#Griffin's Wharf

[vox-anglosphere]

The Boston Tea Party: 92,000 lbs of imported tea were thrown overboard 250 years ago tonight, in the lead-up to the American Revolution.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

What Happened on December 16th, 1773?

One of the most important dates in the history of the United States of America. On this night, the Sons of Liberty dumped more than 300 crates of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. To many who were still loyal to the crown, this was an act of sedition and treason by “ill designing men”. But to those whose loyalty to King George III—and his taxes—had faltered; this was a galvanizing event. Bostonians from all statuses and walks of life came together, as equal citizens, to make a peaceful protest against tyranny and taxation without representation. It was their patriotism that sparked the American Revolution.

For years, the colonies had been taxed without receiving equal representation in Parliament. The first direct tax on the colonies was the Stamp Act of 1765, taxing all paper goods. This would be followed by the Townsend Acts which taxed glass, lead, paint, and tea. This taxation without representation led to protests, riots, and further unrest in an already tense city.

The Boston Tea Party was the culmination of a series of meetings beginning on November 29, 1773—two days after the first of the three ships bearing East India Company tea arrived in Boston Harbor. The arrival of the Dartmouth, with her 114 chests of tea on board, sent Boston into a frenzy. The Sons of Liberty demanded the tea be sent back to England, but those requests were refused by Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson.

A few days later, the ship Eleanor and brig Beaver arrived with more cargoes of tea. With the deadline to unload the tea looming, Bostonians met at Old South Meeting House on Thursday December 16, 1773 to decide the fate of the cursed East India Company Tea. It was still the hope of those assembled that a peaceable agreement could be reached. Francis Rotch, owner of the Beaver and Dartmouth, was sent to Milton to obtain a pass from the Royal Governor so that his ships could be sent safely past the guns of Castle Island, and back to England with the tea still onboard. When Rotch returned and gave word that this request was denied, a mighty cry echoed through the historic hall. Samuel Adams stood up and said “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country.” This was a secret signal to the Sons of Liberty. They sprang into action as hundreds of men, loosely disguised as Mohawks, marched to Griffin’s Wharf and into history.

Copyright © 2023 December16.org

[corvidaedream]

at griffin's wharf we have descended into the winter madness that comes upon us every year when ticket sales drop off and every tour ends up being like 3 people in town for a business meeting who stopped by and are not at all happy w their choices.

as a survival mechanism, we all get very invested in other aspects of our work day, such as:

obsessively documenting the different markings on individual house sparrows so that they can be recognized. at this point in the season, we all know the male with the completely white feather in his left wing, and that he is Caroline's favorite.

someone taking on a completely unnecessary project for their own amusement and everyone else following along and pledging support. previously it was Drew's attempt to paint a self-portrait as Mr. Prince Hall using a plastic container shaped like a bear. now it is my attempts to sew a tiny outfit for a toy rabbit that was left behind by a guest.

hiding a life-size wax dummy of Captain Hezekiah Coffin in new and increasingly frightening places

[musewrangler]

They swam the short distance back to the rough stones which held the wharf, but by the time they reached these, Veers was at the end of his endurance.

He reached an arm only to slip back into the water and there he clung to the lowest stone, shuddering.

“ Max ,” Piett said in low, concerned tones. “Force damn it. You should have told me it was this bad.”

“Worked…through worse…” Veers told him through clenched teeth. He was unnaturally white now–-the spots of his fever standing out starkly on his cheekbones.

“Yes well…” Piett shut his mouth on his response, realizing that he would do the same and hypocrisy wouldn’t help them in this moment. He clambered back into the water and strained to help push Veers up far enough to get a footing.

“Come on,” he encouraged, taking deep gulps of air before sliding under one of Max’s arms and gripping it tightly. “Next step.”

He was in reasonable shape once more after all these months of hard work, but Veers was significantly heavier, and not able to help all that much. The first challenge was getting up onto the wharf. Finding transport to the Griffin was the next because he needed their medical supplies and a warm bed for his friend.

“Please, Max,” he urged, heaving himself upward and striving to take Veers with him, half draped over his back.

And that was deeply unpleasant—the network of scarring flared into new pain, taking it up from the constant low levels he just lived with.

The whirring click of a DC-17 sounded close to Piett’s ear and he froze at the edge of the wharf, raising his eyes to scuffed black boots. His own blaster was at his thigh and his hand was not close enough to slide Veers’ out of its holster.

[vickie526a]

Boston Tea Party | HISTORY

[applezgarden]

the story behind the Boston tea party. tea was very popular during the 1700's. in England, each man woman and child consumed almost 300 cups of tea every year. and since the English colonized america, Americans were crazy about tea too.so when the britian wanted to increase taxes in America, people aka citizens were not happy. mostly because they had no say in decisions made in London.remember the famous phrase " No taxation without representation "? the American colonists had long believed that they were not subject to taxes imposed by legislature in which they lacked representation in fact rather then paying the taxes they simply doged the tax collectors. since the east coast of America is hundreds of miles long and the British enforcements was lax about 3/4 of the tea Americans we're drinking was smuggled in, usually from Holland. but the British insisted that the parliament did have the authority to tax the colonists especially after the britian went deeply into dept fighting the french in the seven years war. to close the budget gap, London looked to Americans and in 1767 imposed new taxes on a variety of imports including the Americans beloved tea. America's response was "No thanks!!" They boycotted the importation of tea from Britain and instead brewed their own tea. after a new bunch of commissioners and customs cried to London for troops because of tax enforcement things. in fact things got so heated that the red coats had to fire on a mob killing several people in what was soon called the Boston massacre. out if the terms of the 1773 tea act, parliament cooked up a new strategy. Now the east India company would sell the surplus tea directly through hand-picked consignееs in America. this would lower the price to consumers, making British tea competitive with the smuggled variety while retaining some of the takes. but the colonists saw through the British ploy and cried monopoly!! in a cold and rainy Dec. 16, 1773, about 5,00 are crowded into the old south meeting house, waiting to hear whether new shipments of tea that arrived down the harbor. when the captain of one of the ships reported that he could not leave the ship with his cargo on board, Sam Adams rose to shout " this meeting can do no more to save the country!! " cries of " Boston harbor a teapot tonight!! " rang out from the crowd and about 50 men, some apparently, as native Americans marched down to griffins wharf stormed aboard and threw 340 tea chests overboard and infuriated British government respond with the so-called " coercive acts of 1774 " which among other things closed the part of Boston until the locals compensated the east India company for tea. representatives of the colonies gathered at Philadelphia to consider how best to respond to continued British oppression. this first continental Congress supported destruction of the tea pleged to support a continued boycott and went home in late oct. 1774 even more united in their determination to protect their rights and liberties. the Boston tea party began a chain reaction that led to the declaration of independence and bloody rebellion after which the new nation was free to drink it's tea more or less in peace.

[guesthypebusinessfinance]

It takes lower than 5 minutes and $0 to file taxes in Estonia, the nation with the most effective tax construction on the planet, in keeping with the Tax Basis.The nation’s income division developed a web-based system the place each citizen has a private tax account that routinely pre-fills tax data like wage, child-related deductions, and tax legal responsibility."I actually checked it — altogether lower than 5 minutes," Helen Pahapill, the tax coverage advisor for the Estonian Ministry of Finance, advised Yahoo Finance. "Principally, I simply logged in and checked that each one the data was right.”That’s not what most Individuals expertise at tax time.Taxpayers within the U.S. spend a mean of 13 hours getting ready their tax returns and pay $240 for tax preparation companies. Final 12 months, in addition they waited 22 minutes on common to ask the IRS a query, that's, in the event that they have been the ten% of callers who made it by to a dwell agent on the underfunded and understaffed company.In brief, our tax system has created an ecosystem the place submitting taxes is complicated, costly, and time-consuming. So why is the U.S. tax regulation and submitting system so burdensome on taxpayers and the company?As a result of the U.S. tax system is making an attempt to do greater than acquire taxes, in keeping with specialists. Congress makes use of the tax system as a instrument to attain financial and social objectives after which depends on a beleaguered IRS to execute these plans."Congress, in writing the regulation, tried to construct into the code incentives for social advantages. So for instance, to allow dad and mom to work … [there’s] the kid tax credit score," Erin Collins, the Nationwide Taxpayer Advocate, advised Yahoo Finance. "When you begin supplementing taxable revenue, that is the place it begins getting advanced."Jose (solely first title given) advertises for a revenue tax store costume as Uncle Sam on a nook in San Luis, Arizona, on February 15, 2017 close to the US/Mexico border. (JIM WATSON/AFP through Getty Photos)The tax code in America wasn’t all the time this difficult.As a rustic that advanced from an rebellion over a tea tax and a rallying cry of "no taxation with out illustration," the U.S. couldn’t get a federal revenue tax to stay for a very long time.President Lincoln created the primary model of a federal revenue tax to pay for the Civil Battle in 1862, in keeping with the IRS, some 86 years after the the nation's founding. It was repealed 10 years later, nevertheless, and was revived in 1894 below the Wilson Tariff Act, which additionally created an revenue tax division inside the Bureau of Inside Income. However the Supreme Court docket struck down the revenue tax a 12 months later.It wasn’t till Wyoming lastly ratified the sixteenth Modification in 1913 as the primary world conflict loomed that Congress had the ability to gather revenue taxes from people and firms. The U.S. later enacted a 1% tax on internet private revenue of greater than $3,000 and a surtax of 6% on incomes of greater than $500,000.Classic illustration options the Boston Tea Celebration, a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. (Credit score: Getty)Subsequent, the primary Type 1040 debuted, ushering within the begin of tax submitting as we all know it right now. Then got here the enlargement of the tax system.President Roosevelt’s "Victory Tax" in 1942 created a progressive tax system by introducing a "wealth tax," rising the variety of taxpayers by reducing exemptions, and launching provisions for medical and dental bills. The best marginal tax price reached 94% in 1944.Subsequent administrations seesawed between completely different — and generally conflicting — insurance policies.The Financial Restoration Tax Act of 1981 below President Ronald Reagan diminished particular person tax charges, then President Invoice Clinton raised the highest tax price for high-income earners and expanded the earned revenue tax credit score.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act below President Donald Trump lowered statutory charges and elevated the usual deduction. Then, most just lately, the Inflation Discount Act below President Joe Biden supplied clear vitality tax breaks."As messy because the Democratic political course of is nowadays, we even have a messy tax system," Dunn mentioned. "All people agrees that it's best to tax your enemies and subsidize your mates."Taxes and coverage objectivesWithin the U.S., policymakers depend on the progressive tax system to attain many objectives, akin to encouraging retirement saving, subsidizing youngster care, or pushing ahead environmental initiatives by an array of deductions and credit."So the problem is that if you are going to use the code for a lot of functions, that is the place you lose the simplicity," Collins mentioned."It is a delicate balancing act that Congress or the Inside Income Code is making an attempt to do," Collins mentioned.President Joe Biden speaks concerning the Inflation Discount Act of 2022 on the White Home on July 28, 2022. (AP Picture/Susan Walsh)Nevertheless, chopping out credit and deductions to simplify the tax code is much from simple. Sturdy curiosity teams would battle to maintain what works for his or her constituents. The highly effective actual property foyer saved the mortgage curiosity deduction off the chopping block for a few years.Competing lobbying teams have additionally added a layer of complication to the tax code as they marketing campaign for "dozens and dozens of separate insurance policies," in keeping with Daniel Bunn, president and CEO of the Tax Basis.As an example, when the company tax price was slashed below the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, the reform may have inspired completely different enterprise entities to include as a result of useful new, decrease tax price.The decreased price ought to have flushed out a bunch of enterprise entities that may wish to convert to firms and reap the benefits of the brand new price. However as an alternative curiosity teams representing S firms and pass-through entities requested for — and acquired — particular deductions."We even have a variety of insurance policies which might be both meant to encourage sure exercise or discourage sure exercise and it isn't clear in any respect factors what you are making an attempt to do," Bunn added.The advanced tax system has additionally spawned a whole trade of tax software program corporations, accused of lobbying to maintain tax-filing costly and sophisticated.The battle between complexity and assetsAlong with a posh tax system is an company ill-prepared to satisfy its many tasks."Some of the irritating points of the tax-filing system is challenges and contacting the IRS for help," mentioned Eric Bronnenkant, a CPA and CFP with greater than 20 years of expertise. "An enormous space of problem for taxpayers is resolving issues."In stark distinction to the common U.S. taxpayer’s expertise with the IRS, Estonians count on calls to their tax service to be picked up instantly. "We had one case when an individual complained to the ministry that he is referred to as, however wasn't answered in a minute," Pahapill mentioned.However the issue is that the IRS is greater than only a tax income collector. Additionally it is a welfare supplier, a stimulus distributor, and a tax cop.Facade of department of HR Block tax preparation and accounting firm, San Ramon, California, November 3, 2019. (Picture by Smith Assortment/Gado/Getty Photos)Most just lately, the underfunded IRS carried the brunt of disbursing three stimulus checks below two completely different administrations whereas nonetheless persevering with with its common duties. The tax company additionally needed to administer new, short-term tax provisions in the midst of the tax-filing season."It would make extra sense for the IRS or for the tax system to be primarily centered on elevating income after which distributing advantages by different elements of the federal authorities," Bunn mentioned.

"Quite a lot of occasions, the IRS is tasked with bringing within the cash and chopping the checks, and it leaves a variety of burden, each for tax compliance and tax administration.""It's kind of a jack of all trades," Collins agreed.The IRS has additionally suffered from inadequate funding, assets, and technology for a minimum of a decade, which grew to become particularly obvious all through the pandemic when taxpayers have been annoyed by the gradual processes and dangerous service.The IRS is poised to vary for the higher with $80 billion in new funding supplied by the Inflation Discount Act."I do suppose that the IRS, particularly with this extra funding, they are surely going to try to focus extra on the service side and be extra proactive to stop issues," Collins mentioned.That ought to assist taxpayers. Nevertheless it received’t do a lot to simplify the U.S. tax code.Rebecca is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and beforehand labored as an funding tax licensed public accountant (CPA).Click on right here for the newest private finance news that will help you with investing, paying off debt, shopping for a house, retirement, and extraLearn the newest monetary and business news from Yahoo FinanceInitially revealed April 16, 2023, 3:06 PM https://guesthype.co.uk/?p=3253&feed_id=4929&cld=643c66e94b6ac

[zayaanhashistory]

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence. In the 1760s, Britain was deep in debt, so British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on American colonists to help pay those debts. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed colonists on virtually every piece of printed paper they used, from playing cards and business licenses to newspapers and legal documents. The Townshend Acts of 1767 went a step further, taxing essentials such as paint, paper, glass, lead and tea. 

The British government felt the taxes were fair since much of its debt was earned fighting wars on the colonists’ behalf.  The colonists, however, disagreed. They were furious at being taxed without having any representation in Parliament, and felt it was wrong for Britain to impose taxes on them to gain revenue. On March 5, 1770, a street brawl happened in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers. Later known as the Boston Massacre, the fight began after an unruly group of colonists—frustrated with the presence of British soldiers in their streets—flung snowballs, ice and oyster shells at a British sentinel guarding the Boston Customs House. Reinforcements arrived and opened fire on the mob, killing five colonists and wounding six. The Boston Massacre and its fallout further incited the colonists’ rage towards Britain. Britain eventually repealed the taxes it had imposed on the colonists except the tea tax. It wasn’t about to give up tax revenue on the nearly 1.2 million pounds of tea the colonists drank each year. In protest, the colonists boycotted tea sold by British East India Company and smuggled in Dutch tea, leaving British East India Company with millions of pounds of surplus tea and facing bankruptcy. In May 1773, British Parliament passed the Tea Act which allowed British East India Company to sell tea to the colonies duty-free and much cheaper than other tea companies—but still tax the tea when it reached colonial ports. 

Tea smuggling in the colonies increased, although the cost of the smuggled tea soon surpassed that of tea from British East India Company with the added tea tax. Still, with the help of prominent tea smugglers such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams —who protested taxation without representation but also wanted to protect their tea smuggling operations—colonists continued to rail against the tea tax and Britain’s control over their interests. The Sons of Liberty were a group of colonial merchants and tradesmen founded to protest the Stamp Act and other forms of taxation. The group of revolutionists included prominent patriots such as Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry and Paul Revere, as well as Adams and Hancock. Led by Adams, the Sons of Liberty held meetings rallying against British Parliament and protested the Griffin’s Wharf arrival of Dartmouth, a British East India Company ship carrying tea. By December 16, 1773, Dartmouth had been joined by her sister ships, Beaver and Eleanor; all three ships loaded with tea from China. That morning, as thousands of colonists convened at the wharf and its surrounding streets, a meeting was held at the Old South Meeting House where a large group of colonists voted to refuse to pay taxes on the tea or allow the tea to be unloaded, stored, sold or used. (Ironically, the ships were built in America and owned by Americans.) 

Governor Thomas Hutchison refused to allow the ships to return to Britain and ordered the tea tariff be paid and the tea unloaded. The colonists refused, and Hutchison never offered a satisfactory compromise. That night, a large group of men—many reportedly members of the Sons of Liberty— disguised themselves in Native American garb, boarded the docked ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. Said participant George Hewes, “We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water.” Hewes also noted that “We were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist us.” While some important colonist leaders such as John Adams were thrilled to learn Boston, Harbor was covered in tea leaves, others were not. In June of 1774, George Washington wrote: “the cause of Boston…ever will be considered as the cause of America.” But his personal views of the event were far different. He voiced strong disapproval of “their conduct in destroying the Tea” and claimed Bostonians “were mad.” Washington, like many other elites, held private property to be sacrosanct. Benjamin Franklin insisted the British East India Company be reimbursed for the lost tea and even offered to pay for it himself. No one was hurt, and aside from the destruction of the tea and a padlock, no property was damaged or looted during the Boston Tea Party. The participants reportedly swept the ships’ decks clean before they left. Though led by Samuel Adams and his Sons of Liberty and organized by John Hancock, the names of many of those involved in the Boston Tea Party remain unknown. Thanks to their Native American costumes, only one of the tea party culprits, Francis Akeley, was arrested and imprisoned. 

Even after American independence, participants refused to reveal their identities, fearing they could still face civil and criminal charges as well as condemnation from elites for the destruction of private property. Most participants in the Boston Tea Party were under the age of 40 and 16 of them were teenagers. But despite the lack of violence, the Boston Tea Party didn’t go unanswered by King George III and British Parliament. Britain hoped the Coercive Acts would squelch rebellion in New England and keep the remaining colonies from uniting, but the opposite happened: All the colonies viewed the punitive laws as further evidence of Britain’s tyranny and rallied to Massachusetts’ aid, sending supplies and plotting further resistance. A second Boston Tea Party took place in March 1774, when around 60 Bostonians boarded the ship Fortune and dumped nearly 30 chests of tea into the harbor. The event didn’t earn nearly as much notoriety as the first Boston Tea Party, but it did encourage other tea-dumping demonstrations in Maryland, New York and South Carolina. 

Many colonists felt Britain’s Coercive Acts went too far. On September 5, 1774, elected delegates from all 13 American colonies except Georgia met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress to figure out how to resist British oppression. The delegates were divided on how to move forward but the Boston Tea Party had united them in their fervor to gain independence. 

[rusrolli]

Tea sip definition

TEA SIP DEFINITION MANUAL

Since its discovery many centuries ago, it has played an important role in events, ranging from mystic to gilded to simply comforting. Today, tea is the world's most popular beverage besides water. It immediately halved the journey time from the Far East to London and allowed American crews to sell their cargos at better prices, which in turn created even more demand for tea in America. The first of these clippers (to “clip” is to maximize speed from wind) was launched in New York in 1845. Newly independent America, looking to make a splash in international trade, designed a new, more streamlined vessel that could carry more tea at a much greater speed. The East India Company had for years relied upon big, slow ships to transport merchandise. This event, and others like it, would ultimately lead to the Revolutionary War.Īmerica staked its own claim to the Chinese tea trade in the 19th century and soon found itself at war with England in a much more sporting fashion: racing clipper ships. Similar acts of rebellion followed in other American cities, and patriotic citizens turned from tea to coffee to register their disgust with British rule. The men, disguised as Native Americans, boarded three East India Company ships, tore open all cargos of tea and threw them into Boston Harbor. This act, along with the bitterness of unfair taxation, drove a band of angry patriots to gather at Griffin's Wharf on December 16, 1773, and engage in an action that would forever be known as the Boston Tea Party. Subject to England's laws but with no say in the British Parliament, their resentment became a slogan: “No taxation without representation.” The Tea Act of 1773 gave the East India Company the right to ship tea directly from China, making it impossible for many American importers to stay in business. Britain's practice of levying high tariffs on imported goods, often as a means of financing military operations, outraged the colonists. Tea's popularity in the American colonies followed a growth pattern similar to England's, but dissension was brewing. This is the brief history of tea, Tetley and the tea bag. But, it took an exciting turn in the year 1837, when the Tetley brothers went into business in Yorkshire, England. The story of tea is as old as nature itself we have been drinking tea on these shores for over 350 years.

TEA SIP DEFINITION MANUAL

A definitive, poetic manual that covers the cultivation and production of tea, it is credited with helping tea become China's national drink long before it was ever tasted in the West. The first book on tea, Ch'a Ching, was written by the Chinese author Lu Yu in the eighth century. Tea's popularity as a wholesome, invigorating drink first spread throughout China and Japan. Bodhidharma turned to these leaves-the leaves of a wild tea tree-whenever he again felt drowsy, and was thus, according to legend, able to complete his seven years of meditation. Finding himself dangerously close to falling asleep, Bodhidharma snatched some leaves from a nearby bush and chewed them. About 1,900 years ago, the eventual founder of Zen Buddhism was in the fifth year of a seven-year sleepless contemplation of Buddha. India's legend originates with a saintly priest named Bodhidharma. As Camillia sinensis is indigenous to China and parts of India, each culture has a claim to the discovery of this popular beverage. The tea we drink is derived from Camillia sinensis, an evergreen tree of the Theaceae family.

[noloveforned]

set your dial to wlur tonight at 8pm for four straight hours of no love for ned. as always, you can catch up with last week's show at your own convenience below.

no love for ned on wlur – september 23rd, 2021 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the pointer sisters // i need you // break out // planet bungalow heaven // hey hey hey // hey hey hey digital single // chasing fireflies no age // compact flashes // people helping people // drag city los cripis // tired and blind // restaurant 7" // glad fact bees make honey // are you sure? // bees make honey, volume one ep // (self-released) the beths // silence is golden // expert in a dying field // carpark karen // leave this town // karen // old bad habits francisca griffin // one eye open // live at the crown hotel on august 14th, 2021 cassette // trace/untrace the sheaves // good health // excess death cult time cassette // moone acid seven // yokohama e oideyo // oz days live '72-'73 kichijoji: the 50th anniversary collection compilation // temporal drift the black tones // the end of everything // the end of everything 7" // sub pop carson mchone and the outfit // end of the world // camera varda variations ep // merge holy motors // superstar // superstar digital single // wharf cat codeine // tom // dessau // numero group neti-neti // that which remains // impermanence cassette // dinzu artefacts cecilia lópez and joe moffett // ambient atrophy // caprichos cassette // triptick tapes otomo yoshihide's new jazz orchestra // hat and beard // plays eric dolphy's 'out to lunch' // aguirre clark terry // brother terry // color changes // candid makaya mccraven // seventh string // in these times // international anthem ra washington and jah nada // planting seeds // in search of our father's gardens // astral spirits sélébéyone // poesie i // xaybu- the unseen // pi janette king featuring maryze // mirror // what we lost // hot tramp charles amoah // scratch my back // sweet vibration // soundway badge époque ensemble featuring james baley // zodiac // clouds of joy // telephone explosion triathalon // relax // spin // lex matching outfits // babe, pay for my train ride! // band made out of sand cassette // kitchen leg the orchids // didn't we love you // dreaming kind // skep wax mo troper // i’m the king of rock ‘n roll // mtv // lame-o las uyuyuy // juan ramón // tremolina tapes- the olympia tapes and the glasgow tapes compilation cassette // discos walden spice world // dying to go // there's no i in spice world // tenth court

[lonestarbattleship]

Christmas on USS TEXAS (BB-35) in 1941: Part 1

After America entered World War II, USS Texas was relocated from Casco Bay, Maine to the operating base, at Argentia on December 14. Chaplin Edel arranged Christmas aboard ship for 28 local children and their parents.

This story from the People of Newfoundland webpage

"An Unlikely Newfoundland-American Christmas, 1941

Christmas in Newfoundland during the 1940's was much different than the rest of North America. The accordion sang in kitchens as families and friends in rural outports gathered in biscuit-box and salt-box homes to sing and to dance and to enjoy each other's company. They went to church and celebrated the joyous season. They didn't have much, money was often scarce, and gifts were few and far between. Many Newfoundland children knew of Santa Claus but they hadn't experienced the modern Christmas season we have today. The families made do with what they had, and they were happy.

This was true amongst the small inlets and coves all along the coast of Placentia Bay, including the modest community of Ship Harbour. Nestled between hills, the vast Harbour provided shelter for the many families who chose to live there. Christmas 1941 was much different for children of the fishermen Griffin, Griffiths, Newman, Power, Ledwell, Norman, Meade and Murphy. While in the midst of the greatest war the world had ever seen, the Argentia US Naval & Air Force Base was established nearby to the community. Those whom had lived quiet lives living along the shoreline had soon become accustomed to large naval ships, sailors, and soldiers parading around their community. They spoke with an accent not much like those of the harbour but were kind to the locals and this was especially true during this particular Christmas.

The many servicemen deployed to fight the war and stationed in Argentia during this time spent Christmas away from their families across the United States. Some of these men were assigned on board the USS Texas (BB-35). The Texas and her crew took on the hazardous role of escorting merchant convoys across the U-Boat infested North Atlantic to reinforce the Allied war effort. This year the men and women aboard the ship created their own Christmas away from home and brought in the local children to join in on the occasion.

Current residents explain that Christmas that year was celebrated by 28 local children on board the USS Texas anchored off Joe Newman's wharf in Ship Harbour. Along with them were their parents and guardians as well as other elders of the community. Children were picked up by small boats and brought to the anchored ship. While on board the Texas, there was an elaborate Christmas dinner of foods the children may have never experienced before in their lives."

See part 2 for the rest: link

source, source, source, source

[corvidaedream]

lucy's mother signs the legal documents w an X, but her older sister abigail & younger sister anna sign their own names, which backs up my decision to tell people in-character that im literate.

solomon is abigail's husband, and thomas is little elizabeth's (seemingly now-widowed) husband

i have zero idea how stephen frost was related or why he's named an heir. best i can figure out hes a second cousin maybe? they go to the same church, thats all I've got so far on stephen.

also in looking very surface-level into abigail brown bowman, i discovered lucy had at least three nieces between the ages of 6mo-4 years old at the point where im portraying her, which is really fun! the oldest is also named abigail and im genuinely very excited bc our cafe above the museum is called abigail's so little girls named abigail are constantly excitedly telling me thats their name also, and im absolutely going to tell them now about my niece

[jdswritersblog]

The Burning of The Gaspee That Engaged American Evolution June 9th, 1772

The Burning of The Gaspee That Engaged American Evolution June 9th, 1772

That night an American merchant John Brown, led a group of disguised colonists and rowed out to the Gaspee seizing control of the ship setting fireand set fire to it. The Gaspee, a British customs schooner, enforced the Navigation Acts in and around Newport, Rhode Island. This event may have inspiring Boston colonists to raid the ships, Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston,…

[peggydreadful]

Thicker Than Water pt.2

Read part 1 here!

Cressida eyes Benji and me with dispassionate interest, and I don’t doubt that she’s serious about our three minutes.

“There’s an underground weapons ring,” I say immediately, “operating out of a boxing club by the wharf. The Syndicate’s been keeping an eye on them for the past few years, but they’ve been pretty low-key, dealing mostly in knives and the occasional handgun.”

“Until a few days ago,” Benji continues, “when we caught wind of a massive auction set to take place next week. Word is that they’ve acquired a stockpile of high-octane weapons, and not just assault rifles and flamethrowers: we’re talking hellfire grenades, wide-range EMP bombs, and gas-released power suppressants—enough to level the city.”

“Entrance to this auction is by invitation only,” I add. “We’ve intercepted letters going out to Icarus, Phantasm, Lady Absinthe, even retired villains like Barbarian.”

Cressida raises an eyebrow. “And you need us because…?”

Benji rakes a hand through his hair, frustrated. “The Syndicate’s backed into a corner. Our heavy hitters are still dealing with the recent security breaches in Midway and Roseboro, and our current team can’t raid the weapons ring without the risk of tipping the dealers off prematurely and scattering them deep underground.” He sighs, and I can see that it pains him to admit this. “But you guys are respected in these circles. Theft, forgery, illegal trade—you’re some of the best in the game. If anyone can infiltrate the auction and save Annex City, it’s the Jacks. And the Fangs,” he adds quickly, glancing nervously at Joaquin. 

Cressida takes a long draught of her drink. When she puts it down, there’s a sharp, wicked smile on her lips. My shoulders slump even before she speaks. 

“No.”

***

That night, I learned that a lot of things can happen within the span of a single second. 

The gun went off, but then it was on the floor, the barrel still smoking. 

I was in Joaquin’s arms, and I couldn’t tell whether I was shaking, or he was. 

The bullet hovered in midair, a hair’s width away from where my temple had been a moment before. Cressida narrowed her eyes, her outstretched hand curling into a fist, and the bullet melted, dripping onto the floorboards like quicksilver. 

Griffin dropped his hands, frost coating his fingertips. He stood over our father, who had collapsed onto the ground, a spear of ice protruding from his chest. Griffin watched, a complicated expression on his face, as our father struggled for his last breaths. Finally, he said, “There is no place for you here, old man. Go home.”

I left the Jacks a few days later. No one tried to stop me, not even when I admitted that I was joining the Hero Syndicate. 

I never got to say goodbye.

***

I’m not necessarily surprised by Cressida’s answer, but it still stings to hear how quickly we’ve been rejected.

“Why not?” Benji asks. From the gleam in Cressida’s eye, I can tell that it’s a dangerous question.

“What makes you think we weren’t planning to bid?” 

Benji leaps to his feet. “You wouldn’t! If those weapons fall into the wrong hands, innocent people will die. You’re the only ones who can save them!”

Joaquin snorts derisively. “As much as we appreciate the flattery, you still haven’t given us a reason to get involved.”

“But the Syndicate—”

“Needs to try harder.” Joaquin’s expression hardens. “We’re not here at your beck and call to solve your problems when you get tired of them. You’re supposed to be the heroes—act like it.”

Benji turns, spluttering, back to Cressida. “You helped Ricochet—”

“He helped me find my fiancée’s killer,” she says shortly. Even though she’s speaking to Benji, she’s looking me directly in the eyes. It feels like an accusation.

After a blistering moment, she turns back to Benji. “I have a vested interest in Ricochet. The rest of the Hero Syndicate, however, has earned no such favor.” Benji opens his mouth, another plea on his tongue, but Cressida and Joaquin stand up, cutting him off. “You’ve made your case; we’ve given you our answer. This conversation is over.”

As they move to go, I play the only card in my hand. 

“What about Griffin?” 

Cressida and Joaquin both stiffen, and I seize the opportunity, avoiding Benji’s questioning look. “This is your chance to finally use the Jacks for good. It’s what Griff would have wanted.”

Cressida turns back to face me, and her frigid fury pins me to my seat. “What Griff would have wanted,” she snarls, her voice brittle and low, “was for you to show up to his funeral.” She steps away from the booth, damningly expressionless. “So it looks like we’ve both disappointed him.”

***

I never even got to say goodbye.

Vector told me that it was Cressida who had found him, broken and bloody and alone, in his last moments. She told me that Cressida, broken and bloody and alone, had gone to Ricochet and asked for his help, that they had found the bastard who was responsible and stripped him of his powers and locked him up in Keystone Heights for life. 

For weeks afterwards, Cressida and Joaquin left me letters and voicemails and packages, but I couldn’t bring myself to open any of them. The day of the funeral, I couldn’t even drag myself out of bed.

It took a long time before I could stop thinking he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead.

***

Benji’s head whips back and forth between the villains stalking away and my own pale face. “What the hell just happened?”

I shake my head, trying to ignore how the truth in Cressida’s words stings. As I do, my eye catches on something tucked beneath Joaquin’s abandoned French fry basket. 

Leaning forward, I fish it out. It’s a playing card—the Jack of Diamonds. On the back, a message is scrawled in black Sharpie: Tomorrow, noon. Come alone. Underneath is an address to an old plot of land that Griffin used to use as his headquarters, in the days before he’d bought Devils and Darlings. 

My heart leaps into my throat, and I turn the recruitment card over in my hands. I have an identical, albeit faded and time-worn, version of this card in my bedroom, tucked in the top drawer of my bedside table—the last remnant of my life with the Jacks. 

Cressida had been using telekinesis when we’d first shown up. It’s not hard for me to imagine her using that same power to write surreptitiously under the table as we’d talked—I had once watched her effortlessly forge twelve pages worth of the mayor’s handwriting blindfolded. 

I trace my index finger over the ink on the card and fail to suppress a hysterical laugh. 

“Gwen, did you hear me?” Benji’s voice filters through my thoughts. “Are you alright?” He squints at me, alarmed. “Are you high?”

“Yes. No.” I laugh again and stand up. “Come on.”

Benji scrambles out of the booth, bewildered. “Where are we going? What was Copycat talking about earlier? Did you know Griffin Snyder? Why were you invited to his funeral?”

I wince and ignore his questions. “Let’s go—we have a lot of work to do. If Copycat and King Cobra are going to help us, we need to prove that we’re worth their time.”

Benji grabs my wrist, frowning deeply. “They just said that they won’t help us. Gwen, what aren’t you telling me?”

I twist out of his grip. “They won’t help the Syndicate, but they’ll help me.” 

Benji doesn’t relent, hurrying after me as I stalk out of the bar. “Why? I thought villains didn’t sanction inter-gang loyalties? Besides, you defected, right?”

I pass the playing card to him, hoping that he ignores how my hand shakes. “Copycat left this behind,” I say, by way of explanation. 

Benji shakes his head as he reads the inscription on the card, not comprehending. “For all we know, this is a trap. These aren’t the minor villains you grew up around, Gwen—we’re dealing with some of the most dangerous people in Annex City. What makes you think you can trust that they’ve changed their minds?” 

“I just know, okay?”

“Gwen, please.” Benji’s voice is low now, pleading. “You know I trust you implicitly, but I simply can’t believe that the most wanted criminals in the city are going to help us just because you have a gut feeling about it. Give me something to work with here!”

I take a deep, tremulous breath. 

“They’re going to help me because Griffin Snyder was my brother,” I say. “They’re going to help me because I’m family.”

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Social media’s phenomenon of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge hit its peak during 2015, however, there has been a buzz about the challenge being a satanic ritual. The true origins of this activity are open to consideration. There are those that believe that the inception of this global craze began with a single man. Boston college student Pete Frates became diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2012. Two of Frates friends, Pat Quinn and Corey Griffin, are widely considered to be the creators of the challenge.

On the face of it, this does look like an innocent way to bring awareness of this condition while having fun and raise money at the same time. So many celebrities took to the challenge that might have played a part in making the appeal of participating even more enticing. “If it’s good enough for David Beckham/George W. Bush/Lady Gaga/etc, then it’s good enough for me”. It is precisely because of the beliefs of selected celebrities taking part that has got some people suspicious of this initiative.

By now most people are acutely familiar with the process. The mix of ice and water is very similar to the religious ritual of baptism. Baptism is representational of various religions and belief systems, in particular, Christianity. Baptism itself is similar to a Jewish ritual known as Tvilah. The modern ice bucket challenge comes in three stages, all of which must be put on video. The first is a simple acceptance of the challenge. The second is the preparation for the challenge. The third is the challenge itself plus the victim nominating three others to take up the challenge. This just adds to the argument that the Ice Bucket Challenge is more than the innocent bit of fun that most reckon it was.

Supporters of the theory that the Ice Bucket Challenge is a satanic ritual also point out that dabbling in things unknown can come back and have dire consequences. One of the apparent founders of the Ice Bucket Challenge, Corey Griffin, died in a bizarre incident after an ALS fundraiser during the early hours of 16 August 2014. Having left the event, Griffin allegedly jumped off the roof of the venue in Straight Wharf, Nantucket.

The Boston Globe reported that Griffin floated to the surface of the sea and quickly disappeared. About an hour later, he was dead. Was Griffin somehow punished for his involvement in creating the Ice Bucket Challenge? With his whole life still ahead of him, it seems inconceivable that he would take such a risk, especially in the middle of the night having raised $100,000 for ALS research.

It is curious that only the Boston Globe reported on Griffin’s passing. Given the overwhelming popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, his ironic death should have gathered more coverage during the frenzy of his creation.