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borderlandscast · 5 years

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his dark materials au

all these aus are going to crossover at multiple points, since it’s inevitable and i like creatively torturing myself. here is a basic cast list and notes. discworld au will be placed into a different post because this one is also epic length.

nilesy, will strife and parvus will get their own post! and discworld peeps too.

any feedback and thoughts on the magic system would be greatly appreciated!

rythian

born in sweden. barely left the country of his birth, except on family holidays or short trips to neighboring locations.

he became an experimental theologian with the intention of studying his heritage and discovering the mystery of why his daemon settled in an unusual form. the official story is that he’s supposed to retrieve or make copies of the althiometer interpretations for sweden’s own universities.

his daemon is called ‘ender’, gender neutral, small dragon the size of a house cat. ender has a lot of raised scales which gives them a thorny devil’s appearance. the scales are smoother than appearances suggest, so concealing ender beneath rythian’s cloak is the usual means by which ender hides.

ender’s species is that of a western dragon. thier features include a pointy head, frill, four legs with talons (thumb ones opposable, albeit sharp), leathery wings and a tail. ender’s eyes have a nictating membrane, and they possess excellent night vision.

ender’s voice has a raspy quality to it, but mirror rythian’s own voice. both have a faint accent when they speak.

ender shares rythian’s taste for information and knowledge. between the two of them, ender hoards the bulk of it. ender has never forgotten a book they or rythian have read.

ravs

born and grew up in scotland. has never been anywhere else, nor interested in doing so.

daemon is ‘finnley’, goes by she/her, a unicorn. finnley is a white ‘horse’ with patches of speckled grey on her body. she blends into mist perfectly. her eyes are a hazelnut colour. finnley’s tail is mostly white; she doesn’t take kindly to people pulling on it.

her hooves are the second most dangerous part of her, her ivory horn being the other. her hooves can crush skulls and stones, and her horn can gore through people.

that said, ravs is the only person who can ride her. she can outrun normal horses. he can ride her with or without a saddle, though ravs prefers the former for obvious reasons. finnley can carry ravs and cargo for about 100 miles (twice that of a regular horse) before tiring. she can go much further at a slower pace.

both left their town of birth due to religious authorities getting wind of him and his daemon’s settled form; the two of them left to protect their family and friends.

both have made a relative’s old highlands castle their secret base. the two earn money from running delivery jobs all over the countryside. given finnley’s speed and ravs’ head and social knack for business, they’ve got quite a reputation built up, and numerous friendships all over the place so both are never in pressing need of a roof, food and drink.

rythian doesn’t know this when they meet, but ravs can separate from finnley at will; both can travel incredibly far from each other if needed, though they prefer not to.

wherever ravs goes, he takes a carrier pigeon with him. the pigeon has been trained to respond to basic commands and questions, including relaying messages back and forth with fellow scotsmen.

a witch taught finnley the trick of how to conceal her horn by using the same trick that witches use to hide themselves from crowds or when infiltrating locations. people simply just don’t notice finnley’s horn. finnley has to concentrate to do this, but ravs’ natural chattiness makes up for her reserved nature.

ravs grew up as a farmer’s child, which explains his lack of complaints when it comes to hard work and rising at the crack of dawn to help out his folks and relatives. he’s used to the ups and downs of the occupation. he’s fairly well built as a result.

y’all be pleased to know that he wears pants in this au, plus his trademark kilt.

teep

british. welsh heritage. voluntarily mute.

daemon is ‘basil’, he/him/they/them, a cockatrice (with some traits from a basilisk mixed in). has a rooster’s head, body, feet, wings and tail; the tail has a functioning serpent’s head. the serpent can hide within the rooster’s voluminous tail.

basil is about the size of a large rooster; he comes up to teep’s waist if that’s any help.

basil’s ability to petrify people is based on vision; it can apply to objects too. basil ‘requires’ a blindfold, but gets by via infrared sensing and a keen sense of smell on their snake head, plus sharing teep’s vision.

basil’s venomous. their leg spurs and snake head produce a potent venom that’s akin to that of a taipan or brown snake. fortunately, basil can only produce so much venom a day. teep harvests the venom from the snake head to dip arrowheads into. the two are initially unwilling to elaborate on an antidote to ravs and rythian.

i said in an earlier post that basil had four legs, but i’m changing my mind and making basil more chicken shaped. basil has two taloned feet, but at the top of their wings is a smaller set of talons. these can be operated like pointy hands. like ender’s, they’re capable of shredding fragile items, like paper. it also lets basil scale objects, mostly trees and fences.

after a noodle incident that left a whole village petrified, teep and basil fled. they returned to keep guard over the village to make sure nobody discovers what happened to it. basil doesn’t feel any remorse whatsoever, and doesn’t think teep should either.

teep has proficiency in archery and maintains their own bow. their family used to be rangers and hunters, but began to dabble in lumberjacking due to rising demand in wood for ships, carpentry, artisan pursits and construction.

teep’s relationship with basil is that of mutual tolerance. they don’t necessarily like or hate each pther, though basil seems to prefer being around teep than be separated, with the addition of basil’s role in speaking for the two of them.

that said, teep dislikes basil’s snarkiness and talkativeness (which is hilarious, considering basil is a reflection and manifestation of teep’s own soul), while basil regards teep’s muteness the ‘silent treatment’, which says a lot.

some notes about zylus and daltos’ world:

separate to that of rythian, ravs and teep’s world, but linked thanks to several secret openings caused by the subtle knife’s bearers.

magic is heavily relient on dust, and the magician’s bond with a daemon.

this world developed like lyra’s world, so electricity/anbaric isn’t as widespread, and a lot of the continents remain to be explored. it’s part fantasy with steampunk thrown in.

cost of magic is concentration; you ever feel like you want to pass out after concentrating too hard? or get a migraine after a giant task? that’s the feeling. the tryhardiest of magicians fall asleep and simply never wake up; the dust expended doesn’t replenish in these comatose individuals to warrant consciousness.

given the presence of magic, religions are much more lax, acknowledging and tolerant of each other. that doesn’t mean that there weren’t wars, it just mean that they’re less on a grander scale of death and destruction since magic is utilized heavily to tamp down on these matters and nip them in the bud. there’s a lot of careful balancing between countries on keeping the peace.

magic is allied with science; science is one of the main drivers in advancing civlisation, while magic serves to fill in the gaps that science leaves (e.g. healing, weather control, binding). magic is treated like a science itself.

there are multiple schools of magic, and many sub classifications and styles. no one way is emphasised (though rival schools try to preach otherwise), or stronger than the others.

the term ‘magician’ is an umbrella term; wizard, witch, sorcerer are perfectly applicable examples of job titles, but regular folks use that first term the most.

anyone can enroll to study magic, and the earlier the better. the highest enrollment tends to occur at when kids enter adolescence, which is when dust begins to increase. there’s always funds set aside for those with incredible potential or from lower social classes to cover schooling, food, travel, study materials and uniforms. it’s in a country’s best interests to produce magicians since not many go on to further their career in a way that benefits a country.

all budding magicians start as theorists, and the majority choose to follow this path in life. they debate, study, experiment and discuss magic, just like they would a science. they can cast magic, but their methods and output differs substantially to that of a practical practioner (get it?). many theorists also have a second occupation, not always magic orientated (such as teaching, gardening, merchant). a few even regard magic as a hobby, dabbling in it on the weekends.

practical practitioners are a jack of all trades. they go out into the world and solve problems that occur as a result of dust, and to a lesser extent, conflicts or human problems. they’re paid a portion of the comissions fee by the requester and a reward upon successful completion. many are freelancers, some work only in one location, and a select few work for the government.

all requests come through via guilds that screen them for issues before making them public. private requests are also possible, including wanting a specific magician but these charge a much higher fee since the magician may not always be available or if another has to transferred in or out.

all magicians undertake a final exam condicted by professors to test their control, theory, aptitude, and specialty (optional, and the magifian can claim multiple ones). this is to root out those unprepared and the undesirables. it can be retaken as many times as needed.

upon passing, the institution acknowledges the magician, and grants them a license. the license isn’t legally needed since unlicensed magic thrives just as well; more caution is required when dealing with said magic. the license also serves as identification since each carries a unique signature from each daemon/human pair.

daemons must be settled by the time of the magician’s graduation. exceptions are rare. certain factions prefer recruiting daemon specific magicians. some say that the final settled form of a daemon determines how advanced one’s magic growth is, but that’s just gossip.

dust is present in this world to a ridiculous degree; if lyra’s world is a lake, this one is an ocean. two basic opinions exist: dust is finite, the other being dust is infinite. either way, there’s evidence to support both, but further studies are needed. and magic is slowly vanishing...

to prevent accidents with daemons (such as in hunting, sports, public events), all daemons must be marked in an obvious, foolproof way. kids tie scraps of colourful cloth or braids to their daemon, explorers equip hats or backpacks, university members use their school’s crest branded on a scarf or tie. there’s a whole world of daemon fashion. people can get very creative.

zylus

dutch scholar. born in the netherlands, has never traveled beyond europe. prefers to stay in one location, dislikes travel unless absolutely necessary. especially hates sea travel.

daemon is ‘griffin’, prefers masculine pronouns but will happily accept female pronouns, brown gyrfalcon. griffin’s height is about arm length. he has a whistling nature to his voice.

part of a noble house that made its fortune when shipping and trade lanes were first established out of the country. his family’s company has existed for a century, and is family run. zylus would rather avoid drawing attention to this fact. his family has low expectations that he’ll run the company, given his natural aptitude for magic, his interests and lack of business ambition.

zylus is a mathematician and a budding physicist. he has a head for numbers, attributed to his upbringing where no child in the house grew up blissfully ignorant of how the company operates. zylus assisted in accounts, making sure all the numbers nearly lines up on all sides. he gained a taste for it, and combined with a curiosity of dust (thanks to the scholars frequenting the store), led to his university career.

zylus entered university in his early teens, and spent the majority of the time immersed in the mathematical side of explaining dust and feeling out his magic. his faculty involves studying the nature of magic through formulas, theorums and laws, depending on the type of magic.

zylus developed a method for quick, precise casting of magic. it involves entering a certain state of mind, and he and griffin are currently stumped as to standardize it. if he’s successful, he might revolutionise the way magic is cast. most magicians cast magic like they’re being filmed: with great, sweeping movements, drama and chants. zylus thinks this is impressive and all, but highly impractical.

he has yet to decide on a specialisation in magic, owing to his occupation and interests. it’s fine to leave a magic specialty blank since all it does is help the guilds match up requests to a magician.

he prefers using precise magic, mostly used to give him a quick, numerical snapshot. it can be tailored depending on the job (like calculations, divinations, calibrations, weighings or measurements). zylus’ toolkit also includes a wider variety of real world magic but he rarely uses those spells. he also knows archival spells to preserve notes and texts, and the manual methods of doing so.

zylus is certified as a practical magician, but chooses not to accept requests except those from his family, faculty or friends. he doesn’t even know who’d request him snice he works in such a niche field to begin with.

griffin is capable of flying at least a hundred metres away from zylus. the nature of this range is a subject of intense debate in the field of daemon focused studies in that large daemons are theorised to have a greater wandering range than that of smaller daemons, and is especially so for bird daemons (those with flight capabilities, anyway).

due to griffin’s talons, zylus has to carry a foldable, wooden perch for his daemon, or have leather pads fastened to one or both shoulders whenever he leaves his home so griffin doesn’t have to park on his head or arm.

griffin’s personality isn’t as aloof as their form suggests; griffin is more talkative than zylus is, and is the more patient and outgoing of the pair. griffin tends to notice smaller details that zylus overlooks. griffin isn’t as serious as zylus is; in fact, their playfulness is akin to that of dallas’, daltos’ daemon. sometimes zylus’ self consciousness spills over, so griffin can be harder to read than usual.

zylus adores griffin, though griffin can be a handful when the both of them are agitated and hold opposing opinions. nonetheless, zylus unconditionally loves his daemon, and vice versa. he does his best to listen and compromise, and he doesn’t shun griffin for long after they’ve both squabbled.

zylus ties a small leather pouch to griffin, and a plain, sandy coloured scarf to mark griffin as a daemon. the pouch can hold letters, small objects, food, and instruments. griffin can open it on their own with their feet and beak.

daltos

american scholar. born in ‘new denmark’, left the country at a young age. the sole reason for that is his talent in magic; schools for magic hadn’t been fully established, and the best option was to send daltos back to europe with his uncle and aunt.

daemon is ‘dallas’, genderfluid, bearded vulture. dallas has no preference for pronouns. their voice is ambigious, albeit with a harsh note to it; daltos prefers masculine pronouns when personally referring to his own daemon.

his early childhood in italy was full of adventures, largely spent by following his aunt and uncle around since both were practical magicians by trade. he picked up a lot of their mannerisms and habits, including their taste for functional, minimal fuss casting and arsenal of spells.

as a result and in his later years, daltos has traveled extensively all over europe; his trips as a small child had a profound effect on his curiosity, and his aunt and uncle did well in cultivating it.

once he hit adolescence, he went to one of italy’s universities, taking the exam. he eventually decided what he wanted to do while attending said university.

daltos studies people and daemons as an anthropologist, focusing on the study of the presence of dust and how it rises and falls with social development, culture and practices.

he keeps meticulous logs about his travels; part of his goal is to track, document and learn about cultures that lack archive entries. his other goal is to chart shifts in dust over time to pool together data for a collective study that his faculty is responsible for. said faculty believes that sentience is key to dust’s existence, and thus, dust is infinite.

he transferred to zylus’ university to access their data, with the stipulation that he help some of the other branches to cover some absences. this is how he and zylus met.

daltos’ magic is more focused on a versatility of spells than conpletely mastering a select few. as a field magician, he and dallas have to be prepared for anything, from healing, shielding, weather adjustments, repairs, to animal control. he carries around a detailed notebook listing basic spells, sorted by category, effectiveness and strength, all based on his own observations and experiments. he also prepares powerful spells in advance on dust infused scrolls; these are last minute resorts, and are all sealed away in a waterproof bag.

dallas is a large daemon, measuring about 1.2 metres in height. like zylus and griffin, daltos owns leather pads to support dallas landing on his shoulders, and carries around a portable wooden perch.

dallas’ wandering range is about two hundred metres. dallas reckons that he could go further, but that’s his rough estimate.

dallas is marked by a navy bandanna worn around their neck, and leather spats. when traveling, dallas equips a backpack to help carry equipment and items.

dallas is a reserved daemon, in contrast to daltos, who is known to be a chatterbox rivalling parvis. however, dallas does share some of daltos’ traits, such as his stubbornness, acting insufferably smug, and being a playful piece of shit. dallas is fond of stealing items that daltos needs and retreating to a high location until daltos either comes after him or caves.

daltos and dallas are as thick as thieves, they have no secrets between them, and indulge in a lot of joking around. they know it looks unprofessional to onlookers, so dallas tends to adopt an intimidating air when out and about. otherwise, dallas plays the straight man to daltos’ funny man. as for how daltos keeps a straight face when he looks at dallas head on, he says ‘he doesn’t.’

#borderlandscast: his dark materials #long post

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heathered-beinn · 3 years

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BangtanTV Youtube Vids 3

Dance practice by 정국 of 방탄소년단 - YouTube Dance practice by 정국 of 방탄소년단 (Jungkook of BTS)

This short dance routine was a nice little insight into the level of Jungkook’s dance skills a few months before the band debuts. I looked up the band’s debut date which is June 2013 and this was filmed in January. From what I can remember from previous vids Jungkook didn’t have much/if any dancing experience when he joined the company so this is quite an impressive start! I am not a dance expert in anyway but I’ll make a few observations using my common sense. This short routine shows he has already developed a good sense of flow, has a good memory for remembering steps, and nice posturing for the style of dance (i.e. it doesn’t look awkward or robotic). His rhythm was off a little in places, which was most noticeable throughout the second set of bell rings. I’m going to make another uneducated observation based on this off-rhythm: throughout this video he seems to be dancing more from memory rather than dancing to the music. Is this a one off or is it because he is still learning (and probably under pressure)? It will be so interesting to see how his skills grow from here on out.

방탄소년들의 졸업 - YouTube 방탄소년들의 졸업 (rough translation: Graduate of BTS)

Oh my goodness <3 <3 !!!! This is so cute!! The song is clearly about them graduating from their respective schools. Dressed up in their school uniforms, J-Hope, Jimin, and Jungkook sing a Korean-ised version of Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa - Young, Wild and Free ft. Bruno Mars on school grounds.

It is like, tooth-rottingly cute – all of them are so young and baby faced! Jungkook seems to be the lead singer already and did a little rapping too. He’s definitely a singer more than a rapper but it still sounded good. J-Hope’s voice is smooth and he oozes confidence. He also looks like he hasn’t aged a bit from then to now! Jimin is just a little cutie. I think he was mostly background vocals and visuals in this little music video which I’m sure was down to his lack of confidence in singing since it was so new to him. *sigh*… there was so much youth and innocence in their voices back then. Okay so their voices were a little unpolished and it wasn’t exactly a blockbuster of a music video but, you know what, it was pretty damn good and definitely an entertaining performance.

Observations: so taking into account that this would all have been edited and somewhat scripted, looking and reading between the lines the three of them seem to be genuinely close already. I know Korean culture is generally less conservative with touching between friends than western (yet more conservative in other ways) but the three seem pretty natural with each other. Either they gelled fast or they’ve been working together for some time already – even before Jimin became an official member of the pre-debut band. I really liked how, rather than pretend to be macho males who dominate the school and ogle the girls, the video is just them hanging together and essentially ‘playing’ like young teenage friends. I had to laugh at Jimin measuring his height against the growing Jungkook. Enjoy the inch while you can darling because it’s going to go fast lol!! Also, you really would think they were all the same age but if I’m right, there is four years difference between J-Hope and Jungkook!

130208 지민 - YouTube 130208 지민 – Jimin 08/02/13 (UK date!)

Thanks to Grace Lee in the Youtube comments for the translation.

Jimin tells us he went to Jungkook’s graduation with Jin and Suga (hyung). They went because they heard Jungkook didn’t have many friends but it turns out he was surrounded by girls (lol!) and Jimin was a little jealous (jealous of JK having more friends than him, or that they were girls, or that JK has a lot of friends who aren’t Jimin/the band?). He then says that now JK is a year older he will probably become a bit more manly (again, is that a good thing or a bad thing Jimin? Are you afraid he will get taller than you? Or that he might not be so playful? Or are you looking forward to those things…? In all honesty I thought this was a bit of an odd thing to say but then it might be the culture difference). The team are getting a vacation (excellent, I bet it is really needed – although if memory serves, by the time American Hustle Life comes around it’s been a long time since they had seen their family so this might have been the last trip home that they talked about). Jimin says he feels bad that RM and Suga can’t go home early because they have to work on songs but he hopes they can go home soon and rest. (Two things come to me here; one, RM and Suga are already the lead writers at this point and they are under a kind of pressure that they can’t go home until they meet some kind of quota? Look, they are both adults at this point and it’s a difficult industry so this isn’t too surprising that there is a lot of pressure, but it shows how hard they had to work to get to where they are today. It did not get handed to them on a plate. Do I think this particular pressure was unnecessary; yes I do. Do I think it’s the worst thing in the world: no I do not. I can acknowledge that there are much worse things to be doing than writing songs in a studio for hours on end. I also think the that the pressure will probably nurse their passion for the job. However, that doesn’t mean they are not stressed, tired, and mentally drained, so I empathise with them and hope they get the break they deserve soon. The second thing is: a small note about Jimin’s concern and regret that RM and Suga aren’t going home like himself. That shows he has some empathy and that he cares about them. As this is incredibly early in the band’s career this is just an observation of the emerging bonds.

130208 정국 - YouTube 130208 정국 (080213 Jungkook UK date)

Thanks to Hopeful Mang in the Youtube comments for the translation. Before I even get into the video I want to make the observation that JK is wearing a fur-lined coat in the studio – just how cold is it in there???!!!! He also looks tired/cold, poor lad.

Right, so, according the translation, he says he is finally filming his log and he watched Jimin do his and thought he didn’t speak well but now that it’s his turn he realises he doesn’t know what to say. (Well JK, you were quick to judge Jimin – and quite harshly – but now you realise it really isn’t that easy! I do wonder, now, if JK was in the room with Jimin when he was filming? If so, was Jimin maybe teasing him when he said he, Jin, and Suga thought he did not have many friends and that’s why they went to his graduation? Then maybe he made up for it by suggesting he was surrounded by girls, which he may not have been? Who knows, but that’s another possibility lol!)

JK then tells us that today was his graduation and that he had been looking forward to it but now that it’s happened he’s actually not that happy. (I wondered why? I was curious about him graduating anything at 15 so I googled and figured out that since he’s fifteen he’s just graduated middle school! So now I’m wondering if he’s nervous about going to High School? Or if he’s sad about the pressure to leave a certain part of his childhood behind? Or maybe he’s sad he might not see some his classmates again?) He says it is 11:39 and they’ve just finished dance practice (I am hoping that he is talking about 11 in the morning…) Like Jimin, JK says it’s almost New Year and he can’t wait to go home. He finishes the log by saying he misses his mum and dad and that everyone will be waiting for him at home and he wants to go. (It must be hard for JK to be so far away from home at such a young age. I know that many children are, for various reasons, but I hate the ‘oh don’t worry about it there are other people worse off’ mentality. That kind of thinking helps nobody and only deteriorates a person’s mental health because it doesn’t stop them feeling bad but increases their overall stress because they feel guilty for feeling bad. Anyway, back to JK, I wonder how he copes without his family? Who provides his pastoral care? Are there staff there – like the house staff you’d get in a boarding school who are a bit like a stand-in parent? Or do the other band members, like Jin and Suga, look after the younger ones? What does JK have to do for himself? Does he cook his own meals? Clean his own washing? Organise his dental/hair appointments? What about when he’s unwell? Who looks after him? Does the company provide any of that? I know the band live in dorms so there has to be some sort of living arrangements. Hopefully this will all get answered in time.)

130212 RAP MONSTER - YouTube 130212 RAP MONSTER – (RM’s Log)

Thanks to Grace Lee in the Youtube comments for the translation.

So RM starts by saying that New Year’s is over and that’s he had a [legal] drink with some long-time friends [ones he’s known for 13-15 years]. (I’m glad he at least got to celebrate New Year – the video doesn’t spell out if he actually got to go home but I really hope he did). He says that he’s realised that real friends are the ones who stick with you through the bad times as well as the good (I’m sad it’s taken this long for you to realise darling but I’m glad you know now). He thinks the band is going to debut soon (it’s about four months off from what I read) and after the break he’s recharged and more determined. Starting tomorrow it’s going to be a storm and he’s going to practice more (which I assume means he’s going to launch into song writing with more vigour and determination and try even harder with the dancing – which great for him!! <3 The break evidently did him the power of good. I hope he manages to keep it going x)

130212 정국 & 지민 - YouTube 130212 정국 & 지민 – 12/03/13 Jungkook & Jimin UK Date

OMG WHAT CUTIES!!! <3 <3 THEY ARE SO ADORABLE Thanks to Grace Lee in the Youtube comments for the translation.

Jimin starts talking first. (He sounds a bit croaky ☹). He says New Years is over. (That was really quick!!! They last filmed on the 8th and it’s now the 12th – not much of a vacation for them! ☹) Anyway, Jimin tells us that as the two of went to Busan they got to film their log together (presumably because they arrived back at the same time? The two of them seem a little awkward – not with each other – but as though they don’t quite know what to say lol. So I don’t think they exactly practised their log beforehand, which maybe they should have *insert crying with laughter emoji*) Jimin then says that as he predicted he put on a lot of weight. (I am… so sad. It’s been less than 4 days Jimin, even if you were on a drip that mainlined calories into your body 24/7 you would not put on that much noticeable weight in 3 days!!! This fixation on weight from all of them is breaking my heart.) Jimin then also says he caught a cold and his throat is sore (which explains why he sounds all choked-up, poor lad ☹. Then it is JK’s turn to speak and, bless him, the silence is awkward – he’s really going to have to work on feeling comfortable in front of the camera.) JK eventually says that he had a good New Years and that he knows it will be a long time before he gets to go back to Busan again (Jimin nods along with a little sad pout and I want cry for them). JK then says he will work harder because of this (I’m kinda reading between the lines here and taking it that he means he will try to block out how much he misses home by focusing extra hard on their work. Whatever helps, sweetie.)

Jimin echoes this by saying that now they’ve caught up on some rest he’s ready to work harder (I want to go all motherly on his butt by saying; darling you are clearly under the weather and you need more rest, not to work harder right now. Get into your bed and let me make you some tea.) He reiterates this to JK by saying ‘we’re going to work hard? Correct?’. They look at each other and giggle a little shyly as JK agrees they will work hard (absolutely adorable, I’m loving this little friendship already). Jimin then draws the log to an end by saying RM needs the studio and that his throat is in a bad condition. He asks JK if he has anything more to say to which (LOL) JK says no and repeats he will work harder. Jimin awkwardly ends the log.

Extra musings; I find it absolutely adorable how awkward they were and it very much came across that it wasn’t that they were awkward with each other - in fact, they appeared to look to each other for reassurance - but that they just didn’t know what to say. I don’t think they aren’t comfortable talking ad hoc in front of a camera. It is really sweet that they clearly tried to help each other through the filming. JK is definitely the most shy out of the two and became a cute little ‘nodding dog’ whenever Jimin spoke as though his friend was saying everything perfectly for him (for anyone reading this who doesn’t understand; the term ‘nodding dog’ is a reference to a cute little toy that sits on a vehicle’s dashboard and nods it’s head to the vibrations. Overtime the term has morphed into a reference to people who sit and nod as someone else speaks – usually during speeches/meetings/lectures. Over-all it is an amusing analogy rather than a mean one and I definitely mean it in a gently teasing way!)

Anyway, these two seem to have a cute little friendship going on, which is nice to behold as we didn’t get to see much about their friendship until American Hustle and that godawful day working at the airport – which I have tried valiantly to scrub from my memory. I really hope to see more of them working together in the future – and maybe they will continue doing logs together <3

130214 J HOPE - YouTube 130214 J HOPE’s log

J-Hope!!!! Sweetheart <3 <3 I love your shirt – you look all sparkly! Thanks to Grace Lee in the Youtube comments for the translation.

J-Hope starts by saying he’s finally filming his first log (and I may or may not have melted into a puddle of goo when he smiled and clapped his hands together – such a beautiful boy, like sunshine personified). His graduation video has just been released (which I assume from my Google research on age and Korean education means he has now graduated high school, well done sweetie and congratulations!!!!). His graduation makes him feel both nervous and excited as it feels like ‘something is starting’. (I wonder if the company were holding back a little on debuting the band until the majority of them had finished high school – which would be sensible considering the band’s workload!). J-Hope says he hopes it’s not too cringeworthy but he wants to talk about his goals (nothing cringeworthy about that and I definitely want to hear about them!). His first goal is to get better at rapping before the band debuts, with the help of RM and Suga (I love how the band members are helping each other and I also admire J-Hope’s desire to improve his skills for the sake of the band). His second goal is to dance more like a pro (after what I saw in American Hustle Life then you have natural talent J-Hope and are already dancing like a pro, I don’t know how you can improve really. You’re definitely the most talented dancer in the group when it comes to hip-hop). He then tells us that it is Valentines Day and that he hopes we are enjoying it, relieving a lot a stress (?) and are eating a lot of chocolate (<3 you too J-Hope, even though I do not celebrate that day in the slightest lol). He finishes the log by wishing us a happy Valentine’s day again.

Further musings: a really cute log and a great start. J-Hope talks naturally in front of the camera and his smile is just beautiful and makes you automatically smile along. Maybe JK and Jimin should take some notes on J-Hope’s confidence and delivery lol.

130214 지민&정국 - YouTube 130214 지민&정국 – Jimin and Jungkook

Ah the cuties are back!!! And they’re recording their log together again <3 Note: this is 2 days after the last one and the same day J-Hope recorded his first log. Thanks to Grace Lee in the Youtube comments for the translation.

(I may have sniggered at their choice of music playing in the background because I really don’t think they understood the lyrics…) ANYWAY, so, according to the translation, Jimin starts by saying it’s Valentine’s Day but also Graduation Day at his school. (I’m a little lost as to whether he is actually graduating anything specific or even where he might be graduating from). JK chimes in that he graduated today too (which I thought he did the other day? Confused.com). Jimin then says it was a day off school so he didn’t receive any chocolates (I’m guessing Valentine’s Day is quite a celebrated occasion in Korea). JK chimes in that he still received two chocolates (I like how males get gifts too and not just females for Valentine’s Day). Jimin says he got one chocolate. LOL at JK saying he won! Jimin then explains they get chocolates from the girl trainees in the company and that he doesn’t mind just getting one because they are on a diet (cue my angry face because I think I’ve already established I don’t think it’s a healthy diet). Jimin says he looks to Jin to lose weight in which JK chimes in that Jin is good at taking care of his body. (Funny enough, in one of the last Jin logs he said staff had commented on his growing weight, which was a load of bullshit, but Jin was determined to eat more healthily. So which is it? Jin is overweight enough that he needs to diet according to staff (gross and no) or does he have an enviable figure that JK and Jimin want to emulate? I mean what am I even talking about because neither Jimin or JK are overweight anyway and probably have six packs from all the dancing…) Then Jimin says… (and I genuinely want to cry that he says this, I don’t even want to type it) Jimin says ‘in order to not be called cute because of my fat, I will lose weight in anticipation of becoming handsome.’ (I don’t know where to even start with this horrible utterance. Firstly, there is nothing wrong with being called ‘cute’. Cuteness does not just cover looks it also encompasses personality whereas the term ‘handsome’ really doesn’t, at least from where I come from; you can be handsome to the eyes but an absolute dick in personality. Also, being thin does not mean you are handsome either – I have seen some men who are incredibly slender but not physically fit, all ribs and angular bones, and I wouldn’t class them as ‘handsome’. Anyway beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. Everyone finds different qualities attractive. Also, not to give the game away, I saw what Jimin blossoms into when they appeared on the Late Late Show and he has nothing to worry about. I honestly don’t think it was ‘losing weight’ that truly transformed him either, not in the end. However, I can empathise with the lad, Jimin has a very youthful face that is prone to adorable full cheeks, even when the rest of him is pure lean muscle. I get that he’s at an age too where he wants to be seen and treated like an adult but, Jimin, that comes at a price too – don’t be so quick to try and shake off your youth, it’s precious.) Then JK devastates me by saying he wants to do the same. (Look, there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good – or at least feel like you look good. However ‘losing weight’ – which is ALL they mention so far - is barely part of the answer. So much depends on things like having a ‘healthy diet’ – lots of vegetables etc - being happy gosh that is so vital, getting enough sleep, getting enough exercise, wearing the right clothes, how your hair is cut and how it shapes your face, same with the eyebrows, your personal grooming, getting the right amount of sun, and how you hold yourself – posture. There are so many aspects that can factor in to attractiveness. Also, do you want to attract people who only value you on your looks? Even as an Idol? Surely talent is more important?

Further musings: JK and Jimin seemed at ease together again – JK very much relying on Jimin to lead the log and simply nodding along to whatever he says. I noticed he also clutched his throat quite a bit, something I’ve not noticed before, and I wonder if he caught Jimin’s cold?

Can’t wait to watch more!

#bts #bangtantv #youtubeofficial #jin #suga #j-hope #rapmonster #jimin #v #jungkook

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xottzot · 6 years

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2017-11(NOV)-17th-morning.

I wish this had have been me......

NEWS:-- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-16/worker-at-northam-races-struck-by-lightning/9159582

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Last night around 10pm, at this hellhole area there were barefoot abo kids on the roads, including a barefoot todder only in a diaper ON the road in the darkness, and they were 'playing on the roads' and watching the lightning, the same lightning activity that killed that guy above, and it's the first batch that is supposed to come thru with thunderstorms and some rain...maybe....says the unreliable crystal ball weather department forecasts.

There was rain water sprinkled on Fliss's car this morning. There was so little amount of water though than NONE of it ran down. All it did was pool-up the dust and shit on the surfaces into concentrated blobs of acid that will rot the new car just as it rotted the last one to its death.

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I overdosed Max.

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Last night, it was impossible to sleep. I actually went to bed early but poor Sam & Max woke me up and wanted to go outside. It may very well have been the crimial abo's making noise and shit in the streets.

Or it may very well have been the other criminal abo's in the next suburb next to this hellhole area who also let their cats freely roam free and shit all over the place. Ever wonder why there's no birds around this hellhole anymore like there used to be, and why the ones that do come around are so flighty and agitated and stay short periods only to shit all over the place, and on the car to help rot it away, and they do all that because feral cats are constantly maurauding around killing the birds day and night including native Australian birds. I've had to clean up SO many bird bodies that have been killed by feral cats. - Nobody cares.

And guess who owns the cats and doesn't care about letting them kill all the birds? Including Australian endangered birds at the risk of total extinction? - Yep, it's the SAME ones.

They actually go walking along the streets to the Koongamia shops and lead their cats to follow them, and the cats invade householders yards. (and shit all over in them) They get trained to do this. They kill birds in trees to pass the time (just like their 'owners' do) , and they kill birds for fun (just like their human owners do), and that is why Australian birds are dying so much around this hellhole area whereas before they were plentiful and Fliss and I used to feed them out of our own pockets and enjoy the wildlife. The birds considered us friends and would flock to us.

And the 'owners' of the feral cats don't give a shit about their cats. They think it's normal to have cats that go elsewhere to shit in other peoples yards and bring disease and poison everywhere, and to upset all the dogs in the neighborhoods.

And they don't care about dogs either.

Yesterday, as the abo's were out on the streets, they had their unleashed dog(s) roaming the streets with them.

People may wonder why they might never hardly see these criminals during the 'day', it's because they're asleep or hiding out, from being up all night and doing shit and crime. -- And so the criminal kids are learning their lessons well.

Oh, and should I mention that none of them went to school nor do they. - It's 'traditional' and their 'heritage' you see not to go to any school, just like it is to get drunk and take illegal drugs. - It'll be Xmas 'school holidays period' soon, and they'll use THAT as an excuse as to why they're roaming all about. They use that all the time even now. And they have done so for countless years.

The adults don't care at all. They're the adult version of these fuckers. And if one of the criminal kids dies or is killed, they just make several more. - To the abo criminals of this hellhole area, there s no such thing as 'sustainability' or 'conservation' and especially not having a sustainable number in their 'family' which always grows to numbers of criminals they try to keep from anyone knowing about....not when they get thrown out of one area and move into another to create another ghetto, and get paid by the government for free for being criminals and forever making and spawning more criminals.

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False calm.

As I keep saying, there's 'lulls' sometimes in the constant criminal activity of this hellhole.

And it lasts until the next massive eruption, when Western Australian Police are called in and IF the Police deign to arrive and deal with the situation for the billionth time AGAIN, it thereafter quickly involves all the nameless departmentals and mysterious anonymous vehicles visiting the criminals households to help cover up everything AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN......

I wonder if the local school or Koongamia shops were criminally broken into over the past few days? - Or is that being saved up to occur over the next few days? - Or is it going to be innocent peoples homes they again do crime upon?

Sometimes for fun I look to see if there's any unmarked West Australian Police cars roaming about, and generally I spot them. And quite often they're also spotted by the criminals who abate their criminality and shit util the think the cops have gone away.

Usually something occurs then.

Police will rush in, often secretly with unmarked Police vehicles but with Police in uniform, and they'll call in marked Police cars to assist them if they feel frightened enough, which has been getting progessively more common now because the criminals of this hellhole are so bad and always getting worse.

And so....false calm ......for now.

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I only got a few hours of terribly broken sleep. Too damned hot and humid. Although the humidty was dying away (how apt a term for myself), the heat was still there and this hovel has become hot and stayed hot.

Even now I'm trying to cool it down at since 8am.

Both poor Sam and poor Max are slumped upon the floors by any fan they feel more cool around. But they constantly get up and move to another place. It's extremely difficult to move around this tiny hovel because they are laying in the darkness everywhere are are so utterly worn out all the time that they never move, nor should they, whenever a person comes near them. Otherwise they 'learn' to leap up in total panic and that's worse as they scramble about trying to get to their feet. And they are such huge and massively solid dogs now that they can easily smash you to the floor.

They are incredibly stressed because we are not with dear Fliss.

But don't listen to me. Nobody does. Nobody cares.

I long for death.

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In a lot of pain.

And for that I am blamed too.

I long for death.

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I love you dear Fliss. So does poor Sam & poor Max. - We are in HELL. I hope you are happy.

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junker-town · 7 years

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8 of the coolest parts from the incredible Jake Olson story

Despite losing his eyesight, he made it onto the field for the Trojans in an actual game. That wasn’t even the beginning of the tale, though.

USC long snapper Jake Olson has inspired the sports world during the Trojans’ 2017 season. During USC’s home game against Oregon State, he completed his second live snap of the year.

Jake Olson, USC's blind long snapper, just completed his second career snap in a live game: http://pic.twitter.com/Kz4q6TujUs

— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) October 7, 2017

Olson, who was born with retinoblastoma (a cancer of the retina) and had to have both of his eyes surgically removed by the age of 12, made his first career appearance when he made the snap for USC’s final extra point of the game in the Trojans’ opener against Western Michigan..

This is anything but a regular PAT. Jake Olson, blind since age 12, just snapped for the first time in a live game. https://t.co/amyHcFoVue

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 3, 2017

1. Olson has a long and inspiring backstory.

Most college football fans first learned his name in 2009, when he was featured on a segment during ESPN’s College GameDay. When Olson and his family were told that his eyes would have to be removed, Olson wanted to see his Trojans one last time. Trojans head coach Pete Carroll made it happen:

"I'm just sad I won't be able to see them ever again," Jake said. "It's so hard, and yet cancer wins. But I'm going to experience something no one else can experience."

With more than a month before his surgery, Jake told his parents that what he wanted to see most one last time was another USC Trojans game. His wish reached Trojan head coach, Pete Carroll.

"The first thing was let's make sure that he gets inside and gets to see everything that he wants to see," Carroll said. "God bless him; he deserves every bit of it."

From then on, and after his surgery, Olson became an honorary member of the USC football team. He eventually made his high school team as a long snapper, then walked on for USC’s team in 2015.

2. Olson’s first snap was actually thanks to USC’s opposition, Western Michigan.

USA Today’s George Schroeder reported that Saturday’s special moment all started with an email exchange between USC coach Clay Helton and his WMU counterpart, Tim Lester.

When Helton outlined his idea — he wanted to get Jake Olson, who is blind, into the game to snap for an extra point — Lester was all for it.

That wasn’t all. When Lester agreed, Helton told him, “OK, here’s my email address.” Before allowing Olson to play, USC’s doctors needed to know Lester was on board with the plan.

“I give him all the credit,” Lester said. “That’s not an easy conversation. He was just being honest about a player he really cared for. He said he was gonna call every coach and just hope he gets it done. … He was just very nice in asking and he said he understood if I didn’t want to do it. He wasn’t forcing it down my throat, by any means.

“I didn’t think it was a hard decision at all. It was bigger than the game. I was happy to be a part of it.”

For Olson to be medically cleared, certain conditions had to be met. Major college football isn’t a place where teams go easy on each other, so the coaches had to hash out an agreement:

“It was a weird conversation to have,” Lester said, “but when you’re having this weird conversation for a good reason? We were talking about what’s out of hand, what’s not out of hand, but it was for a good purpose, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young man.”

As part of the deal, when Western Michigan scored its first touchdown, USC didn’t rush the extra point.

“Our first PAT was on air, basically,” Lester said. “And if the situation ever arose, he was gonna call timeout and look over at me. The officials were in on it. Then I could bring our guys over and explain what was going on.”

3. Carroll “couldn’t stop crying” after seeing Olson’s snap.

After his Seattle Seahawks practice on Monday, the former Trojan head coach was asked about seeing the moment:

That was an incredible moment. I’m so glad that (USC) Coach (Clay) Helton figured out a way to create the opportunity for Jake to show what he could do. This is just an extraordinary young man. Jake has done stuff throughout his life. From the time he was 10 years old, he has been doing remarkable things—he wrote his first book at 10—and onward. For a guy to out there and play in a college football game, snap a ball, they kick the extra point and make it, that’s just something, that’s just something about Jake. Jake’s a huge story. He’s one for all of us about courage and character and grit and vision and special qualities that few people would be able to hold onto.

He’s going to be a big factor. We’re all going to see him do a lot of stuff in this world. There’s nothing holding Jake back. I was so excited to see it, I couldn’t stop crying. It was thrilling. It was good to see a Trojan win too, but it was really something.

Losing his sight at the age of 12, future #USC long snapper Jake Olson talked with @InsideTroy http://t.co/vQVAKqPwWb http://pic.twitter.com/WhfbqyUBny

— Scout Recruiting (@scoutrecruiting) May 6, 2015

4. Olson once aspired to be the first blind golfer on the PGA Tour.

Carroll again:

I don’t know if Jake was thinking about being a snapper when he was 11 or 12, but what Jake wanted to do, he wanted to play in the Masters.

He wanted to go to that course before he lost his sight, he wanted to go walk that course so he’d always have the vision of what the course looked like in his mind first-hand so that when he went back to play it when he couldn’t see, he could still play and win the thing. Think of that. And that’s before he had a golf swing.

He has an extraordinary golf swing (now); he can hit the heck out of the ball.

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall has more:

"Probably for a good six months to a year I was trying to make consistent solid contact on the ball," Olson said. "There had been days that were total frustration, throwing clubs, not seeing results, just frustrating. But I wasn't going to let it stop me."

With the help of a caddie — usually his dad, Brian — he played on the Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High varsity golf team.

"It's a simple routine," Brian said. "Get him lined up, get the club behind ball, and then I back away. My main role is to get his club squared up behind the ball."

As one can imagine, unfamiliar terrain or bad lies can be trouble. Still, Olson routinely shot in the 80s, with a career-best of 78.

youtube

5. After USC’s win, Olson’s adorable guide dog, Quebec, got to celebrate in the winning locker room.

Quebec has been by Jake’s side for six years now.

USC long-snapper Jake Olson greeted after the game by his family and his service dog, Quebec. http://pic.twitter.com/ma2r1uj2BB

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 3, 2017

Jake Olson's guide dog, Quebec, got in on the postgame celebration! #FightOn http://pic.twitter.com/aDgAt2ND2w

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 3, 2017

6. This Los Angeles Times story beautifully captures the scene during and after the snap.

It’s from Bill Plaschke, who wrote about the moment perfectly.

Turns out, USC’s blind long snapper saw it better than anyone.

“There’s a beauty in it,” Olson said, still sweating through his uniform early Saturday evening. “If you can’t see how God works things out, then I think you’re the blind one.”

He also gave us a glimpse of what Helton told his team before the big moment:

“I told them the entire situation and said, ‘You can’t touch him, you can’t yell at him, everybody get down so it looks like a football play but nobody move,’” Lester recalled. “I told them, ‘What we’re about to do is bigger than the game. This is about what kind of people we want to be, what we represent; this is bigger than us.’”

And what did they say?

“They said, ‘Yes sir.’”

Another L.A. Times story from 2016 touches on how the USC program helped Olson get through accepting his blindness in the final days before his surgery:

Olson attended strategy meetings and enthusiastically encouraged players in the locker room and on the sideline at games. He chose to spend his last day with sight at a USC practice.

"There were nights of crying and stressful times when I couldn't get the thought of going blind out of my psyche," Olson said. "But every time I was up at SC or talking to one of the players or just being around, it was just pure fun.

"And, truthfully, pure peace."

7. The Pac-12 gave Olson a special award for the week, too.

He was named the special teams player of the week for his outing.

Congratulations to USC long snapper @JakeOlson61 on winning @pac12 Special Teams Player of the Week! #FightOn http://pic.twitter.com/DfCBCfXsBq

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 5, 2017

8. He’s not done. Not even close.

In addition to being a media celebrity again, he’s still working toward his degree at USC, and he says his next football goal is to compete in a game during a meaningful snap, rather than toward the end of a decided game. And now he’s inspiring other blind young people across the country to seek their own goals.

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therightnewsnetwork · 7 years

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We Hear You: On Memorial Day, Why Americans Don’t Forget to Remember

Editor’s Note: To help commemorate Memorial Day, we decided to share some of your comments responding to holiday pieces in recent years from Heritage Foundation national security expert James Jay Carafano and others.—Ken McIntyre

Dear Daily Signal: Both my parents served in World War I, my brother and myself in World War II. I missed D-Day, but just by a few days (“Making Memorial Day Make a Difference“).

I am an old fart. I remember well the Great Depression as a teenager, working in a dairy and a saw mill and caddying on a private golf course, among other jobs, wherever we could find work.

As a soldier, I remember walking up a trail from the beach past Sainte-Mère-Église, seeing a burning Jeep with a body. Hearing the first sounds of the Germans’ 88 mm guns. Receiving our first mortar fire. And thinking this is madness.

Little did I know of the future: the hedgerows, Brittany, the run to the Rhine, the Ardennes, the death camps, the breakthrough at Saint-Lo, and more.

It does not seem possible now, but it actually happened. People in this country do not know how good they have it here. And in my mind, I see a country destroyed within by the ACLU, the courts, and our own government. I ask why and how did this happen. We were duped into war in Vietnam and Iraq. For what purpose?

The country is morally and financially bankrupt. What was all the death and suffering for? We have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. What kind of a life will they have?—Frank Jenkins

***

The Korean War is truly America’s “Forgotten War.” I am just one of those who served in that nasty, horrific war that cost our country nearly as many casualties in three years as the Vietnam War did in 10. It really is time for some measure of recognition of the sacrifices made by these veterans, who are rapidly leaving us.—Wallace Hystad

***

A few years ago, I was talking to a friend who had been on the beaches on D-Day (“This Soldier’s Story Reminds Us of Why Memorial Day Matters“). I asked him if he had ever thought of going back to see those beaches again. He nodded his head sadly. He told me that all he had to do was close his eyes, and he could see it all again.—Pat Jorgensen

Let us not forget what Memorial Day is all about. If you know a son, daughter, father, mother, spouse, brother, or sister of one of our fallen, please take a moment to thank them, on behalf of our loved ones, for their sacrifice.—Bryan Burgess

***

Working as a cryptography tech in Paris gave me an overview of the war in Europe, which is why I will tolerate no criticism of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. He had great generals leading large military groups and armies, but only so much materiel to go around.

When Gen. George Patton raced beyond his supplies (gasoline), the Battle of the Bulge with all its casualties ensued.

I learned of so many situations then and later. During the war, I could not understand why so many mattress covers were requested. Much later, I learned they were the forerunners of body bags. Much I’d like to forget.—Gwen Cody

***

The Korean War was the bloodiest war fought by the United States in the 20th century, based on the amount of men committed to combat: Over 54,000 killed in action and 8,000 unaccounted-for prisoners of war in just three years. But many forget to mention the truly “Forgotten War.”—Carl White

***

My husband served in both the Vietnam and Korean wars, so he doubly felt the rejection by the public. However, he volunteered for Vietnam. The omission of recognition that bothers him the most is that owed to Korean veterans.

He was drafted right out of high school, and it was during the Battle of Inchon that he earned his Purple Heart. Please, whenever you honor the veterans of our nation’s wars, remember those who fought in Korea during the 1950s. Many are still alive and carry the physical and emotional wounds of that conflict.—Anita Dragoo

***

I suggest my fellow Americans find the book “The Second World War” by Peter Calvocoressi, Guy Wint, and John Pritchard. Its 1,300-plus pages explain World War II more thoroughly than anything I have ever read.

This book tells of Nazi Germany’s “work” in Europe, and why the Nazis had to be stopped. It tells of imperial Japan’s treatment of China, the Philippines, prisoners of war, and so on.

My brother and four first cousins served in WWII, all as volunteers. One was a nurse in North Africa for 18 months. I served in the U.S. Marines with volunteers from WWII and Korea. One Marine was a master sergeant captured on Wake Island. My brother was at Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. A cousin started on Guadacanal.—Alan K. Jackson

***

Thank all you heroes who put yourselves in harm’s way so that we are protected here in America (“Just a Common Soldier: A Moving Tribute for Memorial Day“). I have always loved our flag and our country. My father was in World War I, and I have always been proud of him and every man or woman who has kept us safe. God bless America and all those who still serve to keep us safe.—Leona Raney

We so often forget what sacrifices our men and women give our country. This simple poem says it all (“Just a Common Soldier: A Moving Tribute for Memorial Day“). Don’t forget our brave solders from the past and present. They are the true heroes. They give their all. Remember this: A man who lays down his life for someone else is a true hero. God bless and please, God, bring them home safe.—Bobby Lewis

***

Not only should we mourn, but as Patton said, celebrate their lives and be glad that we had them in a time of need.—John Naguski

***

Regarding Jarrett Stepman’s commentary “Memorial Day Tributes Should Include What Soldiers Fought For“: It’s a national tragedy. The dumbing down of America continues. Our politicians do not care as long as they remain in power.—Joel G. Wood

***

I have been watching Oliver North’s “War Stories” for many months. They show the reality and the horror of war. They should be viewed in our schools, because the magnitude of the sacrifice by so many is being lost.—Loretta Hurite

***

We do tend to forget the soldiers are individuals with families and friends, hopes and dreams, and most are at the beginning of their lives (“This Soldier’s Story Reminds Us of Why Memorial Day Matters“). Those that are lost are sorely missed and owed a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid.—Rick Simons

The Meaning of Memorial Day, From the Civil War On https://t.co/i4bv1F0I3z @DailySignal

— Fred Lucas (@FredLucasWH) May 26, 2017

As a proud nationalized U.S. citizen from La Paz, Bolivia, I respectfully pay tribute to the heroines and heroes of all wars who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our beloved country free and the exceptional beacon of light for the rest of the world. May their souls rest in peace, and may we always remember them in our fervent daily prayers.—Luis R. Quiroz

***

I have a copy of President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day speech (“‘They Stood for Something and We Owe Them Something’: Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day Speech“). I listened to it on Memorial Day 2016, along with the rest of the speeches I have in DVD format, instead of listening to you know who. We will never have another president and commander-in-chief like Ronald Reagan, or anything close to him. He brought our country together.—Virginia Murrell

***

God bless our fallen warriors.—Pete Kleff

***

A million GIs also served in Europe from 1950 on, keeping Stalin out of Western Europe (“Making Memorial Day Make a Difference“). The tour of duty was three years at $75 a month. Nobody knew we were there, and still don’t know, as there is nothing in the history books about that era.

We had air bases with atom bombs to hold the USSR in check , and ground troops for fodder. This was before intercontinental ballistic missiles. And thank God that Stalin died in 1953.

When I came back in 1954, nobody knew what was avoided. Nobody seemed to know we were there, and people still haven’t a clue. None of us is looking for a medal. Just a printed record would be nice in a recognized history book, written by an author with common sense.—Don Nardone

Share the stories of real heroes this Memorial Day https://t.co/Zvk022qzCM @Heritage‘s John JV Venable @DailySignal

— Ken McIntyre (@KenMac55) May 28, 2017

I have many relatives buried in Arlington Cemetery, and make many visits throughout the year. I see the thousands of headstones, and the hundreds of niches for cremains, and still after all these years I am still awed by it all.

So not make this weekend the only time you thank a serviceman or servicewoman for their service. Do it every time you see any man or woman in uniform, or a veteran.

Recently, I walked up to a young Marine and extended my hand and said thank you. He asked, “What for?” I said, “For serving.” He then told me I was the first person who ever had said that to him.

Please remember, they serve 52 weeks of the year, not just this weekend.—Jeanne Stottler

***

May they rest in peace with truth and grace.—Mary De Voe

***

Here’s a lesser-known verse of “America the Beautiful”:

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!

Americans have died, in liberating strife, at home and on foreign soil for more than two centuries. Our heroes gave us the freedom to refine who we are. May we always be worthy of their sacrifice.—Will

The post We Hear You: On Memorial Day, Why Americans Don’t Forget to Remember appeared first on The Daily Signal.

from http://www.therightnewsnetwork.com/we-hear-you-on-memorial-day-why-americans-dont-forget-to-remember/

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junker-town · 7 years

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8 of the coolest parts from the incredible Jake Olson story

Despite losing his eyesight, he made it onto the field for the Trojans in an actual game. That wasn’t even the beginning of the tale, though.

USC long snapper Jake Olson inspired the sports world during the Trojans’ 2017 opener against Western Michigan. Olson, who was born with retinoblastoma (a cancer of the retina) and had to have both of his eyes surgically removed by the age of 12, made his first career appearance when he made the snap for USC’s final extra point of the game.

This is anything but a regular PAT. Jake Olson, blind since age 12, just snapped for the first time in a live game. https://t.co/amyHcFoVue

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 3, 2017

1. Olson has a long and inspiring backstory.

Most college football fans first learned his name in 2009, when he was featured on a segment during ESPN’s College GameDay. When Olson and his family was told that his eyes would have to be removed, Olson wanted to see his Trojans one last time. Trojans head coach Pete Carroll made it happen.

"I'm just sad I won't be able to see them ever again," Jake said. "It's so hard, and yet cancer wins. But I'm going to experience something no one else can experience."

With more than a month before his surgery, Jake told his parents that what he wanted to see most one last time was another USC Trojans game. His wish reached Trojan head coach, Pete Carroll.

"The first thing was let's make sure that he gets inside and gets to see everything that he wants to see," Carroll said. "God bless him, he deserves every bit of it."

From then on, and after his surgery, Olson became an honorary member of the USC football team. He eventually made his high school team as a long snapper, then walked on for USC’s team in 2015.

2. Olson’s first snap was actually thanks to USC’s opposition, Western Michigan.

USA Today’s George Schroeder reported that Saturday’s special moment all started with an email exchange between USC coach Clay Helton and his WMU counterpart, Tim Lester.

When Helton outlined his idea — he wanted to get Jake Olson, who is blind, into the game to snap for an extra point — Lester was all for it.

That wasn’t all. When Lester agreed, Helton told him, “OK, here’s my email address.” Before allowing Olson to play, USC’s doctors needed to know Lester was on board with the plan.

“I didn’t think it was a hard decision at all. It was bigger than the game. I was happy to be a part of it.”

For Olson to be medically cleared, certain conditions had to be met. Major college football isn’t a place where teams go easy on each other, so the coaches had to hash out an agreement.

As part of the deal, when Western Michigan scored its first touchdown, USC didn’t rush the extra point.

3. Carroll “couldn’t stop crying” after seeing Olson’s snap.

After his Seattle Seahawks’ practice on Monday, the former Trojan head coach was asked about seeing the moment.

Losing his sight at the age of 12, future #USC long snapper Jake Olson talked with @InsideTroy http://t.co/vQVAKqPwWb http://pic.twitter.com/WhfbqyUBny

— Scout Recruiting (@scoutrecruiting) May 6, 2015

4. Olson once aspired to be the first blind golfer on the PGA Tour.

Carroll again:

I don’t know if Jake was thinking about being a snapper when he was 11 or 12, but what Jake wanted to do, he wanted to play in the Masters.

He has an extraordinary golf swing (now), he can hit the heck out of the ball.

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall has more:

With the help of a caddie -- usually his dad, Brian -- he played on the Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High varsity golf team.

"It's a simple routine," Brian said. "Get him lined up, get the club behind ball, and then I back away. My main role is to get his club squared up behind the ball."

As one can imagine, unfamiliar terrain or bad lies can be trouble. Still, Olson routinely shot in the 80s, with a career-best of 78.

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5. After USC’s win, Olson’s adorable guide dog, Quebec got to celebrate in the winning locker room.

Quebec has been by Jake’s side for six years now.

USC long-snapper Jake Olson greeted after the game by his family and his service dog, Quebec. http://pic.twitter.com/ma2r1uj2BB

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 3, 2017

Jake Olson's guide dog, Quebec, got in on the postgame celebration! #FightOn http://pic.twitter.com/aDgAt2ND2w

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 3, 2017

6. This Los Angeles Times story captures the scene during and after the snap beautifully.

It’s from Bill Plaschke, who wrote about the moment perfectly.

Turns out, USC’s blind long snapper saw it better than anyone.

“There’s a beauty in it,” Olson said, still sweating through his uniform early Saturday evening. “If you can’t see how God works things out, then I think you’re the blind one.”

He also gave us a glimpse of what Helton told his team before the big moment:

And what did they say?

“They said, ‘Yes sir.’”

Another L.A. Times story from 2016 touches on how the USC program helped Olsen get through accepting his blindness in the final days before his surgery.

Olson attended strategy meetings and enthusiastically encouraged players in the locker room and on the sideline at games. He chose to spend his last day with sight at a USC practice.

"And, truthfully, pure peace."

7. The Pac-12 gave Olson a special award for the week, too.

He was named the special teams player of the week for his outing.

Congratulations to USC long snapper @JakeOlson61 on winning @pac12 Special Teams Player of the Week! #FightOn http://pic.twitter.com/DfCBCfXsBq

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 5, 2017

8. He’s not done. Not even close.

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