#Former serviceman

[mercurygray]

Friends, I have failed you all. I've seen a lot of posts over the last week with a lot of great biographical detail about many of the flyers and aircrew who've been name-dropped so far in Masters of the Air - and I haven't seen a single thing about the one name that is directly in the center of this blog's lane.

In Part 2, returning from their mission to Trondheim, Cleven and Egan walk into the Interrogation hut and Egan accepts a cup of coffee from a woman he thanks as Tatty. Later on, at the dance, James Douglass remarks that he will be 'coming in hot' on one of the American Red Cross women on the other side of the room, and one of his friends asks "General Spaatz's daughter? Or the other one?"

Katherine "Tatty" Spaatz was a member of the American Red Cross Clubmobile service and the daughter of General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, who commanded the Eighth Air Force on its move to England. (General Spaatz later moved to overall command of the entire Army Air Forces in the Europe Theatre of Operations, or ETO. He is, as the kids say, rather important.)

But we're not talking about him here. We're talking about her.

Katherine was 22 years old when she arrived in Europe with the Red Cross. (One of her traveling companions that trip was Kathleen Kennedy, daughter of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph P Kennedy Sr., also coming to serve overseas with the ARC.)

The American Red Cross's mission in Europe had many facets during the Second World War - in addition to activities we might think of today, like collecting blood, providing disaster relief at home and running first aid seminars, they were responsible for collecting and distributing packages for Prisoners of War.

They also operated large canteens like the Rainbow Corner club, a recreational facility in London where soldiers on leave could get a room for the weekend, a bite to eat, and a number of other amenities. Smaller clubs called Donut Dugouts provided a space where a serviceman could always be assured of a cup of hot coffee, a donut, and a pretty girl to talk to, specially recruited for being friendly, fair, approachable, and specially trained to be the girl next door overseas. In addition to these more permanent installations, they also operated the Clubmobile service, a mobile version of their popular Dugouts that moved operations into retooled Green Line Bus Company buses to take donuts and a taste of home to the front line.

Tatty, as she was called, worked on the Clubmobile "North Dakota" along with Julia "Dooley" Townsend, Virginia "Ginny" Sherwood, and Dorothy "Mike" Myrick. Life Magazine did a full article on their clubmobile in February of 1943, which you can read online at the link. There is another lovely blog post with pictures here. She also worked for a time in a more permanent post at the USAAF base at Snetterton Heath, and was later sent to France. You can read a little bit more about her and see more pictures at her bio page at the American Air Museum in Britain website.

If you'd like more information about Tatty, Helen, and women like them, as well as the Clubmobile service, consider reading the following:

Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys by James H. Madison Battlestars & Doughnuts: World War II Clubmobile Experiences of Mary Metcalfe Rexford War through the Hole of a Donut, by Angela Petesch Goodnight, Irene (fiction) - Although this is a novel, it is based on Luis Alberto Urrea's mother's time as a Clubmobile worker and her personal papers.

[guitarhappyman]

Let people know.

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in

Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'

Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.'

'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Forward this message on. If you do not send it, you will have, once again passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful.

If you've received this, it is because someone cares for you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care.

If you're 'too busy' to take those few minutes right now to forward this message on, would this be the VERY first time you didn't do that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?

The more people that you send this to, the better you'll be at reaching out to those you care about.

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

In 1935, fishermen caught a tiger shark and put it on display in an aquarium in Sydney. Shortly after, the shark fell ill, vomiting in front of a small crowd. Among the contents was a left hand and forearm bearing a distinctive tattoo. Fingerprints confirmed the limb belonged to James "Jim" Smith, a former boxer and petty criminal who had been missing since April 7, 1935. Upon examination, it was discovered that the limb had been deliberately severed with a knife, leading to a murder investigation. Initial investigations pointed towards a Sydney businessman named Reginald William Lloyd Holmes.

Holmes, known for his fraudulent activities and smuggling, also managed a prosperous family boat-building business. Holmes had hired Smith multiple times for insurance scams. They later joined forces in criminal endeavors with Patrick Francis Brady, an ex-serviceman and convicted forger. Smith was last spotted at the Cecil Hotel in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on April 7, 1935, enjoying drinks and cards with Patrick Francis Brady. Prior to this, he had informed his wife that he was going fishing.

During that period, Brady had rented a small cottage on Taloombi Street, Cronulla. Police suspected that Smith met his unfortunate fate at this very cottage, alleging it to be the location of his murder. Port Hacking and Gunnamatta Bay were searched by the Navy and the Air Force, but the rest of Smith's body was never found. Brady was arrested on 16 May and charged with the murder of Smith. Initially, Holmes denied any association with Brady but four days later, on 20 May 1935, the businessman went into his boatshed and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head with a .32 calibre pistol. However, the bullet instead flattened against the bone of his forehead and he was merely stunned. Holmes eventually cooperated with the police stating that Brady had killed Smith, dismembered his body and stowed it into a trunk that he had then thrown into Gunnamatta Bay.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The airplane seemed far more alive and human than any machine I had ever flown.

Charles Lindbergh

The cockpit in which Charles Lindbergh sat while piloting the first aircraft to make a solo non-stop transatlantic flight, the Spirit of Saint Louis, in May of 1927 was as pioneering as the flight itself.

It was an unusual design to an ordinary layout of a cockpit of that era. A periscope was used instead of a forward window. The Spirit was designed and built in San Diego to compete for the $25,000 Orteig Prize, which was offered by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first aviator to cross the Atlantic non-stop, either from New York to Paris or vice versa. Lindbergh, a U.S. Air Mail pilot, believed that a single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane would provide him with the best chance of success.

Under his close supervision, the Spirit was designed and constructed in just 60 days. To enhance the centre of gravity and minimise the risk of being crushed in case of a crash, Lindbergh had the large main and forward fuel tanks placed in the front section of the fuselage, ahead of the pilot, with the oil tank acting as a firewall. As a result of this design choice, there was no front windshield, and forward visibility was limited to the side windows.

However, this arrangement didn't bother Lindbergh, as he was accustomed to flying in the rear cockpit of mail planes with mail bags in the front. When he needed to see forward, he would simply look out the sides. To address the need for some forward vision, Lindbergh enlisted the help of a former submarine serviceman to design and install a periscope. Inside the cramped cockpit, measuring 94 cm wide, 81 cm long, and 130 cm high, Lindbergh couldn't even stretch his legs.

[seherstudies]

オボンソサイエティ

I finally was able to finish the series about the Obon Society on Satori reader and make the vocab list!

The Obon Society is a non-profit organisation that returns 寄せ書きの日の丸 (よせがきのひのまる), a flag on which family members of a soldier about to go off to war would write personal words of encouragement and well-wishes, to bereaved famlies.

Vocab down below.

太平洋戦争　Pacific War (1941-1945);

The name for World War II in Japanese is 第二次世界大戦, dai-niji sekai taisen, and that name is common and well-known. However, when speaking about World War II from the Japanese perspective, it's more common to use the term above, since the Pacific theatre is where Japan participated.

終わりを迎える（おわりをむかえる）to come to an end 経つ（たつ） to pass 出来事（できごと）incident; affair; happening; event 現実味（げんじつみ）(sense of) reality 遺族（いぞく）bereaved family いまだに　not yet 在住　resident; living; dwelling

非営利団体（ひえいりだんたい）nonprofit organisation 遺品（いひん）articles of the deceased; article left by the deceased; things that belonged to the deceased 当時　at that time; in those days 戦士（せんし）death in action; KIA 紙切れ（かみきれ）scrap of paper 小包（こづつみ）parcel, package 年月（としつき）months and years 一体（いったい）…the heck (e.g. what he heck?), …in the world (e.g. why in the world?); …on earth (e.g. who on earth?)

照明　signature 国旗（こっき）national flag 書き込む　to fill in, to fill out a form 出征（しゅっせい）going to war, departure for the front 親戚 relative 肌身離さず (hadamihanagizu) carrying close to one's person at all times; next to the skin 軍隊（ぐんたい）armed forces 先導（せんどう）guidance, leadership 攻撃（こうげき）attack, strike, offensive 敵軍（てきぐん）enemy army 手柄（てがら）achievement; feat; meritorious deed; distinguished service 称賛（しょうさん）praise; admiration; commendation; approbation (this representation places focus on verbal commendation) 術（すべ）way, method

戦没者（せんぼつしゃ）persons who have fallen in battle 計り知れない（はかりしれない）unfathomable, inestimable, immeasurable 持ち主（もちぬし）owner; proprietor; possessor (e.g. of talent, beauty, etc.) 捜索（そうさく）search (esp. for someone or something missing); investigation

退役（たいえき）retiring from military service 退役軍人（たいえきぐんじん）ex-serviceman 一切（いっさい）all; everything; the whole; lock, stock, and barrel; absolutely not (with negative); without exception; entirely not 最期（さいご）one's last moment; one's time of death

Note that the characters used for this word are 最期 and not 最後. Go is a fairly rare reading for this character, which much more often contributes ki. Though it sounds identical and certainly overlaps in meaning with the 最後 that simply means "end," 最期 specifically means the end of one's life.

どうすべき lit. how he should do; what should he do すべき abbr. for するべき 終止符（しゅうしふ）full stop; period

来日（らいにち）arrival in Japan; coming to Japan; visit to Japan 左手（ひだりて）left hand; ; also used as a slightly more polite equivalent for "left" or "left side" 保管（ほかん）charge; custody; safekeeping; deposit; storage 声をつ詰まらせる（こえをつまされる）to choke up (e.g., have difficulty speaking because of emotion) 安らか（やすらか）peaceful; tranquil; calm; restful 誇りに思う（ほこりにおもう）to be proud of

遺体（いたい）dead body; corpse; remains 迫撃砲（はくげきほう）mortar 畳む（たたむ）to fold (clothes) ためらう（to hesitate) うずめる　to cover; to bury (e.g. one's face in hands) 旗に何度も顔をうずめながら、なみだ涙を流しました。 後悔（こうかい）regret

扱う（あつかう）to deal with (a person); to treat; to handle; to take care of; to entertain 故郷（こきょう）home town, birthplace; native place; one's old home 抱える（かかえる）to have (esp. problems, debts, etc.) 解放（かいほう）release; unleashing; liberation; emancipation; setting free 目にする　to see; to witness; to observe; to catch sight of; to get a glimpse of; to encounter 単純（たんじゅん） simplicity; simple; uncomplicated わだかまり　ill feelings (Visualize wadakamari as a ball of of dissatisfaction, distrust, doubt, or bad feelings in your heart that lingers. It's a lump you can feel in your chest.)

ryk-つつある　to be doing; to be in the process of doing 軍事（ぐんじ）military affairs 取引（とりひき）transactions; dealings; business 働きかけ（はたらきかけ）pressure; encouragement; urging; promoting 大手（おおて）major company; big company 旧～ ex-; former; old 旧日本軍（にほんぐん）lit. the Japanese military

In most contexts, it refers not to any modern armed forces, but specifically to the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army, up through World War II. Similarly, a soldier in such forces was, at the time, simply 日本兵, nihon-hei, "a Japanese soldier." Japan's mordern armed forces are referred to as 自衛隊（じえいたい）

Tldr：If you see 旧日本~ in any military context, you should think of 1945 and earlier.

とはいえ　though; although; be that as it may; nonetheless 売買（ばいばい）trade; buying and selling; trafficking (e.g. of humans, arms, drugs); dealing 一人でも多くの人（ひとりでもおおくのひと）lit. even if it's (just) one more person."; If you are working hard to do something for the benefit of "even just one more person," it means you are trying to do it for as many people as possible.

[minteagalaxea]

the high table | s.v.t

choi seungcheol: s.coups

known for overturning in a single night the entirety of the japanese yakuza for his ward to seize control of the yakuza, s.coups is ruthless and protective of those that under his care, garnering him a thirteen million dollar bounty on his head from those that oppose his charge’s control.

yoon jeonghan

as the manager of the incheon branch of the continental hotel, joenghan serves as the information broker for all of south korea, and potentially beyond (though he keeps his knowledge to himself). despite his penchant for verbal and psychological warfare, he’s also capable of shooting.

hong joshua

hong joshua helps keep the incheon continental working smoothly, operating as the intermediary between his criminal clientele and the many ammenities rendered by the various members in the establishment. he is known for his sweet demeanor, but behind that hides a deadly nature when in danger.

wen junhui: jun

as the heir to the wen crime family, wen junhui is set to take over his family empire with the various bodies he has killed. capitalizing on the rule by fear, he is determined to stretch his dominion beyond just guangzhou, but towards all of china.

kwon soonyoung: hoshi

as a former associate of many various crime families and institutions, kwon soonyoung is currently on the run from those many institutions after killing an esteemed member in the prestigious continental hotel in incheon. with a twenty-two million dollar bounty, his whereabouts are frequently tracked by money-hungry assassins.

jeon wonwoo

known among the criminal underworld to be a free agent, jeon wonwoo is an assassin of absolute precision and brutality in his part of the world. also known to have retired from the world, his sudden return to the underground makes his bounty enticing to many who want to immortalize themselves.

lee jihoon: woozi

the newest proprietor and manager of the osaka continental, woozi’s reputation for taking in strays into his wing makes osaka the premier safe haven for those that wish for refuge from whatever is hunting them. his benevolence, however, does not exempt him from sharp words and knives, indicating his former time as a serviceman. 

lee seokmin: dokyeom

hiding from emissaries of the russian mob because of his brother’s actions, dokyeom currently works as a ballistic armor specialist and tailor for the osaka continental’s guests. his work, while relatively anonymous, is worn among the many locals in the criminal underworld of japan.

kim mingyu

particular about his “dinner reservations”, mingyu works hard to make sure that the bodies are disposed of in every capacity. his services are so impeccable that he is highly sought out through osaka to help handle the aftermath, though he does take some of the valuables for himself. 

xu minahgo: the8

initially a member of the wen family, the8 now works as the sommelier for the osaka continental, not just serving wine, but also firearms for all occasions. taken in as a stray after killing a prominent member of the wen crime syndicate, his location is unknown to the family.

boo seungkwan

initially beginning a clinic to help those that could not receive medical assistance, seungkwan’s increasingly underworld clientele enticed him to seek employment at the incheon continental hotel, where he shows his years of medical experience.

choi hansol: vernon

another stray now within the osaka continental hotel, vernon’s knowledge of blueprints—and where to get them—allows operatives to have their most powerful weapon on hand. a former member of the ruska roma, his bounty is due to an incident that required him to use his ticket, losing his place there.

lee chan: dino

the newest member of the osaka continental, dino is learning the ropes of being a concierge, a shift from his upbringing of violence and brutality. however, he is of utmost loyalty to the hotel, being unafraid to exert violence in the face of danger of not just the establishment, but to the workers inside.

[kiki-de-la-petite-flaque]

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another.

That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'

Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.'

'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

Credits goes to the respective owner

[leeenuu]

Relatives and friends comfort a woman after Ukrainian rescue workers found a body of a person under the debris following a Russian attack that heavily damaged a school in Mykolaivka, Ukraine, Wednesday, September 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People transport fuel on a boat in front of a destroyed bridge across the Siverskyi-Donets river in Staryi-Saltiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A destroyed Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle near the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, September 24, 2022. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

Valentina Bondarenko reacts as she stands with her husband Leonid outside their house that was heavily damaged after a Russian attack in Sloviansk, Ukraine, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. The 78-year-old woman was in the garden and fell on the ground at the moment of the explosion. "Everything flew and I started to run away", says Valentina. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A rescue worker takes a pause as he sits on the debris at the scene where a woman was found dead after a Russian attack that heavily damaged a school in Mykolaivka, Ukraine, Wednesday, September 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Anna Sachek, 18, a volunteer, who said she is collecting souvenirs, crawls inside a destroyed Russian armoured vehicle, in the recently liberated town of Izium, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. (REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)

Anton Krasyvyi rows passengers across the Siverskyi-Donets river in front of a destroyed bridge, so they can visit relatives in Staryi-Saltiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A cat sits near shells for a RPG-7 grenade launcher at a former position of Russian troops in the village of Velyka Komyshuvakha, recently liberated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, September 24, 2022. (REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak)

A Ukrainian serviceman inspects a kindergarten classroom with a sign "Z" on the door that was used by Russian forces in the recently retaken area of Kapitolivka, Ukraine, Sunday, September 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man paints over the Russian flag in the recently recaptured village of Kozacha Lopan', Ukraine, Monday, September 19, 2022. Russian forces withdrew from the village, which is 3km from the border with Russia, on September 11. (Nicole Tung/The New York Times)

[pretordh]

A volunteer from New Zealand died in the war in Ukraine against Russian aggression, RNZ reports.

Volunteer Kane Te Tai is a former serviceman of the New Zealand Army. He was in Ukraine for almost a year and is the third New Zealander to die as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian full-scale war.

The death of a volunteer in the East was confirmed by the commander of the unit where he served. According to New Zealand media, Kane has a 12-year-old daughter.

[ncisfranchise-source]

NCIS: Sydney will feel very familiar to fans of CBS’ well-watched franchise, while also being uniquely Australian, showrunner Morgan O’Neill tells TVLine in the exclusive Q&A below.

The premise for NCIS: Sydney: As international tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific, a brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multi-national task force, to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.

The cast also includes Sean Sagar (Fate: The Winx Saga) as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle (Bad Behaviour) as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper, Mavournee Hazel (Neighbours) as AFP Forensic Scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson, and William McInnes (Blue Heelers) as AFP Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose.

The first international NCIS offshoot’s eight-episode season will premiere on CBS on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 8/7c, and also be available live and on demand that night for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers. (“Regular” Paramount+ Essential subscribers can stream each episode the day after it airs.)

Check out the exclusive key art poster above (click to zoom), then read on to see what series boss Morgan O’Neill has to say about the NCIS franchise’s trip to the land Down Under….

TVLINE | What was the genesis of NCIS: Sydney? Was CBS looking for an NCIS set on another continent, or was it, “We need a show for Paramount+ Australia”? MORGAN O’NEILL | I think it was more the former, although the latter is probably a good upside for it, too. My understanding is that CBS was looking to expand the franchise beyond [the northern] hemisphere. Since the show revolves around naval crimes, naturally they looked at “the world’s largest island,” and then they pitched the idea to Bev McGarvey who runs Paramount+ Australia. She’s a massive fan of the franchise, so she said, “Let me take it to Endemol Shine Australia (ESA).” They then came to me and said, “We have this incredible opportunity to expand one of the world’s biggest franchises into Australia. How the hell would you do it?” I got together with the head of scripted at ESA and worked up what this show might look like and pitched it back to Paramount+ and to CBS. They flipped for it at lightning speed, which almost never happens in our industry.

TVLINE | Is there anything that a U.S. viewer should know before watching this, with regards to what’s different about law enforcement in Australia? The first and most obvious difference is that while NCIS exists in Australia in real life, they don’t have the same kind of jurisdictional authority as they would in the U.S., because they’re in a foreign country. So when NCIS works in Australia they work in conjunction with our highest law enforcement agencies — in particular the Australian Federal Police, which are our equivalent of the FBI. From the perspective of our show, what’s going to be very, very different is that it’s effectively the first “blended family” where NCIS has to form a team with the Australian Federal Police and operate in conjunction with them.

It’s Australians and Americans working not always in concert, but certainly together, and working through cultural differences, working through the clashes that would naturally exist when you bring two disparate organizations together. But ultimately they find that there is this core DNA that they share between the two organizations that actually bonds them into a team really quickly, but with unexpected results.

TVLINE | So, each case will need to involve some sort of U.S. serviceman…? Absolutely. The basic premise that NCIS has to find a connection, a nexus back to the U.S. Navy, will continue, but what’s interesting in Australia is that it’s not just the Navy. If there is something that happens in Australia in the Army or the Air Force or the Coast Guard that pertains to the U.S., NCIS does the investigations. So, in a funny way they actually have a bigger remit than they do in the U.S. because they’re looking after the four other arms of the Armed Forces.

TVLINE | What are some fun character dynamics to watch for? Well, No. 1 on the call sheet, the person who gets to kind of call the shots out here, is [NCIS Special Agent] Michelle Mackey (played by Olivia Swann). She’s a former Marine captain/chopper pilot and somewhat of a maverick, so she’s kind of a problem child who’s been handed around NCIS for a little while as they figure out how to handle her. She drops into Australia where we are, in and of ourselves — how should I put it nicely for my fellow countrymen? — a bit “antiauthoritarian.” So sparks fly naturally, which is great.

Then there’s a core group of characters, which in some ways will feel familiar to an NCIS audience, because they know that in the world of the show there are investigators and forensic pathologists and forensic scientists involved. They’ll look at the show and see a familiar architecture to it, but three-quarters of them are Australians and that makes for a very, very different experience. A lot of the things that Americans take for granted about the world will be put up into relief here a bit, and interrogated, but ultimately what’s fascinating about these characters and the first season of this show is that it doesn’t actually take very long to realize that they’re kind of cut from the same cloth.

TVLINE | Did you try to cast the Australian side of the cast with 100% percent Australians? How did that net out? It’s interesting — the show is an entirely Australian show. Its cast, it’s crewed, it’s written by, it’s produced by, and it’s commissioned by Australians. All of the Australian characters are Australians, and that’s 95% of the cast including guest cast. But when you work on a show that’s as big as NCIS, which is is 200 territories, in 60 different languages, with trillions of hours of this show watched, the great relief from a showrunner’s point of view is that I don’t really have to go out and find “stars.” The show is already the star; I just get to cast the greatest actors on the planet! So we were able to cast really wide, really broadly, to find the best actors to slide into these pretty unique roles. And we were able to find a couple of actors out of the UK, as it would happen, who are just remarkable, in Olivia Swann and Sean Sagar.

TVLINE | I know Olivia from Legends of Tomorrow, and she’s great. She’s incredible, and I had sort of been following both her and Sean. I’m a huge fan of [director] Guy Ritchie and Sean is one of Guy Ritchie’s favorite actors to work with.

I’ve worked on a lot of shows and I’m a huge believer in the idea that whatever the vibe is amongst the humans that make the show somehow translates to the screen. And in this case, as we wrapped production on Season 1, even though some actors when they wrap you never see them again, they kept coming back to set. In fact, Olivia wrapped up on the very last day of shooting, but Todd Lasance, who is her No. 2, made a point to be there. It’s a real vibe, and we’re really excited to see what the rest of the world thinks.

TVLINE | Will there be nods to any other NCIS shows along the way? “I once met Leroy Jethro Gibbs at a conference…” or something? Look, there are a couple of little Easter eggs there. I won’t spoil them, but they’re definitely there. One of the things that I think audiences love about this show is the fact that it feels like a universe, not individual shows. And while they each have their own DNA, I think that’s what was really clever about the way CBS developed this franchise is they didn’t go out to make the same show twice. If you look at the original show, the mothership, it’s very different from L.A.…

TVLINE | Oh, NCIS: LA was chasing stolen nuclear materials, like, every other week! Correct. Each show gets a different tonality, a different vibe, a different pace, a different rhythm, a different color palette, a different sensibility. I feel like what CBS did really cleverly was they realized that they needed to expand the audience and to expand the universe, but not just replicate it. So when they came to us, I kind of sat down and watched about 950 episodes of NCIS [programs] in the space of a few weeks to get myself up to speed — I feel like I have a PhD in NCIS! — and what I realized was that they were looking to capture the authenticity of a place. So I went back to [CBS Studios chief] David Stapf and his crew and said, “In order for this to be successful, I think it really has to capture that authentic rhythm, that authentic cultural sensibility of Australia — the colors, the flavor. We should lean into it.” And they said, “That’s music to our ears. Go for it.”

TVLINE | I was going to ask: After a person gets done watching this first season — and if they like me have yet to pull the trigger on an Australian vacation — will they kind of feel like they’ve been to Australia? I hope so, I really do. You’ll certainly feel like you’ve been Sydney. I’m actually kind of surprised in some ways that they haven’t come here and created a franchise sooner. As I said to you before, Australia is the world’s largest island and Sydney Harbor is the world’s largest harbor. And our naval base, which is called HMAS Kuttabul or Fleet Base East, is right in the middle of that harbor. Like, our entire East Coast Navy Base fleet is based in town, so you’ve got an almost indefatigable, inexhaustible supply of stories right in the middle of the world’s biggest harbor on the world’s biggest island. And then you throw in the geopolitical realities of the part of the world that we live in, in that the Indo-Pacific is kind of the hotspot for all sorts of geopolitical tensions right now. It’s the most hotly contested patch of ocean.

TVLINE | The trailer plays that up a lot. I mean, that’s the situation. Pick up the New York Times and I dare you not to find an article about tensions between China and the Philippines, or contested maritime rights in the South China Sea. It’s an incredibly diverse and vibrant part of the world. Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation on the planet, is just to our north — friends of Australia obviously, but it’s diverse. You’ve got one of the world’s biggest shipping nations in Singapore [3,900 miles away]. You’ve got the world’s second biggest island, Papua New Guinea, right there. You’ve got all these islands dotted across the Pacific, which fall under our sphere of economic cooperation, in terms of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and all of them are contested places at the moment. There are lots of forces vying for economic, military, social partnership.

The trailer mentions the AUKUS Agreement, a military alliance between Australia, the U.S. and the UK, which has only recently been signed. It’s a big deal and it’s literally there because we are in a really contested patch of the world right now. The show tries not to too political, obviously — that’s part of the appeal of it, I think — but the reality is we have basically an endless supply of stories pulled from the front page of the newspaper that seem to be really applicable.

Photo : CBS

TVLINE | What specific sites or locations were you excited to squeeze into the show? When we started out, we looked at the Australian Navy base in the middle of the harbor, which is where all the American ships come into, and said, “Wow, it’d be fun to get on that, wouldn’t it? It’d be fun to be able to shoot on the actual operating Navy base.” So, we contacted the Australian Navy and said, “Look, we have this little show you might’ve heard of — NCIS? We’ll be doing a franchise here in Sydney, would you like to help out?” And believe it or not they said, “We’d love to, send us a letter with all the things you feel like you might need across the season.” I went, “Well, we need Seahawk helicopters, and we need access to your biggest ships, we’d like to get onboard your subs, we’d like to work and shoot on your Navy bases all around the country, we’d like to get some air assets….” And they came back and they were just incredibly supportive.

In the trailer, that Navy Seahawk helicopter flying at 50 feet above Sydney Harbor? That’s a real one. There’s no CG. We had to clear the harbor, we had an air exclusion zone, and we had the pilots from the Australian Navy flying up from their base down south and landing on a small aircraft carrier and taking off. It was an incredible thrill.

TVLINE | Were there any more “touristy” locales you filmed at? When you film on Sydney Harbor you kind of spin the camera around and see the Harbor Bridge, you see the Opera House, you see this vast harbor….. We shot at Bondi Beach, which is Australia’s most famous beach. We shot in Kings Cross, which anyone who’s ever been a U.S. serviceman arriving in Sydney will know; it’s the red light district just up the hill from the base, so it’s seen its fair share of U.S. servicemen and women across the years, in all capacities.

One of the things that people think about when they think of Australia is the Outback. Obviously Sydney is not in the Outback, it’s a big urban center, but not too far away you drive up into the mountains and suddenly you’re in this pristine wilderness that’s very uniquely, quintessentially Australian. So, we find ourself up there.

TVLINE | And that lets you include a kangaroo and koala in the trailer! It does!

TVLINE | Someone at CBS was like, “Yeah, we saw your first pass at the trailer, and there’s no kangaroo. You’ve gotta give them a kangaroo.” It was a shameless plug for Australian wildlife, what can I say?

[beardedmrbean]

A teenager who killed a "kind and loving" 82-year-old Army veteran with a single punch has been sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution.

Omar Moumeche was 16 years old when he hit Dennis Clarke at Derby bus station on 6 May 2021.

The punch caused Mr Clarke to fall to the ground and fracture his skull, and he died in hospital nine days later.

Moumeche, now 18, was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial at Derby Crown Court and sentenced on Friday.

The court heard Mr Clarke had been surrounded by a group of three teenagers after he challenged them about their behaviour on an escalator at the Eagle Market.

He was then followed to the bus station, where he was attacked by Moumeche.

The court heard a victim impact statement from Mr Clarke's family, which described how the former serviceman was a regular churchgoer and energetic family man.

It said: "There will forever be an empty chair at the Christmas table, a space on the dance floor."

Judge Shaun Smith said he accepted psychological reports, which said the teenager had an emotional age of about 13 at the time.

He added: "This is a case of such sentencing difficulty that I feel nobody will be satisfied with what I do."

The judge said he was satisfied that for much of the confrontation, Moumeche was a "disinterested onlooker".

"It had nothing to do with you," he said.

"You could have walked away, but you decided to get involved and... you struck him with a deliberate blow."

The judge also noted Moumeche did not stay to offer help, but fled the scene - though he was arrested within minutes.

The judge said while Moumeche was a "young man prone to outbursts of anger", he did not present a risk to the public.

The teenager had faced two trials after the original jury, in the summer of 2022, was unable to reach a verdict.

'Posed no threat'

Andrew Baxter, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Dennis Clarke's tragic death was the result of this young person's intimidating and aggressive behaviour, refusing to back down and not knowing when to walk away.

"Mr Clarke was within his rights to challenge the behaviour and had then gone about his business, assuming that the incident was concluded.

"Moumeche chose to confront him at the bus station, behaving in an aggressive and intimidating way to a man in his 80s who posed no threat.

"He then threw a punch which led to the death of an elderly and innocent man, and a family grieving a much-loved family member and respected member of the community."

[munispeaks]

In Russia’s far east, fear and defiance against military call-up | Russia-Ukraine war News

In Russia’s far east, fear and defiance against military call-up | Russia-Ukraine war News

Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation on Wednesday in the wake of Moscow’s battlefield setbacks in Ukraine, Hoelun received a call from her mother to pack her things. Hoelun is from Buryatia, a republic in Siberia in Russia’s far east. As a former serviceman, her 29-year-old boyfriend was eligible to be drafted and, after a short refresher course,…

[head-post]

Ukraine not seeking internal order amid Russian pressure

Amid the ongoing offensive by Russian troops, Ukraine has increasingly witnessed internal discord, from the detention of MPs and corruption allegations to border tightening and fortification scandals.

Mykola The Wad-of-Cash

People’s Deputy of Ukraine Mykola Tyshchenko, also known as The Wad (of Cash), who was involved in beating Ukrainian Kraken National Battalion fighter Dmytro Pavlov, has been sent under house arrest, according to Ukrainian media.

The Pechersk District Court ruled on Tyshchenko, granting the prosecutor’s motion to impose a 60-day preventive measure of house arrest. The Prosecutor-General of Ukraine has reported suspicion against incumbent MP Tyshchenko over the illegal deprivation of liberty of a former serviceman in Dnipropetrovsk. On 20 June, a group of individuals unlawfully deprived a former serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) of his freedom on the instructions of the Ukrainian MP.

According to Ukrainian media, during the search and detention, Tyshchenko broke his phone so that it would not be used as evidence in the case. Law enforcers also found bundles of undeclared cash and a watch worth $40,000.

Hiring of private security guards, extortion call centres, as well as engagement of police officers from other regions of Ukraine have caused outrage among Ukrainians, many of whom condemn the government’s activity at such a difficult time for the country.

Corruption

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) stated that it had opened a criminal case against a former official of the national energy company Ukrenergo. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) accused the unnamed official of purchasing body armour at an inflated price.

To implement the deal, the official engaged an affiliated commercial structure, which not only does not have documents and licences for the production of military ammunition, but in general has never been involved in the manufacture of body armour.

In total, the former civil servant embezzled about 10 million budget funds, according to Ukrainian media. In the spring of 2022, he reportedly organised the purchase of bulletproof vests for employees of the energy company at a deliberately exaggerated cost. Now he faces up to six years in prison.

Fortification scandal

Ukrainian MP Dmytro Razumkov criticised fortifications 15 kilometres from the battle line in Kharkiv region. Having visited one of those locations, the MP showed how the fortifications actually look like.

Very convenient positions, but, unfortunately, not for our defenders, for the enemy! God forbid if our defenders needed these fortifications! It’s just a trap with nothing that normal fortifications should have.

He also emphasised that a country at war could not have fortifications that were allegedly erected but served to absorb the budget.

Border issues

The State Border Service of Ukraine introduced restrictions in another border district of the Transcarpathian region due to attempts by Ukrainian men of conscription age to flee abroad.

In the border strip within the Uzhhorod district additional regime restrictions have been introduced. The introduction of such is due to the strengthening of state border protection and control (…) in order to prevent offences in the border area.

In particular, there is a ban on staying outside the borders of settlements, travelling by motor vehicles towards the border, as well as on the roads leading to it, from 10:00 p.m. until 05:00 a.m. Stopping of motor vehicles on roadsides in the border area is also prohibited.

Back to battle

MP Oleksandr Tkachenko stated that more than 120,000 Ukrainians had returned back to the combat zone and to Russia this year, as they “did not find shelter in other regions.” According to Tkachenko, these are mostly women, the elderly, and those unable to work. Among the reasons that prompted people to return was the lack of habitable housing.

They come back home where they don’t have to rent accommodation, pay owners who are abroad, and receive compensation from international partners there, but in Ukraine they rent their accommodation for 10-15 thousand.

These are catastrophic figures, because in the remaining Ukraine, against the background of the circumstances described above, amid total mobilisation and border tightening, people are turning towards Russia, looking for conditions for existence. Moreover, residents of Ukraine’s westernmost regions actively resist accepting refugees from the eastern part of the country, often accusing them of being friendly to Russia.

Ukrainian political and public figure Iryna Farion has long spoken out against Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Earlier, the former Verkhovna Rada deputy called on all Russian speakers to “pack their bags” and leave for Russia.

Read more HERE

[ry-js-climbing-adventures]

Ry-J’s Climbing Adventures

Pembroke, situated in Ontario, Canada, lies at the junction of the Muskrat and Ottawa Rivers within the Ottawa Valley. This city serves as the administrative center for Renfrew County, though it operates independently from county politics. Located about 145 kilometers northwest of Ottawa, Pembroke is a city rich in history and heritage.

The area, now known as Pembroke, was first settled by European Daniel Fraser in 1823, who initially squatted on land later found to be owned by Abel Ward. Ward sold this land to Fraser, where Moncion's Metro Supermarket now stands, and the nearby Fraser Street commemorates this early settler’s family.

In 1828, Peter White, a former Royal Navy serviceman, settled adjacent to Fraser in the current location of Dairy Queen. His arrival was soon followed by other settlers drawn by the burgeoning local lumber industry.

Initially named Miramichi, the community transformed into a police village in 1856 and was later renamed Pembroke. The name is indirectly linked to Sidney Herbert, the First Admiralty Secretary from 1841 to 1845 and son of George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke.

Pembroke was officially declared a town in 1878 and became a city in 1971. In 1861, it was designated as the seat for Renfrew County, which led to the construction of the Renfrew County Courthouse, completed in 1867. The following two decades marked significant development, shaping Pembroke’s modern layout and architecture. However, many original structures have since been lost.

The courthouse and the now-unused jail underwent extensive renovations between 2005 and 2007, preserving many historic elements, like the original jail cells from 1867 and the courtroom, which now features a replica of the original brass light fixture. This site also witnessed three executions by hanging, two in the 1870s and one in 1952.

Surviving historic sites in Pembroke include a landmark synagogue, two early hospitals, the Dunlop mansion (now Grey Gables Inn), the 'Munroe Block' in the downtown area, and two residences that the White family owned. A significant fire in 1918 ravaged many downtown buildings, including the Pembroke Opera House.

In 1898, Pembroke was chosen as the headquarters for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke, adding a spiritual dimension to its historical and cultural significance.

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[qnewsau]

What Sacrifice comes with love in the Military?

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/what-sacrifice-comes-with-love-in-the-military/

What Sacrifice comes with love in the Military?

Life as a gay serviceman is a unique experience and one currently highlighted in a new Australian film. One Australian Defence Force member is experiencing both sides of the lens.

WORDS Matt Myers

Gays in the military have long struggled with acceptance, facing discrimination and even persecution, but recent times have seen a major shift in progressiveness.

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule from the Bill Clinton era didn’t achieve much, yet in a roundabout way did gain worldwide attention to the issue. Over recent years the subject of LGBTQIA+ service men and women has continued to progress to varying degrees.

Considering many countries still have a ban on LGBTQIA+ people serving in the military, around 30 countries including Canada, Brazil, France, New Zealand, the UK and Australia allow ‘LGBT’ people.

However, while many countries such as Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, and Ukraine allow the ‘LGB’, they exclude transgender people – the USA included.

Australia has come quite a distance considering our past. During the First World War queer people were labelled a ‘moral perversion’ and while homosexual acts between soldiers were a criminal offence, such relationships undeniably happened.

In the 1970s ‘confirmed homosexuals’ were given the choice to be honourably discharged or otherwise faced one of dishonour, and they were often under surveillance, labelled as ‘witch-hunts’.

Then there was the notorious time Bruce Ruxton, the then head of the Victorian Returned Servicemen’s League, stopped the Gay Ex-Services Association from laying a wreath at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.

“I don’t know where all these gays and poofters have come from,” he stated.

But it all eventually turned a curve by 1992 when Prime Minister Paul Keating lifted the ban on gay and lesbian personnel serving in the armed forces.

David Mitchell, a Royal Australian Air Force sergeant, initiated G-Force, a defence force gay support group that eventually morphed into DEFGLIS, the Defence Force Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex Information Service.

Serving with pride

Troy of the Royal Australian Air Force is a former member of DEFGLIS and with over 21 years of service, has served domestically, and within Iraq, Pakistan, Timor Leste, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates.

“From a personal perspective, I knew I was different growing up,” says Troy.

“As a young adult, the word ‘gay’ didn’t mean much to me. At that time, as a gay person, I didn’t think I could be in a relationship, then once I came to terms with being gay it became increasingly difficult to separate it from work.

“At the time, being in a male-only workplace, I had a lot of reservations and feared coming out. It took me four years to work up the courage to say something and it wasn’t a pleasant journey for me at first.”

While in the past being gay in the military posed fears of being outed with its various repercussions, today is a different story.

“Now that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has come so far, I would not be as fearful if I were enlisting now,” says Troy.

“Of course, homophobia still exists out there, but there is a wide understanding that comes in being aligned with ADF Values. Each person lives these values, and any discrimination is not tolerated.

“Some of my early career experiences of homophobia have certainly not withstood the test of time. In my experience, homophobia can stem from a lack of understanding, or maybe some bad past experiences.

“As a member of the LGBTIQ+ community, I accept this as a task to educate and help those willing to understand. There’s always going to be a fear of coming out for people, for many different reasons, though they should not fear the work impacts. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a very diverse group of people and it’s never caused a problem.”

Troy feels the most rewarding parts of his military life have also been the hardest to get through. It includes making sacrifices.

“I’ve missed many Christmases and birthdays whilst overseas,” he says.

“My family and partner have missed big life events of mine, as I have theirs. In some way, this builds strengths you never knew you needed.”

Troy met his partner Jason in Newcastle, and they have since lived across three states. Happily, engaged with a wedding on the cards, they spend their private time with four-wheel adventuring, camping and fishing.

“For us, it is not about the marriage, as we already share a bond stronger than a title, though I am sure one day it will happen,” says Troy.

“But I can only imagine how unique and challenging it must be for a partner of an ADF member. My career has dragged Jason away from his family and friends and across states. This is something I was used to and we have now both come to love, but it hasn’t been without its challenges.”

Sacrifice the movie, coming soon

Such challenges are highlighted in Sacrifice, a new Australian film currently in production. Starring Lisa McCune, Grant Piro, Marina Prior and former Neighbours star James Mason, the film is based around a same-sex relationship within the Australian Army and the level of ‘sacrifice’ encountered.

As part of the film’s detail to authenticity, Troy and fellow DEFGLIS colleague Nathan Howarth are the production’s military consultants.

“Working with the cast and crew of this venture has been exciting and eye-opening,” says Troy.

“Together with my peer and friend Nathan, it’s been an incredible journey to see the script develop. I’m focused on trying to close the gap between reality and film, to make it as realistic as possible.

“Vocabulary and slang use, even how to carry oneself, are all important aspects. There are also the technical aspects of how scenes may play out from a military perspective.”

The key gay characters in Sacrifice – Blake and James – are played respectively by new-comer Isaac Crawley and Leigh Smith who also wrote the story. It also stars Richard Norton, Mia Landgren, Kristie Nguy and Kevin Khan, with direction by Lene Chor.

“The Air Force has a strong and diverse workforce, but personal sacrifices and challenges are not something to hide from, nor to be scared about,” says Troy.

“Sacrifice brings this to light in a heartfelt way that shows all sides of what sacrifice and service means.”

Sacrifice is slated for a 2025 release.

-For more on DEFGLIS visit defglis.com.au

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.