Tumgik
#American Professional II
guitarbomb · 10 months
Text
Fender Unveils 70th Anniversary Stratocaster Series
Fender is gearing up for an epic celebration in 2024, marking the 70th anniversary of its iconic Stratocaster electric guitar. In anticipation of this milestone, the renowned guitar manufacturer has given enthusiasts a sneak peek into the festivities by releasing the first wave of the celebratory 70th Anniversary Stratocaster series. 70th Anniversary Stratocasters This release, just before the…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
How successful would Saga Anderson…
Tumblr media
5 notes · View notes
reportwire · 2 years
Text
Raiders fall short of finally beating AFC West nemesis
Raiders fall short of finally beating AFC West nemesis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Las Vegas Raiders were oh-so-close to finally getting the best of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. Then the replay showed close wasn’t good enough. Frantically trying to rally his team in the final minute, Derek Carr threw a pretty pass down the sideline to Davante Adams, who already had hauled in touchdown catches of 58 and 48 yards. The standout wide receiver made…
View On WordPress
0 notes
pitchsidestories · 2 months
Text
so american II Felicitas Rauch x Reader
Tumblr media
masterlist I word count: 1912
a/n: hi, we hope you enjoy reading this oneshot, your feedback is always appreciated. <3
New starts could be hard. You knew that.
And you imagined they were even harder when you moved to a whole different continent.
But why the hell did your coach pick you out of all the players on the team to show the new player around?
It was not like you didn’t have anything to do in your free time. And you didn’t even know this woman.
She was german, played for their national team and she was a defender. That was all you could recall about her as you impatiently waited in front of the training grounds for her.
You checked the time on your phone. She was already late. What was that again about germans always being punctual?
But then she appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Her dark hair was tied back into a messy bun and she flashed you an apologetic smile.
You bit your lip. Maybe this wasn’t the worst way to spend your afternoon.
“Hello, Felicitas. Welcome to the Courage. I’ll show you around.“, you smiled brightly at her.
“Hi, y/n. Thank you. You can call me Feli by the way.“, she said. Her excitement was almost tangible.
You nodded once: “Alright, Feli. Let’s start with the training grounds.“
“Yes, please.“
You opened the gate to let you two in. Everything was quiet and empty, very different from the normal chaos of your training sessions.
You turned to Feli: “Follow me.“
“Right behind you.“, she grinned. That was, in fact, a lie. She walked right beside you, you could feel her eyes lingering on your side profile.
You suppressed a smile. She was not being subtle at all.
With every bit of professionalism, you continued your tour. You opened the door to a building and let your new teammate peek inside.
“Those are the changing rooms and over there are our physios.“, you explained, pointing towards a door down the hallway.
Feli nodded, taking in her new work place.
“Let’s look at the training pitches.“, you suggested and walked her back outside to the bright green grass.
A thought popped into your head all of a sudden and you stopped in your tracks: “Hey, Feli?“
The German defender looked at you with big eyes, a blush rising into her cheeks: “Uhm, yeah?“
“You’ve already seen your apartment, right?“, you asked her, slightly unsure about how much you were actually supposed to show her.
Feli visibly relaxed: “I did.“ With curious interest, she followed up with: “Are we neighbours? If so, I’d really appreciate any coffeeshop recommendations nearby.“
You laughed, a little surprised by her question: “Yes, I live close by. I can show you where you can get the best coffee.“
“Thanks. I can’t wait for the coffee date.”, she grinned excitedly.
“Coffee date?”, you lifted an eyebrow amused.
“I meant meeting for coffee, might got lost in translation.”, Feli cleared her throat nervously.
“Sounded a bit different, but okay.”, you shrugged smiling.
“Not my fault that you interpreted it that way.”, the German defended herself as she opened her bun only to redo it.
For a moment you had to shake yourself, Feli was right, maybe you misread her glances at you, and the defender looked at everyone that way. But a little part inside you doubted this.
“Right, so these are the pitches we get to work on, that’s the end of our little tour. Do you have any questions left?”, you asked her politely.
“Yes, when will we meet for a cup of coffee?”, she questioned beaming.
“I meant a real question, Feli.”, you rolled your eyes at her playfully.
“It’s a real question and I want a real question.”, Feli demanded with a charming smile on the lips.
“I’ll walk you home and we can get coffee on the way, Deal.”, you offered sighing. This woman took more time than you expected, you didn’t know if this was a good or a bad thing yet. A hot drink sounded great now. The winter sun shone down on the two of you, but you couldn’t wait until it was warmer again.
“Deal.”, she nodded happily.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“This is my favourite coffee shop.”, you declared later when you reached it.
Immediately the scent of fresh coffee beans and delicious sweets hit Felis nose who closed her eyes for a second.
“It’s really nice and it smells so good in here.”, the defender confirmed.
“You should try the cinnamon buns they’re very delicious. The owner’s wife is Swedish, and she bakes the best in town.”, you recommended.
“I think I’ll give them a try. You want to share one?”, Feli wanted to know.
“Yes, why not?” You waited until she took her first bite of the baked good before adding curiously. “And what do you think?"
“They’re really good.”, the German admitted.
“I told you so. I hope you’ll enjoy your time with us.”, you replied delighted.
“With those cinnamon buns and this coffee, I’ll.”, the brunette winked. Leaving a club she had stayed at so long and a league the player was so familiar with was a big change for her. Sitting next to you in that cozy coffeeshop assured Feli that the brave move was the right decision. You made her feel at home away from home.
“You’ll fit in great with the team, we’re all a bit addicted to coffee and occasionally sweet treats.”, you observed.
“Those are my kind of people.”, she answered cheerfully while you both finished drinking your coffees.
“You must be exhausted from your first day. I’ll get you to your front door.”, you decided.
Feli reluctantly agreed but still let you walk her home.
You hugged her goodbye in front of her door: “See you, Feli.“
But as you pulled away and turned around to leave, her hand closed around your wrist.
You looked back at her in surprise.
“Thank you, y/n.“, she said politely. There was something else in her voice, something earnest that you didn’t know how to interpret.
So you just smiled back at her: “You’re welcome.“
“Really.“, she emphasized.
“It was a pleasure.“
Feli opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but quickly thought better of it.
You waited for a moment in hopes that she would finally say what she wanted to say.
“What if I… want a date without the coffee? Or with coffee, if you’d want that…“, she stammered eventually.
Your face dropped. She was asking you out. “Seriously?“
The defender nodded: “Yes.“
“You just know me for a day.“, you pointed out.
“I know when I like someone. And I only asked for a date…“
You were still a bit confused about this situation but also very flattered. You had to appreciate her willingness to take a risk. And she was definitely your type.
“Yes, I’d like to go on a date with you, Feli.“
Her whole face lit up once the words were out: “You do?“
“I do.“, you confirmed with a laugh.
This would later prove to be one of the best decisions you ever made. Your first date turned to a second date and then into a third. You began seeing each other so often that you didn’t know where the dating ended and your relationship began.
And you had to admit, that it improved your playing when Feli was on the field with you. You even made it on the USWNT roster for the Olympics which meant you would be playing against your girlfriend in the group stage.
It was the game you were most excited for. When you finally arrived at the stadium and went out on the grass for the pitch inspection, you spotted Feli waving at you.
You walked over to give her a quick hug before rejoining with your teammates, not sure if your new coach would appreciate you spending too much time before the game with the German players.
You watched from the other side of the pitch as Ann-Katrin Berger, a goalie you knew from the NWSL, approached Feli.
“So are y/n and you…?“, she started, waiting for Feli to finish.
“A couple. Yes, why?“, Feli replied with a grin.
The goalkeeper shrugged nonchalantly: “Just asking.“
“How did you know?“
“I just know those things.“
Feli raised her eyebrows: “It’s your gaydar, huh?“
“It’s better than the regular gaydar.“, her German teammate smirked.
“Sure, Ann.“, Feli rolled her eyes before she motioned for you to come join her. “Y/n, come here.“
“Hi Ann, Feli was so excited to see you again.”, you greeted the goalkeeper warmly.
“She was? She’s such a baby.”, the older woman commented smirking.
“I’m not.”, Feli protested quickly.
“Yeah, more like Cinni is her baby.”, you corrected Ann.
“Cinni?”, she looked surprised between your girlfriend and you.
“She means my dog cinnamon.”, the defender explained blushing.
“I know what she means. I’m surprised you let her call your dog Cinni.”, Ann remarked.
“She’s allowed to say that because Cinnamon fell hard for her at first sight.”, Feli responded.
“Just like Feli herself.”, you teased her lovingly.
“I can tell.”, the goalkeeper grinned at you both.
“Y/n, we got to go back inside.”, Emily called for you.
“Coming!” With an apologetic smile you turned your head back to the two Germans. “Sorry, I’ve to leave.”
You could feel Felis eyes on you as you walked to your American teammate who was already waiting.
“Stop staring, we need to go too.”, Ann reminded the defender laughing.
“Exactly, stop being cute we’ve to play against her team.”, Sara interjected while giving her friend a side hug as they walked to their changing room.
“I know that.”, Feli playfully pushed the Frankfurt defender away.
“Let’s beat them.”, the short haired woman chirmed.
They lost 4:1 against your team.
“Y/n, don’t take too long.”, Emily requested once she noticed that you were about to console your girlfriend.
“I promise I won’t.”, you reassured her.
“Feli, hi.”, you softly put a hand on the brunette’s shoulder.
“Hi.”, she looked up with a sad smile on her face.
“Do you still want to swap jerseys?”, you asked the defender cautiously.
“You think I’m mad at you because you beat us? It’s only the group stage.”, Feli answered, the sadness was gone.
“Ah, there’s your smile again.”, you observed happily.  
“Now give me your jersey.”, the football player demanded grinning.
“She’ll sleep in that tonight.”, Sara intervened chuckling.
“Ew, gross.”, you wrinkled your nose.
“Sara.”, your girlfriend clicked her tongue.
“Y/n.”, Emily shouted in the background.
“I’m on my way.”, you told your teammate.
“See you soon, Feli.” When she didn’t let you go, you added. “I really got to go, Liebling.”
“Wait you forgot something.”, Feli whispered before kissing you.
“Ew.”, Sara pretended to throw up jokingly in the background, but you both ignored her.
“Shut up, Sara!”, you two replied.
Rude.”, the older defender pouted.
From the corner of your eye, you saw Sara shaking her head in amusement before your girlfriend draw your attention back to her. This kiss tasted sweeter than the win.
Later when you were back in your hotel room which you shared with Emily who was reading her e-book you saw that Feli send you a photo which was taken in the changing room, her hair was slightly messy, and she was wearing your jersey proudly. The message underneath the picture said: Good night, Liebling. Sweet dreams.
And you indeed slept sweet that night with the feeling that you were very much loved.
Tumblr media
image source
253 notes · View notes
hypnoneghoul · 6 months
Text
may I present the updated, the bigger, and simply the better...
Tumblr media
thank you so much @wrathofrats for helping me gather pictures and organize I and II era ghouls <3
Chain Era I
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ibanez ICB300EX
Gibson Thunderbird (It was played only once and all the pictures are shitty so I don’t know the specifics, only gathered the model by the shape)
Lake Era I
Tumblr media Tumblr media
White on black Rickenbacker 4003
Black on white Fender American Performer Precision
Lake Era II
Tumblr media
Black on white Fender American Performer Precision
River Era II
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Black on white Fender American Performer Precision
Black Fender FSR Player Precision
Delta, Mist & Dewdrop Era III
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Black on white Fender American Performer Precision
Black Fender Blacktop Jazz
Rain Era IV
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Black on white Fender Standard Jaguar
White Fender Standard Jaguar (they don't really sell them all white so I assume the pickguard is either vinyl wrapped or comes from a different bass)
White Fender American Professional Jazz
Black Fender American Professional II Jazz (they usually come with different colored pickguard so again I assume it's either wrapped or from a different bass)
Rain Era V
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Black on white Fender American Professional II Jazz (with additional mods. also, they usually come with different colored pickguard so again I assume its either wrapped or from a different bass)
Black Fender American Professional II Jazz (read parenthesis above)
Black on white Fender Standard Jaguar
if anyone has any questions my askbox is open as usual :3
276 notes · View notes
alldancersaretalented · 3 months
Text
Studio Switch List 2024/25
(also includes late season switches)
Link to "How many studio switches so far?"
??
-> Elite Studio of Dance
Jordyn Hay
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
B. Bernard C. Butler M. Caryl L. Caver E. Defoe K. Heath I. Lewis C. Nielson A. Peterson S. Peterson A. White
-> Kinetic Dance
Mary Anne Serpas
-> Mather Dance Company
Sally Schulz
-> N10 Dance Studios
Juliette Birchard Jonah Guzman
-> Renner Dance Company
Connell Gocke
-> The Merge (new studio!)
Leila Pitcovich
-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)
Beeta Barkhordar Harper Fish Bailee Hill Sky White
-> The Union (new studio!)
Veda and little sister Mia Weisz-Marin
-> Tribe Seven
Cate Block
3'N Motion Studio
-> BLA Dance Academy
Molly Weber Margaux Struble Chloe Todman
4th Street Dance Centre
-> Northern Force Dance Company
Hazel Brown Olena Brown
Adage Dance Center
-> K2 Studios
Dylan Kubo Aspen Walton
Adrenaline Dance Company
-> Prodigy Dance Studio
Bellarose Ramos
AE Dance Productions
-> The Company Space
Hazel Kinnick
All American Dance Factor
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Madison Virostek
Allegro Performing Arts Academy
-> Pave School of the Arts
Lily McFarland
AM Dance
-> Studio X
Brooklyn Abrams Alana Cato Asyah Lewis Baileigh McJimson Leiyah Nova
-> The K Project Dance Company
Aubrey Davis Jaden Gonzalez Rosalyn Gutierrez
Amirian Ballet Academy
-> Royal Danish Ballet School
Emma Crawford
Apples Dance Lab
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Payten Butler Sara Wren
Artistic Motion Dance
-> Abstraction Dance Company
Giselle Pilorin
-> Devotion The Movement
Sydney Duke Sunnie Pelant
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Zoe Baker GG Mier Katie Rosa Piper Ryder Tatum Ryder
Art Of Technique
-> The Washington School Of Ballet
Kaitlyn Brandely
Augusta West Dance Studio
-> CCJ Conservatory
Zoe Lewis
Avanti Dance Company
-> CAP The Company
Natalie Jahn
-> Mather Dance Company
Hayden Goren Reese Goren
-> N10 Dance Studios
Saige Hibbard
-> West Coast School of the Arts
Eva Graziano
Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre
-> Boston Ballet II
Sophia Jones
Bayer Ballet Academy
-> John Cranko Schule
Amelia Chen
Big City Dance Center
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Alex Cyncewicz
Brava Dance
-> Westchester Dance
Emily Pierog
Burbank Dance Academy
-> ABT Junior Co
Manuela De Souza
Cache Valley Civic Ballet
-> Creative Dance Academy
Kate Baldwin Sophia Baldwin
Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts
-> Bobbie's School of Performing Arts
Peyton Root Ryan Root
Canadian Dance Unit
-> Vlad's Dance Company
Quinn Powers
CanDance Studios
-> Club Dance Studio
Preslie Ball
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Colette Stutzman
-> The Union (new studio!)
Crystalyn Chesko
Carlsbad Dance Centre
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Ansel Mullick Camille Mullick Evelyn Mullick
Cary Dance Prudctions
-> Renner Dance Company
Marlee Thomas
CC & Co Dance Complex
-> Renner Dance Company
Connell Gocke Olivia Roberson
Centerstage Dance Academy
-> West Florida Dance Company
Ava Starr Rodriguez
Center Stage Dance Company
-> JBP Entertainment
Bianca Lewis
Center Stage Dance Gymnastics
-> The Fenyx Project
Arielle Miles
Center Stage Performing Arts Studio
-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)
Halston Fisher Oakley Fisher Tatum Fisher
Charliz Balicao Dance Company
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Payton Mueller
Cincinnati Ballet Professional Training
-> Alabama Ballet
Caroline Love Jenna Renfield
City Ballet San Francisco
-> Boston Ballet II
Maddie Austin
CityDance Conservatory
-> Boston Ballet School II
Lucian DeBellis
CJ Dance Crew
-> Club Dance Studio
Madi Cole MaKinley Cole
Club Dance
-> ??
Ashton Wullbrandt
-> Dance Studio C
Gwyneth Woods
-> Elite Dance Pro
Madisyn Rose Amos Kennedy Cicerelli Abby Honstad Jaida Morin Payton Stowe
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Tilly Allen Brinley Bennett Brynlee Bulbulian Lainey Bulbulian Makena Cameron Pallas Chiste Olivia Clouse Kensley Colman Charlotte Cook Sophia Dasalla Avery Dunwell Lena Funk Mia Funk Jaycee Grant Kalista Greer Kanon Greer Kaylan Greer Oakley Hill Goldie Hill Birdie Hill Alaina Igleski Kaydence Lawton Arianna Mendez Callie Mendez Harper O'Malley Dannika Ren'ee Quiroz Tatem Robinson Leslie Soto Nicole Soto Tatum Strauss Kate Valentine Aubrey Williams
-> Illusion Dance Company
Madyson Barney
-> Prodigy Dance PAC
Taeya Stosich Tinley Stosich
Complexity Dance Center
-> Vision Dance Alliance
Ava Dowling London Dowling
Concept Pavielle
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Siena Paradeau
Conservatory of Dance Arts
-> The Merge (new studio!)
Ella Andrews Sarah Blady Charlotte Dean Sophie Dean Calli Hollenbeck Lilly May Hartley Murla
Cypress Dance Project (closing!)
-> The Fenyx Project
Ahmya Tovar Jasleen Tovar
-> Tribe Seven
Avery Farris Gracelyn Harris Kyndle McCormick Frankie Miranda Mia Narvaez Tana Nickerson Evelin Peterson Lily Savarese Paislynn Schroeder Gabriella Slay Dalilah Soto Frankie Soto Kayla Tanea Abigail Wade Melody Thiel Rianna Weck Rosalie Wickman
Cypress Elite Dance Studio
-> The Fenyx Project
Charlie Mae
Dance Academy of State College
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Emma Girdany
Dance Arts Centre ATL
-> Dance Lab (new studio!)
Ryn Andersen Tarin Belizaire Izzy Bensinger Nina Kitchen Daniella Lerman Samantha Wilson
Dance Arts Centre
-> Summit Dance Shoppe
Beckett Eberhard Britta Eberhard
Dance Connection 2
-> Club Dance Studio
Claire Pistor
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Jaxon Adamson Juliette Ridenour Scarlett Ridenour
Dance Connection Scottsdale
-> The Collective PHX
Madee Richardson
Dance Deluxe
-> Club Dance Studio
Dana Homes
-> Dance Connection 2
Kamryn Arnold
-> Elektro Dance Academy
Sunday Smith
Dance Dimensions PAC
-> The House Dance Complex
Sophia Hasson Victoria Safahi
Dance Enthusiasm
-> Murrieta Dance Project
Liciana Vun
-> Phunk Phenomenon Dance Studio
Landon Indeglia
Dance Exposure 2
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Morgan Wendt
Dance FX
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Aryanna Lafontaine Cooper
Dance Inc Company
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Lauren Allan
Dance Lab OC
-> Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy
Maggie Till
Dancemark Studio
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Katie Bishop
Dance Republic
-> Club Dance
Annabelle Greenamyer Scottie Greenamyer Abigail Patton
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Kaia Roseland
Dance Studio C
-> Elite Dance Pro -> Dance Connection 2
Charlotte Rathjen
-> Impact Dance
Maizey Miller Savannah Miller
Dance University
-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)
Olivia Cherpak Stella Cherpak Chiara Siragusa Mila Steven
Dance Unlimited Miami
-> Stars Dance Studio
Mila Talab
The Dance Zone
Katelyn Miranda
-> The Living Dolls Dance Factory
Olivia Martinez
Dance Unlimited Colorado
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Fiona McDonald
Dance Vision
-> Becky Nalevanko's Dance Studio
Aria Telander
DanceDynamicsLV
-> Academy of Nevada Ballet
Naya Fowler
-> The Rock
Brielle Bonas Parker June
Danceology
-> Club Dance
Kelsey Jackman Makayla Jackman
-> DC Dance Factory
Kendall Kolodge
-> Evoke Dance Movement
Vida Lemos
-> Hyphen Conservatory
Haley Bertino
-> North County Academy of Dance
Ella Nani Knight
-> Pave San Diego
Paisley Publico Polly Jo Publico
Dancers Edge
-> Club Dance
Emerson Van Houten
Dancers World Production
-> K2 Studios
Claire Zhang
Dance Vision
-> The Academy
Cece Nguyen
Dansations Competition Team
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Brady Horne
DC Dance Factory
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Harper Bowen
Dellos Dance Academy
-> The Academy
Kendall Krajewski
Diverse Elements
-> Dance Connection Scottsdale
Kenna Bonhote
-> Dance Connection 2
Peyton Whited
Divine Dance Center
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Kallie Niday
DMdance Company
-> The Merge (new studio!)
Kinsley Gainer Taylor Jenkins Tyler Jenkins
Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy
-> ABT Junior Co
Clara Riggs
-> Boston Ballet II
Pavel Kulev
-> Elite Classical Coaching
Summer Lily
-> European School of Ballet
Annabel Kohn
-> San Francisco Ballet School
June Freeman
-> Westside Dance Project
Fiona Poth
DNA Dance Creatives
-> Prodigy Dance PAC
Jackson Ruekert
Drapers Center for Dance Education
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Rhauri Samuels
-> The Rock School For Ballet
Samuel Gauss
Dynamic Dance Company
-> Stars Dance Studio
Victoria Crupi
Dynamic Dance Refinery
-> New Level Dance Company
Sophia Hernandez-Gonzalez
Elektro Dance Academy
-> Dance Deluxe
Alexis Gizzo
-> Eternal Dance Company
Madyson Koch
-> LA Dance
Kinsey Joan
-> The Collective PHX
Julianna Aispuro Tenley Anthony
Elevate Dance Academy
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Sidney Sullivan
Elite Classical Coaching
-> Academie Princess Grace
Morgan Ligon
-> Royal Ballet School
Izzy Keesee
Elite Dance PAC
-> Hyphen Conservatory
Lillie Lanier
Elite Dance Pro
-> Club Dance
Peyton De La Cerda Mila Michael Lucia Piedrahita Sophia Schiano River Segerman
-> Rhythm Dance Complex
Gavin Schwarze
-> The Collective PHX
Alexa Schwarze
Elite Feet Artists Company
-> Stars Dance Studio
Norah Hurley
Elise Flagg Academy Of Dance
-> Central PA Youth Ballet
Ella Wilke
Ellison Ballet
-> ABT Junior Co
Victoria Papakalodouka
Encore Dance Arts
-> The Collective PHX
Laila Faith
Eternal Dance Company
-> CanDance Studios
Alaina Martinez
-> Gateway Dance Center
Juniper Wakefield
Evoke Dance Movement
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Eleanor Bullock Lucia Jade Frazier Emmy Claire Khaiden Tayah Klimuck Dylan Schaffer Maya Steinman
Evolve 26
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Blayklee Balthazar
Evolve Dance Complex
-> CCJ Conservatory
Cami Vorhees
-> Power Dance Company
Maya Rogers
Evolution Dance Center
-> North County Academy Of Dance
Presley McGraw
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Casey Archibald Liv Barrelli Karisma Colyan Kirrana Colyan Ava Cucker Elyse Dueler Alli Esposito Avery Fumillari Sofia Galati Joya Garner Sofia Gorman Kendall Hensley Kaylie Koehnen Brianna Lee Isla Marshall Emma MacKay Everly McGraw Ellie Miles Avril Overlock Drew Overlock Danielle Smart Kirra Stradwiser Vivienne Tolentino Lyla Yuceit Brooke Zamoff Shayne Zell
Expressions Dance & Music
-> Tribe Seven
Francesca Casaretto Gabi Woods
Fearless Dance Company
-> K2 Studios
Marilyn Castaneda
Flashdance Studio
-> Houston Ballet Academy
Patricio Lopez
FLEX Dance and Fitness
-> The Southern Strutt
Grace Marvella
Freckled Frog Dance Studio
-> K2 Studios
Vallerina Athena
Fusion Dance Force
-> Blueprint Dance Project
Emily Deal Abigail Monahan Abby Rodriguez
Fusion Studios
-> Mather Dance Company
Brooke Kim Mariana Simoes
Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
-> Dance Deluxe
Bradley Kawa Breckyn Kawa
Gotta Dance Company AZ
-> The Collective PHX
Avah Gonzalez Gabriella Gonzalez Valencia Gonzalez
Gotta Dance Company CA
-> Stars Dance Studio
Tristan Jones
Greenwich Conservatory of Classical Ballet
-> Dance Town
Cassie Coughlin
-> Mather Dance Company
Lydon Thach
-> The Academy
Lia Turrieta
Hart Academy of Dance
-> The Academy
Lia Turrieta
Hathaway Academy of Ballet
-> somewhere in the Netherlands
Kennedy Kahler
Heart & Sole Performing Arts
-> Gotta Dance Company
Leigha Jessee
Hollywood Ballet School
-> United Ballet Academy
Isobel Lehman
Houston Ballet Academy
-> Boston Ballet
Sam Stampleman
-> Boston Ballet II
Michael Dadlez Layla Porter
Hudson Dance Academy
-> Avanti Dance Company
Melody Garcia
Hyphen Conservatory
-> Mather Dance Company
Makaela McCosar
iBallet Studio
-> Elite Classical Coaching
Aviva Brock
Impact Dance
-> Club Dance Studio
Bostyn Thomas Holland Thomas Presley Thomas
In Motion Dance Project (closing)
-> ??
Mila Bonilla Anniston Clarke Adrienne Diaz Bella Flores Mia Flores Lily Holbrook Isabella Luciano Mali Photnetrakhom Madeline Terry Joey Webber
-> Dance Universe
Ellie ?
-> Marshall Ellis Dance School
Renee Forseth
-> New Dimensions Dance
Annalee Ramb
-> Starz Dance Company
Elissa Loryn Sadie Moore Isabella Peixoto
-> Orlando Ballet School
Sylvie Rock
-> Underground Movement
Lila Blood Kristyeliz Laureano Valerie Santana Izzy Warren
-> Xplosive Dance Academy
Levi Caicco Valeria Luciano Isabella Quartaro Olivia Rock Abigail Torres Adeline Vozza
Innovate Dance Studios
-> Avanti Dance Company
Pressly Loomis
Inspire Dance Complex
-> K2 Studios
Eliana Guzmán Isabela Guzmán Cali Rucker Arrow Yarbrough
Inspired Movement Dance
-> Innovate Dance Studios
Brooke Toro
Intensity Dance Academy
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Lydia Onder Bryn Onder
Intensity Dancer's Studio
-> Dance Town
Nicole Losada
In The Spotlight Dance Studio
-> Summit Dance Shoppe
Quinn Caroline
JBP Entertainment
-> BLA Dance Academy
Ashton Kinsleigh
JDI Dance Company
-> 4PM Dance
Addelyn Muesso
Jean Leigh Academy of Dance
-> Tari's School of Dance
Stella Vince
Joffrey Ballet School Texas
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Ella Waitz
Jump Dance Company
-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)
Natalie Boone Reese Gilman Chloe Mullins Claire Sorensen Addison Weimann
Jun Lu Performing Arts
-> Bayer Ballet Academy
Athena Hu
Just off Broadway
-> Club Dance Studio
Kaia Erby
-> Elite Classical Coaching
Sadie Daniels
-> Stars Dance Studio
Zoe Swope
K2 Studios
-> ??
(Jessica Sutton) (Rebecca Sutton)
-> Studio X
Jeanne Garcia Zoey Garcia
-> The Academy
Kynzli Reece
Kaos Dance Elite
-> The Company Space
Taylor Smith
Kat & Co
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Anthony Labritz
Katies Dance Connection
-> Elite Danceworx
Taya Osso
Kick Dance Studio
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Violet Kolb
Kinetic Dance
-> The Merge (new studio!)
Catherine Owen
Kozmic Edge
-> Q3 Dance Company
Angelina Mendez
LA Dance AZ
-> Dance Connection Scottsdale
Syvon Stokes
Larkin Dance Studio
-> Studio 4
Lola Boisen
-> Concept Pavielle
Grace Sullivan
-> Elite Classical Coaching
Savannah Manzel
Legacy Dance Productions
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Mckenna Gerrits
Legacy Productions Miami
-> Stars Dance Studio
Emily Pina
Lovett Dance Center
-> Hyphen Conservatory
Logan Macy
Major Productions Studio of Dance
-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)
Hailey Schneider
Master Ballet Academy
-> Ballet West
Melanie McIntire
-> Club Dance Studio
Hazel Silverman (also continues training at MBA)
-> John Cranko Schule
Gracie Kirkwood Lillian Rossman
-> The Rock School For Ballet
Keagan Pickett
Mather Dance Company
-> OCPAA
Mia Santiago Savy Witeck
-> The Academy
Eliana Weiss
Mekka Dance Project
-> Tribe Seven
Ainsley Scott
Meta Fair Burns Dance
-> Kinetic Dance (new studio!)
Kylie Dalrymple
Miami City Ballet Pre-Pro
-> Boston Ballet II
Olivia Santos
Miami Dancity Studios
-> Stars Dance Studio
Sabrina Lorente
Michelle's Dance Xplosion
-> Nor Cal Dance Arts
Jaxon Albano
Michigan Dance Alliance
-> Artflux Dance Lab
Mattie Mair Millie Morante
Milele Academy, LLC
-> DC Dance Factory
Eisley Beer
MJ's House of Dance
-> Blueprint Dance Project
Kiley Holgerson Ava Azzaretto Caiden Boltz Cassidy Boltz
Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre
-> Bayer Ballet Academy
Harper Palmer
Move By Morrelli
-> Artistic Fusion Dance
Lilianna Hales
Murrieta Dance Project
-> K2 Studios
Jaedon Diaz Kloey Diaz
MVP Elite
-> 3'Motion Dance Studio
Mackenzie Mucha Madison Mucha
N10 Dance Studios
-> ??
Ariella Truong
-> 4PM
Jordan Eskenazi
-> Dance Star Academy of Performing Arts
Avery Margarita
-> Premier Youth Dance Academy
Clara Han
-> Project 21
Annie Hu Madison Ng
New Level
-> Stars
Kenny Braga Reese Braga
NJ Center of Dance
-> The Vision Dance Complex
Bella Baldino
No Limits Dance Company
-> CCJ Conservatory
Rylie Sickles
Northern Force Dance Company
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Aria Johnson Sloane Johnson
North Shore Dance Academy
-> Dance Enthusiasm
Juliana Desilets Ellie Fanning Sophie MacKenzie Callie Wilkins Molly Wilkins
OCPAA
-> ??
Sarah Kuy
-> K2 Studios
Amelia Faizi Ella Montano
-> Mather Dance Company
Mila Malone Sierra Yen
-> Nebraska Dance
Sophia SantaMaria
-> Project 21
Reese Arkin Valeria Ochoa
-> Studio X
Jordyn Rockett
On Pointe Dance Studio
-> K2 Studios
Giuliana Bressler
Orlando International School of Dance
-> Starz Dance Company
Layla Jordan
Palm Beach Academy of Dance Arts
-> Dance Universe
Hattie Selene
Panama City Dance Academy
-> Kinetic Dance (new studio!)
Maisie-Rose Burkey
Paula Carr Dance Academy
-> Elektro Dance Academy
Eliza Gee
Pave School of the Arts
-> Evoke Dance Movement
Addyson Paul
-> Innovate Dance Studios
Quinn Briscoe
-> Mather Dance Company
Alexa Rauth Ava Rauth
-> OCPAA
Kennedy Bush
-> Project 21
Stella Fisk Liv Matson
-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)
Kenzie Arrendondo Talia Ayumi Gemma DeSola Kinsley Dunn Kassidy Dunn Ellie Iwamoto James Iwamoto Harper Fisk Marlowe Fisk Tatum Fisk Kirsten Jeslyn Kailey Longshore Kassidy Luong Sophia Monje Alexa Paul Goli Ranekouhi Rylee Stabeck Isaiah Wang Hadley York
-> South County Dance
Hayden Calder
Perception Dance
-> Premier Dance
Madison Smith
Perfect Pointe Dance
-> Studio X
Danya Chang
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
-> Ballet West Academy
Carina Fulop
Platform Dance
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Arielle Michalak
Precision Dance Conservatory
-> Dance Universe
Teagan Sanchez
Premier Youth Dance Company
-> Elite Classical Coaching
Greysen Fowler-Allen
Prestige Dance Institute
-> Renner Dance Company
Kensley Phillips
Profusion Talent
-> Studio X Dance Complex
Dallas Soffel
Project 21
-> ??
Ally Choi Airi Dela Cruz
-> CAP The Company
Dillon Barron
-> CA School of Classical Ballet
Aliya Yen
-> Stars Dance Studio
Leilani Lawlor
-> Westside Dance Project
Makeila Bartlett
Project Performer
-> Pave San Diego
Nora Aminlari
Renner Dance Company
-> Club Dance Studio
Ania Siri Olivia Siri
Republic Edge Dance Company
-> Tribe Seven
Adalynn Delaney Alayna Jeneva Cali Lynch Aubrey Warren
Revolution Dance
-> Dance Zone
Kaylin Gabosch
Rize All
-> Elite Studio of Dance
Carissa Chueng Roxanna Chueng
-> Natiomas Dance Method
Ayla Polendav
-> University Cheer Force
Addelyn Skube
Rockly Mountains Ballet Academy
-> San Francisco Ballet School
Shylee Sagle
Russian Masters Ballet
-> Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy
Sheridan Stone
San Clemente Dance
-> Variant Movement
Alana Ting
SFLA Dance Complex
-> Dance Enthusiasm
Addison Parker
Skyra Studios
-> Mather
Sienna Morris
Sol Studio SSD (closing!)
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Phoebe Fatula Hayden Goebel Makenna McGrath Lily Parraga Riley Platenberg Gabby Reiss Tiffany Robinson Keira Segal
Soul Studio Dance
-> West Florida Dance Company
Callie Ludtke
South County Dance
-> K2 Studios
Paige Garrett Reese Garrett
-> Mather Dance Company
Gabby Campos
Southland Ballet Academy
-> ABT Junior Co
Alisa Xu
-> Pacific Dance
Natalie Chiang
South Tulsa Dance Co
-> Next Step Dance
Allyn Green
Stage One Dance Studio
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Katie Kim
Starstruck Performing Arts Center
-> Perception Dance
Jacey Erwin Kinley Winn
Steps N Motion Dance
-> K2 Studios
Aspen Roberts
Studio 1 Dance Academy
-> Club Dance
Hadley Taylor
-> The House Dance Complex
Lyla Martin
Studio 4
-> Larkin
Elle Boudewyns Reese Ottney Leah Pribyl Vera Souvannavong
Studio 19 Dance Complex
-> Elite Dance By Damian
Alexis Crystal
-> Evolve Dance Complex
Carina Simone
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Kaitlyn Allen
Studio 702
-> The Rock
Peyton Nowacki Addison Price Hailey Stuck Taylor Stuck
Studio Bleu Dance Center (closing!)
-> ??
Kristin Mitchell
-> Art of Technique
Abigail Daisy Olivia Rosiek Chloé Le Pettigrew Victoria Zhang
-> Cerdafied Dance Studios
Nick Shalin
-> CityDance Conservatory
Kennedy Thompson
-> Dance Academy of Loudoun
Madelyn Cuttin Addie She
-> Enchanted Stage
Lily Mendoza Ellie Myers Mina Oemler
-> Ignite The Light Performing Arts
Zion Landis
-> LM Premier Dance
Grace Wright
-> Mission Dance Project (new studio!)
Lily Carmello Ava Doell Aubrey Franklin Kayleigh Jo Ellie Myers Brianna Norgrove Emily Parinello Brooklyn Smith Stella Tullio Jessica Zhang
-> NOVA Elite Dance Alliance
Nicole Ocean
-> Rise Dance Center
Kennedy Mirabella Maddy Mirabella
-> TDC Dance
Ja Pelle Nayeli Wilder
-> The Dance Lab VA (new studio!)
Leilah Bell Lily Rae Bolno Audrina Brudner Bellatrix Castillo Isabella Plotczyk Ashlan Scheide Mina Terry Gina Zhang
Studio G Dance Company
-> Art In Motion Conservatory of Dance
Madilyn Rexrode
-> Artistic Edge
Devin Dalmolin
Summer's Danceworks
-> The Union (new studio!)
Cienna Fernow Ellah Perry
Summit Dance Shoppe
-> Concept Pavielle
Gabriella Maggitt Carrigan Paylor
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Lucy Mae Dunn
Synergy Academy Utah
-> Center Stage Performing Arts Studio
Corra Blake
Tapio School of Dance and Gymnastics
-> CCJ Conservatory
Landry Leon
TDA Prep
-> Exhibit 3 Dance
Avery Maycunich
Temecula Dance Company
-> K2 Studios
Bailey Dalton
Texas Academy of Dance Arts
-> Tribe Seven
Gatsby Lasala Quinlyn Lasala
The Academy
-> Evoke Dance Movement
Ella Carlson
-> K2 Studios
Laci Stoico
-> Mather Dance Company
Bella Puskar
-> The Next Big Thing Academy
Peyton Barron
-> The Platform Dance Studio
Malia Williams
-> YYC Dance
Kinsley Oykhman
The Art of Classical Ballet
-> Hollywood Ballet School
Kya Massimino
Theatre Arts
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Hallee Francisco
The Ballet Clinic
-> Russian Ballet Academy
Sarina Rosenblum
The Center Stage Dance Studio
-> YLAB
Blakelyn Scifres
The Collective PHX
-> CanDance Studios
Sasha Landreaux
-> Club Dance Studio
Ellie Laird Zoie Laird
-> Elite Dance Pro
Alivya Alfonso
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Breckyn Kawa -> Dance Deluxe Bradley Kawa -> Dance Deluxe
-> Russian Ballet Academy
Mila Hiatt
-> The Union (new studio!)
Addy Gaffney
TheCREW
-> Studio X
Kinley Cunningham
The Dance Academy of Puyallup
-> The Company Space
Isabella Scandale
The Dance Centre NJ
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Savanna Grae
The Dance Complex
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Maddyn Bauermeister Henley Raak
The Dance Institute
-> Stars Dance Studio
Maribel Weishaar
The Dance Scene
-> Studio X
Desi Alcala
The Dance Space
-> Tribe Seven
Penelope Church
The Dance Spot
-> Danceology
Alessandra Escobar-Moeller
-> Mather Dance Company
Kennedy Molino
The Element Dance Center
-> The Academy
Sunnie Stanley
The Living Dolls Factory
-> Legacy Dance Studio
Lilliana Gonzalez
The Movement Complex
-> Stars Dance Studio
Victoria Reich
The NINE Dance Academy
-> Canadian Dance Company
Shaunaughsey Meagher
-> Vlad's Dance Company
Evelyn Rego Ivy Mae Rego
The Platform Dance Studio
-> CCJ Conservatory
Kaydence Mardis
-> Dance Connection 2
Jordyn Castle
-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)
Clara Lawless Lily Lawless Stella Lawless Arielle Michalak Charlotte Reese
The Rage Dance Complex
-> Studio 1 Dance Academy
Tennasyn Faith Giselle Miranda
The Rock Center For Dance
-> ABT Junior Co
Crystal Huang
The Southern Strutt
-> CCJ Consevatory
Annsley Huff
The Talent Factory
-> K2 Studios
Ileana Cruz Sienna Legitt Natalie Pan Quinn Pan
The Vision Dance Alliance
-> New Jersey Ballet Company
Kennedy Anderson
The Why Movement
-> Tribe Seven
Grace Gerszewski
Titanium Arts Lab
-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry
Julliana Gould
Trademark Dance Academy
-> The Vision Dance Alliance
Braelynn McKenna
Variant Movement
-> New Level Dance Company
Gabby Terschluse
Way 2 Move - Dance & Movement
-> Dance Town
Alexa Oviedo
West Coast Dance Complex
-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)
Emily Bach
West Coast School of the Arts
-> Hyphen Conservatory
Rebeca Gomez Garza
West Florida Dance Company
-> Stars Dance Studio
Ella Dobler
-> The Southern Strutt
Macey Strickland
WestMet Classical Training
-> Sarasota Ballet School
Madelyn Murphy
Westside Dance Project
-> ??
Diana Kouznetsova Isabella Kouznetsova
-> European School of Ballet
Annabel Kohn
-> Hyphen Conservatory
Esme Chou Olivia Marquez
-> San Francisco Ballet School
Izzy Howard
Woodbury Dance Center
-> Larkin Dance Studio
Kylie Roach
Xtreme Dance Studio
-> The Rock School
Blake Metcalf
YLAB
-> Project 21
Emma Walters (also continuing training at YLAB)
Your Haven Dance Company
-> West Florida Dance Co
Kylee Kay
Youth American Ballet Company
-> Boston Ballet II
Natalie Cardona
125 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
June 2, 2024
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
JUN 03, 2024
Today is the one-hundredth anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, which declared that “all non-citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided, That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property.”
That declaration had been a long time coming. The Constitution, ratified in 1789, excluded “Indians not taxed” from the population on which officials would calculate representation in the House of Representatives. In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court reiterated that Indigenous tribes were independent nations. It called Indigenous peoples equivalent to “the subjects of any other foreign Government.” They could be naturalized, thereby becoming citizens of a state and of the United States. And at that point, they “would be entitled to all the rights and privileges which would belong to an emigrant from any other foreign people.”
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, established that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” But it continued to exclude “Indians not taxed” from the population used to calculate representation in the House of Representatives.
In 1880, John Elk, a member of the Winnebago tribe, tried to register to vote, saying he had been living off the reservation and had renounced the tribal affiliation under which he was born. In 1884, in Elk v. Wilkins, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution did not cover Indigenous Americans who were living under the jurisdiction of a tribe when they were born. In 1887 the Dawes Act provided that any Indigenous American who accepted an individual land grant could become a citizen, but those who did not remained noncitizens. 
As Interior Secretary Deb Haaland pointed out today in an article in Native News Online, Elk v. Wilkins meant that when Olympians Louis Tewanima and Jim Thorpe represented the United States in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden, they were not legally American citizens. A member of the Hopi Tribe, Tewanima won the silver medal for the 10,000 meter run. 
Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, and in 1912 he won two Olympic gold medals, in Classic pentathlon—sprint hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put, and middle distance run—and in decathlon, which added five more track and field events to the Classic pentathlon. The Associated Press later voted Thorpe “The Greatest Athlete of the First Half of the Century” as he played both professional football and professional baseball, but it was his wins at the 1912 Olympics that made him a legend. Congratulating him on his win, Sweden’s King Gustav V allegedly said, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.”  
Still, it was World War I that forced lawmakers to confront the contradiction of noncitizen Indigenous Americans. According to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, more than 11,000 American Indians served in World War I: nearly 5,000 enlisted and about 6,500 were drafted, making up a total of about 25% of Indigenous men despite the fact that most Indigenous men were not citizens. 
It was during World War I that members of the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations began to transmit messages for the American forces in a code based in their own languages, the inspiration for the Code Talkers of World War II. In 1919, in recognition of “the American Indian as a soldier of our army, fighting on foreign fields for liberty and justice,” as General John Pershing put it, Congress passed a law to grant citizenship to Indigenous American veterans of World War I. 
That citizenship law raised the question of citizenship for those Indigenous Americans who had neither assimilated nor served in the military. The non-Native community was divided on the question; so was the Native community. Some thought citizenship would protect their rights, while others worried that it would strip them of the rights they held under treaties negotiated with them as separate and sovereign nations and was a way to force them to assimilate. 
On June 2, 1924, Congress passed the measure, its supporters largely hoping that Indigenous citizenship would help to clean up the corruption in the Department of Indian Affairs. The new law applied to about 125,000 people out of an Indigenous population of about 300,000.
But in that era, citizenship did not confer civil rights. In 1941, shortly after Elizabeth Peratrovich and her husband, Roy, both members of the Tlingit Nation, moved from Klawok, Alaska, to the city of Juneau, they found a sign on a nearby inn saying, “No Natives Allowed.” This, they felt, contrasted dramatically with the American uniforms Indigenous Americans were wearing overseas, and they said as much in a letter to Alaska’s governor, Ernest H. Gruening. The sign was “an outrage,” they wrote. “The proprietor of Douglas Inn does not seem to realize that our Native boys are just as willing as the white boys to lay down their lives to protect the freedom that he enjoys." 
With the support of the governor, Elizabeth started a campaign to get an antidiscrimination bill through the legislature. It failed in 1943, but passed the House in 1945 as a packed gallery looked on. The measure had the votes to pass in the Senate, but one opponent demanded: "Who are these people, barely out of savagery, who want to associate with us whites with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind us?"
Elizabeth Peratrovich had been quietly knitting in the gallery, but during the public comment period, she said she would like to be heard. She crossed the chamber to stand by the Senate president. “I would not have expected,” she said, “that I, who am barely out of savagery, would have to remind gentlemen with five thousand years of recorded civilization behind them of our Bill of Rights.” She detailed the ways in which discrimination daily hampered the lives of herself, her husband, and her children. She finished to wild applause, and the Senate passed the nation’s first antidiscrimination act by a vote of 11 to 5. 
Indigenous veterans came home from World War II to discover they still could not vote. In Arizona, Maricopa county recorder Roger G. Laveen refused to register returning veterans of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, including Frank Harrison, to vote. He cited an earlier court decision saying Indigenous Americans were “persons under guardianship.” They sued, and the Arizona Supreme Court agreed that the phrase only applied to judicial guardianship.  
In New Mexico, Miguel Trujillo, a schoolteacher from Isleta Pueblo who had served as a Marine in World War II, sued the county registrar who refused to enroll him as a voter. In 1948, in Trujillo v. Garley, a state court agreed that the clause in the New Mexico constitution prohibiting “Indians not taxed” from voting violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments by placing a unique requirement on Indigenous Americans. It was not until 1957 that Utah removed its restrictions on Indigenous voting, the last of the states to do so.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act protected Native American voting rights along with the voting rights of all Americans, and they, like all Americans, are affected by the Supreme Court’s hollowing out of the law and the wave of voter suppression laws state legislators who have bought into Trump’s Big Lie have passed since 2021. Voter ID laws that require street addresses cut out many people who live on reservations, and lack of access to polling places cuts out others. 
Katie Friel and Emil Mella Pablo of the Brennan Center noted in 2022 that, for example, people who live on Nevada’s Duckwater reservation have to travel 140 miles each way to get to the closest elections office. “As the first and original peoples of this land, we have had only a century of recognized citizenship, and we continue to face systematic barriers when exercising the fundamental and hard-fought-for right to vote,” Democratic National Committee Native Caucus chair Clara Pratte said in a press release from the Democratic Party.
As part of the commemoration of the Indian Citizenship Act, the Democratic National Committee is distributing voter engagement and protection information in Apache, Ho-Chunk, Hopi, Navajo, Paiute, Shoshone, and Zuni.
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
108 notes · View notes
girlactionfigure · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media
THURSDAY HERO: Barney Ross
Dov-Ber Rosovsky was a world-champion boxer and injured World War II hero whose fierce Jewish pride made him an icon to American Jews.
Dov-Ber was born in New York in 1909, the son of a Talmudic scholar who fled to America after surviving a pogrom in Belarus. Dov-Ber grew up in Chicago, helping out in his father’s small grocery store in a poor neighborhood and studying to be a rabbi.
His life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his store. Dov-Ber’s mother suffered a nervous breakdown and the kids were farmed out to foster homes.
Dov-Ber became bitter and angry. He turned his back on religion, changed his name to Barney Ross, and took a job working for Al Capone. Barney’s goal was to make enough money to buy a house and reunite his family. He soon became such an effective street fighter, however, that he gave professional boxing a try. Strong, fast, and determined, “Barney” became a world champion in the three different weight classes. He was known for his exceptional stamina and his street smarts.
In the 1930’s, when Hitler was rising to power, Barney Ross became a hero to American Jews by showing pride in his heritage and taking a public stand against Nazi Germany.  He was determined to end each fight on his feet to show that Jews fight and don’t go down. In Barney’s final fight, he defended his title against fellow three-division world champion Henry Armstrong. Barney got brutally pummeled and his trainers begged him to let them stop the fight, but he was determined to stay on his feet. He’d never been knocked out in his career and wasn’t going to start now. He retired from boxing in his early 30’s with a record of 72 wins, 4 loses, 3 draws, and two no decisions, with 22 wins by knockout. He achieved his goal of having no career knockouts.
After retiring from the ring, Barney/Dov-Ber enlisted in the US Marine Corps to fight in World War II. The Marines wanted to keep him stateside as a celebrity morale-booster, but Barney insisted on fighting for his country. He was sent to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. During his time in Guadalcanal, Barney became friends with Chaplain Frederic Gehrig. Father Gehrig found an old pump organ on the island, and Barney was the only one who could play it. On Christmas Eve, before Barney and his fellow Marines were to go to battle, Gehrig asked him to play “Silent Night” and other Christmas songs for the troops. Barney happily obliged, finishing off the concert with “My Yiddishe Momma,” the song he used to play when he entered the boxing ring. Father Gehrig would later describe Barney Ross as a “national treasure.”
One night, Barney and three other soldiers were trapped under enemy fire. All four were wounded but Barney was the only one able to continue fighting. He gathered his comrades’ weapons and fought 22 Japanese soldiers, killing them all. Two of the American soldiers died, but Barney carried the third man to safety, even though the soldier weighed 230 pounds, while the wounded Barney weighed only 140! For his courage, Barney Ross was awarded a Silver Star and a citation from President Roosevelt.
Barney was hospitalized for his battle injuries, and the pain was so bad that he became dependent on morphine. After the war, he returned to America and opened a bar lounge. However, his drug addiction intensified as he turned to heroin, which was easier to obtain than morphine. Barney became hooked on heroin, an addiction that cost him $500 a day, as well as his marriage, his business and his life savings. Finally he hit rock bottom, and checked into a veteran’s recovery facility. He kicked his habit once and for all, and became a public speaker who educated high school students about the danger of drugs.
In the 1960’s, Barney made his living as a celebrity spokesman. After a brutal struggle with throat cancer, Barney Ross died in 1967 at age 57.
For his wartime heroism and for modeling Jewish strength and pride, we honor Dov-Ber “Barney Ross” Rosovsky as this week’s Thursday Hero.
78 notes · View notes
mybeingthere · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Guy Taplin, (British, born 1939) - sculptor of birds, born in London’s East End, who became “impassioned” by them when his family moved to Hereford in World War II. Returning to London, Taplin’s jobs included Post Office messenger, postman, ladies’ hairdresser, meat porter, lifeguard, National Service in Cyprus, then fashion, in which he was quite successful. Taplin began carving woodland birds, based on American decoys, when working in Regent’s Park as a labourer and gardener. Under pressure he was persuaded to sell some, was featured at the Portland Gallery, in Crafts and other magazines and on television and began to sculpt professionally.
90 notes · View notes
xoxobuckybarnes · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media
July 2024 Reading List
Complete
Donut Forget Our Love (Rated: T, Words: 1K) by dontcallmebree / @dontcallmebree
Summary: Steve Rogers is snoring into his neck. Again. It’s the third time they’ve fallen into bed in the past month alone, and Bucky’s accepted that he’s got a problem. There’s a reason they broke up. Not that Bucky’s been able to remember why lately, with every happy hour that’s gone a little too happy, Steve inching his way across the room and Bucky unable to resist. Tonight, Bucky wishes he had. Bucky gets a little reminder of what his heart has always wanted: a decent bed, bite-sized donuts, and loving Steve Rogers.
I Am Ash From Your Fire (Rated: E, Words: 177K) by lavenderpanic / @lavenderpanic
Summary: Whether they’re making love or Brock’s punching holes in drywall, he just cares so damn much about Bucky. Bucky doesn’t understand why. He’s terrified someday that Brock will grow indifferent, that’s why he feels a rush of relief every time Brock calls him a stupid fucking bitch or slaps him around for screwing something up. He still cares, that’s all Bucky can ever think.
comic books and coffee cups (Rated: T, Words: 4K) by sparkagrace / @sparkagrace
Summary: Based on the prompt: Bucky Barnes is a comic book writer with a very specific idea for a new story, but he hasn't yet found an artist who will work with him on this project. Enter Steve Rogers.
Under His Protection (Rated: E, Words: 21K) by MelanieKS
Summary: There is a nefarious plot brewing in the White House against the president. After an attempt on his life, President Barnes’ detail can’t be trusted and he’s not sure who he can turn to other than his friend Natasha Romanov. Five years retired, Steve Rogers is asked to pick up his shield one last time to protect the president while S.H.I.E.L.D. works on finding the mastermind behind the plot. It’s unconventional, but the safest, while Steve and the president hide away in a secluded cabin in the middle of the mountains of New York. Attraction sparks. Tension rises. Steve vows to keep his distance and remain professional but his attraction grows by the minute, until he can’t deny it any longer.
Podfic
Podfic: Stay and the night would be enough (Rated: T) by ForeverShippingJohnlock
Summary: Written by perfect_plan. Original summary: Things haven't been going well for Steve; he lost his apartment and his job as well as still trying to cope with the death of his mother. Crashing on his friend's couch soon leads to something more for him and Clint's roommate, who shares more with Steve than they both would have expected.
dance with a ghost (Rated: T) by lightupstars
Summary: “Captain America is haunting me,” Bucky says over a bowl of ramen. His pronouncement is met with a round of silence. “Captain America,” Natasha says. “As in--” “The first Avenger,” Bucky confirms. “Supersoldier and hero of World War II. The fabric of the American conscience.” “But he’s--dead,” Sam says. His look of perplexed concern, ever perplexed and ever concerned, only increases. “You’re aware of that, right?” “I know,” Bucky says. “That’s why I said he’s haunting me.”
WIP
War & Peace and the Redemption of Bucky Barnes (Rated: E, Current Words: 44K) by ThePirateStorm / @fsbc-librarian
Summary: Bucky Barnes is running from his problems. He’s housesitting for his best friend while she’s on her honeymoon - the almost a year prior that he’s been staying in her house doesn’t count - when he’s woken in the middle of the night by an angel and a demon. Okay, maybe they’re not a literal angel and demon, but Steve Rogers *looks* like an angel, and his daughter Charli certainly *acts* like a demon. The father/daughter duo are running from their own problems, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t crash headlong into one another’s lives. Throw in a cursed book for good measure, and it’s about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Gold Must Be Tried By Fire (Rated: M, Current Words: 18K) by lavenderpanic / @lavenderpanic
Summary: The pamphlets about escaping abuse always glossed over this part, and Bucky finally understands why. Nobody would fucking leave if they knew how hard recovery would be. In the midst of a trial that questions every hard-won truth out of Bucky's mouth, can he possibly allow himself to heal- physically and mentally? **Sequel to I Am Ash From Your Fire**
Rereads
Heart of Mine (Rated: E, Words: 133K) by deadto27 / @deadto27
Summary: It's been three years since Bucky pulled Steve from the river. Three years where Bucky has tried to get back to the person he was, to be better, to be recovered. Three years where his motivation for getting well has been Steve Rogers. To get to see him again. But when he finally does, he gets more than he expected. Because he never expected that he’d find Steve with a child. And he really never expected that he’d find Steve with his child. ----- “HYDRA…they were using DNA to try to repeat it,” Steve continues softly. “Your DNA,” he adds, meeting Bucky’s eyes, a solemn look on his face as Bucky suddenly catches on to what Steve’s getting at. His eyes widen in shock as Steve increases his grip just slightly on his knee. “The baby…she’s, well…” Steve seems to struggle for words as Bucky’s heart starts beating faster than ever. “She’s yours.”
58 notes · View notes
hboww2rewatch · 29 days
Text
Please read the movie descriptions below
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. Dir. by Steven Spielberg
A League of Their Own (1992) - American sports comedy drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during WWII. Dir. by Penny Marshall
Greyhound (2020) - The film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd, and follows a US Navy commander on his first assignment commanding a multi-national escort destroyer group of four, defending an Allied convoy from U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. Dir. by Aaron Schneider
Mudbound (2017) - The film depicts two World War II veterans – one white, one black – who return to rural Mississippi each to address racism and PTSD in his own way. Dir. by Dee Rees
Twelve O'Clock High (1949) - A tough-as-nails general (Gregory Peck as General Savage) takes over a B-17 bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape. Based on a novel by the same name. Dir. by Henry King
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - three United States servicemen re-adjusting to societal changes and civilian life after coming home from World War II. The three men come from different services with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds. It is one of the earliest films to address issues encountered by returning veterans in the post World War II era. Dir. by William Wyler 
The Monuments Men (2014) - An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners. Based on the 2007 non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Dir. by George Clooney
Dunkirk (2017) - Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated from Dunkirk. It is shown from the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. Dir. by Christopher Nolan
Fury (2014) - A grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945. Dir. by David Ayer
Valkyrie (2008) - A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II. Dir. by Bryan Singer
50 notes · View notes
officiallordvetinari · 2 months
Text
Below are 10 featured Wikipedia articles. Links and descriptions are below the cut.
On February 17, 1974, U.S. Army Private First Class Robert Kenneth Preston (1953–2009) took off in a stolen Bell UH-1B Iroquois "Huey" helicopter from Tipton Field, Maryland, and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House in a significant breach of security. Preston had enlisted in the Army to become a helicopter pilot. However, he did not graduate from the helicopter training course and lost his opportunity to attain the rank of warrant officer pilot. His enlistment bound him to serve four years in the Army, and he was sent to Fort Meade as a helicopter mechanic. Preston believed this situation was unfair and later said he stole the helicopter to show his skill as a pilot.
J. R. R. Tolkien, a fantasy author and professional philologist, drew on the Old English poem Beowulf for multiple aspects of his Middle-earth legendarium, alongside other influences. He used elements such as names, monsters, and the structure of society in a heroic age. He emulated its style, creating an impression of depth and adopting an elegiac tone. Tolkien admired the way that Beowulf, written by a Christian looking back at a pagan past, just as he was, embodied a "large symbolism" without ever becoming allegorical. He worked to echo the symbolism of life's road and individual heroism in The Lord of the Rings.
The construction of the first World Trade Center complex in New York City was conceived as an urban renewal project to help revitalize Lower Manhattan spearheaded by David Rockefeller. The project was developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The idea for the World Trade Center arose after World War II as a way to supplement existing avenues of international commerce in the United States.
The Coterel gang (also Cotterill, fl. c. 1328 – 1333) was a 14th-century armed group that flourished in the North Midlands of England. It was led by James Coterel—after whom the gang is named—supported by his brothers Nicholas and John. It was one of several such groups that roamed across the English countryside in the late 1320s and early 1330s, a period of political upheaval with an associated increase in lawlessness in the provinces. Coterel and his immediate supporters were members of the gentry, and according to the tenets of the day were expected to assist the crown in the maintenance of law and order, rather than encourage its collapse.
Eunice Newton Foote (July 17, 1819 – September 30, 1888) was an American scientist, inventor, and women's rights campaigner. She was the first scientist to confirm that certain gases warm when exposed to sunlight, and that therefore rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels could increase atmospheric temperature and affect climate, a phenomenon now referred to as the Greenhouse effect. Born in Connecticut, Foote was raised in New York at the center of social and political movements of her day, such as the abolition of slavery, anti-alcohol activism, and women's rights. She attended the Troy Female Seminary and the Rensselaer School from age 17–19, gaining a broad education in scientific theory and practice.
Simonie Michael (Inuktitut: ᓴᐃᒨᓂ ᒪᐃᑯᓪ;  first name also spelled Simonee, alternative surnames Michel  or E7-551; March 2, 1933 – November 15, 2008) was a Canadian politician from the eastern Northwest Territories (now Nunavut) who was the first Inuk elected to a legislature in Canada. Before becoming involved in politics, Michael worked as a carpenter and business owner, and was one of very few translators between Inuktitut and English. He became a prominent member of the Inuit co-operative housing movement and a community activist in Iqaluit, and was appointed to a series of governing bodies, including the precursor to the Iqaluit City Council.
The St. Johns River (Spanish: Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and it is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very slow flow speed of 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s), and is often described as "lazy".
Warlugulong is a 1977 acrylic on canvas painting by Indigenous Australian artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. Owned for many years by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the work was sold by art dealer Hank Ebes on 24 July 2007, setting a record price for a contemporary Indigenous Australian art work bought at auction when it was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia for A$2.4 million. The painting illustrates the story of an ancestral being called Lungkata, together with eight other dreamings associated with localities about which Clifford Possum had traditional knowledge. It exemplifies a distinctive painting style developed by Papunya Tula artists in the 1970s, and blends representation of landscape with ceremonial iconography. Art critic Benjamin Genocchio describes it as "a work of real national significance [and] one of the most important 20th-century Australian paintings".
William Samuel Sadler (June 24, 1875 – April 26, 1969) was an American surgeon, self-trained psychiatrist, and author who helped publish The Urantia Book. The book is said to have resulted from Sadler's relationship with a man through whom he believed celestial beings spoke at night. It drew a following of people who studied its teachings.
Zebras (US: /ˈziːbrəz/, UK: /ˈzɛbrəz, ˈziː-/) (subgenus Hippotigris) are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), the plains zebra (E. quagga), and the mountain zebra (E. zebra). Zebras share the genus Equus with horses and asses, the three groups being the only living members of the family Equidae. Zebra stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. Several theories have been proposed for the function of these patterns, with most evidence supporting them as a deterrent for biting flies. Zebras inhabit eastern and southern Africa and can be found in a variety of habitats such as savannahs, grasslands, woodlands, shrublands, and mountainous areas.
47 notes · View notes
mydaddywiki · 4 months
Text
Charles Durning
Tumblr media
Physique: Rotund Build/Heavyset Height: 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012; aged 89) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Despite his short, roly-poly build, he was surprisingly lithe and athletic. And hot to all chubby daddy lovers. Referred to as "the King of Character Actors", Durning has been at the centre of so many of my dirty little fantasies that I almost don't want to share him with anyone else. But due to my altruistic nature, I feel I must.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Actor, World War II hero, professional boxer, cab driver, ballroom dancer - the list kind of goes on with this guy. Essentially a very talented, funny cute guy. Film wise he is probably most famous for his role in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas where he dance his ass off. And what an it was. Durning died of natural causes on Christmas Eve December 24, 2012, at the age of 89. Durning, who was married twice, is survived by three children.
Tumblr media
RECOMMENDATIONS: (2015) Bleeding Hearts - In his underwear, holding a dildo. (2011) The Naked Run - Open shirt, shirtless on a table. Monk (TV Series) - S5/E16 (2007) - Open shirt Evening Shade (TV Series) 5 Episodes - Shirtless (1989) Dinner at Eight - Underwear, brandishing his bulge. (1976 ) Captains and the Kings - Chapter II - Shirtless bath scene. (1975) Dog Day Afternoon - He lifts up his shirt revealing his belly.
38 notes · View notes
bellwood-qudditch · 2 days
Text
Next Gen jobs
Teddy: Goblin liaison turned Stay at home dad
Victorie: Healer, turned Hogwarts school counsellor after 25 years at St. Mungo’s
Dominique: Record and archives keeper at the French ministry of magic + former bartender + former band member
Louis: St. Gringott’s desk job and then wizarding world equivalent engineer
Molly ii: Journalist for the ‘New York Ghost’ (American version of the daily prophet)
Lucy: Ministry secretary, specialising in PR.
Fred ii: Worker for his father’s business and eventual owner.
Roxanne: apprentice for Madam Malkin’s robes turned huge fashion designer
Rose: Professional quidditch player
Hugo: Paralegal turned Lawyer within the ministry of magic
James Sirius: Professional quidditch player
Albus: Worked in an apothecary in Diagon Alley, then became a potioneer for St. Mungo’s. And eventually became the Hogwarts potions teacher.
Lily Luna: Entrepreneur for her own skincare line within the wizarding world and eventually the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.
21 notes · View notes
Note
The Royal Family’s Apology for their treatment of Meghan Markle:
I’m sorry we spent £32 million on your heavily promoted wedding 
I’m sorry The King stepped in to walk you down the aisle 
I’m sorry we spent £1 million on your first-year wardrobe 
I’m sorry you only undertook 72 days of royal work
I’m sorry we gifted you and your husband the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and Baron and Baroness Kilkeel
I’m sorry we spent £4 million-a-year on your security
I’m sorry we hid your alarmingly shady past from the public 
I’m sorry we covered up your rampant bullying of young professional women and then covered up the results of the bullying investigation in order to protect you
I’m sorry we gifted you an 11-room house on the Windsor estate, for free
I’m sorry we footed the £3.2 million bill to renovate your house to your liking
I’m sorry we granted you the honour of marrying in the historic Royal Chapel at Windsor Castle
I’m sorry we gave you your own independent team of staff
I’m sorry we appointed you your own adviser and assistant to make the transition to royal easier
I’m sorry you were the first girlfriend to be invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham with Queen Elizabeth II and family
I’m sorry The Queen invited you to a theatre charity less than four weeks after marrying H - the earliest ever joint engagement with The Queen
I’m sorry we invited you to the funeral of the longest-serving monarch in British history after you continued to slander everything she ever worked for in multiple interviews and podcasts
I’m sorry we granted you, an American, your own coat of arms from the 500-year-old College of Arms
I’m sorry we didn’t silence you by making you sign any NDAs, allowing you to sign multi-million-dollar deals for books, interviews and podcasts
I’m sorry we’re the reason George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and Elton John pretended to like you
I’m sorry we gave you the opportunity to co-write a cookbook, guest edit British Vogue, and ‘curate’ your own fashion capsule. 
I’m sorry we advised you twice not to wear those blood diamonds gifted by Jamal Khashoggi’s murderer
I’m sorry our support made you feel emboldened to behave appallingly towards staff and ticket-holders at Wimbledon
I’m sorry your behaviour on the Oceania tour angered your hosts and we covered it up by encouraging positive coverage from the press
I’m sorry we invited you to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee after you’d called us all racist abusers on international television
I’m sorry we thought you’d like to be patron of the UK’s National Theatre, we didn’t realise you’re not interested in the theatre
I’m sorry nobody stopped you from wearing a maternity coat and announcing your 8-week pregnancy at the wedding of your husband’s cousin
I’m sorry you publicly announced your first pregnancy on Infant Loss Awareness Day
I’m sorry we lied to the press about the existence of the nude pictures you took of yourself, easily available on the internet
I’m sorry we let you live free-of-charge in a two-bedroom London property while the free five-bedroom country house we gave you was renovated
I’m sorry we introduced you to world leaders, high-ranking officials and A-list celebrities
I’m sorry we helped perpetuate your lie that your degree was in ‘international relations and theatre’ and not ‘communications’
I’m sorry for all the jewellery we gifted you, including a pair of expensive pearl earrings from Queen Elizabeth II
I’m sorry we helped perpetuate your lie that you worked at the US Embassy in Argentina for several months instead of attending classes at the Embassy school organised by the uncle you didn’t invite to the wedding
I’m sorry we loaned you the use of a historic diamond-encrusted tiara
I’m sorry we took an interest in what colour your future yet-to-be-conceived baby’s hair would be
I’m sorry we permitted you to only allow American press to the unveiling of your first child in Windsor Castle, as requested, instead of British press 
I’m sorry we helped cover up that you worked with the authors of Finding Freedom
I’m sorry for allowing you to keep all those freebies you’re definitely not allowed to keep
I’m sorry your husband, a prince, didn’t explain how to courtesy to The Queen 
I’m sorry we acquiesced to you inviting celebrities you’d never met before to your wedding
I’m sorry we didn’t clamp down on you monetising your official royal engagements
I’m sorry we respected your boundaries by not hugging on first meeting
I’m sorry we allowed you to mistakenly believe you were more popular than Catherine and William
I’m sorry for providing a team of highly-trained, expensive doctors at your disposal
I’m sorry we funded a household staff of cooks, cleaners and nannies for you
I’m sorry nobody asked if you’re okay.
So sorry about all that.
😂😂😂😂
474 notes · View notes
mariacallous · 9 months
Text
From Taiwan and Finland in January to Croatia and Ghana in December, one of the largest combined electorates in history will vote for new governments in 2024. This should be a cause of celebration and a vindication of the power of the ballot box. Yet this coming year is likely to see one of the starkest erosions of liberal democracy since the end of the Cold War. At their worst, the overall results could end up as a bloodbath or, marginally less bleakly, as a series of setbacks.
At first glance, the stats are impressive. Forty national elections will take place, representing 41 percent of the world’s population and 42 percent of its gross domestic product. Some will be more consequential than others. Some will be more unpredictable than others. (You can strike Russia and Belarus from that list.) One or two may produce uplifting results.
However, in the United States and Europe, the two regions that are the cradles of democracy—or at least, that used to project themselves as such—the year ahead is set to be bracing.
It is no exaggeration to say that the structures established after World War II, and which have underpinned the Western world for eight decades, will be under threat if former U.S. President Donald Trump wins a second term in November. Whereas his first period in the White House might be regarded as a psychodrama, culminating in the paramilitary assault on Congress shortly after his defeat, this time around, his menace will be far more professional and penetrating.
European diplomats in Washington fear a multiplicity of threats—the imposition of blanket tariffs, also known as a trade war; the sacking of thousands of public officials and their replacement with politicized loyalists; and the withdrawal of remaining support for Ukraine and the undermining of NATO. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the return of Trump would be manna from heaven. Expect some form of provocation from the Kremlin in the Baltic states or another state bordering Russia to test the strength of Article 5, the mutual defense clause of the Western alliance.
More broadly, a Trump victory would arguably mark the final dismantling of the credibility of Western liberal democracies. From India to South Africa and from Brazil to Indonesia, countries variously called middle powers, pivot countries, multi-aligned states—or, now less fashionably, the global south—will continue the trend of picking and choosing their alliances, seeing moral equivalence in the competitive bids on offer.
The greatest effect that a Trump return could have would be on Europe, accelerating the onward march of the alt right or far right across the continent. Yet that trend will have gained momentum long before Americans go to the polls. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are looking over their shoulders as the second wave of populism affects the conduct of government.
The wedge issue that is threatening all moderate parties is immigration, just as it did in 2015, when former German Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed in more than 1 million refugees from the Middle East in what is now seen as the first wave of Europe’s immigration crisis. This time around, the arguments propagated by the AfD (the far-right Alternative for Germany party), Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, and similar groups across the continent have permeated the political mainstream.
The past 12 months have seen European Union decision-making constantly undermined by Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary, particularly further support for Ukraine. For the moment, he stands alone, but he is likely to be joined by others, starting with the newly returned Prime Minister Robert Fico in Slovakia. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has struck a tacit deal with Brussels, remaining loyal on supporting Ukraine (against her instincts and previous statements) in return for effectively being given carte blanche in Italy’s domestic politics.
In September, Austria seems almost certain to vote in a coalition of the far right and the conservatives. A country that has (ever since the withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1955) prized its neutrality and been keen to ingratiate itself with Moscow has already been uncomfortable giving full-scale support to Kyiv. We can expect that support to soon be scaled back.
One of the few countries with a center-left administration, Portugal, will see it join the pack of the right and far right when snap elections are held in March. The previous incumbent, the Socialist Party’s outgoing Prime Minister Antonio Costa, was forced to quit amid a corruption investigation.
The most explosive moment is likely to occur in June, with the elections to the European Parliament. This reshuffling of the Euro-pack, which happens once every four years, was always seen in the United Kingdom as an opportunity to behave even more frivolously than usual. In 2014, the British electorate, in its inestimable wisdom, put Nigel Farage and his U.K. Independence Party in first place, setting in train a series of events that, two years later, led to the referendum to leave the EU.
Having seen the damage wrought by Brexit, voters in the remaining 27 EU member states are not angling for their countries to go it alone. However, many will use the opportunity to express their antipathy to mainstream politics by opting for a populist alternative. Some might see it as a low-risk option, believing that the European parliament does not count for much.
In so doing, they would be deluding themselves. It is entirely possible that the various forces of the far right could emerge as the single biggest bloc. This might not lead to a change in the composition of the European Commission (the diminished mainstream groupings would still collectively hold a majority), but any such extremist upsurge will change the overall dynamics across Europe.
Far-right parties in charge of governments will see themselves emboldened to pursue ever more radical nativist policies. In countries in where they are junior members of ruling coalitions (such as in Sweden), they will apply further pressure on their more mainstream conservative partners to move in their direction.
Conversely, countries that saw a surprising resurgence of the mainstream in national elections this year are unlikely to see that trend maintained. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s success in staving off the right was achieved only by cutting a deal with Catalan separatists. This led to protests by Spanish nationalists and a situation that is anything but stable.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s victory in Poland was at least as remarkable because the far-right Law and Justice party (PiS) government had used its years in government to try to skew the media and the courts in its direction. Expect PiS gains in June.
The most alarming result of 2023 was the return to prominence, and the verge of power, of Geert Wilders. The Dutch elections provide a how-not-to guide for mainstream politicians. The willingness of the center-right party of the outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte to contemplate a coalition with Wilders’s Party for Freedom emboldened many voters who had assumed their vote would be disregarded.
In Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, the so-called firewall established by the main parties to refuse to govern with the AfD is beginning to fray. Already, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is working with them in small municipalities. Friedrich Merz, the CDU leader, has dropped hints that such an option might not be out of the question at the regional level.
If the AfD gains the largest number of seats in the June European Parliament elections (opinion polls currently put it only marginally behind the CDU and ahead of all three parties in Scholz’s so-called traffic light coalition), then the momentum will change rapidly. It could go on to win three of the states in the former communist east—Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg—next autumn. Germany would enter unchartered territory.
These dire predictions could end up being overblown. Mainstream parties in several countries may defy the doom merchants and emerge less badly than forecast. Given recent trends, however, optimism is thin on the ground.
There is one election, however, due to take place in the latter part of 2024 that could produce not just a centrist outcome, but one with a strong majority in its parliament. Britain, the country that left the heart of Europe, the island that until recently was run by a clown, could emerge as the lodestar for modern social democracy. The irony would be lost on no one.
79 notes · View notes