo Pastore take part at the Treaty of Wuchale; Escorted by english explorer Adam Wild, Count Narciso Molfetta explores Africa 7 December 1891: Vito Andolini is born 1893: Marco Pagot is born 1895: Architect Emilio Varelli starts the construction of the Three Mothers' manors September 1897: Giannino "Gian Burrasca" Stoppani is born 1898: The suppression of Milan riots are sabotaged by Tommaso Reiner 29 May 1899: Giuseppe "Peppone" Bottazzi is born 30 May 1899: Don Camillo Tarocci is born Early 1900s: Paolo Zeder hypothesizes the "K-Zone" theory; Actress Maria Sarti gains notoriety under the stage name Ninì Tirabusciò 1910: Architect Emilio Varelli finishes the construction of the Three Mothers' manors; Aldovino reaches the moon to marry the princess Yala; Count Emilio Ponticelli partecipes at the Daily Post air race 1911: Famous composer Gustav von Aschenbach dies during a holiday in Venice WWI: Flying ace Marco Pagot turns into an anthropomorphic pig and assumes the identity of Porco Rosso; Aviator Luciano Serra and aviator Matteo Campini take part at the conflict; Baron Cesare Stromboli helps the Triple Entente; Private Piero dies 1915: Air piratess Filibus terrorizes southern Italy performing several thefts 15 October 1915: Emilio Largo is born 1919: A man dressed in red and constantly speaking in rhyme becomes one of the richest italian 1920: Famous film director Guido Anselmi is born 1927: Dr. Artemio Zacchia founds a medicine and natural science academy and starts his studies on immortality March 1927: Detective Francesco Ingravallo solves the Via Merulana mystery June 1929: Fascist militia suppression at Fontamara 1930: Dominetta Vitali is born; Scientist Pier Cloruro de' Lambicchi creates a substance that gives life to the images 1933: Gastone Uliani investigates the Faun's case 17 July 1934: Ugo Fantozzi is born 1935: Italy's invasion of Ethiopia is obstacled by local spy Bara 29 September 1936: Lolito B. Lassica is born 1938: Benzino Napaloni signs an alliance with Adenoid Hynkel; The launch of hierarch Gaetano Maria Barbagli's expedition for Mars takes place; Primo Cossi chooses to undergoes at the EPRA experiment; Dr. Emilio Lizardo and Professor Tohichi Hikita build the oscillation overthruster, Lizardo trying to enter into the 8th dimension becomes insane 1939: Count Zero becomes a fascist agent; Film director Salvatore Di Vita is born 10 May 1939: Hierarch Gaetano Maria Barbagli and his troop land on Mars WWII: Captain Alberto Bertorelli, Captain Antonio Corelli, Sergeant Nicola Lo Russo, Marmittone and Galeazzo Musolesi take part at the conflict; Partisian Johnny loses his life; Partisan Natalino "Capellone" Tartufato saves the life of the english spy Charles Harrison, Private Antonio is considered as straggler in Russia 1940s: Marcella Valmarin becomes a famous actress under the stage name of Alba Doris 25 December 1942: Photographer Valentina Rosselli is born 1944: In a hidden palace in the Republic of Salò, tortures takes place by hand of four wealthy personality of the republic 1945: End of World War II in Europe and the prison camps are freed, Giosuè Orefice is among the survivors. 6 July 1945: Roberto "Rocky" Balboa is born 1950s: Bianca Castafiore is recognized as one of the best soprano in the world; Amelia Bonetti and Pippo Botticella become two renowned tip-tap dancers 6 September 1950: Salvo Montalbano is born 1952: In a laboratory it comes to life a creature made of rubber 1953: Michele Apicella is born; Exorcist Don Zauker lands in Livorno; During a diplomatic visit in Italy a princess escapes through the streets of Rome 1955: Criminal and con artist Mr. Ripley lands in Italy 1956: Painter Buono Legnani commits suicide 1959: Topo Gigio debuts and becomes a television star; Detective Nero Wolfe moves to Rome after some "problems" with FBI 1960: Authoress Enrica Valldolit wins the Nobel Prize in Literature 1961: A british spy agent kills the terrorist Emilio Largo; A cemetery man has a close encounter with the Death 15 August 1962: A young university student loses his life in a car accident caused by an overtaking 1963: Medic Duca Lamberti is expelled and imprisoned for practicing euthanasia; Calimero is born; "The Alphabet Killer" is caught 1966: Criminal Mastermind "The Fox" evades from prison 4 October 1967: Deboroh La Roccia is born 1968: Diabolik is presumed dead; Primo Cossi wakes up from hibernation and becomes a hitman related to the events of the Years of Lead 1969: A british criminal gang robs the FIAT industry 1970s: A criminal uses the sewer of a metropolis as hiding place and house; At Milan a group of bounty hunters form the C.T Association 1971: Fumagalli's thanatography is used to solve the four flies' mystery; Alberto Valle becomes the new Avio Motor CEO 1972: Somewhere in northern Italy, inside the Military Area 36, Professor Endriadi and his research team build the first AI February 1973: Four men commits suicide by eating up to death in a villa near Paris 1975: After months of shipwreck on a deserted island in the Mediterranean, the wife of the industrial Lanzetti and a sailor are saved; The corpses of the Crespi d'Adda cemetery are resurrected 1976: For having inflicts severe damages to the organized criminality all over Italy and in few years, mysterious killers murder the police commissioner Betti 1977: Virginia Ducci survives a murder attempt thanks to her clairvoyance 1978: Science fiction writer Della Spigola is abducted by the martians of Phobos; Discovered a breed of talking dog with a particular white fur with red spots; Famous chef Fausto Zoppi is killed by drowning; It ends the Filippo Carducci's kidnapping case 1980s: The ministry of the Great Hunt is founded; The imagination of a kid leads to the creation of creatures and entities 1980: "Caterina", an American brand of robotic housekeeper goes on sale; Neapolitan mafia boss "The Marseillaise" and his gang are killed after a showdown; Rocky Giraldi is born, so named in honour of the famous boxer 3 October 1980: Leonardo Zuliani is born 1981: The criminal known as "The Human Beast" loses his life in a gunfight 1982: The "K-Zone" theory is confirmed and Paolo Zeder is resurrected as zombie 1983: For the first time, alive peoples witness the "Palio of Siena of the dead contrade"; It is archived the case of the serial killer known as "The Killer Dwarf"; Naples F.C pays three billion for the acquisition of Brazilian footballer Paulo Roberto Cotequinho, he'll lead the Naples to the victory of its first championship four years later. 1984: Two men timetravel back until the 1492 August 1988: The first issue of "Bloody Eye" is published 1989: During a conference in Rome experts try to discover the truth about Edwin Drood mystery. 1990: FIFA World Cup scandal, the Italy team hires two pornstars to win; Salvo Montalbano becomes a police commissioner 1991: During the quadriennial Pallastrada world competition a prophecy comes true 1992: Sicilian gangster Johnny Stecchino uselessly resort to a person exchange to avoid death; During the annual Milan Film Festival, mystery fiction writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher resolves a murder case November 1992: Daria Marchesi is imprisoned for the Baldacci murder, Marino Strano becomes Bloody Eye's head writer 1994: "The Florence Monster" is finally arrested; A feud between two families ends with the use of a low-potential atomic warhead; After various vicissitudes experienced in India, Marco Donati is exposed at the Aquarium Berlin as "The boy with the gills" 1995: Marco Buratti aka "The Alligator" starts a new career as P.I. 1996: After his death Ugo Fantozzi returns to life until 1998 1997: Police agent Napoleone di Carlo abandons his profession and moves in Switzerland 1999: Ugo Fantozzi is cloned; "The Fish in Love" becomes an international bestseller 2000s: Jimi Dini works at the development of his videogame "Nirvana"; Dr. Bartolomeo Zacchia continues his father's studies 2001: A romanian vampire is sighted in Rome April 2001: Giorno Giovanna becomes the Gangstar of the mafia association "Passione" 2005: Police agent Rocky Giraldi enters in service 2006: Rise of nationalism in Italy brings the birth of Captain Padania July 2006: Leonardo Zuliani disappears 2007: Mater Lacrimarum is killed 2009: During a spiritual séance, Gualtiero Marchesi conjures the Emily Ann Faulkner's spirit 2013: Long Wei becomes a local hero for the chinese communities in Italy; Celestine VI becomes the new pope 2014: An amateur gang of smart drugs dealers is arrested; Michele Silenzi gains superpowers 2015: Low-grade criminal Enzo Ceccotti gets superpowers; Arsène Lupin's grandson is spotted in Italy 2016: Benzino Napaloni is cloned; Mario Bambea survives at his attempted suicide but develops an alter ego

|Cities&Places| The Seven Cities Meloria Canal Nepente Isle Bacteria Malapunta Vigata Montelusa The 55 invisible cities Pineta Frittole Sevalio Brigantes Sompazzo Monzurlo Salsiccia The Land of Toys Buffalora Kindaor Gualdana Pine Forest Roccaverdina Nofi Iliria Stranalandia Island Porcionia Desolation Isle Giancaldo Borgo Tre Case Borgo Dieci Case Accendura

|Fiction in Fiction| Cornelio Bizzarro (Writer) Leo Cordio (Writer) Franco Melis (Actor) Saverio Crispo (Actor) Giorgio Fini (Tenor) Tony Corallo (Singer) DJ Vomito (Rapper) Franco Fibbri (Soccer Player) Gli occhi del cuore ("The Eyes of the Heart") (Tv Series) La Bomba ("The Bomb") (Tv Series) Terrazza Italiana (Tv Show) Redenzione ("Redemption") (Movie) Sinite Parvulos (Movie) Paura d'odiare ("Fear to Hate") (Movie) L'usuraio licantropo ("The Werewolf Usurer") (Movie) La regina del pianeta nero ("The Queen of the Black Planet") (Movie) La palude del caimano ("The Caiman Marsh") (Movie) La vendetta del cobra ("Cobra's Revenge")  (Movie) I ragazzi del Bronx  ("The Bronx Boys") (Movie) Il caimano ("The Caiman") (Movie) Cataratte ("Cataracts") (Movie) Mocassini assassini ("Assassin Moccasins") (Movie) Maciste contro Freud (Maciste Versus Freud") (Movie) La mamma di Freud ("Freud's Mom") (Film) Natale con la casta ("Christmas with the Caste") (Movie) La polizia s'incazza (Movie) Margas (Movie) Space Queen Vega (Videogame) Il codice indecifrabile ("The Indecipherable Code") (Novel) L'albicocco al curaro ("Apricot with Curare")(Novel) La paura del giorno ("Fear of the Day") (Novel) Il pesce innamorato ("The Fish in Love") (Children's Book) Bloody Mario (Comic Strip) Bloody Eye (Comic Book) Megaditta (Company) Nosferatù (Company) Finmor (Company) Centovetrine (Company) Auto Avio Motor (Company) SOFRAM (Company) Tekne (Company) Wondercomics (Company) Tondello Spa (Company) Digitex (Company) Sbav (Company) Smack-O-Mat Corporation (Company) Longobarda (Football Club) Borgorosso (Football Club) Eat it! (Product) Fido Uomo (Product) Io Cane (Product) Cacao Meravigliao (Product) Cioccolato Spagnoli (Product) Acqua pulita (Product)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.30

534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland. 1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city. 1419 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle. 1460 – Wars of the Roses: Lancastrians kill the 3rd Duke of York and win the Battle of Wakefield. 1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine. 1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York. 1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed. 1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed. 1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest. 1890 – Following the Wounded Knee Massacre, the United States Army and Lakota warriors face off in the Drexel Mission Fight. 1896 – Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila. 1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5. 1897 – The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand. 1902 – The Discovery Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott attained a Farthest South at 82°17′S in Antarctica. 1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605. 1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell. 1906 – The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh). 1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Petrograd river three days later. 1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita. 1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is formed. 1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan. 1935 – The Italian Air Force bombs a Swedish Red Cross hospital during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. 1936 – The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors. 1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair. 1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant. 1947 – Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania. 1952 – An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashes in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground. 1954 – The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation is established to consolidate criminal investigation and intelligence into a single agency. 1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension. 1967 – Aeroflot Flight L-51 crashes near Liepāja International Airport in Liepāja, Latvia, killing 43. 1972 – Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends. 1987 – Stella Sigcau, Prime minister of the South African Bantustan of Transkei, is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by General Bantu Holomisa. 1993 – Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland. 1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel. 1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed. 2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred. 2004 – A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194. 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin. 2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed. 2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths. 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed. 2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River. 2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan. 2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Canada unveils largest economic relief package since WW2 (BBC) Canada's federal government will spend C$100bn ($77bn, £58bn) to kick-start the country's post-pandemic economy. It is "the largest economic relief package for our country since the Second World War", Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Monday. The spending will bring the deficit to a historic C$381.6bn by March 2021. The wide-ranging plan includes targeted relief for hard-hit business sectors, investments in long-term care homes and distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Study: Students falling behind in math during pandemic (AP) A disproportionately large number of poor and minority students were not in schools for assessments this fall, complicating efforts to measure the pandemic’s effects on some of the most vulnerable students, a not-for-profit company that administers standardized testing said Tuesday. Overall, NWEA’s fall assessments showed elementary and middle school students have fallen measurably behind in math, while most appear to be progressing at a normal pace in reading since schools were forced to abruptly close in March and pick up online. The analysis of data from nearly 4.4 million U.S. students in grades 3-8 represents one of the first significant measures of the pandemic’s impacts on learning. But researchers at NWEA, whose MAP Growth assessments are meant to measure student proficiency, caution they may be underestimating the effects on minority and economically disadvantaged groups. Those students made up a significant portion of the roughly 1 in 4 students who tested in 2019 but were missing from 2020 testing. NWEA said they may have opted out of the assessments, which were given in-person and remotely, because they lacked reliable technology or stopped going to school. The NWEA findings show that, compared to last year, students scored an average of 5 to 10 percentile points lower in math, with students in grades three, four and five experiencing the largest drops.

Coronavirus emerged earlier than thought (WSJ) The new coronavirus infected people in the U.S. in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public health authorities found the first U.S. case, according to a government study published Monday. The findings significantly strengthen evidence suggesting the virus was spreading around the world well before public health authorities and researchers became aware, upending initial thinking about how early and quickly it emerged. Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of infection in 106 of 7,389 blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from residents in nine states across the U.S., according to the study published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Brazen gun battle in Brazil bank heist leaves cash scattered on road (Reuters) Bank robbers in southern Brazil blasted explosives and fired high-caliber weapons at police late on Monday, in an audacious heist that injured two people and left reams of cash in the streets to be pocketed by locals. The robbery began just before midnight on Monday in the southern city of Criciúma and lasted nearly two hours, according to a statement from military police in Santa Catarina state. Terrifying images shared on social media showed armed men firing automatic weapons on the city streets, taking hostages and then making their getaway in a fleet of cars. In their wake, the robbers left cash strewn across the streets. Residents soon spread out to snatch up the notes, television footage showed. Authorities have located 810,000 reais ($152,660), police said. Local media reported that there were 30 robbers involved in the heist. Brazil has a long history of bank heists, and major lenders have struggled with a wave of violent robberies in recent years as criminals have mastered the use of explosives to access cash.

Scottish independence (Foreign Policy) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for an independence referendum “in the early part of the new parliament,” ahead of Scottish parliamentary elections in May. Sturgeon made the remarks in an address at a Scottish National Party (SNP) conference. Although Scottish voters rejected independence by a 55-45 percent margin in 2014, recent polls show a majority in favor of secession, likely due to the strong support for the European Union among Scots. Westminster would have to give Edinburgh permission to hold another referendum, and Sturgeon has said she will take the British government to court if they block a vote.

NATO Searches For Meaning (Foreign Policy) Foreign ministers of NATO member nations meet today for a two-day conference to discuss the future of the alliance as the organization searches for relevance ahead of the impending Joe Biden presidency. The alliance has spent the last two decades finding purpose in its Afghanistan mission, but with U.S. interest waning, and troops departing, it’s in search of a new raison d’être. The group appears to have found its motivation in a challenger thousands of miles from its borders. A new report due to be reviewed at today’s meeting calls for fresh thinking on dealing with a rising China, including deepening ties with Asian allies and increasing technological capabilities.

Animal attacks taking their toll in Kashmir (AP) Amid the long-raging deadly strife in Indian-controlled Kashmir, another conflict is silently taking its toll on the Himalayan region’s residents: the conflict between man and wild animals. According to official data, at least 67 people have been killed and 940 others injured in the past five years in attacks by wild animals in the famed Kashmir Valley, a vast collection of alpine forests, connected wetlands and waterways known as much for its idyllic vistas as for its decades-long armed conflict between Indian troops and rebels. The Himalayan black bear is at the heart of this trouble. Experts say over 80% of the deaths and maulings are due to attacks by black bears. Nestled between mountain peaks and plateaus, Kashmir has witnessed a rapid change in how people are using the land. Vast paddy fields have been converted into mostly apple orchards. New neighborhoods have popped up around wetlands and forest areas. In turn, experts say, animals are approaching human settlements in search of food and shelter, leading to a sharp increase in attacks.

Angry Farmers Choke India’s Capital in Giant Demonstrations (NYT) Mewa Singh said he wasn’t going anywhere. On Monday afternoon, Mr. Singh, who farms a small plot of land in northern India, sat in the back of a mud-splattered farm trailer, heaps of rice, lentils, fresh garlic and other spices piled around him, blocking one of the main arteries into India’s capital. Part of an army of thousands of angry farmers who have encircled New Delhi, Mr. Singh vowed to keep protesting for however long it takes for India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to reverse recently passed agricultural policies. “Our land is our mother,” said Mr. Singh, growing emotional as he talked about the new policies, which he saw as part of an effort to hand farmers’ land over to big business. “It was passed on to us from our parents, who got it from their parents, and now Modi wants to acquire it and give it away to his rich friends.” Even though Mr. Modi’s political party firmly controls the government, the growing farmers’ rebellion seems to have rattled his administration. In India, more than 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture to make a living. Farmers are a huge political constituency.

In Asia, Pro-Democracy Forces Worry About Biden (NYT) Pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong are championing President Trump’s claims of an electoral victory. Human rights activists and religious leaders in Vietnam and Myanmar are expressing reservations about President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s ability to keep authoritarians in check. It might seem counterintuitive that Asian defenders of democracy are among the most ardent supporters of Mr. Trump, who has declared his friendship with Xi Jinping of China and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. But it is precisely Mr. Trump’s willingness to flout diplomatic protocol, abandon international accords and keep his opponents off-balance that have earned him plaudits as a leader strong enough to stand up to dictators and defend democratic ideals overseas, even if he has been criticized as diminishing them at home. As President-elect Biden assembles his foreign-policy team, prominent human rights activists across Asia are worried about his desire for the United States to hew again to international norms. They believe that Mr. Biden, like former President Barack Obama, will pursue accommodation rather than confrontation in the face of China’s assertive moves.

China lands a spacecraft on moon for third time (Washington Post) China landed a spacecraft on the moon Tuesday on a mission to mine rocks and soil and return them to Earth, the latest in a series of lunar missions demonstrating the country’s emergence as a force in space exploration. The landing, without a crew aboard, was China’s third on the lunar surface since 2013 and came almost two years after China pulled off a historic first—landing a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. If China’s Chang’e-5 mission succeeds, it would mark the first time a nation has retrieved samples from the moon since the United States and Soviet Union did it several decades ago. The mission, which includes a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service capsule and a return capsule, was launched Nov. 23 on China’s powerful Long March-5 rocket. On the lunar surface, the probe is expected to dig about seven feet deep, collecting as much as 4.5 pounds of rocks and lunar soil into the ascent vehicle, which would then meet up with the service capsule in lunar orbit and return to Earth.

Nike ad showing racial discrimination faced by Japanese girls provokes backlash (Washington Post) A Nike advertisement highlighting racial discrimination faced by schoolgirls in Japan, and suggesting they can overcome it through sports, has provoked a fierce debate and backlash in a nation unaccustomed to openly discussing such issues. The video showing three young soccer players is based on the “real life experience of athletes,” Nike Japan said, conveying how they “overcome their daily struggles and conflicts to move their future through sports.” The ad has been viewed about 25 million times across Twitter and YouTube. It has been shared or liked nearly 80,000 times on Twitter, but negative reactions accelerated this week, with likes only outnumbering dislikes on YouTube by a few thousand. Japan’s national identity is based partly on a myth of itself as a monoethnic country. This has fueled the marginalization of the indigenous Ainu people in the past, and discrimination against ethnic Koreans and Chinese, biracial Japanese people and immigrants.

Radioactive water (Hakai Magazine) Radioactive water is accumulating at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as workers have pumped water into the destroyed buildings to keep the site cool for the past ten years. After coming into contact with the reactors, the water has to be stored, and while operator Tokyo Electric Power Company has built tanks for this exact purpose, there are over one million tonnes of water in those tanks as of this year. By 2022, they believe they’ll run out of room for new tanks. There are potentially 62 radioactive elements in that wastewater, and as of 2018, some particularly gnarly isotopes were still exceeding safe levels, even after cleaning. The Japanese government will eventually have to decide what to do with this waste, which could include slowly dumping it into the ocean. That’s banned by the London Protocol, and the United Nations International Maritime Organization will likely have some very strong feelings about any such plan.