#but they all live in the south of germany in smaller cities and not in fucking futuristic berlin

[journeyneverends]

August 24, 2025

Almost to Sebenik Croatia

Dear Little Mosey:

Hope this finds you well. Yesterday I got on the road. One of the things that happens to me as I get older is that I forget stuff. Sometimes a lot of stuff.

For example, I forgot I was old and fat and how hard it is to pedal bikes up hill when it is hot out and the bike is heavy. You would think it would be easy not to forget this but my mind is very strange sometimes. Good practice for remembering that everything changes and that there is a powerful thing called entropy.

It was a good day with a lot of turns, and wrong turns, getting out of Split, a big and busy city. Most cyclist, like me, like quieter roads. Here are some sights that I found interesting. Here is a factory powered by the sun. On its roof are solar panels.

Just behind are a range of mountains that are probably the first mountains your great step grandfather would have seen as he crossed the Adriatic Sea on his last flight from Italy north to Blechhammer Germany. This was on September 13, 1944.

Here are the mountains from the south where he would have been coming from.

You may have wondered what the bike for a journey like mine may look like. Here is a picture of the bike from the front. This is in the old part of Split and the entrance to the Emperors Palace. The palace was surrounded by very thick walls.

On the front in black bag are sleeping bag, tent and air mattress. All very light weight. On the smaller bags I carry cooking stove, food and extra clothing.

This set up is very useful when you are not sure where you will end up each night. Here is what my bike looks like from the side.

Besides maps I use ride GPS to plan my route. It looks like this.

This is much different and easier than the old days flying a B-17 Bomber. There was a guy called a navigator who had the responsibility to let your great step grandfather know where they were. He had a place on the airplane to look at maps. Here is what it looked like. Things were a lot harder back then. Can you imagine trying to find your way at night in the clouds? Or with people shooting at you?

Well I’d better sign off for now. Take care little buddy.

Love you

PS

In olden times and even now people were always scared that people were going to get them. Even now people like to live in gated communities to feel safe.

[tetsunabouquet]

I just read an article by the Guardian that was apparantly written by the Amsterdam mayor, Femke Halsema. To those of you who don't know, Femke Halsema has quite the controversial reputation which includes the fact her husband had a gun he didn't store according to the safety regulations as there are circumstances that the Dutch can own a gun. This led to their 15 year old wiping out the gun in public and acting cool like he was some kind of gangster kid. Now this stupid trollup is whining about how she fears the Netherlands becoming a Narco State and how we have been the focus of global international illegal drug trade in the past ten years... Is this bitch serious?! This just goes to show the stupidity of everyone in power as we've always been a hotspot for the international drug trade. It just grew worse in some ways as the drug market itself became more dangerous and chemical. As I mentioned before, I used to live nearby a drug cartel's HQ growing up and had an innocent person shot on my doorstep simply because he was mistaken for another person who they actually wanted to kill. If my memory serves correctly, it was the first year of the pandemic when they discovered an improvised torture chamber in a tiny village build on what used to be the plantation belonging to my childhood cities elite, where the poor of nearby villagers were horribly exploited (slaves were kept in colonies only as mandated by Dutch law). I never knew about it, but it didn't shocked me in the slightest. My literal first reaction to the discovery was, "Did the police just seriously only uncover that shit now? After how many years it probably existed?' As I am perfectly willing to bet money that torture chamber already existed back in the day where I was a kid. I left that town about 12 years ago. Another thing is that Femke pointed out that kids as young as the age of 14 are dealing in coke. I can again, assure you, this isn't a new development as I did mentioned before when people asked me if autistic people are capable of bad stuff, that I actually had two kids dealing back at special needs school, and they threatened a kid in the year below us with a knife if he were to snitch. They were about 13/14 with the kid threatened being either 12 or 13 himself. One of them even bragged about knowing the drug cartel I lived nearby as he knew of this rival cartel he lived nearby (and was likely part of the gang himself). I got bullied for calling them trash after the event. This isn't new Femke! This attitude is exactly how the drug industry is spiralling in a way, because you guys keep being so stupid and 10 years behind YOURSELF when it comes to the knowledge of what these cartels do and their routes. For one, they are focusing on the port of Rotterdam, and whilst that is the global hotspot there is also the seaside in the Dutch south that is used more often for nearby countries, a big reason why a lot of the cartels actually producing the drugs are located in the countryside is because that is where the least amount of authority is, and the countryside is where all our nearby countries border onto. It's easier smuggling drugs into Belgium, Germany and Luxemburg through smaller cartels in the South then a big scale operation created by the drug cartels in the big cities who are much more distant, they focus on ports and tourists instead. I am not even from Amsterdam, but its stupid statements like this that gets me agreeing with the Amsterdammers who hate her and are still mourning the old mayor.

[stephiramona]

The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 366

Today is May 1st - labour day. It's a holiday here in Germany but I don't want to write about this holiday, I want to write about the night before May 1st which is called "Walpurgisnacht" "Freinacht" or "Hexennacht" ("Night of the witches").

There are many traditions surrounding this night before May 1st, and  depending on where in Germany you live, they are very different.

In some German areas big bonfires are lit, called "Walpurgisfeuer" or "Hexenfeuer". People dance around them and celebrate. In other areas maypoles are erected on village squares, and young men try to steal the maypole of the neighbouring village. Another tradition is simply to dance around these maypoles.

The second picture shows a "classic Bavarian" maypole in Munich. The first photo shows another maypole - a smaller one - which men place in the gardens of the women they admire to show their love. This is a tradition in North Rhine-Westphalia which is definitely way nicer than another tradition here in Munich and all over South Germany: Pranks.

"Walpurgisnacht" here is famous for pranks. People (usually teenagers) get out after dark to wrap cars with toilet paper, throw eggs on buildings, or spray shaving foam on windows, doorbells, or all sorts of handles. Sometimes, it's more vandalism than a prank, and on the next morning, the morning of May 1st, whole areas are littered with toilet paper and soiled with shaving foam and eggs.

If there's a tradition in your area surrounding the night before May 1st, we'd love to know. Please share it with us.

[anarchyduck]

[appear] “ i need help. please. ” gerfra

So sorry this took for-freaking-ever OTL ---------------------

Takes place: 1942, Paris

  Germany does not find sleep easily anymore. The wheels in his head continue turning, agonizing over battle plans and strategies, over conversations he held with subordinates and superiors. He thinks about the paperwork that sits untouched on his desk, in untidy piles that would usually dive him made. A half empty bottle of brandy sits in the middle of it all, a glass of it in his hand as he stares out the window to the Parisian streets.

 A rapid knock breaks through his thoughts and he stills, waiting. It is late and he is not expecting company at this hour. Another knock pushes him to move. He sets the glass down on the desk as he crosses the room, hand on his pistol as he nears the door. Thoughts filter through one by one, all with the touch of paranoia as he wonders who it could be.

 “I know you’re there.” A voice, tired and strained, and slightly muffled through the wooden door. “Don’t be rude.”

 A moment of shock stills his actions but then Germany opens the door. France stands before him, his clothes shuffled and worn. His face is narrower than last time Germany saw him, and he looks in need of a shave. More alarming than that is the blood that covers the side of his face.

 “I need your help.” He says before Germany can ask. Tired blue eyes fix on him. “Please.”

 He should not. He knows he should not. The last time he saw France was nearly two years ago after taking Paris. How tall and mighty France stood high even after being defeated. He was bloody then too. Though he was hurting, he walked with his head held high and greeted him with the same grace and charm Germany remembered him for. He came willingly and there was no need for shackles. Few days later, France was gone. Now here he stands, dressed in dirty clothes at his door.

 Germany pulls him inside, closes and locks the door behind them. “You shouldn’t be here.”

 France laughs dryly. “I could say the same about you.” He stumbles in his step before sitting down heavily in the closest chair. He groans as he leans his head back, his eyes falling close as he rests.

 Germany realizes the strange situation he has found himself in. His enemy enters his living quarters in the dead of night, wounded and exhausted. He doubts France has the strength to fight back. The thought of radioing it in snakes into his mind. He should call it in. France would be arrested, placed into the cuffs that he avoided before. It would certainly resolve some problems. His superiors would congratulate him for the capture. Something about it does not sit well. The mental image of France being carried away to execution makes his stomach churn.

 He finds himself walking to the bathroom to retrieve a first aid kid and wet washcloth. France is still in the same position when he returns and, were it not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Germany might have suspected him to be dead.

 A chair scraps across the wood floor as Germany pulls it around the coffee table to France's side. He sets the kit down and, with the cloth, begins to carefully wipe the blood from the man’s face. “What happened?” he asks.

 “Just a touch of carelessness on my part.” France replies. His eyes are still closed, though his brows twitch together every so often.

 “Thought you had gone south.”

 “I did, for a time. But I missed my city.”

 Germany continues cleaning the blood away and finally finds a wound at France's hairline. It is clotted and closed now, though he wonders if it needs stitching. His brows pull together, and he moves the cloth away with a frown. The thought from before resurfaces once again, gnawing at his mind. A little voice tells him to call for reinforcements and another tells him to take care of it himself. Other questions came to mind, the top of them being why was France back in Paris?

 France's eyes open and he tilts his head to look at him. He looks awful, Germany thinks. Cheeks are hollower than he remembers. Dark circles beneath his eyes and a day-old bruise on his jaw. A still healing scrape blemishes his cheek and he looks tired. Worn thin. “So?” he asks, drawing Germany from his observations. “How bad is it?”

 “It’s fine. You’ll live.”

 “What wonderful news.” France says and Germany cannot discern if it was sarcasm or not.

 He stands and takes the bloodied cloth to wash in the sink. When he returns, France is helping himself to the brandy at his desk. Germany stills a moment and thinks of the many secret documents laying open on his desk. The paranoid voice hisses in the forefront of his mind and he chooses not to pay mind to it. Instead, he looks at the man standing by the window that overlooks the city. How delicately he holds the glass as he drinks, the moonlight in his hair.

 “Quiet night.” France says. “Never could stand the quiet when I was younger and now, I don’t mind it much. This industrial age is so noisy that I almost wish for quiet nights again.” He takes a sip then looks to Germany. “Suppose you wouldn’t know much about those nights, would you? Long before the wonders of electricity and automobiles.”

 “Why are you here, France?”

 “This is yours, yes?” France picks up the other glass of brandy Germany left on his desk and holds it out to him. “Drink with me. And do not worry, I didn’t poison it.”

 “I wasn’t thinking that.” Germany retorts as he takes the offered glass and, if to prove his point, takes a sip. France smiles lightly in approval.

 “We both know it would take more than poison to harm you.” he says calmly. “It is exhilarating, no?”

 Germany frowns, mind scrambling to catch up. “What?”

 “Conquering. The rush of new territory folded into you. Better than any drug in the world. Better than sex.” France chuckles lightly as Germany’s cheeks color red. “Once you have that first taste, you only crave it more. Don’t you, Germany?”

 “I don’t believe that’s an accurate description.”

 “But you do understand, don’t you? The good and the bad of it.” France swirls the liquor around in his glass. “All that territory, it doesn’t belong to you. Your body becomes a war within itself and you crave more in hopes it will satisfy the ache.”

 “Why are you here?” Germany asks again.

 France exhales a sigh and, for a moment, stares into the swirling brandy. Then he takes a drink and says, “Wonder if I could take a bath while I’m here?”

 Just how long does France intend to stay, he wonders. His mind wars with itself, frustrated he cannot gauge a proper read off the Frenchman. A thought that sounds awfully like his brother tells him to not to trust France. Do not turn your back, it says. Then again, Gilbert said that about many other nations. His chest tightens slightly at the thought of his brother and quickly pushes it out of his mind.

 “Yes, of course.” he replies, and France smiles again.

 “Thank you, my dear.” He finishes his glass in one swallow then sets it down onto the desk. Germany watches him go down the hallway and hears a door close. He drums his fingers around the glass in hand and looks to the empty one on the table. Pipes rattle in the apartment walls as he faintly hears the rush of water and he wonders how he has fallen into playing host to his enemy. He knows the trouble they will both be in if someone caught them.

 If.

 Germany’s mind falls back on France’s hollow cheeks and before he realizes it, he is in the kitchen preparing to reheat soup from earlier.

 France emerges sometime later. In the time spent, Germany has cleared his desk and consumed another glass of brandy. It is enough to finally take the edge off and silence the whispers that slither in his mind. Soup is sitting warm on the kitchen stove, its smell taking over the small apartment. He wonders if it will be enough. If France will take it alone or if he will distrust a meal from his enemy. He looks up as his new guest enters the kitchen and frowns lightly.

 “Are those my clothes?”

 “Found them in the wardrobe. Hope you don’t mind.” France finishes buttoning the cream-colored shirt, leaving the last few buttons at the top undone. It hangs from his body though not in the same way it does to Italy. Though he is broader and taller than France, Germany cannot help thinking the clothes should not hang off that much. “God, I remember when you were smaller.”

 “Excuse me?”

 “You used to be this cute little darling that Prussia adored showing off. And now look at you, all grown up.” France exhales a sigh as he ties back his still damp hair. Few stands escape to frame his face and it's then Germany notices he has shaved. The shadows beneath his eyes remain, as does the bruise on his jaw. His eyes drift upward to the cut on his forehead and feels relief when he sees it is nearly healed. His gaze catches France’s and he sees the man smirking at him. “See something you like, Germany?”

 Germany’s face warms and he hastily turns away towards the stove to lift the pot and stir the soup. Behind, France chuckles lightly and he wonders how much of this the man enjoys. All of it, he realizes. Would it be too late now to throw him out of the apartment? His jaw tightens for a second as he ladles some soup into a bowl and sets it down on the table.

 “Thought you would be hungry so I…” he trails off awkwardly as he catches France’s still smiling at him. He is not sure what about this time.

 “How kind.” France muses. He takes the seat and stirs the contents around in the bowl with his spoon. Faintly, Germany wonders if the man will take food from him. Would he think it was poisoned? But then the worries fade as France begins to eat.

 “Entire city is rationing and here you are with real meat.” he comments between bites. “I thought all resources were going to the front.”

 Germany’s jaw tightens as he frowns. “They are,” he replies.

 “Don’t suppose you have cigarettes on hand, do you?”

 “I don’t smoke.”

 France raises a brow at him and puts his spoon down. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thin metal container from his pocket. “Then what’s this?”

 “Gift.” Germany replies. “But I don’t smoke.”

“Hm. Mind if I do?” France asks as he pulls out one of the cigarettes from the box. He quickly lights it and inhales deep, holds it, then exhales. Germany waves off the smoke that wafts in his direction and moves to take the other seat at the table. They sit in relative silence. While France smokes and eats, Germany once again attempts to figure out the situation he has found himself in.

The grandfather clock in the living room chimes twice as France lights his second cigarette. “Does it ever stop?” he asks suddenly.

Germany frowns. “Does what stop?”

“Those gears in your mind.” France leans back into his chair, cigarette between two fingers as he looks at him. “They have been excessively turning since I arrived. You’re wondering what I’m doing here.”

“I am curious, yes.”

France hums in his throat and brings the cigarette to his lips. Smoke curls in the light as it floats about the room. “You wonder if I am here to steal your precious plans. Stuff papers and secret documents into my trousers and carry them off to my leaders.” He takes another drag, the end lighting on the inhale. “Or perhaps I sneak into your bed and slit your throat while you sleep.”

 Germany’s brow furrows. “The thought crossed my mind, yes.” he says tensely. “Why else would you come back, knowing the danger.”

 He laughs and flicks ash into the empty soup bowl. “My dear, I’m not crude like Arthur.” he says. “Besides, in my current state, I could not hurt you even if I wanted to.” 

“Then what do you want?” Smoke swirls around France and it reminds him of Bismarck. When Prussia brought him to Versailles to be crowned as the new German Empire. He had his first cigar then and found it distasteful. It made his eyes water and the smell clung to his clothes for days. France had been there too. Silent and seething from across the room when Wilhelm was proclaimed emperor.

“What I want,” The memory fades as France begins to speak. “I cannot have.” He takes another long drag and Germany wonders if he intends smoking it down to the end as he did the first one. “Least not immediately, so I will settle for second.” 

“Which is?” 

 “A soft bed to start,” France’s lips curl into a smile. “And perhaps your warm company.”

“No.” Germany says immediately and leaves the table, ears growing warm as France’s laughter trails behind him.

[kosmosian-quills]

OC Kiss Week - Stars

My contribution to the prompt “Stars”, hosted by @ockissweek!

I hope you enjoy!

POV: Matylda

The capital city has been my home for the last two years, and a lot has changed in my private life since then.

I've got new friends here, I've finished my general education studies here, I've been given opportunities here that I would never have dreamed of two years ago.

But it's an undeniable fact that reuniting with one of my oldest friends is one of the best things that has happened to me recently. Tomasz was back home from his studies abroad after so long, and had decided to stay in the capital for a few days to see me.

And that's how I'm here, in a packed theatre, watching a sold-out production with him.

It really does feel like home here. It reminds me of Obokplaży - of the theatre my parents ran. Being able to watch the shows, sometimes from the wings, sometimes from the upper circle. Watching the characters and dancers, the singers and the narrators, it's so familiar.

And with Tomasz beside me, it feels warmer than ever.

But all too soon, the curtains were drawn and the performers gave their bows through our applause.

I didn't want to part ways with him yet, though, and so we decided on one last trip to the promenade by the coast.

The streets were mostly empty, save for a few other patrons of the theatre we just came from, who were also making their way in our direction, probably for a similar reason to us.

The streets were warmly lit against the darkness of the obsidian coloured sky that was littered with diamonds. The closer we got to the sea, every corner we turned, the taste of the salt in the breeze became more pronounced. It was a chilly night for this March night, but it was something we were all used to, and I didn't mind. My long beige coat did the job at keeping the breeze from totally freezing me.

The promenade is where the view becomes spectacular. The high tide made the boats moored in the harbour bob up and down in the waves, the stars and the crescent moon reflecting on the glistening surface of the sea. The infinity of the sea was calming, truly, and the view of the castle just to the south-east, slightly out to sea was the perfect backdrop to the entire view. The lights on the walls and in the windows, it looked like something out of a picture book from here. I wonder, I could take a photo of this and paint a picture of it later. This is so beautiful...

Tomasz beside me inhales deeply as we lean against the metal guardrail. "Oh, I missed this, Słoneczka," he says finally, "I love the city I live in, but this? The salty sea breeze? This is where it's at. And you live here, full time."

I can't help but laugh, "one of the perks of my job, Tomek."

"I'm very jealous," he replies, turning around and leaning back on the railing instead, "have you enjoyed your night with me then?"

I turn around in my place to join him in the same position, looking back at the strip of lights that illuminate the promenade. The restaurants, bars, and handful of shops that have remained open at this time of night are still serving patrons who are out having drinks. The brightness is nice, but the look of the clear sky above is is nicer.

"Of course I have, thank you for accompanying me, sir," I nudge his shoulder lightly, feeling the smile on my lips infect him too.

"You're most welcome, my lady," he returns, bowing his head in an exaggerated fashion, before reaching into the pocket of his coat, "just one more thing."

He hands me a small white box, wrapped in a bright red ribbon.

"Oh, are you proposing to me, Tomek? How romantic of you," I laugh, knowing that the box he gave me is too big to be a ring box. Judging by the size and quality, it likely is some kind of jewellery, perhaps a bracelet or necklace. Definitely not a ring.

"Unfortunately not, I couldn't afford a wedding anyway," he laughs, avoiding my gaze as I undo the red ribbon, "but I hope you like it - one last birthday present from me to you."

"You really shouldn't have, I don't know how you can afford these presents for me when you're a student, let alone a wedding," I ask him, not yet opening the box.

Tomasz had already provided me with two gifts this evening, wrapped up delicately and protected with bubble wrap, for my birthday. One was a framed photograph of somewhere in Germany, someplace he visited recently. I can't remember where it was. The other was a box of rather expensive looking chocolates. I hadn't had any of them yet, I was going to share them with the girls when I returned to the castle.

"Yeah, but I missed seeing you at the Festyn Zimowy last year, and I wanted to make your 18th birthday special," he smiled back up at me, "since you sent me a ridiculous amount of presents for my 18th last month."

I blushed at him. Yes, I might have gone overboard with the presents for him, but I get paid a lot for my work and I have very little expenses, so spending it on people I care about is the least I can do.

"I can afford it, Tomek."

"Are you opening that box, or not? The suspense is killing me here!"

"Alright!"

I took the hint, and finished opening the box, only to be met with the most dazzling, shimmering silver necklace I've ever seen.

The pendant is a star with some kind of clear gemstone rested in the centre. I'm doubtful that it's a diamond - I don't think he could afford that - but it's beautiful nontheless. There are a few other stars equidistant apart on either side of the main pendant, but these are smaller and without gems adorning them.

"Oh, Tomek!" I can't help but gasp.

Tomasz gestures for me to pass the box to him, which I dutifully do, and he carefully removes the necklace from the box and unclasps it, "I thought you could have something more special for your 18th birthday. I mean, you just took me to dinner and a show," I turn my back to him and move my hair to one side, as he stands up straight, gently lowering the necklace around my neck, and clasping it shut, "so I got you this. I hope you like it."

I look down at my new piece of jewellery, and feel so overwhelmed with gratitude, with happiness, that I almost totally miss the way Tomasz's voice trembled.

Still holding the box in one hand, I turn around to face him, and instantly wrap my arms around his neck. He is just slightly taller than me, but I don't have to stretch too far to hold him close.

"It's beautiful, Tomasz," I say into his ear, and I feel him wrap his arms around me too, "thank you so much. You've made this birthday so perfect."

"You're welcome, Słoneczka," he replies into mine.

We don't part from the embrace straight away, but before we do, I plant a soft kiss on his cheek. Without even thinking, and without shame. I know my cheeks are burning, but not as much as Tomasz's are. He is more surprised at my actions than I am.

"I'll treasure today, Tomek, always. I promise."

His smile returns, "as will I, Słoneczka. Shall we just stay here a little longer? Before we head back."

I nod, turning back around with him. But instead of facing the stars in the sky before me, I simply look down at the stars I was given, that I will wear with pride. I think both of us know what tonight was, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Realising that I am really in love with Tomasz, those stars above our heads seem that much brighter.

[arcticdementor]

For millennia the family has stood as the central institution of society—often changing, but always essential. But across the world, from China to North America, and particularly in Europe, family ties are weakening, with the potential to undermine one of the last few precious bits of privacy and intimacy.

Margaret Mead once said, “no matter how many communes anyone invents, the family always creeps back.” But today’s trajectory is not promising. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, family formation and birth rates were declining throughout much of the world, not just in most of the West and East Asia, but also in parts of South American and the Middle East.

The ongoing pandemic appears to be driving birth rates globally down even further, and the longer it lasts, the greater possibility that familial implosion will get far worse, and perhaps intractable. Brookings predicts that COVID will result in 300,000 to 500,000 fewer U.S. births in 2021. Marriage rates have dropped significantly to 35 year lows.

…

These predictions turned out to be vastly exaggerated, with a rapid decline in global hunger. The anticipated population explosion is morphing into something more like an implosion, with much of the world now facing population stagnation, and even contraction. As birth rates have dropped, the only thing holding up population figures in many places is longer lifespans, though recent data suggests these may be getting shorter again .

These trends can be felt in the United States, where the birthrate is sinking. U.S. population growth among the cohort aged between 16 and 64 has dropped from 20 percent in the 1980s to less than 5 percent in the last decade. This is particularly bad for the future of an economy dependent on new workers and consumers.

This demographic transition is even more marked in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and much of Europe, where finding younger workers is becoming a major problem for employers and could result in higher costs or increased movement of jobs to more fecund countries. As the employment base shrinks, some countries, such as Germany, have raised taxes on the existing labor force to pay for the swelling ranks of retirees.

Similar patterns can be seen in China. Expanding workforces like China’s—which grew by 380 million between 1980 and 2012—drove a world-shattering economic boom. Now, this resource is already in peril; birthrates have cratered to  historic lows. China’s working-age population (those between 15 and 64 years old) peaked in 2011 and is projected to drop 23 percent by 2050. This plunge will be exacerbated by the effects of the now discarded one-child policy, which led to the aborting of an estimated 37 million Chinese girls since it came into effect in 1980. By 2050, China is projected  to have 60 million fewer people under age fifteen, a loss approximately the size of Italy’s total population. The ratio of retirees to working people is expected to have more than tripled by then, which would be one of the most rapid demographic shifts in history, and by 2050 will be roughly 20 percent higher than that of the U.S.

…

Today’s demographic stagnation represents a throwback to earlier times. After the relative buoyant growth in Classical times, the Middle Ages also were a period of global demographic stagnation, caused by famine, pestilence, pervasive celibacy and poverty. Population growth soared with the rise of liberal capitalism in the Early Modern period, aided by changing attitudes toward motherhood, children, and families. Simon Schama describes the Netherlands, the fount of this transition, as a “Republic of Children” built around the nuclear family. The medieval obsession with the Virgin Mother and the unrealistic cherubim typical of Renaissance painting were replaced with domestic images characterized by “uncompromising earthiness.”

We now seem to be moving away from those values, and as in the Middle Ages, becoming less centered around the family. Serfs at least had religion and a sense of community; our societies have become increasingly lonely, with single men hit hardest and children, often without two parents or any siblings, and chained to social media, increasingly isolated around the world. In the U.S. since  1960, the percentage of people in the United States living alone has grown from about 12 percent to 28 percent. Even intimacy is on its way out, particularly among the young; the once swinging age groups now are suffering a “sex recession.”

The percentage of American women who are mothers is at its lowest point in over three decades. Intact families are rarer, and single living more common. In the United States, the rate of single parenthood has grown from 10 percent in 1960 to over 40 percent today. This is very bad news for society, particularly minorities, because intact families tend to have fewer problems relating to prison, school, or poverty.

This social collapse is going global. In Britain, 8 percent of households in 1970 were headed by a single parent; now, the rate is over 25 percent. The percentage of children born outside marriage has doubled over the past three decades, to 40 percent. In the Scandinavian countries, around 40 percent of the population lives alone.

…

In Japan, the harbinger of modern Asian demographics, the number of people living alone is expected to reach 40 percent of the whole population by 2040. Japan has a rising “misery index” of divorces, single motherhood, and spousal and child abuse—all of which accelerates the country’s disastrous demographic decline and deepens class division. More and more people are not only living alone but dying alone. There are estimated to be four thousand “lonely deaths” in Japan every week.

…

The disinclination to form families is often described as generational choice. But American millennial attitudes about family are not significantly different from prior generations, though perhaps with a greater emphasis on gender equality. Among American childless women under age 44, barely 6 percent are “voluntarily childless.” The vast majority of millennials want to get married and have children.

High housing prices, crowded living conditions, and financial pressures certainly account for much of this gap. This phenomenon is particularly marked in the urban centers that dominate the world’s economy and culture. Today many large cities are becoming childless demographic graveyards. Between  2011 and 2019, the number of babies born annually in Manhattan dropped by nearly 15 percent, while the decrease across the city was 9 percent. The nation’s premier urban center could see its infant population shrink by half in the next thirty years. The share of nonfamily households grew three times as fast in gentrifying neighborhoods as in the city overall. In the future, writes Steve LeVine in Axios, shifting local priorities “could write kids out of urban life for good.”

…

Nearly half a century ago, Daniel Bell saw a “new class” rising with values profoundly divergent from the traditional bourgeois norms of self-control, industriousness, and personal responsibility, which together form the essence of familialism. Instead, Bell envisioned a new type of individualism, unmoored from religion and family, which could dissolve the foundations of middle-class culture.

Indeed, for some, particularly in Europe and North America, declining fecundity represents an ideal result, chosen by those who “give up having children to save the planet” in order to reduce the carbon impact of each additional human. The recipe for reducing family size fits with the widely promoted notion of de-growth which has strong support from the oligarchs and financiers associated with the World Economic Forum. The goal is no GDP growth, less consumption, smaller houses, less class mobility, policies likely to reduce birthrates.

Others, particularly feminists and gender activists, celebrate the decline of the family for more ideological reasons. The late feminist icon Betty Frieden once compared housewives to people marching voluntarily into “a concentration camp.” One recent New York Times article even linked women who choose to stay at home with “white supremacy.” Black Lives Matter, true to its quasi-Marxist ideology, has made clear its antipathy to the nuclear family, an attitude widely shared in the mainstream media as well.

The more conventional Marxists in China, for their part, see these post-familial attitudes as a threat to the country’s future. China’s Communist leaders, while officially genuflecting to Maoist ideology, now promote the filial piety central to both traditional folk religion and the Confucianism but long reviled by the founders of the People’s Republic. Once terrified by overpopulation, China’s leaders are seeking ways to raise childbearing and family formation into “socialist” values.

But it’s Japan which again epitomizes the shift in Asian attitudes. There, traditional values such as hard work, sacrifice, and loyalty are largely rejected by the new generation, the shinjinrui or “new race.” These younger Japanese, writes one sociologist, are “pioneering a new sort of high quality, low energy, low growth existence.” Maybe they don’t need much energy since nearly a third of Japanese adults entering their thirties have never had sex. This is not a good predictor for family formation.

…

To succeed, such initiatives have to go beyond cash payments and other incentives, as welcome as these may be. There also needs to be a concerted effort to build family-friendly housing— large apartments, townhomes, and single-family detached houses—that generally attract families with children. Rather than shoehorning forced density into already-dense metros, we can encourage the development of less expensive, family-friendly housing; the shift to the periphery accelerated by the pandemic could help reverse the rapid aging and demographic declines associated with densely packed cities. The rise of remote work—something widely embraced by parents—could boost families by allowing them to work at home or nearby.

These are not issues of right or left, but concern the future of our civilization, not just economically but spiritually. Social democracy, as first developed in places like Sweden, sought to bolster families, not hem them in. Some conservatives have placed similar emphasis on the family unit. The debate should be not the utility of supporting families, but how best to do it.

This is a choice we need to make. A woke utopia, where children and families are rare, upward mobility constrained, and society built around a collective welfare system, would create a society that rewards hedonism and personal self-absorption. There is nothing as binding in a society as the ties created by children, who give us reason to fight against an encroaching dystopia.

[trans-fem-lesbian-crab]

Au thingy ma bob for eddsworld

I'm actaully making a post of this god forbidd cursed account.Uhhh.I don't know the limit of typing but i have a massive au with a red commander which is like red leader but also old.Most of the text and stuff i have written for him is very badly spelt.Which i am very sorry for.I'm a shit speller but also the text doesnt connect with one and another.ITs just random things i deiced to write for my au whenever i wanted.No one will actaully find this account.But i'm still gonna post all the writing for the au here.Again sorry for the shit writing.Anyways lets start World three i wrote i guess After tord lef the guys in 2008 in 2009 tord and his red army started a world war 3.His army took over nowary while tord was living and having a life so thats why he went away.Using his army he started a world war three.No used nukes mostly cause tord kinda made most of them useless.So he declared war on germany getting it first.Then he got all of the regions where austria used to be and now is a mess i'm not typing out.HE then ignored the border states bewteen russia and where he is.He then got all of the countrys near france.Taking them and forcing them to join him.He then got some of asia to make sure that they wouldn't rebel.Then he took the north of africa.Declaring war on britan but not attacking.Instead attacking russia in the summer to make sure that the winter trooops wouldn't come out. He then flew his super soldiers to america.Getting it pretty quickly.He then got canada and jus kinda left south america after he got mexico.Then in 2016 he decied to attack great england taking most of the north citys first crawling down until he got to the big citys which weren't that bad until he got to london where he had to bomb almost everyone troops up in the sky fighting in the streets.And since tord was their he decied to try to go back to edds place to get a giant robot to end the war before failing but getting london and taking most of the world.In the start of the war in 2009 germany held back the nowergian line.Leaving a massive scar on tords cheek.The battle for berlin lasted 3 months until christmas.Tord broke the line and took berlin with ease after killing 200 thousand german men and woman. And losing 100 thousand of his troops.Once he captured the city he made sure the native germans would be scurnetized and treated terribly for not being british or nowergian.Food was restricted people forced to live in the worst condotions.The nowergains and british people rose to higher ranks the bordering states between germany and russia were puppeted so russia wouldn’t have a front. .America was sitting on its ass failing to take canada Once the front was tooken the allies started to become scared of this invading nowergian began to take the smaller countries surrounding germany to expand the nowergian countries anexing them.Bordering on france.In 2011 tord went down to north africa to take the countries their and attack france from the south.And in July 15th 2011 tord launched the invasion of southern france. About 300 thousand soldiers from great britian were sent down in a panic.!00 thousand french men were sent down to hold the line. The trenches were dug and layed in for a siege that lasted about 3 months.Durning that time tord destroying most countries nukes.The french and british kept sending more men.Failing to get past the nowergian line and push them back.Their navy was blown out of the water.Every time they did a air strike they were shot down by the nowergian planes.The nowergian broke the trenches.Taking most of france and anexing it it in january 14th 2012.Leaving a puppet communist france in only southern france The north part being tooken by norway. .

Spanning most of europe and having a puppeted poland.Africa was easily tooken by most of tords.He pushed in southern asia area.Taking most countries and launching a invasion of china.The chinese mostly accepted him cause communist.He then took most of southern asia and went after australia.Launchign a invasion in it on october 21 2015.Great britian,Austrilla,Russia,America and new zealand.The nowergian soldiers pushing quite easily until they got to sydney.Brutal trench warfare happend in the streets of the city.Tord lighting most of the country on fire to distract everyone.Tord killed 1 millon soldiers in the taking of austrilla..They surrendered and got annexed in february 10th 2016.Tord then launched a invasion of great britain.Taking most of the north using the familys and children being turned into soldiers for his red army.Going to london.Soldiers from every free country did brutal fighting.So Red commander decided to try to go back to his friends and use the giant robot.It failed.His face was melted to just be the meat layer.Bloodshot eyes.Straight white sharp teeth and a robot arm.Taking britain and america in june 10th 2016.Having a war with russia failing to break the line and still going on. Tords Red empire is the biggest one.Following communism.It has a specail metal and concerte called the red concerte and metal cause i'm lazy.So tord used it mto build mega citys and super soldiers.With his super soldiers,better wepons,and stricer laws he the moster powerfull nation. Russia became a mega captalist country after world wazr three.Evewrytnhing jsut ruled by money and slaves and shit like that.Russia has more food and troops but not more wepons.

And the allied states don't have the best wepons.Food is rare.The living condotions and troops are shit.Buldings are shit too. Okay.First post done.More to come i swear.

📷

📷

[irwinkitten]

men of mayhem | a.i |

notes: thank you for the support on part one! it honestly meant the world since i’ve been working on this for idea for a while now. this part isn’t as lengthy as part one, but part three will certainly make up for it. chances are this will be wither four or five parts depending on how the last part gets written and whether i need to split it or not. for those who may or may not be confused by the timeline, i have a small list of what’s happened.

—Michelle and Ashton are both born in 1978

—Become friends at the age of five in 1983

—Her younger brother Matthew (Matty) is born in 1992

—Heads off to university at 18 in 1996 (First four years as an undergrad and then 3 years for law school) 

—They get engaged at the end of her first year. They’re both 19.

—Ashton and Michelle get married at 20 in the June of 1998

—Michelle returns to university in the fall of 1999. 

—Michelle and Jen accept their internships in the January of 2000

warnings: none word count: 2.6

part one

-

          The honeymoon was everything Michelle had dreamed of her life becoming. Travelling each state, spending some days there before moving onto the next one, it was a thrill of the unknown. 

Only twice did Ashton have to use his name to get them through territories. His face was known enough that a few of the locals thought they’d get something. Most of them got a few bullets and a warning to the others. 

When the Irwin’s left the States, both of them relaxed much more. Ashton knew of a group over in Ireland, however he knew better than to try and antagonise them on their own soil. The last thing he wanted was to cause problems overseas and Michelle had been firm that they were staying in Dublin for their duration.

Not one to argue with his best friend and wife, they kept the trip to Northern Ireland short before making the trip across to the UK. When they’d arrived in the UK, Christmas was fast approaching, only three weeks away. That was when they both suffered with bouts of homesickness. Long distance calls didn’t do much and it was going to be their first Christmas together, away from their families.

They travelled up and down the country, exploring the small seaside towns in the south before partying with strangers up in the north. It was a thrill for the both of them with so many new sights that they’d made the decision to see the new year whilst they were in the UK.

Ashton could see his wife thriving in this environment, especially since she’d made good on her plans to have sex in every state and every country they were visiting. And for a brief second, he imagined what it would be like if they immigrated. 

But it was at night, on the quieter ones when they needed the peace away from the busy streets, when he was holding her tightly as she told him how much she missed their parents and Matty. It was too far and he knew that he’d get bored of a relaxed lifestyle. 

Both of them made sure to send him postcards from every place they visited. When they had the chance to call, Matty was always crowing about how he was making a book so he could show his classmates where they’d been. Ashton had laughed and told him to wait till he saw his gifts. 

January brought in the year 1999 and they crossed into mainland Europe on the channel tunnel. Ashton managed to surprise his wife with a hotel that overlooked the Eiffel tower as well as bookings for top restaurants in Paris before they ventured north into Belgium.

As much as they both missed riding the bikes back home, they’d gone with the sensible route of hiring a car, making their trips easier. It certainly helped that once they passed through Belgium into the Netherlands, they’d become adept at getting by.

It was certainly an experience for the Irwin’s, especially in Germany. As they travelled over to Berlin, they decided to make more days out of their trip. They knew that there was a time limit now, they needed to get back in time for Michelle to register for her fall classes. 

With that in mind, they worked their way around Europe. From Germany they travelled through Poland and spent time in Warsaw before travelling down to Czechia so they could visit Prague before going through Slovakia and into Hungary. From there they went west into Austria before finally reaching Italy which had been one of their main destinations. The plan was to spend a month in Italy before travelling to Spain via France and then back to the UK once more.

The last few months seemed like a dream to both of them. Michelle almost regretted the fact that she had to go back for fall classes, but when they returned home greeted by their families when they arrived from the airport-suitcases in tow-it was a relieved Michelle who greeted their parents and her little brother, the four adults asking rapid fire questions to the younger couple.

Matty listened to both of their stories, the adventures that they had, the smaller trips that they made in the countries to the long drives. He was beside himself with glee when, after each story about each country, he was given small gifts from those countries. 

Before either of them knew it, Michelle was back in the city and Ashton was back on his bike, joining the various smuggling runs that were going on. 

The travelling had only heightened his instincts, stopping standard runs from turning into bloody massacres. 

That was when Bert finally made his decision, knowing that after a few more years in the business, he’d be able to leave the club in safe hands.

-

Michelle fell back into her classes with ease. Although some of her classmates were the same, there were new faces as well. 

Jen had come over for wine and dinner after the first week and thanked her for all of the beautiful postcards that had been sent to her.

“Did you really think you weren’t going to be kept up to date on my travels? Especially having so much sex all year?” They shared giggles as Michelle moved from her spot on the sofa, picking up one of the last few bags that she’d brought with her.

“What’s in the bag, Chelle?” Jen nearly dropped her wine as Michelle threw it to her.

“Open it and see.” Came the playful response as she retook her spot and Jen eyed her curiously before opening the bag.

Dipping her hand in, she pulled out the most beautiful scarf she’d ever seen, the colours vibrant and the fabric soft. Happily, the other woman abandoned her wine to really get a feel for the scarf, her eyes moving to Michelle in almost an awe like manner.

“Where did you get this from?” Jen breathed, placing the scarf on her lap before grabbing the bag to see if there was anything else. They were small trinkets; little snow globes and a small toy.

“I got the scarf when we were in Czechia. We met a lady in the UK who had recently travelled there and we’d told her that we were planning to go there as well. She told us to at least stop in Prague, collect some scarves as gifts. She said that she bought some for her daughter and nieces, and it’d been one of the better and more practical gifts.” Michelle explained as Jen stroked her fingers over the scarf once more.

“She’s certainly right. Oh I can’t wait to be able to wear this when it gets colder.” This prompted another giggle before they moved into the kitchen to eat.

The year began to fly by and as they started to venture into the courthouses, Michelle was beginning to win her cases that were presented. She was beginning to get recognised and requested, which had surprised her tutors, but they encouraged her, especially when Jen began to carve her own path.

It was no surprise to either women when they were offered Internships at different law firms, both of them surpassing the expectations of the class. Both offers had been made at the start of 2000, and both women toasted this to the start of a better decade. 

It was the first year that she had all of their families come to visit during her summer off from university. Ashton stayed for the duration, her brother travelling up for the occasional weekend with Calum who did a few runs in between and kept Ashton up to date with things that couldn’t be discussed over the phone. 

It was during this period when Ashton had a second moment of consideration to the thought of moving the club, but he knew that the police in the city weren’t so easy to bribe. Michelle had sensed his hesitation and when he mentioned it, the look on her face spoke volumes to him.

“If you do that Irwin, you’re not the man that I married. And anyway, you most likely won’t become the club President til long after I move back, so get those thoughts outta your head.” 

And it was easy for him to switch them off, to forget that the thoughts even existed in his mind for a few moments. They were moments forgotten, replaced with moments of excitement at the prospect of his wife finally coming home. 

When normality returned for Michelle in the fall, it only highlighted to her how much she missed her home. She may have lived in that house, but it wasn’t home by a long shot.

Her school years began to slip away from her. 2000 slipped into 2001, and as her days became routine, 2002 crept up on her. Life became steady for them both, despite their own disruptive lives with work and school on Michelle’s part and the club on Ashton’s part. But they worked through it. 

Numerous times Calum showed up instead of Ashton, being her protective detail every so often which alerted her that things were happening back home which potentially put her in danger.

Sometimes he showed up without any warning and those were her favourite times, especially when Jen had taken a shining to Calum. Michelle had quietly warned her friend that Cal’s life was not for the faint of heart and Jen had smirked at her friend in reply before asking if she could show him around the city.

Michelle all but shoved him out of the door laughing when that had happened.

A few months on from that, she’d learned from Jen that she wasn’t after anything serious with Calum and they’d come to the mutual agreement for it after the first night. Michelle had only been partially relieved and still rolled her eyes whenever they crossed paths whilst he was there and they’d flirt as if they’d never met.

After a few months of this, some of the guys in her class had seen sides to the ladies that they never realised was there. It’d been a long week for Michelle, constantly on edge whenever her and Jen went out. That edge served her well when she spotted one of the guys from her course trying to convince her staggering friend to let him take her home.

She was certain his chest was sporting a bruise from her elbow.

Calum had shown up that weekend, and seeing her taut like a spring, he didn’t take long to convince her to go out with him.

“It’ll be safe, doll. Would Jen want to join us?” The surprise on his face as she scowled at the floor briefly was missed entirely by Michelle.

“It’s been a rough week for her. Let’s just go out, you and me. Like old times.” He snorted at that but nodded before she vanished upstairs to change. 

Calum was unfamiliar with the bars, he’d not really bar hopped in the city before, but Michelle had a level of comfort and familiarity with some of the bartenders, so he let her lead the way. 

Conversation was light and easy between the two. Calum knew to steer away from her cases and she knew better than to ask about any of the runs in such a public setting. But like always, there was something to talk about and more often than not, Michelle had taken to teasing him about Jen.

“Please tell me she told you that she got a noise complaint from her neighbours?” Calum laughed at that as he paid for their drinks. They were on bar three an the alcohol was leaving a pleasant buzz. Whereas Michelle was more likely to get herself plastered, Calum knew better, especially with the gun that was tucked into the back of his jeans.

“She failed to mention that to me. Maybe I should drop by tomorrow after I’ve had dinner with you, see if we can get another complaint before I head back.” Michelle laughed at the cheeky grin before she felt someone grab her arm.

“Stay with me sweetheart, you don’t need a gang banger like him for a night. I can show you a real good night if you’ll let me.” It took a minute for her to register the voice, her mind finally placing the name to his face as well.

“Fuck off Evan. You know I’m married.” She held up her left hand and he scoffed.

“Hey gang banger, you fucking her on the side or is she your main piece?” Fury ripped through Michelle but before she could verbally flay him, she felt Calum’s towering presence and smirked as Evan’s face dropped.

“You wanna say that about my sister again?” Panic in his eyes made Michelle snort as he tried to step back, but she stuck her foot out, making him stumble.

“Take it outside.” The bartender warned and Calum simply nodded, grabbing Evan by his jacket and pulling him outside. Michelle followed, making sure that he wouldn’t get himself arrested.

“Apologise to her now.” His voice was harsh with his demand and she watched in a stony silence as Evan stuttered out his apology.

“It was-was just a j-joke. I’m sorry if I-if I offended you.” Calum glanced back to Michelle and it finally hit her where she really recognised him from. 

“You weren’t apologising last week when you tried to drag my friend home with you and ended up with my elbow in your chest. So no, that bullshit of an apology doesn’t float with me, sunshine.” She snapped, her eyes meeting Calum’s briefly. 

It took a second for it to dawn on his face who she meant and he turned to face Evan.

“Maybe this will be a reminder of how not to treat women, piece of shit.” The first punch was landed before Evan could fight back, the second managed to make a cut and break his nose, blood dripping down. The third one knocked him out.

Michelle didn’t hesitate to hand him a napkin to clean off some of the blood before he offered his arm to her, making her snort as he gauged where they were for a second before going in the rough direction of where he knew her house was.

“So how are your parents doing? I know they asked after me when I didn’t come home again this summer.” Calum just laughed.

“They know that you’re in your last two years and with the Internship they don’t blame you for staying in the city. Momma Hood wants you back for Christmas this year, no arguments. Keeps saying the town feels too empty without you.” This had her groaning but also agreeing with his mother's demand.

No one could say to his mom and not feel guilty. She learned the trick of making people feel like they’d kicked a puppy if they said no to her.

When school recommenced in the fall, she’d spoken with Charlie, her employer, and managed to request that she have the following summer off to return home, and the agreement was in principal, as long as she remained contactable for any cases that they needed the full team or a fresh set of eyes for. 

It worked in her favour that she rarely took any vacation time off and had been available last minute for some of their bigger cases. With that promise of the summer off, Charlie also told her that there was going to be a position on his team, waiting for her once she graduated. 

That news had been welcomed gleefully and gratefully accepted.

Getting to the last year was going to be a breeze, especially knowing that she had a job waiting for her on the other side of her studies. For now, she was content to get to the summer and finally get some time off with her family and spend time with her little brother. 

-

@sexgodashton, @goth5sos, @calumsmermaid, @empathycth, @wildflowergrae, @calpops, @rosecolouredash, @cal-puddies, @clockwork124, @loveroflrh, @stellar5sosrecs, @ashtoniwir, @cthwldflwr, @cthla, @liketheydidwithyou, @sc0ttish-wildfl0wer, @bluehairedtracii, @drummerboy794, @feliznavidaddycal, @ukulelecal, @thecurlsofgod, @converse-luke, @madbomb, @ccnicole02, @youngblood199456, @megz1985, @lukesidentitycrisis, @snapback-irwie, @neonweeknds, @666yourwitchyfriend666, @clffrd, @cashtonasfuck, @ashtaway, @conquerwhatliesahead92, @itjustkindahappenedreally, @kchillout, @damselindistressanu, @colormekaykay, @findingliam-o, @sublimehood, @sugarcoated-pain, @singt0mecalum, @singledadharrington, @calumspeachy, @colourfulcalum, @lostincalum, @burncrashbromance, @asht0ns-world, @flusteredcliffo, @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave, @fangirl-everythang, @lashtonswildflower, @lashtondaddies, @calumssunshine, @ambskiwi, @abundant-stars, @myescapefromthislife, @lmao5sosimagines, @beyoncesdragon, @jae-writes-fanfiction, @cxddlyash, @tresfandom, @niallisworld, @lietomevalntyn, @babylon-corgis, @monochrome44, @behind-my-hazeleyes27​, @ghost0fy0u​, @lyllibug​, @bloodmoonashton​, @ghostofmashton​, @summerellaz​, @a-little-less-sixteen​, @cashworthy​, @smokeinherlungs​, @longlastingdaydream​, @h0tsos​, @sweetcherrymike​, @5sosnsfw​, @sugar-nico​, @sunnysidesblog​, @angel-cal​, @samros95​, @maluminspace​, @lukeinblue​, @cakesunflower​, @allamerican-betch​, @britnicole11​, @gigglyirwin​, @everyscarisahealingplace​, @loverofcashton​, @iovehemmings​, @g-l-pierce​, @jannimoeller3​, @wildmichaelflower​, @lukeskisses​, @5sossstan​, @youngbloodchild​, @abb-lan-5sos​, @calumsbub​, @flameraine​, @here-for-the-uproars​, @mateisit-balsamic​, @ilovelukey​, @castaway-cashton​, @musiclover1263​, @alloutofcashton​, @tobefalling​, @sarahshepherdblog​, @cassie-sos​, @banditocth​, @possesedperson​, @treatallwithkindness​, @softbabiestan​, @spicycal​, @thesubtweeter​, @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles​

[chaosvanquished]

This week, especially the last two days, were crazy for everyone from politics enthusiasts to ao3 writers. I thought it couldn’t get crazier but I can add to this landslide of wtf news. Germany has seen a rise of anti-Corona demonstrations and now, for some reason they picked Leipzig as their center though the city is traditional left-wing territory.

Last Saturday already saw a smaller demonstration which was confined to the districts south from the city center. 45,000 people from all over the country arrived yesterday evening and this morning. They refused to wear masks, broke through police barricades, marched along the inner city ring (which was not allowed to keep the demonstration stationary and ensure safety because of the pandemic), got into physical fights with left-wing counter-protestors, attacked cops and lit fireworks and flares, as well as threw fireworks and stones at other protestors, store fronts, and cops.

This is in no way a post in favor of the police (seriously, no fan) or restrictive government ruling but god damn, show solidarity, educate yourself, don’t hurt other people if not necessary, and wear a mask !

The second picture was taken where I live at the moment and it breaks my heart. This city has always been left-leaning, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, anti-conspiracist, and open-minded but now no one feels safe here anymore because nazis and deniers of everything rational have chosen it as their new stage.

[driftwork]

on a small island having useless thoughts in summer

Some things are in our power,others are not in our power. In our power are opinion, sentiment, aversion... (E...)

The world was smaller and the borders were liberatory when we were more active.  But we are decades after those years.. I think the diameter of this small small island is about five or ten  miles at most. A narrow coast road runs alI the way round it, often with sheer drops into the sea off the steep cliffs to the south. But mostly it runs level along the coastline to the north and east. With slopes down to the beaches which alternate between sandy coves and shingle beaches. Occasionally I have stopped and explored these lovely beaches.  On the western end of the island there are concrete groynes  placed to slow the inevitable  erosion of the island. On the south concrete tetrapods are placed to protect the cliffs, gradually becoming a reef as the sea level rises. There are three or four towns, two of which have harbours for small boats and the regular ferries  from the mainland which is five to ten  kilometres to the north.  And its on one of these beaches that I am sitting eating an ice cream, with a cappucino in a takeaway cup, speaking to you.  I am speaking quietly to you because you are lying in the  sunlight, the sea and the sound of the wind on the yachts moored out to sea has made you close your eyes. You are beside me , your body is rising and falling with the rhythm of a sleeping person,  to the rhythmanalysis of a sleeping person. I don't want to wake you so I talk to you quietly about the place. Spacetime perhaps.  your soft brown leather bag is beneath your head. A violent pillow.   Some writers we know would be entranced by this island,  with its seagulls, terns, cormorants, crows, songbirds, trees, hills and rare  insects. The photographs of the bunker archaeology  collated by the council. Perhaps its the island he told us about over cocktails in the snow, before he died, killed by the leviathan. We exist in the net, captured by its almost visible lines, drawn out in the... I can hear you laugh "no no stop this is a lovely day, forget these things just now..." But when I look down I see you are still asleep, I sip coffee and wonder what time it is.  I am phoneless and watchless on this beach. Only you a pen and a notebook, Children run into the water... splash splash splash. I watch.

I found out by chance that he is still alive. The bookseller in the allay behind the town hall, next door to the hairdressers and adjacent  to the ice cream parlour, who likes to pretend that he is still ukrainian even  though he was born on the mainland 80 kilometres up the coast. Do you speak russian well I asked him.  Not at all, hardly at all he replied. A ukrainian  russian newspaper is delivered to the shop a few days after publication, perhaps he reads it? most likely he simply wraps up the books he must post in the pages.   Once a week, once a month in the newspaper, they run a provincial section  of news of the place where he was  born, before his parents took him, that is you  to america.  I remember when you, she and I went there for a  week, staying at the ramshackle dacha that you had inherited and still owned.  I remember the treelined roads, that we rode along on the bikes,  and the open top german car... and sometimes as we drove down the long intricate road into the river valley we would drive through the shadows of the cork oaks. In the village, mostly emptied of people who had deserted this place for the cities and a better  life. And there looking up at me from the opened out pages, on which a book rests which is about to be wrapped for posting, I can see a picture of your smiling face. The face of a man who supposedly died on the other side of the world,  but is now looking at me, not looking at me, as I look at him from a two day old newspaper. It's the same smile I remember from the hospital club, and  the hotel off wardour street from your last trip to london. "Bye S...  see you next year in april" you'd said. Before dying they said in A...  But there you are.  Big, alive, unable to avoid the photograph in a local paper  that ended up here on this small island. This invisible island.

Here we are later,  I wonder if it's him she said, again. What should we do if it is ?  Nothing she said.  It's nearly sunset the sun is setting in the west, the east.  The cypress  trees are lit by the deep yellow of the setting sun.  They were  deep green earlier, now they are yellow and black.  Down the hill on the plauteax leading to the beach there is a cafe,  the smell of Greek food. We walk down the slope. There is a row of houses facing the sea, northwards,  just down the road. The end house,  a short distance away was once Susan Kant's house, she'd landed there from Germany and spent a decade praying they would never find her,  they didn't. Only she was left there, here.  Her husband and mother had never returned even years after the nightmare ended. She never knew what camp they had ended up in, and now was still trying not to talk about them, survivors guilt perhaps.  But we left Susan in peace, we would visit her tomorrow we said,  and went  down to eat moussaka and to drink cheap retsina,  though we ended up drinking Chablis.  Thinking about how he was still alive, how his being alive threatened us, how he'd escaped from the south, travelled across the world to hide out there, there of all places... Was there a trail of bodies and ruined lives behind him enbaling his escape? she wondered quietly between mouthfuls of food.  Probably, I said. Thinking of the monsters he'd spent too much time with,  hiding in plain sight.  THINKing that he could hide  in their culture, traditions and earn money supplying them with the tools of oppression that...  but no it all disappeared.  He (must have) thought, i'll go in, take what's needed, supply them, be valuable,  I will become them,  I'll go when...   as if the monsters he served were harmless. Then they began to come for you.  for you.

I hope he has forgiven me for the way we spoke at the end. If I'd been more reasonable perhaps he'd be here rather than there or dead,  after these few years. I sighed and poured more wine. I wonder what he is called now. She said, tapping the table. How should you address  the man you loved who said see you in April and who vanished half a year later, presumed dead and yet has now appeared in a monochrome image in an un-understandable newspaper... Was he loved down there in exile? Is he loved now? floating down the lines in the liquid modern.   Were you with a man, a lover or friend, perhaps betrayed by them with the inevitable quick exit or was it a slow exit, the run across the face of the earth.  Or was it just furtive moments for the gratification of the body.  Were you mostly alone at night,  in your bed alone. Did anyone say "my love" in the way of the  liquid modern , holding you in their arms.  Did you remember the first night of your escape in Lyon? in the small hotel, the small room with its paisley cloth wallpaper, that was the first night in the run away from Italy. You unable to sleep from fear,  me and the other carriers still awake in the adrenaline rush of the drive north, eventually sleeping in the chair or sofa. How did it feel for you as we paused in our northward trajectory?  From Lyon we dispersed northwards, you by train with a courier who took you to London and your new identity.  Me to Amsterdam, then Belgium and the yacht across the channel and southwards along the coast.  We were never innocent, just smugglers of people.

So seeing the picture of you again,  all the time and memories I had suppressed returned again.  The years returned, tectonic plates shifted. The long recovery into this stable place after the final disastrous runs across europe, losing people on the way, time falling away as the police searched for the few who escaped, me hiding in the alps. Meeting her in the mountains and then in late summer traveling north with her by train, leaving the car in Avignon. A few photographs and unreliable memories are all that remain of that summer.  How did they find us? I spent the summer wondering.    The photograph of her is beautiful,  she is young, recovering from her divorce, a picture of her in profile, reading a book outside a building, a cafe or school perhaps, I don't remember.  There is a second photograph, the book laying open on your stomach, half asleep in the sun, eyes closed, relaxed. Weeks passed.  She took me out of my life,  took me home with her.  I thought she was saving me but really it was mutual.  We changed trains at Lyon, traveling on the fast trains north, in first class, looking like the young couple that we were becoming.  "Come with me, to my house" she said, "In case he is there..."  Her flat was empty,  half the furniture, books, music, all his clothes gone.  I never left.  Time passed. Eventually we left together.  We were both surprised that we stayed together.  Then later after I felt safe to go to my old flat again, to collect some belongings. The shock on your face when you saw me loading hastily packed suitcases, a few books.  "How are you here? " You said,   the look of betrayal on your face.  I shrugged and said i escaped.  And so the photograph reminded me of the betrayal that was the cost of your building a life.  I understood your life and knew you would never understand mine. "How did you have a life?" is the question you never asked me. Did you also betray them ?  The subtext of the utterance. One that I never answered as I never told you about the alps, about how she and i met as I hid waiting for the police to arrive.  The fear I suppressed as we boarded the train and traveled north.  How could you understand a life that wasn't founded on the betrayal of your rescuers ? Did you ever understand why I never spoke of it. Looking at the photograph I got the idea that this time someone had tried to  betray you.  You were building systems you told me, us.  That do what?  I asked.  It was clear that you couldn't tell me, us. Perhaps you thought that it was a step too far, to tell us about your relations to the leviathan. Did you think we were about to take some form of vengeance on you ?

It's a little later,  we are in Y.  A small town or village on the island.  It's not particularly beautiful but in the summer its always full of happy people. The section of the port that you can see from the  dockside is full of pleasure craft, yachts and motorboats,  behind you is a street of restaurants that leads to the square and other shops, tourists and working people pass through, a few fishermen,  sailors,  laborers travelers,  upper class figures imagining... Perhaps its still beautiful because we can be scarcely visible here.  And that's what we did, changed my name to hers.  Adopted new numbers, identities. Pretended I only spoke english.  Becoming english,  learnt how to be monocultural. More interestingly we became monosexual only facing each other.  From the small house we are staying in you can see the sea and further on you can see the hills that run along the centre of the island before sloping down to become cliffs to the south. We spent days and nights looking out to sea. So since we are about to leave this place and travel  back to our home north of london we look at the hills for the last time. The walls of the house are covered with tongue and groove planking,  painted a pale blue colour.  The bedroom had a painting of yachts on the light blue sea.  There was a wardrobe to the right of the bed, in which we had kept clothes and pillows. One of the sliding doors had a long dressing mirror hanging off it. On the walls of the living room,  small paintings and photographs hang.  Two small sofas and an easy chair are lined up together, a bookcase with a a flat screen monitor standing on the top.  This is where I am sitting, waiting for her to return from the local cooperative with food for the night, and a full tank of petrol.  I thought of you in your flat in Shoreditch with your parrot, cats and guilt.  And for the first time since you vanished I thought that something  needed to be done about you, to prevent you from acting again.  What is the point of this life if we don't stop you this time ?  We are catching the last ferry from the island, driving north for three or four hours, she will sleep in the passenger seat. I will be contacting my old friends in the group...  So whilst I wait, i write this note to you.  We know your location and your address will be found soon.  There will be no more trips for you, no more waiting at airports to fly to moscow, madrid or dayton. No more boarding of ships, yachts or driving across the  country searching for a broken down byzantium church. No more betrayed bodies. The mirror of your old age is approaching. The newspaper that brought you back to me, says you may travel to brussels soon. It is a tribute to your life that they admire you, describing you as a man of peace and progress. This letter which is in your hands now, either in brussels or wherever,  is timed   to arrive in your post box the day before the woman from shanghai delivers the heart attack, arriving to see you off, will you see her approaching you? [...] Before this decision is finalized we are on the beach, I drink more coffee. She moves in the sun, her head tilted to one side to get the sun out of her eyes. she mutters something in her sleep. I put my hand on her warm shoulder. She sighs contentedly.

[mysticalmusicwhispers]

APH College AU Intro/Background

The most important info is at the bottom of this long post. Don’t want to read the whole thing? Scroll all the way down and it’s bolded and in all caps.

Another thing: the AU tag is #college au musings on my blog. As of 5/27/20, there are 4 character headcanon posts in the tag.

Ok so, the reason this exists: I made this whole thing in my head last year as background for a Hetalia x Reader College AU that I’m probably discontinuing, but I put too much effort into the background characters and stuff so it turned into its own thing.

What it is: my interpretation of the nations in a college together and what they’d study and how they’d act. I imagine they go to a smaller college that doesn’t have a lot of prestige (definitely not a Harvard or Yale type) but it’s okay, and it does a good job of teaching and preparing students for life outside. I don’t have a name for it yet though, so suggestions are open! (I had it named Brandt University before but I’m changing it). It’s in a small-ish city, so it’s in a populated area, but the campus has its fair share of green space and tree shaded paths to keep the students comfortable and less distracted by truck noises and the highway and things, but it’s definitely more urban than some places and you don’t necessarily need a car to live there (aka has sidewalks everywhere and shops are conveniently close together and streetlights at night and all that).

The AU is bit of an age-squash I guess; I’m not sure how much of an age difference there is in canon anyway because it’s nations who might not have a specific pinned down age, but: I tried to fit as many people in the college as possible at the same time, so the age differences are probably smaller than usual. Obviously, some relative ages are still a little messed up, but I tried to make most of them work logically. Originally I had Iceland set as a freshman, and worked out ages from there, and I think I’m sticking with those for now. Obviously they move through the grades and get older, but that was my starting point so I could get down the age differences.

Ancients: as of today, May 26, I haven’t decided what most of the ancients are doing, but I don’t think I’ll be putting them as teachers, just as normal post grads who have full time jobs and people to manage and work to do. Probably one of them will be working towards a doctorate (maybe). I’ve worked out China and India’s roles for now, but suggestions are open for Rome, Germania, Scandinavia (who’s going to be a woman here), Ancient Greece and Egypt, and Persia (I have some ideas for him already but am definitely open to others).

Micronations: All in high school, because I’m ignoring them. (I seriously don’t like them that much with the exception of Seborga and Kugelmugel so yeah, no content, sorry.)

Family ties: canon brothers and sisters are still going to be there (ex North and South Italy, Germany and Prussia), but I’m making the ancients older siblings to the countries that took their place* (ex Greece and Ancient Greece would be brother and sister). But they’re still going to be significantly older and feel like they’ve got a parental duty. *I’m not making Iran a character because I don’t know much about the country besides the somewhat biased news from the US, so I’m not too sure what’s going to happen to Persia for now.

Content???: Right now I’m posting headcanons, but I’m hoping to write some short oneshots about some of them and their shenanigans in the future, set in the AU. They’ll be mostly platonic, although some relationships could probably be read as ships; when I planned this, I was intending Fruk and Spamano to be “canon” but as of now there aren’t any plans for confirmed relationships

!!!!!THERE IS NO FOCUS FOR THE AU!!!

What I mean is: THERE IS NO DIRECTION, NO PLOT, NO FOCUS ON ANY SHIPS OR ANY ONE CHARACTER OR GROUP OF CHARACTERS!!! This is just me, placing them into a college setting and imagining their lives, and therefore I’m trying to look at their relationships with each other, but I’m not trying to focus on one group only.

So that’s it. Once there’s enough information about this up, feel free to add your own stuff into this or write fics or something about it. I doubt that’ll happen, but the door is wide open if you want to do it. Thanks for reading, and if y’all need clarification qs please ask!

[bisluthq]

“She always books European tours as well and it’s not like she underperforms at them”

Rep where did this come from hahaha. I know these numbers by heart because I’ve had Americans telling me that she treats Europe the same way she treats the US for years and it’s annoying. She never books European tours.

Ever since she started out she’s had a grand total of ELEVEN concerts on mainland Europe. And note that she’s had more than 450 concerts up until this point. She came to Europe seven times during the Speak Now tour (the only tour of hers which included a proper European leg), once during the Red tour and three times during the 1989 tour. And that’s it. She didn’t come at all during her Fearless tour (understandable) and during the rep tour (incredibly disappointing).

There are some parts of the world which have received an ever worse treatment (she’s never had a proper concert in the entirety of Latin America, for example).

It’s a conscious choice her team made, after 2012 they chose to focus on the American market (and on the anglophone market at large) and to almost completely disregard other markets (for her live tours, obviously, not for the general promotion of her music). But most of her peers consistently tour Europe properly, so it’s not like everyone acts the way she does.

She was gonna come here for LoverFest (in MUCH smaller venues compared to the stadiums she usually sells out in the US) but now I don’t know what will happen. She had chosen to come here only because her US market was a bit saturated after the rep tour, and she probably wanted to branch out a bit. But I suspect that once she can tour again she’ll go back to focus on the US and we will have missed our chance.

And I’m also tired of hearing “the US is big, it’s obvious that she must have a gazillion concerts here each time she tours!!!”. It may be true, but Europe has twice the population of the US and roughly the same surface, and nothing justifies the US getting 38 concerts for the rep tour and mainland Europe getting zero.

I didn’t mean to lash out at you and I know that you’re not even American (or at the very least you don’t leave in the US, if I remember correctly), and there are bigger problems in the world. But since we’re both on a gaylor blog I feel like I can focus on this futile problem for a while hahah. I know that most Americans mean well when they say “she’s so famous and successful everywhere in the world!!!!”, but it gets a bit tiring when your entire continent is continuously ignored.

She could never sell out a stadium in each European country the way she does in the US states, but she could’ve least booked a stadium in France (for her Western European fans) and another one in Germany (for the eastern and north European fans) for the rep tour, and she didn’t even do that.

And I know you said that she never comes to your country either, and I simpathize with you. I said what I said only because a lot of people are under the impression that she tours Europe regularly and she absolutely does not

Dude all I know is I was gonna watch her at a stadium in Berlin for Lover Fest on my ACTUAL FUCKING BIRTHDAY and instead I got drunk with my cats and watched the Paris City of Lover because COVID.

I think it makes sense for her to focus on Anglophone markets honestly because her lyrics are the appeal and focus of the marketing (the personal life confessional shit is interesting if you like... fluently understand wtf she is talking about).

She played Manchester, Dublin and London for Rep and those are in Europe. I get feeling frustrated by her not doing mainland shows but she did go to Europe with Rep like she didn’t do South America or Africa but she did go to Europe and she also sold out in Japan so she included Asia and she included both Australia and New Zealand.... I think saying she’s popular internationally is just... true at this point.

Tay does focus on English speaking markets and the US in a way a lot of her peers don’t but I think it’s pretty fair to say she’s popular internationally.

Again, I understand the feelings of frustration but she is popular and she does give Europe some love.

[mudaship39]

Alpha Centurion War Lore

World War 3 (Total War) and the Nuclear War (Nuclear Conflict and Fallout after World War 3):

A global conflict and nuclear war in the 21st century. It was a conventional war as well as a nuclear war. In the beginning the nuclear exchanges were limited to only tactical-scale nuclear weapons used on the battlefield. But as the nuclear war and total war progressed it soon escalated. No city on earth or terra was safe. Nuclear exchanges happened all over the world. The geopolitical landscape became balkanized with larger states or nations becoming broken into smaller states or countries. Eventually several supranational states were created after the countries banded together to combat foreign invasion from their enemies. It was a total war between many countries. Millions of refugees were displaced by the global turmoil. Civil wars were constantly waged as people were tired of the greed of capitalist nations. Revolutions were constantly being waged as people were also tired of colonialism, imperialism, neocolonialism, & occupation of settler colonial empires all over the world. The destruction of these settler colonial powers brought necessary and significant changes to the balance of power. Long established national borders enacted by settler colonizers on Indigenous populations and people of color were broken. This included Japan on Ryukyu or Okinawa and Indonesia on West Papua. This included America on Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, Puerto Rico, & the Marshall Islands. Many cities on planet Earth or Terra were destroyed in World War 3. They once only existed only as ruins. However they are however being slowly rebuilt by the communities that live there. These cities are Old San Jose, Old San Francisco, Old Reno, Old Tucson, Old Little Rock, Old Milwaukee, Old Springfield, Old Topeka, Old Colombia, Old Kansas City, Old Jackson, Old Nashville, Old Little Rock, Old Richmond, Old Columbus, Old Lincoln, Old Raleigh, Old Providence, Old Tulsa, Old Cincinnati, Old Charlotte, Old Madison, Old Mobile, Old Montgomery, Old Salt Lake City, Old Birmingham, Old Baton Rouge, Old Houston, Old Savannah, Old Orlando, Old Lexington, Old Concord, Old Ottawa, Old Victoria, Old Winnipeg, Old Guadalajara, Old Juarez, Old Tijuana, Old Zapopan, Old Acapulco, Old Rio de Janeiro, Old Cali, Old São Luis, Old La Paz, Old Munich, Old Barcelona, Old Hamburg, Old Saint Petersburg, Old Jakarta, Old Milan, Old Samara, Old Kazan, Old Istanbul, Old Baghdad, Old Mumbai, Old Shanghai, Old Osaka, Old Sapporo, & Old Saitama. Land back finally happened as tribal sovereignty and treaties with Indigenous people were respected. Land back finally happened as Indigenous people were allowed to return to our ancestral lands. 

Nuclear Apocalypse and the Aftermath of the Nuclear War (World War 3):

These countries were affected by the Nuclear Apocalypse and managed to survive the event known as the Nuclear War that happened after World War 3. They are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Haiti, Costa Rica, Barbados, Trinidad, El Salvador, Bahamas, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, England, Poland, Netherlands, Ukraine, Finland, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Romania, Italy, Austria, France, Georgia, Switzerland, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Spain, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, Libya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Algeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Egypt, Morocco, Chad, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Cameroon, Angola, Somalia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mali, Botswana, China, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Kashmir, Mongolia, Cambodia, Manchuria, Nepal, Singapore, Tibet, Hong Kong, North Korea, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Okinawa or Ryukyu (independent kingdom from Japan), Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea now free from Indonesian occupation), Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, & Kosrae), Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, Mariana Islands (Northern Mariana Islands and Guam now free from US occupation), Marshall Islands, Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Bora Bora, New Zealand or Aeotaora, & Tahiti. 

The Fourth World War:

The Fourth World War that occured after World War 3 was a non nuclear war that was the result of the collapse of many nations that occurred after World War 3. It was waged by the remaining superpowers in a conflict to control the last bits of resources left in the world.  

Robot Takeover and Robot Civil War:

The Robot Takeover when robots and synthetic were used by remnants of the state governments trying to “keep law and order” after the complete societal collapse and that happened after World War 3 and the Fourth World War to enact state violence.  Androids and artificial intelligences sided against the government that created them leading to a Robot Uprising and Robot Civil War.  These governments went from nations to totalitarian dictatorships. These countries were destroyed in the Robot Takeover and Robot Civil War existed only as ruins. They are now being slowly rebuilt by the communities that live there. Albania, Andorra, Bahrain, Belarus, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guyana, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Myanmar, Namibia, North Macedonia, Oman, Qatar, Senegal, Seychelles, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Suriname, Togo, & Uzbekistan. 

Humans colonizing and terraforming the stars:

The planet Earth is home to the metahuman and superhuman species of humans and the alien extraterrestrial species of earth. Earth was overpopulated and resources were dwindling. Climate change as a result of years of capitalism and millenia of colonialism, imperialism, neocolonialism, & occupation of settler colonial governments had devastated the planet. Famine and disease was rampant after the wars waged and the billions of lives that were lost. After the end of the war the remaining settler powers realized too late that after taking everything on Earth in their capitalistic greed that there is little resources left on Earth to support humanity's survival. So they must discover and secure new natural resources beyond Earth and if need be beyond the Sol System. The remnants of the supranational states and companies founded by billionaires built space faring technologies and terraforming technology and took to the stars. Most of humanity took to the stars and began to colonize and terraform new planets. The others who could not afford such a luxury were abandoned. Some of us chose to stay behind and began to slowly rebuild the Earth. The Terrans or Humans of Earth soon left the planet earth and started colonizing and terraforming alien planets. Humanity started terraforming and colonizing the stars starting with the Sol System making colonies on planets, moons, planetoids, & comets. They soon colonized Mercury, Venus, the Moon or Luna, Mars, Rhea, Dione, Saturn, Titan, Neptune, Triton, Uranus, Titania, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, & Pluto. They created colonies on these planets, moons, & planetoids. Humanity started to evolve into separate and similar species once they inhabited these colonies.  When terraforming and colonizing outside the Sol star System they left on spaceships and capital ships. The Humans of Earth then started to colonize and terraform planets, moons, & planetoids in the Sol, Vega, & Polaris Systems. When terraforming and colonizing outside the Sol star System in the Vega System and Polaris System they left on spaceships and capital ships. When leaving the Milky Way Galaxy in the Andromeda Galaxy and Xeno Galaxy they left on colony ships and world ships. Humanity encountered extraterrestrial aliens in the Sol System, Vega System, & Polaris System. These aliens became our allies when we helped each other settle on Earth and her colonies. 

Human and Alien Contact War:

The planet Earth is home to the metahuman and superhuman species of humans and the alien extraterrestrial species of earth. Earth was overpopulated and resources were dwindling. The Terrans or Humans of Earth soon left the planet earth and started colonizing and terraforming alien planets. Humanity started terraforming and colonizing the stars starting with the Sol System making colonies on planets, moons, planetoids, & comets. They soon colonized Mercury, Venus, the Moon or Luna, Mars, Rhea, Dione, Saturn, Titan, Neptune, Triton, Uranus, Titania, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, & Pluto. They created colonies on these planets, moons, & planetoids. Humanity started to evolve into separate and similar species once they inhabited these colonies.  When terraforming and colonizing outside the Sol star System they left on spaceships and capital ships. The Humans of Earth then started to colonize and terraform planets, moons, & planetoids in the Sol, Vega, & Polaris Systems. But when leaving the Milky Way Galaxy they left on colony ships and world ships. It was around this time that humanity first encountered its first hostile alien race or species. Humanity had encountered aliens before in the Sol System, Vega System, & Polaris System but this is the first time humanity encountered an alien species hellbent on intergalactic eradication and genocide of humanity. Humanity then waged a war against them with our other alien allies who settled on Earth and her colonies. Our planets, moons, planetoids were under alien occupation. Some of them were destroyed by the enemies superweapons. The end of this war is what led to the intergalactic super power known as the Terran Empire of Terra or Earth when Earth to make sure they were never invaded like that again decided to take over the Sol, Vega, & Polaris System. The Terran Empire then decided to take over the Xeno, Andromeda, & Milky Way Galaxy. These cities on planet Earth were rebuilt after they were destroyed in the Human-Alien Contact War. They are Neo New York City (original home of the Paragons), Neo Brooklyn, Neo Las Vegas, Neo Washington DC (original home of the Sentinels), Neo Boston, Neo Seattle, Neo Los Angeles, Neo San Diego, Neo Tampa, Neo San Francisco, Neo Denver, Neo Austin, Neo Miami, Neo Chicago, New Pittsburgh, Neo Atlanta, Neo Detroit, Neo Baltimore, Neo Omaha, Neo Phoenix, Neo Dallas, Neo Philadelphia, Neo San Diego, Neo Portland, Neo San Antonio, Neo Memphis, Neo Toronto, Neo Guadalupe, Neo Guatemala City, Neo Panama City, Neo Sao Pablo, Neo Lima, Neo Santiago, Neo Mexico City, Neo Buenos Aires, Neo Brasília, Neo Havana, Neo Santo Domingo, Neo Kingston, Neo San Juan, Neo London, Neo Melbourne, Neo Dublin, Neo Amsterdam, Neo Moscow, Neo Berlin, Neo Copenhagen, Neo Madrid, Neo Rome, Neo Athens, Neo Warsaw, Neo Manchester, Neo Stockholm, Neo Paris, Neo Bucharest, Neo Vienna, Neo Birmingham, Neo Prague, Neo Sydney, Neo Tehran, Neo Dubai, Neo Cairo, Neo Alexandria, Neo Giza, Neo Johannesburg, Neo Casablanca, Neo Capetown, Neo Anchorage, Neo Honolulu, Neo Auckland, Neo Wellington, Neo Saigon, Neo Taipei, Neo Hanoi, Neo Busan, Neo Bangalore, Neo Singapore, Neo Beijing, Neo Kyoto, Neo Delhi, Neo Hong Kong, Neo Shanghai, New Manila, Neo Bangkok, Neo Seoul, & Neo Tokyo. 

Space Revolutionary War:

The war to defeat the colonialism and imperialism of Earth.

Space Civil War:

The war to defeat the neocolonialism and occupation of the Terran Empire. 

Earth and the Terran Empire:

The Rise of Earth and The Terran Empire

The planet Earth is home to the metahuman and superhuman species of humans and the alien extraterrestrial species of earth. The Terrans or Humans of Earth and the other alien species soon left the planet earth and started colonizing and terraforming alien planets. They soon colonized Mercury, Venus, the Moon or Luna, Mars, Rhea, Dione, Saturn, Titan, Neptune, Triton, Uranus, Titania, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, & Pluto. They created colonies on these planets, moons, & planetoids. Humanity started to evolve into separate and similar species once they inhabited these colonies. The Humans and aliens of Earth then started to colonize and terraform planets, moons, & planetoids in the Sol, Vega, & Polaris Systems. Wanting more power the Earth World Government started to conquer the Sol System, Vega System, & Polaris System. This was the beginning of the Terran Empire. The Terran Empire started to oppress the Vega, Polaris, & Sol Star Systems under their colonialism and imperialism. The Terran Empire started to overthrow the Xeno, Andromeda, & Milky Way Galaxy. The Terran Empire started to suppress the Andromeda, Xeno, & Milky Way Galaxy under their neocolonialism and occupation. The Terran Empire enforced their power through their military. Their military is composed of superhuman private soldiers and mercenaries, metahuman child soldiers stolen from Earth and Terran colonies, & mass produced super soldiers. The Terran Empire maintained their hegemony with their superweapons and weapons of mass destruction. 

Such as Mobius, an electromagnetic mass accelerator positron cannon superweapon on Titan. Such as Star Crusher, a superweapon in the Polaris System. A weapon capable of killing a star by stopping all fusion reactions in the sun causing it to go supernova. When it was fired at a star it caused it to go supernova and destroy an entire solar system before it was deactivated. In an instant the entire Regulus Star System was gone. It caused the Polaris System and Vega System to surrender unconditionally to Earth colonialism and imperialism. An entire star system was damned to die to show the power of Earth. It was a show of force and nuclear deterrence for it showed how powerful Earth was to its enemies. Such as Ouroboros, a mobile superweapon in space in the Milky Way Galaxy located on a world ship powered by element zero, chronotron, kryptonite, dark metal, inertron, & element x. It is a weapon of mass destruction that fires colossal nth metal, adamantium, timonium, & vibranium rounds. Such as Omen, a world ship that massacred millions, billions, & trillions of lives. It slaughtered the enemies of the humans and aliens of Earth and the humans and aliens of the Terran Empire.  Such as Hydra a superweapon located on a battle cruiser. It destroyed the space ships (such as cutters, corvettes, destroyers, frigates, cruisers) and capital ships (such as dreadnoughts, battleships, ship of the lines, & battle cruisers) of the Space Rebel Army that defied the Terran Empire. They were the iron fist of the Terran Empire. Such as Sovereign a mobile direct energy weapon on a mobile giant planet capable of destroying a planet, a star system, or even a galaxy.

The Fall of The Planet Earth: 

The fall of the planet Earth was caused by several individuals and several grassroots movements and organizations. Ana Anacaoana Ahura Lagunas Zaghloul. She is an Afro Latinx Indigenous woman as an Alexis Nakota Indigenous, Taino Indigenous Puerto Rican, Black African Egyptian, & Latinx Puerto Rican woman of color‬. She is a member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation of Wood Stoney Nakota or Assiniboine. Ana is an activist who is closely associated with the Elites and Paragons. She is an intergalactic representative of her planet in the Federation and holds public office. She was the leader and founder of the grassroots movement Earth Shakers and the mass movement Operation Earthquake who protested the Earth and Terran Empire for their colonialism, imperialism, neocolonialism, & occupation. Chaske Kiran Tiwari. He is a South Asian Nepalese and Western Yankton Dakota Indigenous. He is from the  Ihanktonwan Yankton Nakota Sioux Tribe. He was a community leader and mayor. He helped the Earth Shakers and Operation Earthquake with transportation and safe places that people could organize meetings in. Far Seer or Pīṗiiyīk̇k̇ítsāaṗī (Hurit Ridley Clarke). They are Coastal Salish. They are from the Musqueam band of Coastal Salish. They are a Southern Piikani Siksika or Blackfoot two spirit Indigenous person. They are mixed Scottish. Hurit was an ambassador of the grassroots movement Earth Shakers and the mass movement Operation Earthquake who protested the Earth and Terran Empire for their colonialism, imperialism, neocolonialism, & occupation. Hurit is now an ambassador for a humanitarian company. The consequences of Ana’s, Hurit’s, & Chaske’s actions were they were all arrested by the Earth government. Ana and her family are threatened by metahuman and superhuman secret police. Ana, fearing for the safety of her and her family stops being in the spotlight and tries to relocate her family someplace safe. Chaske finds out that resources that the Earth Shakers need as a grassroots movement has been taken by people who want to interfere with their progress as a social and political movement. Hurit gets kidnapped by Earth’s private military contractors. The consequences for Ana, Hurit, & Chaske fighting against Earth colonialism and imperialism makes sense since they were only leaders of social and political grassroots movements Earth Shakers and Operation Earthquake. 

The Fall of The Terran Empire:

The fall of the intergalactic settler colonial superpower Terran Empire was caused by several individuals and a space rebel army in the rebellion and insurrection known as the Space Revolutionary War and the Space Civil War.  The queer and trans Asian and Latinx Native main character of Alpha Centurion War known by his/her/their Polynesian name of Kana’i Makoa Latu/Ataahua Kamalani Latu. Known by his/her/their Japanese name of Ryuu Kato/Haruka Kato. Known by his/her/their Hispanic name of Francisco Alejandro Diego Garcia Ochoa/Francisca Alejandra Maria Garcia Ochoa. Known by his/her/their English name Alexander Mack “Alex” Smith/Alexandria Macy “Lexi” Smith. Known by his/her/their alien name of Zana Saani. Known by his/her/their demigod name Kalani. He/she/they are an Asian Native person of color as an East Asian Japanese and Polynesian Hawaiian and Tongan Indigenous Pasifika. He/she/they are a Latinx Native as a South American Latinx Colombian person of color and South American Baniwa and Embera Indigenous Amerindian of Colombia. So, he/she/they are an Indigenous person of color. Techno (Valeria Nadia Torres Garcia or). She is a Latinx Mexican and Tsalagi Indigenous woman of color. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She is from the Wolf Clan. She is a hacker whose work with the Winds of Change helped combat the tyranny of Earth and the Terran Empire. She was a former operative who was a spy, double agent, & informant for the Space Rebel Army. She is a rebel. She as a hacker and activist was a criminal in the eyes of the Earth government and Terran Empire government.  Valeria was part of a hacker collective Splinter. She was leader of a legion of hackers who worked for Young Radicals and Winds of Change. She is a hacker whose work with the Winds of Change helped combat the tyranny of Earth and the Terran Empire. So she tends to lay low by working as a repair woman. She repairs hard light technology. Valeria Nadia Torres Garcias as Rouge is someone who is wanted by the Earth government and Terran Empire for being a hacker for the Young Radicals or Winds of Change. She is also someone who is wanted as an operative who was an informant, double agent, & spy for the Space Rebel Army. She as Rogue and her hacker collective Splinter waged a cyberwar against the Terran Empire. So she is stateless or someone without a nationality as a result of the revolution and as a repercussion of her helping with the insurrection and rebellion against the Earth and Terran Empire to take them out of power. After the creation of the Federation that composed of the now independent and sovereign Sol, Vega, & Polaris Systems she was allowed to return home by the new intergalactic government of this cosmic alliance after the fall of Earth and the Terran Empire. Joanna Jacobson-Kato.  She is a member of the Elites and Paragons. She is the militant, anarchist, radical, & revolutionary leader of the Rebellion or Resistance that rebelled against the Earth and the Terran Empire. She is the leader and founder of the Young Radicals or Winds of Change that fought against Earth hegemony and dominion and fought against Terran Empire subjugation and oppression. She is stateless or someone without a nationality as a result of the revolution and as a repercussion of her leading the rebellion and insurrection against the Earth and Terran Empire to take them out of power. After the creation of the Federation that composed of the now independent and sovereign Sol, Vega, & Polaris Systems she was allowed to return home by the new intergalactic government of this cosmic alliance after the fall of Earth and the Terran Empire. Unfortunately the consequences for Valeria Garcia, Joanna Jacobson, & Kana’i Makoa Latu/Ataahua Kamalani Latu unfortunately are more severe. Valeria she as hacker activist Rogue and her hacker collective Splinter waged a cyberwar against the Terran Empire. Ryuu/Haruka led a space army and navy and waged a Space Revolutionary War against Earth and a Space Civil War against the Terran Empire. Joanna Jacobson was a radical, militant, revolutionary, & anarchist leader of a rebellion and insurrection against the Earth and Terran Empire. 

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Six Day War: June 5th-10th, 1967

Background:  The year 70 AD saw the Roman Empire put down the Jewish Revolt, in the province of Judea.  Included in the quelling of this rebellion was the reconquest of Jerusalem and destruction of the Second Jewish Temple.  After this shattering of their homeland, many Jews left the Levant in waves spreading to the far reaches of the Roman Empire and elsewhere forming a diaspora.  For nearly the next two thousand years the diaspora survived amid changing polities and had to adapt to the laws and frequent whims of the societies in which they lived.  Many Jews did face many trials, pogroms, ghettos, heavy taxes, religious and social discrimination among others.  Some Jews depending on the society also could adapt and do fairly well in parts of Europe, this was relatively true in the Middle Ages in some Muslim territories like Al-Andalus in Spain & Portugal and even the Ottoman Empire.  It was also true Jews fared well in medieval Poland as well.  

The 7th century saw the rise of Islam and it spread into the Levant following the early Islamic Caliphate’s victories over the Eastern Roman Empire and Persianate Sasanian Empire which had weakened each other through continual war.  Islam was founded among the Arabs in their homeland of Arabia, today’s Arabian Peninsula.  The Arabs were previously very diverse in their beliefs with some practicing pagan beliefs, other converting to Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism.  Arab Christians tended to live in the Roman Levant or on the borderlands between Arabia and the Roman Empire.  Islam provided them a sense of unity as it did throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  Following the Battle of Yarmouk in 636 AD, Islam spread to the Levant and would be the predominant religion of the region over the following centuries.  In time, Arabs who settled these lands and intermixed with other peoples would became culturally and ethnolinguistically Arabized overall and the region became known as Palestine, though never an official country, it became the common name for the region.  There did remain a continual albeit smaller Jewish presence throughout the land too and this was more or less settled alongside the ruling Islamic dynasties that came and went over the centuries.  

The Crusades, undertaken by Europeans in the Middle Ages saw temporary periods of restored Christian control to swaths of the Levant.  In these times Christian pilgrimages and settlements grew and also lived alongside Jews and Muslims to varying degrees of tolerance & intolerance in their interactions.  Nevertheless, following the 13th and 14th centuries Muslim rule was resolutely restored to the whole of the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate from Egypt.  Control of the area fell to the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and it remained in their hands through the early 20th century.

In the 19th century a growing modern movement for the restoration of a Jewish state was gaining some prominence in Europe & America, particularly as outlined by a Jewish journalist and activist Theodor Herzl from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  The movement and ideology became known as Zionism.  While it is true many Jews since antiquity wished for a restored Jewish state in the Middle East, Herzl is largely credited with articulating and organizing the modern movement of Zionism as we understand it.  The main aim was to establish a nation-state for the Jewish people where their religion, language and culture could be safely practiced on their own without being subject to the politics of the societies the diaspora had found them.  Their was debate about where this homeland would be with some proposals placing Jews in South America or even in Eastern Africa.  Herzl and most Zionists however looked for a place within the confines of the then Ottoman Empire, namely a restoration to their historical ancestral homeland in the region then known as Palestine but to the Jews, the land of Israel.  How this would be accomplished was debated, most advocated for a purchase agreement, to purchase lands from the Ottomans and set up Jewish settlements which would lead to an eventual state.  World War I would provide the impetus and accelerate events, though perhaps somewhat unintentionally.

World War I (1914-1918) pitted the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire against Britain, France, Russia, Italy, the United States and others.  One of its many theaters of war was the Middle East in which the British and French sought to knock out the Ottoman Empire to deny Germany access to the Middle East for oil and trade, political influence and to potential threats to British and French interests in the region.  The British in particular would use their influence and future political promises to undermine the Ottomans in the Middle East.  In doing so, they ignited the aspirations of both Jewish and Arab nationalist movements.  The Jews were promised a future homeland in the region under the infamous Balfour Declaration of 1917 which declared British intent to support such an aspiration.  In turn, a number of Jews formed an actual Jewish Legion which fought in support of the British, under the command of Colonel John Patterson, an Anglo-Irish Evangelical Protestant who was a Christian Zionist and major supporter of the movement.  The Jewish Legion would help put push out the Turks from the Levant, forming the first all-Jewish led combat unit in modern history.  Many future key players in Israel would serve in this unit in various capacities.  Meanwhile, the Arabs also lead a crucial revolt against the Ottomans with aid from the British, under their agent TE Lawrence, known to history as Lawrence of Arabia.  The Hashemite Kingdom of the Hejaz was supposed to be the realization of a united Arab state in the Middle East, under the rule of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca.  They too played an essential role in forcing the Ottomans hand in the region, by 1918 the war was over and the British and French now formed protectorates over the region with Syria going to the French and Palestine & Transjordan going to the British.

Over the coming two decades, a gradual but steady influx of Jews arrived from Europe and America to settle the lands in Britain’s Mandate of Palestine.  This gradually increased tensions with the Arabs.  The British decided what yet to do with the rival Jewish and Arab claims, both of which were promised sponsorship from Britain.  Meanwhile, developments in Europe lead to the rise of anti-Semitism and the rise of Nazi Germany in particularly with its anti-Jewish sentiment and policies lead to an even greater increase of Jewish refugees for the Middle East, many were turned away as illegal arrivals by the British.  During the Second World War, tensions remained and their were attempts by the Nazis to appeal to the Arabs to side with them against the British and by extension the Jews.  Though practically speaking not much came of these attempts.  Again a number of Jews fought in the British Army as did some Arabs against the Nazi allied Vichy France which had its colonies and protectorates around the world to varying degrees fight against the Allies, including in Syria.  

Following the defeat of the Nazis in 1945 and the exposure of their crimes against humanity, most expressly in the Holocaust, world sympathy for the Jewish people was more visibly aroused.  The notion that Jews could -re-assimilate to Europe was viewed with greater doubt by the Jews and indeed many non-Jews agreed.  The British overextended and weakened by World War II’s end decided to leave the Middle East, at least overtly.  It handed over the fate of the Mandate of Palestine to the United Nations (UN).  In the years leading up to 1947-48 both Jewish and Arab communities formed paramilitaries engaged in acts of terrorism against each other as well as the British occupation which hastened the British decision to leave without a true decision made on the region’s political outcome.  The UN proposed two new states, one Arab and one Jewish that would zigzag over the region and have crisscross junctures at various spots.  Jerusalem was to remain an international city, despite its sacred status to both Jews and Arabs.  1948 saw the Jews accept this offer with the creation of the State of Israel, but this was rejected by the Palestinian Arabs and not recognized by the Arab states of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq or Jordan which resulted in an Arab invasion of Israeli territory that was eventually beaten back by the Jews with an shipment of arms from Czechoslovakia.  Eventually an armistice was agreed to but no official declaration of peace of mutual recognition by either the Israelis or the Arabs.  The de-facto existence of Israel was accepted by the Arabs as a temporary reality but to the Jews it was the fulfillment of Zionist aspirations.

The Cold War & Prelude to 1967:  Post World War II saw the world bifurcate into largely two camps the capitalist oriented camp lead by the United States of America and NATO along with other allied liberal democracies against the Communist Bloc lead by the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact as well as China.  Both America and Soviet Union sought influence in the world including in the Middle East and both competed for influence among the Arabs and Israelis.  Israeli for its part began to function as a full on nation with elections, growing diplomatic recognition, increased population, including the influx of Jews expelled from Arab nations following the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-49.  Meanwhile, the Palestinian Arabs or Palestinians as they had become known were forced off their lands with some settlements outright destroyed by Jewish forces during the war with both sides committing atrocities.  They had moved to the few territories maintained by various Arab powers despite their defeat, namely the West Bank of the Jordan River and  East Jerusalem controlled by Jordan and the Gaza Strip controlled by Egypt.

In 1952, there was a coup by military officers in Egypt which lead to the overthrow of the monarchy there.  It established Egypt in becoming the Arab Republic of Egypt, under leadership of military officer and now President, Gamal Abdel Nasser.  It promoted an ideology of secular Pan-Arabism and promoted a sort of anti-monarchical view, pared with Syria it became known as the United Arab Republic, though functionally speaking the two nations remained separate. Nasser was courted by both American and Soviet agents to pivot Egypt as a vital chess piece in the game of world influence between the two superpowers.  Nasser also found himself at odds with the British and French over the Suez Canal which was jointly operated by companies on behalf of their governments and had been an international waterway under their control.  Nasser sought to nationalize the canal for Egyptians as a means to coalesce support around him and assert Egypt’s independence.  By 1956 the canal was indeed nationalized by Egypt and under an agreement organized by Britain, France and Israel which sought to end Egyptian tensions with Israel, the three nations launched a joint military operation against Nasser’s Egypt.  In a military sense it succeeded, the Israelis defeated the Egyptians in the Sinai Peninsula while the British and French regained control of the canal.  However, the US did not support the move fearing it would alienate the Arab world from their and NATO’s influence in favor of the Soviets.  Under political pressure from US President Dwight Eisenhower, the British and French agreed to leave Egypt.  Meanwhile, the UN placed a peacekeeping force in the Sinai to buffer between Israel and Egypt.  Britain’s withdrawal showed its decline in stature to America and the world over.  In Egypt though a military disaster Nasser turned it into a political victory, his tough stance against Britain, France and Israel raised his profile in the Arab and greater Islamic world.  Egypt maintained control of the Suez Canal politically but it promised to open the waterway to international shipping.  Despite, America not sanctioning the invasion, it was seen as not doing enough to prevent it and therefore in Nasser’s mind and other Arab leaders, the Soviet Union became more friendly with the Arabs states than previously before.  It became a chief supplier of military arms, intelligence and joint projects.  in turn Israel became more and more under the influence of America, in effect the Arab nations and Israel became client states of America and the Soviet Union.  

From this state of affairs post-1956 a stalemate in the region developed but tensions remained on both sides.  Which lead to May 1967...

Countdown to War: May 1967 saw the Soviet Union develop a plan to increase its influence further in the region.  It sought to undermine the US which was fighting a politically unpopular war against Communism in Vietnam.  Its plan was to orchestrate a war, even a small one in which its Arab allies (Egypt & Syria) demonstrating the power of Soviet backed weaponry would crush Israel and demonstrate the benefits of its support.  It would in turn show American and NATO’s weakness, making more Arab nations turn to the Soviet fold.  The Soviets through the KGB informed Egypt and Syria that Israel was massing divisions against the Syrian border in an attempt to preemptively attack the Arabs and start a war.  These reports turned out to be false.  Whether or not the Soviets truly believed this to be the case, it started a series of events that would unravel into open warfare.  The Soviet information was taken seriously enough by the Arabs who began saber rattling.  Nasser, by then the most revered politician in the Arab world took the lead with Egypt’s forces becoming partially mobilized. In addition, Egypt began mobilizing troops on the Sinai border with Israel, kicked out the UN peacekeepers and ultimately gave the Israelis their casus belli, closure of the Straits of Tiran which was the most vital link to Israeli shipping.  Nasser claimed he was not looking for a war but famously said if the Israelis wanted a fight “We say, welcome!”  Egypt and Syria both planned to fight against Israel and Jordan, under King Hussein also agreed to fight, placing his troops nominally under overall Egyptian command.  Israel now had enemies to consider in the north, east and southwest.  Iraq also supported Jordan and Syria, as did Lebanon but Egypt, Syria and Jordan would be the primary Arab force.

Israel’s leadership at the time was under Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, largely a man known for his micromanaging and accounting skills, not a man who conveyed military expertise.  He and his cabinet met frequently throughout May 1967 to discuss options.  The military leaders wanted a first strike but Eshkol remained non-committal hoping for a diplomatic solution to growing tensions.  he hoped appealing the US and USSR would convince the Arabs to back down.  Sending diplomats to America to find out their position.  The American President Lyndon Johnson, dealing with civil unrest at home and ongoing fallout from escalating the war in Vietnam conveyed token support to reopen the Straits of Tiran through UN consensus but ultimately urged Israel not to strike first.  Ultimately, the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean as a show of force against any Soviet aggression.  The Soviets in turn shadowed the American fleet with detection ships of their own.  Soviet pilots were tasked to leave for Syria on a moment’s notice.  They also urged the Arabs to restrain from striking first.  

Arab propaganda only added to tensions, Radio Cairo and Egyptian television was broadcast daily throughout the Middle East depicting the Jews in stereotypes reminiscent of Nazi era propaganda, the Arabs also depicted the Jews being crushed and killed.  In Israel, everyday citizens of the 19 year country perceived this to be an imminent second Holocaust.  Volunteers of Jews from elsewhere in the world flocked to Israel and rabbis consecrated public parks on the assumptions new cemeteries for many dead would be needed soon. The propaganda was effective in the Arab world and the Egyptian show of force created widespread excitement and support.  Even in Palestinian territory, Nasser was praised as a hero and icon, hailed as their eventual liberator.

Despite realizing the Americans weren’t going to help outright except to deter the Soviets and facing domestic pressure Eshkol continued to hold out.  Finally, the generals and other cabinet members as well as the public demanded more of Israel’s Prime Minister, especially after a speech on the radio that included awkward pauses and forgotten queues, it conveyed a sense of indecision.  The public demanded Eshkol make changes in his leadership.  As Israeli Prime Minister he could also hold the cabinet position of Defense Minister if the government formed yield to such occasions due to Israeli politics.  Eshkol was forced to relinquish his control of the Defense Minister’s position to the charismatic Moshe Dayan.  Dayan was a military figure from the 1948 War and the Suez War of 1956 in which he became a household name.  He possessed extensive military knowledge and projected absolute calm confidence in Israel’s ability to handle itself unilaterally.  Dayan was well known for wearing an eye patch, having lost his left eye in World War II fighting for the British against Vichy France.

Dayan now assumed de-facto control of the military and decisions regarding the nation’s defense.  He agreed with the cabinet by vote...a first strike was needed.

War:  On paper, the Arabs combined had more men and resources than the Israelis.  Their equipment was Soviet made for the most part ranging from planes & tanks to small firearms. Egypt had the largest army overall followed by Syria and Jordan with contributions from Iraq and Lebanon.  Other nations in the Arab world were sending volunteers to aid as well.  Egypt’s army was largely untested though and made of peasant conscripts.  The elite units were actually fighting in Yemen and would play no part in the war.  Jordan’s army and Syria’s aside from raids and skirmishes had little combat experience since the 1948 war.

Israel, even with its reservists did not have the combined manpower of the Arab coalition.  Israeli equipment was a mix of French airplanes and armored ground vehicles from American and British companies along with Israeli self-made small arms such as the Uzi among western contributions.

Israel’s strategy relied on a first strike.  Israel planned June 5th in the morning as the date of the attack.  Seeing air supremacy as key to victory, Operation Focus was the Israeli first strike.  The Israeli Air Force since the 1956 war had actually planned for a preemptive strike against their Arab foes in the event of another war.  Israeli troops were compared to their Arab counterparts much more regimented in their training.  They had relentlessly drilled their combined forces in multiple scenarios to allow for tactical flexibility and strategic deployment.  At dawn on June 5th, the entire Israeli Air Force (bombers and fighters) aside from 12 planes left in reserve took off in various waves toward Egyptian air bases both located in the Sinai Peninsula and across the Suez Canal.  Flying low to avoid radar detection and in an unexpected direction out over the Mediterranean Sea, the Israelis swept southward over the Sinai, the Nile delta and elsewhere.  Egyptian farmers actually are reported to have waved at the planes thinking the planes Egyptian.  The Israelis started bombing runs to destroy the Egyptian air force.  First targeting  runways so as to prevent the launch and potential escape of the planes, then to target the planes themselves, namely bombers that Egyptian propaganda stated was intended to bomb Tel Aviv.  The attack was so effective, that Egypt’s Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff for the military, Abdel Hakim Amer was actually touring the Sinai Peninsula reviewing troops for the upcoming war when he was made aware of its start by Israeli planes flying overhead and bombing the Egyptian planes.  In less than three hours, the Israelis had destroyed almost the entire Egyptian air force.  They then turn north and destroyed the Syrians within two hours to the east destroy Jordan’s in mere minutes.  Completely rending the Arabs without air support.  The few Egyptian planes that did manage off the ground were picked off by Israeli fighters rapidly.  There was no warning, total surprise had been achieved.  The ramifications of this first strike would essentially determine the outcome of the whole war.  

Israel had to fight on three fronts, the Sinai deserts against Egypt to the southwest, the West Bank against Jordan in the east and the Golan Heights against Syria in the north.  Israeli tanks and infantry advanced on these fronts encountering the first Arab counter attacks in Jerusalem when Jordanian artillery began shelling Western Jerusalem.  The Egyptian tanks in the Sinai were essentially sitting ducks as the Israelis at their leisure could bomb them too, destroying their armor in quick succession.  Egypt was in full fighting retreat across the Sinai towards the Suez Canal and Israeli armor was in full pursuit.  The Egyptians did put up some resistance in a number of areas but all in vain with Israeli air superiority and the qualitative superiority of their weapons against the Soviet made weapons used by the Arabs.  By June 8th the entire Sinai Peninsula up to the eastern banks of the Suez Canal were in Israeli hands.  

In the West Bank Jerusalem was the primary target, the Israelis had attempted its capture in 1948-49 but were driven back, giving the Arabs a small measure of victory in that war.  Since that time, East Jerusalem which contained the most holy remnants of the ancient Second Temple and the Old City quarter was under Jordanian control.  The earlier destruction of Jordanian, Syrian and Egyptian air forces determined the war’s outcome from the get go.  Iraq’s air force stationed in Jordan was likewise destroyed.  Initially, Moshe Dayan didn’t plan to capture the Old City but upon hearing of a pending UN push for ceasefire, he pressed Israeli paratroopers to do so, thinking it would improve Israel’s negotiation position later.  The Egyptians asked the Jordanians to retreat from all the West Bank to preserve their fighting forces elsewhere, given the Israeli armored deployment from all directions.  The Jordanians began to comply with this but on June 6th and 7th intense fighting remained within the Old City which eventually along with Bethlehem and the rest of the West Bank fell to Israel.  The emotional and political significance of Jews being able to enter the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time freely and under Jewish auspices since antiquity was not lost on many. Suddenly secular Jews began spontaneous prayer at the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple, these moments were etched in Israeli and indeed more broadly Jewish collective psyche for all time.

In the north, fighting over the strategically vital high ground known as the Golan Heights took place.  Syria’s ground troops largely avoided conflict the first few days of the war.  Early Egyptian propaganda was proclaiming great victories on the radio which informed Syrian moves.  Israel having jammed much Arab military communications meant that only public radio informed the Syrians in some respects.  These false reports designed to hold up the façade of Nasser’s image would have bad ramifications for Syria.  Syria joined in shelling Israeli settlements in northern Israel and launched a few remaining fighters along with Lebanon to bomb Israeli positions but the Israeli planes either shot them down or drove them off.  Israel debated taking the Golan Heights but given past Syrian shelling and raids from this area, Dayan pushed for taking them.  Indeed, as the deadline for a ceasefire approached Israel continued its advance taking roughly 20 kilometers of territory.  By June 10th the ceasefire went into effect and the war was over in six days total.

1,000,000 Arabs between the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights were under total Israeli occupation.

Aftermath:  Israel’s victory was total through a combination of pre-war drilling, advanced planning and of course the initiative gained by the first strike on June 5th to achieve total air superiority.  Their attack caught the Arabs totally by surprise and left them in no good position to defend themselves.  700-900 Israelis died, 4,500 were wounded while the Egyptians had 10,000-15,000 dead, Syria 2,500 and Jordan 700 with smaller amounts for Iraq and Lebanon.  Israel would now more than double its territory and begin controversial settlements in all the occupied territories.  Nasser for his part resigned when the obvious sight of Israelis occupying the east bank of the Suez Canal undermined the official story of victory.  The ragtag nature of the Egyptian military in retreat further showed the totality of their defeat.  Despite yet another military defeat and one much worse than 1956, Nasser was encouraged to stay on as President when political party supporters helped amp up support for Nasser in the streets,  He rescinded his resignation due to these demonstrations of support and would remain President for the rest of his days.  Though in private, he was said never to be quite the same for the humiliation of defeat and the hubris his rhetoric had played in its development.  Later that year at the Khartoum conference of the Arab League in Sudan, Nasser and all other Arab leaders took up the famous three no’s.  “No peace, no recognition and no negotiation with Israel.”  Nasser would die in 1970.  During this time, Egypt and Israel continued small scale raids or demonstrations, though it was mostly low level.  Palestinians also began to rely less on other Arab nation-states for their cause, instead many moved to Jordan and began launching attacks from there, forming the PLO headed by Yasser Arafat.

Israel for its part offered to return land for peace but given the Khartoum summit’s Three No’s policy it fell on deaf ears.  At the same time Israeli settlers begin settlements in these newly occupied areas.  Nasser’s successor Anwar Sadat continued Soviet relations despite the obvious failure of Soviet weaponry and failure of Soviet intelligence which lead to a war ending in such disaster for the Arabs.  Sadat would launch the Yom Kippur War in 1973 with Syrian help though this time the Israelis laxed their defenses and were taken by relative surprise.  That war would allow the Egyptians to re-cross the Suez Canal in dramatic fashion before the Israelis would regroup and eventually encircle and defeat the Egyptians , crossing due the west banks of the Suez themselves before yet another ceasefire was implemented.  The Syrians would try and retake the Golan Heights before being pushed back and the Israelis advanced within 25 miles of Damascus, the Syrian capital by war’s end.  In 1978 Egypt and Israel with American sponsorship signed a bilateral agreement to peace and recognition, turning against the Three No’s policy of 1967.  Sadat’s change of heart would change Arab-Israeli politics.  Realizing a military solution was no longer viable, Egypt and Israel formed an alliance which persists to the modern day.  Eventually Jordan and the PLO made similar agreements in the 1990′s with Israel.  In 1981, Egypt was given the Sinai back in accordance with the treaty.  Israel also unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.  Though settlements remain in the Golan Heights and West Bank which remain effectively under international law occupied territories but de-facto Israeli territory.  Though Israel, with some international recognition has now claimed the Golan permanently and the West Bank’s status remains controversial since a future potential Palestinian state largely is thought to majority existence in the West Bank.  Jerusalem also remains a political hotbed of controversy but remains completely in Israeli hands since 1967 and is declared its capital with limited recognition.  The conflict remains unresolved yet today and 1967 in some ways exacerbated the issue at hand but at the same time demonstrated the futility of constant warfare between the various nation-states of the Middle East.  Overall, the conflict appears intractable to many for the foreseeable future, with two rival claims to the same piece of land, fueled by religious and historic claims, it remains perhaps the most contentious conflict in the modern world. 

[edehaffey]

Avenue south residence

A typical evergreen pine forest stands on a photo. An onlooker may assume that this could be in Colorado, Europe, Alaska, or at least if it was taken in the great Grand Canyon State then the foliage would be restricted to some very very far distant isolated mountain top. This is not the case, as there are conifer expanses in AZ that stretch for hundreds of miles, including some very fantasy like biotic communities.

The photograph recognition scenario photo could involve a location in Arizona. yet it may not. Most people, however, would not ever associate this type of plant life as such. This local expansive portion of the Earth's surface is well endowed with many vivid displays which mirror much of the climactic, geological, biological, and other ranges that exist all other places around our graceful planet's reaches.

If you don't have the cash to go to the Black forest in the southwest of Germany or happened to be planning a trip to the Grand Canyon or Sedona, then stop by one of Arizona's magical hinterlands, the lush foliage saturating the White and Blue Range Mountains, along with the mighty alpine summit of Escudilla.Tall straight pine trees, open vibrant fields looking as if they were massive front lawns, a predominant older culture, Avenue south residence  a plethora of flowing and resting waters, and the sounds of wildlife are just a few things that these two far distant lovely countrysides share.

The two beautiful landscapes make for an interesting contrast of latitude versus elevation, and the similarities wrought by the relative cancellation of these factors. What about the spectacular Triberg waterfall one may ask? One word comes to mind for me, Pacheta. Located deep within the heavily forested landscape lies this cascading gem, smaller than its distant cousin in Baden Württemberg, yet huge in its own right and just as inspiring.

Nowhere else on Earth is quite like the city near the vertically plummeting waters just described, however Greer, Arizona also shares that distinction. Similar to Triberg, this small town lies between thick stands of both conifer and broadleaf vegetation growing on the steep sides of the mountains which they are nestled in. The falls in the geographical region are not in this direct vicinity, but three sparkling lakes lie adjacent to this little hamlet.

The Titisee, yes it really is spelled like that was names after General Titus of ancient Rome who passed through the region around 41 A.D, This deep blue body of water is a marvel of the natural world. To behold this would probably feel like living within an old fantasy story. The Grand Canyon State also offers an exceptional blend of green and blue in the form of many lakes. One of these locations holds records for both the state's highest recorded rainfall and coldest known temperature. This gorgeous gem goes by the name of Hawley Lake. The two fantastic bodies of water are roughly the same size, albeit different shapes.

Whether it be the Danube or the Little Colorado River, the respective wrinkled examples of the Earth's crust have produced impressive watersheds. Springerville, as Freiberg offers itself as a portal to the higher elevation, densely packed, woodlands beyond. Both peak top areas host a very lucrative ski resort as well. Baldy peak stands proudly atop its less prominent peers.

Arizona residents and visitors may frequent this pristine giant as fellows form the Schwarzwald do so the mighty Feldberg. they have the Schluchsee, we have Sunrise lake, they have the Mummelsee and the Feldsee, we have Christmas tree and Lee Valley lakes, the list could go on and on.

We Arizonans have our own "Black" Forest right here in our "White" Mountains sector of the land. This is truly an enchanting kingdom .Everything in the real world is however not black and white so let's look at a few more amazing potential travel destinations.

Have you ever wanted to gaze across the savagely wonderful plains of the Serengeti without all of the dangers involved in being in the presence presence of too many hungry large animals ? Well somewhere else right here in my sector of the Earth, only a few hundred miles form our "Black Forest" lies The Plains of Sonoita and the San Raphael Valley, collectively making up the saguaro State's own sprawling savannas.

Although pronghorn, mountain lions, wild cattle and horses, prairie dogs, coyotes and a rare a jaguar roam the areas they do not account for even nearly the same population density as those grasslands of Africa, hence the greater chance of survival. The bird variety however often surpasses that of the rift valley continent's plains. Unfortunately the occasional poacher will turn here up as well.

Las Cienegas is reminiscent of many a portion of the Serengeti as is the nearly African duplicated valley of the south, named after Saint Raphael. In the San Raphael the grasses grow many feet tall, enough to hide a person sitting down or perhaps mask a predator's presence, although, unlike the beautiful African plains, wildlife incidents are almost unheard of.

The entire vicinity is marked by a mostly uniform flat yellow ground covering flanked by rolling hills dotted with trees. These often lone arbor sentinels changes to brilliant green, rich in color in the wake of summer rain. A trek to Kenya or Uganda would definitely be unbelievable but perhaps for someone on a tighter budget this piece of Arizona may be just right!

Arizona is well know for dryness spanning opposing horizons, however, typically the larger cities are associated with or located very close to what is known as the "Upper Sonoran" Zone, which is more humid and a little cooler often that the lower elevation, more arid lands to the south and west. The stretch of foliage sparsity and searing temperatures, includes the extent of the Mojave Desert within the boundaries of Arizona south to the Cactus and Laposa Plains, plunging farther south into the Sonora desert. The Sonoran desert portion of AZ is comprised of a gentle arc shaped stretch consisting of the Kofa, Castle Dome, and smaller associated satellite mountains in the North and West and the Yuma and Lechugulla deserts well as the Mohawk Valley to the South and East.

These scorching nearly moisture devoid regions make up the areas which would strike most people as visually being much closer to a typical desert environment that Hollywood had often portrayed as the American Southwest.

Many areas located within the arid zone are sandy, much like the enigmatic Northeast, Navajo land. There are native stands of palm trees in the Kofa Range, (which stands for King OF Arizona (Mines)). These palms cling to the rocky mountain recess within steep walled canyons absent of almost all vegetation. These conditions are much like those located in the largest hottest desert on the Earth.

[wolfliving]

The new urban abnormal

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly-coronavirus-special-edition/2020/04/07/exit-plan-488828

Via POLITICO

THE NEW ABNORMAL — This almost nationwide lockdown won't continue forever. But what will recovery look like? It won't resemble life before Covid-19.

Top public health officials like former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and former CDC Director Tom Frieden already are tackling how to come out of our houses while keeping the death toll low. Governors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as well as some European leaders are weighing how to lift lockdowns once the first wave of the pandemic passes.

Still, a widely available vaccine against Covid-19 is thought to be at least one to two years away. In the meantime, our society will be radically altered in ways that seem unimaginable. Some of those changes are all but certain to outlive the immediate crisis. A time traveler from the 1970s would be baffled by the layers of security now required before boarding an airplane.

Expect masks, hand washing, covered coughing and handshake-less greetings to become the norm. And that's just the start of changes we might see and are already seeing. 

Here's a look at more ways coronavirus could transform our daily lives for the foreseeable future:

Regular checkups — Singapore and other Asian countries adopted widespread fever testing in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic. After coronavirus, the same could become the norm in the U.S. Before someone enters a store, office building, school, stadium, airport or other public space, they could be subject to thermal scans to check for an elevated temperature, much like they sometimes have to go through a metal detector to check for guns today.

Tracking — China and South Korea are already using apps to trace people's movements and record symptoms in order to track the next hotspots. Americans may have to get more accustomed to logging and sharing their movements to help officials track and contain the virus spread. Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo is urging residents to keep a daily log of where they have been in case they become infected. She suggested today that such logs could become a requirement for coronavirus testing in the state.

"There is going to be a discussion about how to manage security and privacy concerns while meeting this gargantuan challenge of tracking sick patients in any given community," said Dan Hanfling, an emergency room physician and vice president of In-Q-Tel, which invests in security technology.

Random sampling — Ohio and Masschussets are planning to randomly test people in order to get a better handle on case counts and virus spread. Until widespread testing is available, random testing could allow a region to track the virus spread and know when to re-impose stay at home orders.

Certifications — Germany is already creating certificates for people who have recovered from the virus, which confers on them at least short-term immunity. The certificates allow people to sidestep lockdown restrictions. If antibody testing becomes more widespread, the idea of certifying the recovered could take off here as well.

Staggered seatings and at home services — Restaurants, museums and concert venues could offer staggered seatings and shows with smaller, separated crowds. Painted lines on floors could help people appropriately space. In addition, hairdressers, manicurists and other service providers could move to home services that limit customers' contact with one another.

More public spaces and micro-transit — Cities could accelerate new forms of transit and rethink public spaces, said Steven Pedigo, a University of Texas urban affairs researcher. More cities could build bike lanes or widen the ones they already have. Wider sidewalks, too, could help people commute without contact. Cities won't disappear as the result of the pandemic, but they could become less dense.

"We obviously are now dealing with how to die," Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert and co-author of Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, tells us. "We also have to figure out how to live."

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition, a nightly intelligence brief from our global newsroom on the effect of the coronavirus on politics and policy, the economy and global health. We're sad to report that Austin did indeed close its parks and trails for Easter weekend. Reach out: rrayasam@politico.com and @renurayasam.