#it's just because the west portrays west asia as bad for being different that no one wants to give it a chance

[limeade-l3sbian]

I think the socialization part shows itself a lot more since most romance manga(and in cases of manhua and manwha, the chinese and korean equivalents) are written by east asian women, whom obviously live in a place even more patriarchal than the west. not to say the things these women learn to accept from “love” makes them less or even unusual, i simply want to reiterate that it’s more pronounced there due to how even more constricted their societies are in regards to the treatment of their women.

anyway. now that the disclaimer is out of the way!

i’ve grown up reading a lot of manga of many different genres but i’ve especially used to have had some intense shoujo phases. shoujo is basically manga created for the demographic of girls and young women. not to say others can’t read it, but it’s simply where they tend to be marketed.

shoujo romance especially shows this issue a lot that i wanna talk about. the male leads will 9 times out of 10 be rich, extremely emotionally stunted(this can show in the form of intense rudeness, complete lack of emotional depth, no expressions, stoic to the extreme, downright abusive) and handsome. Those are the three traits they almost all have. Now obviously I get the want for a handsome or beautiful lead, whether it’s female or male, it is after all just fantasy fulfillment to an extent. The same with wealth. But i think the emotionally stunted side speaks of the women and girls’ who read the mangas socialization a lot. We have these male leads who often make the female leads go through hell, whether it’s due to his own actions or inactions. Sexual assaults have gotten less common in more modern manga, but it was only like ten years ago where sexual assaults in manga by the male lead towards the female MC would be a common place for him to show his desire for her and despite it often being portrayed as bad on the MC’s end, she always did end up forgiving him. The same with however else he treated her.

Made her to all the heavy lifting emotionally of the relationship? He’s forgiven, because suddenly he’s gotten a “tragic” backstory of a lonely, lonely boy being neglected in his massive mansion from childhood. He’s absolutely vile towards women? His mom was probably a horrid woman who either cheated on his poor dad and left or maybe she was simply so overbearing he now feel suffocated and dates new women every week like it’s some kind of game to dangle others feelings at his fingertips. Way into the romantic relationship having started with the MC he’s suddenly revealed to have a arranged fiancée or a very mean spirited but extremely beautiful childhood friend who the main character now how to basically fight off him with a stick while the male lead does not much else in most of these stories besides being useless. if we are lucky we get him talking the fiancée/childhood friend that he actually liked this new girl(MC), but extremely rarely will he actually go out of his way to truly set boundaries. he will passively essentially invite scorn towards his current gf. and these are just SOME of the examples of repeat patterns in behavior in the romantic male leads.

time and time again in shoujo romance male leads will make life much harder for the female main character. she will often be put down to her face for scoring such a rich hottie(even though we are at times 50+ chapters in and feelings on his end still seem finicky), she will have to bear the emotional heavy lifting and basically mother him/be a teacher to him on how to express himself, despite the fact that he usually changes very little. she will forgive any and all transgression he commits, even if it breaks her heart, because he is the main male lead and therefore he can do nothing truly wrong to not end up with her. and in the end of the mangas it’s usually somehow made clear in some way that SHES the lucky one. despite her carrying the relationship on her back. She should be grateful. And women and girls in east asia, and obviously also very much outside of it, eats it up. Yes! Give us a borderline abusive or at least emotionally neglectful man! We can forgive! We can forget! Let us be his doormat!

Not manga but it’s also so obviously in most romance kdramas i’ve seen. It’s such a common trope, these handsome, rich, utter asshole male leads and then these utter angel for a female lead who absolutely tolerates getting walked all over.

And while i’ve not read any of those books, it’s not like it’s not visible in the west. When authors like Coleen Hoover has basically built a career off of emotionally stunted but hot guys treated their gf/wife like utter garbage but it’s okay!!!! so romantic!!!!

women all over the world have such bottom of the barrel standards when it comes to emotional maturity in men. in some mediums it’s certainly more apparent than others, but it’s visible all over.

I do wanna be 100% clear that not all romance manga is obviously as I described. I’m simply talked about popular tropes, and i mean EXTREMELY popular, as in its more common to see at least one of them than it isn’t. That’s all.

!!!

[tianshiisdead]

Quick thought before class: This isn't a callout or trying to insult any specific fic or comic or anything, but I've noticed a big trope with fics dealing with Arthur - Wang Yao relations or the Opium Wars, where Arthur is talking about progress but Wang Yao only cares about tradition, has no interest in the west, has stayed the same for thousands of years and therefore has no intention of changing.

So, portraying China as traditionalist isn't bad or even 100% wrong, but imo given the specific time period it deserves careful handling - the idea of China being overly traditionalist, unchanging for thousands of years, and isolated from outside/European contact and influence has been long used as an excuse for the Opium wars as a necessary evil to break open an old Empire that refused to modernize. The idea of a 'thousands of years unchanging empire' is used in all sorts of propaganda on all sides of the argument for different purposes, but it's just not true.

In reality, although there are certainly periods in time when countries and cultures revert to conservatism or self isolate, countries and cultures cannot keep that up for such extended periods of time. The China of the Ming dynasty was not the same as the China of the Qing dynasty, traditionalist or not time moves forward and brings a stream of often radical change that are then absorbed. In the first place, the original Macartney Embassy was sent to Qianlong whose reign is generally considered the height of the Qing empire, in culture, trade, and expansion. Even before his reign, China was developing an interest and taste for western goods, Qianlong himself was a great appreciator of automation and had a good understanding of Britain's military and technological power, one that the Qing would attempt to emulate again and again through reform and buying ships/weapons. A big part of why that failed was more due to internal corruption among the court and officials. The Qing traded closely with the Portuguese, as most people who write about this know, but also had extensive trade relations across Asia - when the emperor received Macartney, Macartney was only one of many dignitaries, many of them being from South Asia. Popular art and fashion also displayed a level of fascination with western patterns, styles, designs, etc. which makes sense - the wars happened because of a trade deficit, not because there was no trade.

And then of course there's the fact that the Qing dynasty was in no way traditional - it was ruled by formerly foreign Manchu and that was reflected in everything from fashion to language to custom, where you could see a sort of melding of Chinese and Manchu (and Mongolian) culture. To Wang Yao, the clothing he's wearing and some customs likely demanded of him as a semi-divine court figure is anything but traditional. Also - China had guns! They were nothing against European guns but the country that produced gunpowder wasn't unaware or unable to innovate their own rendition around a similar time as the European gun.

After all that rambling here's the thesis: even with his long life, I don't necessarily think Wang Yao would be experiencing the time period as some sort of traditionalist continuation. Sure, he's lived long enough to see patterns and the Qing may fall into those patterns, but he's not living in isolated naivety, but rather a rapidly changing world that his people seem happy to move along with. The portrayal of late Qing Wang Yao as refusing to change while observing the west/Arthur as changing due to personal arrogance rather than the huge amounts of internal strife and corruption that was tearing the empire apart from the inside feels inaccurate, as well as centers European actions and awareness as the center of even Wang Yao's outlook and decisions, ignoring both China's internal politics and its relations with the rest of Asia outside of a European context. I can appreciate how the more simplistic portrayal draws compelling parallels between young and old, modern empire and ancient empire, but with the context of how this impression exists due to misinformation and orientalism, I think it deserves a slightly more in-depth depiction.

[angerinthenation]

Is Hip Hop Dead?

A Commentary by Idris Salaam (Boscoe from The Bronx - Bigboscoe Productions)

Is Hip Hop Dead? On Life Support?

If you refer Hip Hop to only as Rapping, then, in some ways, yes it is dead. I mean, just think about it. We are in the period right now where we didn't have a song chart until, out of the blue, one did. (I still they did that because it showed the quality of music finally hit rock-bottom). A lot of entetainers of this era were saying fans were tired of the same stuff, and that's why the record sales were going down. We've had artists having to cancel shows because they can't fill arenas. There's but so much ass the "Bitches" can sell, just like there's but so much money "Niggas" can have and jewelry to flash.

[[More]]

So, if you only looking at it in terms of Rapping, yes, Hip Hop is Dead.

But, are you talking about Hip Hop or are you talking about rapping? And this is where people seem to be confused.

Do they realize Hip Hop comes in many forms?

• Hip Hop is music other than just Rap: Listen to the sounds that crafted the genre. (The samples from Funk, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Soul, etc). Listen to the Instrumentals of past songs. The rhythms. Before 2000, Hip Hop had music for everyone, not just the ones who love the stereotypical "I'm a real nigga/Bad Bitch" scenario.

• Hip Hop is living a particular lifestyle. The fashion, the style. If you look at how Hip Hop is portrayed in Asia, it's almost idenitcal to Hip Hop in its purest form. In fact, pure Hip Hop strips women of the Bad Bitch persona. The men become more Masculine and protective.

• Hip Hop is art (Graffiti). There's a whole Culture of Art revolving around Hip Hop. (Phase II, Dondi, Blade, Fab5Freddy, IN, Comet, etc). There are museums across the country displaying Hip Hop art.

• Hip Hop is the DMC: Turntable battles and performances. (DJ Craze, Roc Raida, Perly, Sonic Jewel, ISP, Jazzy Jeff, etc). These competitons consists of drumming (Using a record to create an entirely different beat), body tricks, etc. Even the parties are amazing as you will hear some of your favorite songs being flipped an entirely different that even the original artists couldn't do. And yes, turntablists have music on the market. The mainstream doesn't play it for obvious reasons.

• Hip Hop is understanding the Culture: What do you know about Hip Hop? Do you know the hostroy? Listen to some of the rhythms that birthed the genre: The Jubilaries (The first rappers) James Brown, The Last Poets, Parliament-Funkadelic (The sound of the West Coast's "G-Funk" was birthed from), Electronic. Research the Culture and how it came about. The Black Spades, the Casanova Crew, The Zulu Nation. When you get to Hip Hop (it was called B-Boying), start learning about Kool Herc and his crew, the Godmother MC Sha-Rock (The Funky Four + 1 More), Grandwizard Theodore (The Fantastic Freaks), The Cold Crush Brothers. Theres plenty more.

In today's society, people refer to Hip Hop as just Rapping, when Rapping it's just one element. We have to blame this on the mainstream as they have dictated the way Hip Hop is being interpreted. And just because you're a rapper doesn't mean you represent Hip Hop. There are many songs across each genre where people are rapping. But does that make them Hip Hop?

We allowed outside forces (the same forces that tried to shut hip hop down in his early days) to dictate what hip hop is. We allowed them to call anything with a rap verse, "Hip Hop." And because we decided to "Get the bag," we also decided to go along with it.

If you're only into listening to Rap hits, then yes, Hip Hop is Dead to you. But if you want to see how Hip Hop is still living it's best life, step outside of the Rap World you live in and explore Hip Hop in a whole. Just like 80% of the ocean hasn't been mapped, the same can be said of Hip Hop.

[michaelkrentz]

Blog post #3

Tom Ripley

question #1: Mr.Ripley, how could you have possibly avoided letting your sociopathic rage from enticing you completely because of your unfortunate situation with Dickie Greenleaf and your feelings towards him? Do you think it was worth all the horrible trouble you were caused and would you change some things?

Mr.Ripley: I suppose I could have avoided killing Mr.Green leaf and possibly avoided leaving him in a boat for dead but the again I am fantastic at forging my identity into whatever I feel like based on my many talents like forging signatures and my personality to fit whomever I’m trying to portray myself as to get what I want. Personally I wish what happened between me and mr.Greenleaf hadn’t happened in the first place as far as conflicts are concerned yet I guess I could’ve went about things a little differently by using said talents to sway someone into joining in a relationship with me but I very much cared for him but he frowned upon what I thought was present between us because of the time.

question #2 Mr. Ripley, how do you view the acceptance of the gay community in todays era?

Mr.Ripley: Well I guess I struggled quite a bit but without that I would’ve not been as talented at the things that I am but the reason I was so talented was because I had to figure out a way obviously to keep my way of life hidden because I was always in fear of what many around me would think of me where nowadays they don’t struggle like that and personally I don’t think it should be forced down every persons throat for it is extremely naive to think you can control how people think.

question #3 How do you view gay characters in todays films? What do you think of their characters and representation?

Well radical progressivism generally goes backwards against what it tries to accomplish because anything radical and extreme is usually by some type of force from physical to mental or brainwashing. In my time many of the media back then were based around conservatism and that way of life so it sparked people to be counter culture and ruin society because they were being forced to think that way so instead of being smart and realizing it’s propaganda you had the hippies who were well known communists at the time which is radical socialism, completely changing the modern world. However not all of them were of course but most were. They fought against “The bad imperialist west” yet supported the n a and commies in the east that formed from Judeo Bolshevism from Russia to China and soon most of Asia and even to Che Gevera and Fidel Castro of Cuba killing just over 100 million by genecide and invasion like Poland,Latvia,Estonia,Sudan,South Korea,India and Vietnam ,Laos ,and so on. I myself view how gay characters in modern media are mostly meh or undesirable for it’s usually their sole reason for being a part of a film with very little character writing.

question #4 How do you feel about people who dislike you for you’re orientation ?

Mr. Ripley: Personally, to each their own because it doesn’t make people bad for having opinions I don’t agree with however if they harm and dehumanize me then they are horrible people and bullies. When you are dehumanized, that is when things only get worked as then you are viewed as a rat.

question #5 how do you view Disney adults and the company today with how forcible their gay propaganda is?

Well it’s just that, it’s propaganda they don’t care about the gay community and their struggles through time. They give us a bad name by forcing it down every persons throat instead of letting it happen naturally. Gay isn’t an identity it’s a sexual preference like straightness. They base their entirety of media on just people being gay instead of better writing the characters and doing us justice. And Disney fans nowadays are funky pop collecting soy boys.

[anharmlessguest]

My C.A.R

The differences between culture as it spans across generations are clearly highlighted by the films, The Farewell and The Debut. Times change, but people are often resistant to change. People naturally gravitate towards the familiar, and as a result they do not adapt to culture as it shifts. Once the new generation comes with their unfamiliar beliefs and practices, the gap is created. However, despite these differences, there can still be similarities. Both The Farewell and The Debut have these similarities as major plot points.

In The Farewell, Nai Nai clearly does not have a very good opinion of Aiko, Hao Hao's fiancee who only speaks Japanese. She complains about the flaws she perceives in her directly in front of Aiko, knowing that she does not speak Chinese. This conflicts with Billi, who does not think her perceived flaws are important. The entire interaction shows a distinction between the older generation and the newer one - The newer generation is far more tolerant than the older generation.

Billi's disagreement over the fact that everyone is hiding the fact that Nai Nai is terminally ill from her leads to a clash between her and the rest of her family. She believes that her grandmother has the right to know, but everyone else insists that it must be kept a secret. She discusses this with her uncle, who directly tells her of the difference between the American style individualism that Billi was raised with, versus the Chinese collectivism that everyone else in the family is used to. The older generation was raised to always consider the group first, contrasting the younger generation that was raised to always consider individuals first.

Another example of individualism versus collectivism in the film is the older generation's obsession with breeding new spawn. As soon as a handsome young doctor showed up to give Nai Nai her (false) diagnosis of health, I immediately knew what was up. Without skipping a beat, his marital status was immediately asked and when he stated he was not married, Nai Nai suggested he get together with Billi. Of course, both of them were rather uncomfortable with such a sudden suggestion, as they were of the younger generation that did not consider such matchmaking to be appropriate.

On the other hand, the similarity between the two generations is their tendency to tell lies to each other in order to alleviate worries. At the beginning of the film, both Billi and Nai Nai lie about where they are so they do not worry about each other. Later, Nai Nai lies about her state of health, even as she takes a visit to the hospital, in order to prevent her family from being worried about her. Billi falsifies a health report, so that the illusion that Nai Nai is healthy can be kept up. It is even revealed that Nai Nai once lied to her own deceased husband about his terminal illness, ironically mirroring her current situation. As a result of keeping up with the lie, Billi is never able to say her final farewells to her grandmother (though in the end it is revealed that Nai Nai survived her terminal illness).

The Debut much more clearly emphasizes the conflict between the older and the younger generation. Ben clashes with his father Roland over what he wants. He is harshly criticized by his father for his desires, which is likely what distances him from the rest of his family as he does not want to associate with them when they do not support him. In the end, however, he is able to reconcile his differences with his father.

Ben wants to go to CalArts, while Roland intends for him to accept a scholarship to UCLA so he can become a doctor. In fact, Ben's parents even try to force him into the role by falsely telling others that he intends to become a doctor. Ben seems to regularly get into fights with his father over this, as the time he spends practicing his drawings infuriates Roland. In addition, Ben wants to go to a house party with his friends, but the party is occurring at the same time as his sister's traditional debutante. He attends his sister's birthday party, but after another argument with his father he decides to abandon the debutante so he can join his friends for the other party.

Eventually, after Ben returns to his sister's birthday party, he gets into trouble with his former childhood friend Augusto. The two fight, but the fight is broken up and Augusto is discovered to have been carrying a gun. Ben's grandfather, the family patriarch, witnesses this. After the party is over, Roland is himself harshly castigated by his own father for the mistake of inviting Augusto and his parents to the party, showing a similarity across generations. It is revealed that Roland was once a budding singer, who gave up his dreams and become a postman so that he could start a family in America, and that Roland's father had wished for him to take a different path as well. Roland is labelled an embarrassment to the family by his father, which seems to be a catalyst for a change in his stance on Ben's wish to become an artist.

Lastly, there is a theme of racism in the Debut, which is portrayed in a negative light. Augusto's stepfather is a white American man, and it is shown that Augusto shows no respect towards him. Others at the party gossip about Augusto's mother for being with a white man. Furthermore, Augusto taunts Ben for being a "sellout" that only hangs out with white people, which is what starts their fight in the first place. Even at the end of the film, two of Augusto's friends get into a fight with each other, with one complaining that Filipinos who were raised in the Philippines and came to America with their customs are only making the Filipinos who were born in America look bad.

Ben and Roland's disagreement over Ben's choice of career most likely stems from the poverty that the older generation faced when they first came to America. As a postman, Roland did not have a very impressive income. He had to slowly crawl his way out of poverty, and even now that he is a successful adult with a family, he is still notably poorer than the kids of the new generation. He laments that he cannot afford the fancy cars that they have, and that he cannot afford a proper debutante ball for his daughter (which his father later berates him over). Meanwhile, Ben never had to worry about starvation, and his father is frustrated that he does not take the threat of poverty as seriously as he does. Roland simply wants Ben to have a stable and lucrative job so that he can enjoy life, while Ben would prefer to have a job that he can enjoy life with. A similar discussion is had in The Farewell, where Billi's aunt Yuping has a discussion with Billi's mother Lu Jian over whether life in America or China are superior. Yuping, a member of the older generation in the sense that she was raised to live in China, emphasizes the economic opportunities of China. Lu Jian, on the other hand, has spent a significant amount of time in America, and emphasizes that America offers the opportunity for one to follow their dreams.

Nai Nai's disapproval of Aiko and the racism in the Debut are examples of the older generation's views on interracial relationships, which themselves are caused by xenophobia and colonialism. Two older women believe Augusto's mother thinks too highly of herself for being married to a white man, and this is likely a belief that stems from Spanish colonization of the Philippines. Spanish settlers were no doubt wealthier than the native Filipinos, and as such it would be considered fortunate to marry into a white family since that would grant one access to their wealth. Obviously, this belief would survive across the centuries. Meanwhile, the Chinese are famously xenophobic. This stems from their own Imperialism during China's history, as China had always dominated Asia. The Chinese believe that they are the best in the world, and that other cultures are inferior. During the Imperial age of China, their neighbor countries were always forced to pay tribute to the Emperor, and everyone outside of China was considered a barbarian. While these days family members will not stop you from marrying a non-Chinese person, they will likely consider that person an outsider.

The war between individualism and collectivism is an endless one, and mirrors the cultural clash between the West and the East. The East is very old, and the Confucian teaching of filial piety has heavily reinforced the idea of collectivism - That one should always sacrifice themself for the sake of others. Meanwhile, the West is new. The ideas of individualism were founded in the Enlightenment, specifically the ideal of Liberty - That one should be free to do as they please. The East never truly embraced that ideal, and since the two ideas are nigh incompatible, a conflict exists.

I myself empathize with the protagonists of both films. In terms of The Farewell, I would most certainly like to know if my death was coming, because it would give me time to come to terms with it so I can enjoy the rest of my days in peace. But more than that, I've personally experienced or personally witnessed just about every single issue I've brought up in this blog.

The first is the lying. When I was young, whenever I received hongbao my mother would confiscate them and take the money, saying that she was saving it for my college fund. I trusted her better judgement, and since I wasn't allowed to spend my money anyways I let her keep them. In reality, she was just giving the hongbao to other kids so that she wouldn't have to make them herself. Meanwhile, I was constantly lying about my grades to my parents because if I told them I had bad grades, I'd get in trouble. And I had mediocre grades pretty often. I wouldn't get anything for telling the truth either, so there was no incentive to do so.

Multiple members of the younger generation in my family have experienced the disapproval over interracial relationships. One of my cousins has a homosexual relationship with a white woman, and my family barely even acknowledges her existence. Another one of my cousins is engaged to a white man, and at family gatherings none of the older generation really interact with him besides my cousin's parents. Meanwhile, obviously Asian outsiders who are in relationships with family members are asked all sorts of questions, as if they are being probed before they join the family.

I have also additionally experienced the older generation's obsession with the younger generation being in relationships. Of course, the older generation tended to get married sooner - The people of the older generation tended to get married at a younger age, so it's understandable for them to question us on the status of our relationships when we're at the age that they married at. When I was a teenager I was considered to be very handsome by all the middle-aged ladies of my family (I don't know why they don't think I'm handsome anymore, but I'm not particularly interested in being considered attractive to a bunch of older women anyways) and they were always asking me whether I had a girlfriend or not. It literally got so bad that they started asking me if I was gay (I am not). When I visited Japan, my father needed to get some medicine, so he visited a Japanese pharmacy. He does not speak Japanese, but he does speak English, and a worker at the pharmacy was very helpful to him because she also spoke some English. He was so impressed with her that he asked if she was single and if she wanted to be introduced to my unmarried older brother. My father is also constantly otherwise trying to introduce other unmarried women to my older brother through his network of friends. It is very embarrassing, but it did give me a sense of what's about to immediately happen if you're moderately attractive and a person of the older generation even so much as compliments you.

Lastly, the conflict that Ben had with his father Roland really hit close to home. Ben wants to become an artist, while Roland gave up his dreams of being a singer so he could come to America and give his son the opportunity to become a Doctor. I too, would just like to pursue my hobbies and possibly even make money off of them, while my father gave up his dreams of being a singer, a scientist, a politician, and a general so that he could come to America and give his children the opportunity to get PhDs. He complains to us that he's the only one in his circle of friends who only has a Master's degree and not a PhD. Fortunately, my father has come to terms with the fact that it's way too late for any of us to get a PhD, and that he will have to settle for computer scientists, accountants, and pharmacists.

[cactusnotes]

Cultural Globalisation

Cultures and traditions, through globalisation, have been intermingling, creasing a whole array of good and bad impacts, the base for striking debates, and for me importantly: a chunk of what my exams are probably going to be on. Well, here are my notes and case studies:

In 1959, Fidel Castro declared Cuba to be a communist country, separated from Western capitalism. It remained isolated for 50 years, relying on subsidies from communist USSR until 1991, when it collapsed. Cuba seemed to have no other option but to allow in tourism to develop its economy, resulting in increasing awareness of other cultures. 

In 2008, Fidel Castro resigned, and his brother took over, and decided to weaken communism. Free enterprise businesses were allowed to set up, in a relaxed communism that somewhat reflected China’s. Since 2012, Cubans could buy and sell houses, take out loans and start businesses, at the loss of state-employment guarantees and state-owned farmland was sold. This allowed USA-Cuban relations to improve. However, it has increased divisions, with some wealthy Cuban entrepreneurs living in luxury, while some live in tumble-down houses, with no variety in their simple diet--bread, eggs and plantain and state rations. This is as differences in wealth, and person leads to different chances of success. From then, it’s positive feedback, as the poor cannot help their kids do better. Capitalists too, don’t have such incentive to help their workers.

Today, Cuba is in a state of change. Tourists, TV and the internet have allowed Cubans to broaden their knowledge of the wider world, and learn about the challenges to their values and traditions, so globalisation is diluting Cuban culture. This cultural erosion has also led to a detriment in the environment, with the coral reefs at risk as beach-side tourist resorts are erupted.  This process is called cultural diffusion: Western attitudes and values have spread to Cuba, and also to around the world. Maintaining a strong Cuban identity is very difficult.

The economy changes, ways of life changes, attitudes and values change. Global changes are impacting how people view the world, and these global changes can be seen on a local level: called glocal cultures. British cities have been transformed by inwards migration to hubs of cultural diversity, with its own new character, new identity, compared to just a mix of others. These areas are called ethnic enclaves, with some examples being Indian populations in London, South East, and East of England.

There are several key ideas surrounding this concept of globalisation of society: culture is the ideas, customs and social practices of a particular people or society; cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural beliefs and activities from one group (ethnicities, religions, nationalities) to another through communication, transport and technology; cultural erosion is when cultural diversity is reduced through popularisation; cultural imperialism is when one culture of a nation is promoted over another, otherwise known as westernisation. 

The main culprits of cultural imperialism, westernisation and americanisation are, of course, Europe and North America, turning western culture into a global culture. The factors amplifying this today include TNCs, tourism, global media and migration. The main protector of individual cultures is language: things don’t translate straight into each other, something is lost in translation. But as the same groups control global media, which impacts language, there is increasingly common vocabulary.  Global homogenisation is the process of culture everywhere becoming one.

News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch, impacts political and cultural thinking worldwide. They have 101 newspapers in Australia (national and suburban); four in the Uk including The Times and The Sun; over 25 papers in the USA including The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal and a 33% share in Russia’s leading financial times paper. Television wise: Fox is theirs; My Network TV; channels in Eastern Europe, Israel, Indonesia and NZ. Their satellites are: BSkyB in the UK, Foxtel in Aus, SKY in NZ/Ita/Ger and StarTV in Asia. Politically, Fox TV in the USA openly supports the Republican Party, while every winning party in the UK since 1979 has been promoted by the Sun (EW, WHY UK?).

IT and digital communication means that the rate and desire of consumption has changed, and the products themselves have changed, as hybrid products are on the rise, where global TNCs create a cultural mix. What we consume generally is based on the work of small groups of big TNCs. 90% of the music market is owned by five companies: EMI, Universal, AOL, Time Warner, SonyBMG. They’ve focused on cutting the range of successful artists: it’s easier to promote one than promote several. This one becomes universal, rather than having different, local artists, contributing to homogenisation in the music world. Globalisation is the new term for cultural imperialism, and helps this musical homogenisation as it promotes the spread of TNCs due to easier connections to promote one thing worldwide, and distribute one product rather than  just producing local music.

Some may consider the change of value as a good thing (the fact that the textbook author portrays this as good literally demonstrates this westernisation, as he proposes that these values are right. Don’t get me wrong, I 100% agree that these values are good, but the fact that he’s portraying them positively is literally proof of what he’s saying and it’s funny. Or is that just me? Just me, sorry, ignore this). One of these is the attitude to disability. In China, 2011, official data reported that only 25% of disabled people could find employment. They were stigmatised, marginalised, abused. Yet, in 2012, they won the paralympics. This helps to destigmatize disability (but boy, have we got far to go!) as described by disabled Australian TV presenter Adam Hills: “Sydney was the first Paralympics to treat Paralympians as equals. London was the first to treat them as heros”. The West is adopting more liberal ideas on ethical issues, such as gay rights (gay rights!), and we can see that homogenisation is far off from total control, with how this contrasts with attitudes in places like Russia and the Middle East.

There is obviously resistance to globalisation. I personally feel like these notes do portray it as negative until the last few paragraphs. It’s perceived to be exploitation of people and the environment. The general criticisms link to: the environment, third world debt, animal rights, child-labour, anarchism, and mostly anti-capitalism and opposition to TNCs. There are many anti-globalisation and environmental pressure groups rejecting globalised culture and TNCs especially (like tax avoidance). The Occupy is one such group, and held demonstrations in cities like London and New York (now that is ironic). The main targets for anti-globalisation movements are the WTO, IMF and World Bank, as well as large US TNCs like McDonald and Starbucks, on the exploitation of the workers, and environment, making it easier for the rich to get away with wrong, and erasing cultures (Americanisation).

Anti-globalisation and rejection of cultural diffusion can even occur on a governmental level. Iran confiscated Barbie Dolls for being un-islamic in the 2000s, but ended up liberalised due to a need for international assistance in dealing with radicalism, and the youth still accessing banned social media, like Twitter and Facebook. Until the 2000s, France led the anti-globalisation movement, limiting broadcasting of foreign material--40% of broadcasts had to be French and no more than 55% American film imports--but has had to liberalise this due to internet downloading of media and due to successful TNCs from France, like EDF energy.

In Norway, for hundreds of years, local fishermen have hunted whales and the food source was considered part of their tradition and culture. The Norwegian representatives claimed that their northern coastal villages depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. Although whaling is not a big part of the Norwegian national budget, it is still considered a crucial source of income for those fishermen who need it. They also argued that the global effort to prohibit the hunting of whales amounted to an imposition of other countries' cultural values that contradicted their own, since it cannot be environmental concerns, for the whales they hunted were not endangered--it’s all based on values. The US Department of Commerce has even suggested that trade restrictions be imposed upon Norway, because it was violating the International Whaling Commission's ban on these kinds of whaling activities. Here, the environment, different values and nationalism clash.

Papua New Guinea has over 7000 cultural groups, with different languages, diets, etc. living in different villages or hamlets, and generally sustained by subsidence farming, fishing and collection. People who are skilled and also generous in getting food are well respected. Then, colonisation meant tribal tensions were crushed, and people were used on plantations and integrated into a new economic and political system. Christianity and western ideals have come forth, with value being placed in well-educated and successful workers, and intermarriage between tribes has lead to losses of languages and direct cultural conflict. Mining took place in one tribal area, meant to benefit all, but the local tribe was doubtful, and resented those on the mainland for allowing the Aussies and Brits to come in and mine. They developed into a revolutionary army, causing conflict in the 1990s, fighting between citizens, youth gangs, riots, looting, returning tribal warfare and huge law and order problems.

The USA and UK have faced increasing nationalisation as a political movement. These are potentially seen in things like the Brexit vote, and election of Trump. Some follow it due to the dilution of their native culture and loss of sovereignty, others due to the low-income and low-level education people in HICs feel as though they have been left out of the benefits of globalisation. While it has the same benefits of protectionism, nationalism can lead to negative impacts, most notably through marginalisation/persecution of ethnic minority groups, ironically emphasising the whole trope and reason for cultural imperialism in the first place.

[teabooksandsweets]

The Horse and His Boy has always been one of my favourite Narnia books, and I am glad to say that this hasn't changed at all. It's also by far my favourite title. In fact, I dare say, it's my favourite book title in general, not only out of the Narnia books.

I love the way this book is written, from its style through its structure to its characterization. Having read the series only in the chronological order before, it's really interesting to see how Lewis' writing evolved over the course of the series. I can't say it got better, as it was wonderful from the very beginning on, but there is a visible sort of development, which is especially apparent in the characters and world building.

I love the way Shasta/Cor and Aravis are written – both of them are lovely people, but their behaviour is awfully much influenced from their upbringing and experiences. Shasta's distrust in other people, which lead to a sort of selfishness, and Aravis' privileged aloofness, which lead to a sort of ruthlessness – both of which they slowly but steadily grow out – are not part of their natural personalities, not part of their souls, but of what they are taught to be. Both of them have practically opposite backgrounds, but they come down to the same thing: In order to dare to be as good as they truly are, they need to learn about the good in others, and learn to believe in it. They make a wonderful pair. I also very much adore the horses – Hwin's gentle steadfastness and Bree's pompous fallacy are wonderfully written. It's especially of note that, despite them being Talking Horses, Lewis truly showed that he knew horses, and how to write them. They didn't feel like humans in horse bodies – they were truly horses. I also love the other two kids – in some ways, Corin and Lasaraleen are even more charming than the protagonists, although I don't like them more (or less) than them. They are lovable and engaging side characters and simply a joy to read about. I even think they'd get along really well – not at first, certainly not, but they both have such amazing temperaments that would at least be very entertaining to watch interacting. I also really loved the Hermit. He's a fascinating character and I would love to know more about him. I wonder, if maybe he is also a Star or some other, well, unusual person. That aside, it was lovely to see the adult Pevensies – they all were exactly what they were. Susan, the Gentle Queen who didn't fight though she could, and Lucy the Valiant in chain mail and helmet, Peter the Magnificent fighting giants, and Edmund the Just making peace and plans.

In fact – it's lovely to see a glimpse of the Golden Age, which brings me back the extended world building. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the land and time of Narnia were so full of a very particular, tight sort of magic and enchantment. We knew little of the times before, and even less of the lands beyond. At that point, the World of Narnia and the Land of Narnia could have been one and the same, or else, if there had been more lands, they could also been enchanted. And then, all the more of that world we saw was so, so much later. It's amazing to actually see a story happen just a few years after the Long Winter, in two completely different countries, that existed beside Narnia all the time. Just think of it! According to Lewis' own timeline, the events in this book happened fourteen years after the Pevensies came to Narnia, so the children had not been born at that time, but all the adults we see had. There has been normal life in these countries all that time, and for some reason that does feel quite amazing to me, although I can't really explain how and why. It's just a really different feeling for the story – not better or worse, just different. It's also interesting to read a story from the perspective of characters who were born in the World of Narnia, and even more so to read one from the perspective of characters who didn't grow up in the Land of Narnia. It's the only book with no relation to our world, and that's very intriguing.

My favourite scene? I don't know. Probably Aslan's appearances in various shapes. His role was quite unusual compared to His appearances in the other books, and written in a particularly interesting, and sensitive way. The things He said to Shasta/Cor and Aravis were so very individually relevant, and their effect on them so very significant. His encounter with Bree, I dare say, seemed to have a message that went beyond the pages of the book, but I don't want to put anything into Lewis' words that might not actually be there. It's more of a personal feeling than an actual interpretation.

As for the supposed racism in this book, that I know some people will talk about: Do yourself a favour, and educate yourself. To be honest, I suppose me saying this is of no good use, but I don't want to actually discuss this, beyond saying that a lot of the complaints show some underlying racism themselves, and even more so a severe lack of understanding of this book, as well as various Middle Eastern cultures and religions, both ancient and modern. There's so many remarks on this that are made up of dramatic misinformation, and also an uncomfortable array of people who claim to care for social justice, but at the same time seem to believe all sorts of bad and untrue things about the people they supposedly want to protect, yet obviously don't respect. (It his unfortunate, but certainly not Lewis' fault, that some Islamophobic Christians have a dreadful idea of Islam that somehow resembles the Calormene Paganism, but, so do some of the people who accuse Lewis of Islamophobia.) This is on the racism related to real people.

As for the supposed racism inside the story, I dare say, if anything, the Calormenes show more of it than anyone else, and even that is very limited. I already noticed in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, that Lewis preferred to portray the Calormenes in a fairly neutral, and even more so a very interesting way, describing them as a wise, wealthy, courteous, cruel and ancient people. He did this in a way similar to how he described Trumpkin's face, and I've mentioned before that I absolutely adore how Lewis used to set “good” and “bad” adjectives side by side, simply using them as what they are, rather than a form of judgement. He also did this for the personalities of various characters – such as Edmund and Eustace – and on plenty of other occasions and matters. It's also of note, that all criticism of Calormen was in regards to its politics and some traditions, and never were the people portrayed to be bad based on their race, which played no role at all, or their culture, which was described to be a very beautiful one.

Personally, I find the Calormenes to be highly fascinating to begin with. I mentioned the difference reading the books in the original order makes in regards to the world building, and – with The Magician's Nephew not yet written at that time – I wonder how the Calormenes got to Narnia. I mean, not only how, but from where. Of course, the Telmarines are already proof enough, that after the creation of Narnia there have been people from our world getting there, long before the Pevensies came, but also – long after Frank and Helen came. And that's the interesting thing. Because the Creation of Narnia shows that it happened when in our world, it was the late 19th century, we cannot know since when Lewis had that in mind. The Telmarines were pirates, and the Calormenes seem to come from a very ancient, at least pre-Islamic (if not older than that) Middle East. And at this point, I wonder, was Narnia meant to have been created earlier?

I think it wasn't. I actually think they seem so old, because of the very long time they've been in Narnia! (I mean the World, of course.) Narnia isn't an antique or even medieval world, even though many make it out to be. From the very first book on, Narnia was almost modern – they had the lamppost, after all, even before we learned how it got there, they has sewing machines, fairly modern books, houses that resembled actual modern houses like the house Coriakin lived in, and all sorts of other things that show that there has been a sort of modern influence in Narnia all the time. The Telmarines could have been more or less modern Pirates, who somehow had to adjust to the place, and so did – even earlier – the Calormenes. They used what they had, and somehow adjusted to a live that, even a thousand years after the Long Winter, seemed older than that. And while the Calormene religion is, in terms of inspiration, based on Babylonian religions, the actual religion of the Calormenes is based in their world, and while not religiously True, based around at least one very real deity, which proves that they actually developed the cult around Tash through Tash and on Tash, after coming to Calormen. They might have been normal, modern people from somewhere in West to South Asia, who applied knowledge of their own ancient religions to what they saw in Narnia, and while only a few decades passed in our world, their old and new views and experiences mingled over the millenniums that passed over in Calormen into the culture we finally got to see. I mean – think of the Pevensies, who went on to become quite medieval in style and manners, too. If they could come to Narnia as completely modern people, and then change like that in less than fifteen years, why shouldn't others do so over thousands and thousands of years? I think this is all quite fascinating. Some might think that the fact that Narnia is not really an “independent” world makes it somehow less interesting, less intricate, but I think the way people get there, and bring things into the world, and change and adjust them, is amazing and a completely different sort of world building.

Also!!! It has been hinted that there are even more countries than the ones we know!!! Which is so amazing!!! And makes me so excited!!! The world actually goes on beyond Calormen!!! And Calormen is huge, oh my!!!

By the way, I love the name Breehy-hinny-brinny-hoohy-hah, and I suppose Hwin also is short for a horsey name. According to Wikipedia, it's probably a contraction of “Hwinhynym”. That would be nice!

I cannot really choose a serious favourite quote (there's just too many!) so I'll go with this one: “Even though Education and all sorts of horrible things are going to happen to me.” I also don't really think I have a favourite chapter.

[iphis24]

POC worked on Carole and tuesday. Japanese people are not white singers from all around the globe worked on it to (including black people) if everyone in the show was Japanese and was a joke you wouldn’t be complaining. Bad queer people exist just like bad straight people or white people exist. It’s not like the west is great a portraying Asian cultures. And fatphobic is a made up word. Being obese is not healthy. Also robots/Al are not non-binary, they are machines.

Not only is it theoretically possible to be both a person of colour and racist, the Japanese have a documented history of being racist, particularly to black and brown people! The involvement of a few black people in a show’s production also doesn’t guarantee that black characters won’t be depicted in racist ways.

Even if the cast was all Japanese, that wouldn’t change the depiction of queer and fat characters either? (The theoretical all-Japanese version may also raise questions of diversity but that seems to be a different set of problems)

Bad queer people do exist! That doesn’t mean that making queer people the butt of stereotyped jokes in the context of a culture that’s actively hostile to queer people (esp trans women) isn’t harmful!

I agree that “the West” isn’t great at representing Asia - but what does that have to do with anything? Just because someone else is doing a worse job doesn’t mean what you’re doing is good.

Fatphobia is indeed a made-up word! All words are made up, actually. Language is a conventional system. And there’s a lot of problems with accessing healthcare as a fat person, but those really come more from the way society treats fat people than from the inherent physical quality of being fat.

The fact that machines don’t inherently have human gender leaves a lot of space for readings of machine characters as nonbinary, since they literally fall outside of a human gender binary. But like I said, it can cause problems when the conflation is made repeatedly - like by implying that nonbinary people are made somehow inhuman by their gender identity.

[instituteofgeorgianhistory]

Greek Cities in Colchis. Point of View

Tedo Dundua, Natia Phiphia

The paper deals with the principal aspect of Graeco-Colchian relations, i.e. colonization, using narrative, archaeology and numismatics. Empiric level of the issue is as follows: Pomponius Mela narrates that city of Phasis in Colchis at the East Black (Pontic) Sea Coast (modern Photi, West Georgia) was founded by Themistagoras the Milesian (Pomp. Mela. I. 108) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I. Fontes. Logos. MMX, p. 487). The note dates back to the end of the 6th c. B.C. According to Arrianus, Dioscurias (modern Sokhumi, West Georgia) also was founded by the Milesians (Arr. Peripl. 12) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 305). The note dates back again to the end of the 6th c. B.C. Ps.-Scylax writes about Hellenic cities in Colchis. They are as follows – Phasis and Gyenos (modern Ochamchire, West Georgia) (Ps.-Scylax. Asia. 81) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 154). This note dates back already to the midst of the 4th c. B.C. We do not have Aristotle’s (?) full account of Phasian constitution (Ps.-Heracl. Polit. XVIII.) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 197). And Strabo describes Dioscurias and Phasis as trading places of the Colchians (Strabo. XI. 2. 16, 17)  (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 222-223). Pliny mentions pillaged Pitius (Bichvinta, Western Georgia), and also, castellum Sebastopolis instead of city of Dioscurias/Sebastopolis (Plin. NH. VI. 14-16) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, p. 500). Arrian in 131 saw no Greeks in Phasis and Sebastopolis (Arr. Peripl. 11-12) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 304-305). What happened to them? According to Ephorus (via Aristotle), they ran away from there to Miletus (Arist. Fr. 557) (T. Kaukhchishvili. Greek Authors about Georgia. vol. II (Aristotle, Nicolaus of Damascus, Claudius Aelianus). Tbilisi. 1969, p. 73). Why did the Greeks leave Colchis? Hippocrates narrates about bad climate and dangerous humidity in Colchis, and also, yellow coloring of the skin of fat and lazy Phasians (Hippocr. 15) (Caucasus Antiquus. Encyclios Disciplina. Volumen I, pp. 108-109; T. Kaukhchishvili. Hippocrates about Georgia. Tbilisi. 1965, pp. 45, 47).

           This schematic story needs to be filled up, using numismatics.

Apollo was main deity of Phasis, according to records and numismatics. Lion, symbol of Apollo, is depicted on the local coins.

Obverse: Lying hermaphrodite lion to the right/left with a head turned back.

Reverse: Kneeling female figure with a bull’s head to the right/left in quadratum incusum.

http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=4

 This is Colchian (Phasian) didrachm, struck in the 5th c. B.C. Lion is depicted also on other denominations. Hermaphroditization is a result of Apollo’s merge with the local female sun.

When city has Apollo as main deity, it is oligarchic. Phasis was oligarchic republic.

In the 5th-3rd cc. B.C. Phasis issued the hemidrachms below:

   Obverse: Archaic female head to right/left within the linear circle or in border of the dots.

Reverse: Bull’s head to right within the linear circle. Some of the coins are with the Greek letters – ΜΟ/ΣΟ, Φ, Α, Ο, Ε, Π, Δ.

http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=13

                       Athens, a fashion maker, still preserved archaic style on the coins until the 2nd c. B.C., thus demonstrating its democratic conservatism. Archaic style on Colchian (Phasian) money, does it mean the same, i.e. fidelity to republican constitution until the 3rd c. B.C.?

           When city has symbols of Dionysus on the coins, it could be democratic, even formally.  

Municipal copper coins of Dioscurias (105-90 B.C.).

Obverse: Caps of Dioscuri, surmounted by six, or eight-pointed stars.

Reverse: Thyrsos of Dionysus in the center of the coin, the Greek three-line legend on both sides ΔΙΟΣ/ΚΟΥΡΙΑ/ΔΟΣ.

http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=22

                       Dioscurians, subjugated to Mithridates VI, king of Pontus, preserved their municipal structures and struck their own copper money. Also, it seems that Mithridates’ garrison was located in Dioscurias and official appointed by him controlled the mint.

  For the republics in Classical Antiquity there were the gods to justify a legitimacy of a coin. With the decay towards autocracy the first persons started to be portrayed.

  Julius Caesar became the first living individual to be portrayed in Rome, and it was done by special senatorial decree (Chr. Howgego. Ancient History from Coins. London and New York. 1995, pp. 67-69).

  Was he really the first Roman to be honored this way?

What is about Gnaeus Pompejus, that is exactly him on obverse of the light drachm struck in Phasis in 52/51 B.C.

Obverse: Head of Gnaeus Pompejus in solar diadem right.

 Reverse: Tyche seated, Greek inscription

– ΑΡΙΣΤΑΡΧΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΕΠΙ ΚΟΛΧΙΔΟΣ/BΙ 

of Aristarchus, the viceroy of Colchis”,  

regnal years 12 (52/51 B.C.).

http://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/en/catalogue/types/?type=18

             Pompejus is shown as rex et deus, king and god (T. Dundua. Money in Georgia. Appendix. Tbilisi. 2020, pp. 77-80, 99-101).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344202635_Money_in_Georgia_Appendix).

Now we can fix general story for the Greeks living in Colchis. In the 7th-6th cc. B.C. the Ionian city of Miletus possessed exceptional wealth and commercial enterprise. Miletus, the greatest trading city, organized the first Greek settlements in Colchis, daughters of the Ionian metropolis – Phasis, Dioscurias etc. Themistagoras from Miletus is believed to be chargé d’affaires. In the 6th-4th cc. B.C. the Greeks established all their poleis at the East Black Sea Coast. The Greeks served their major purpose during the activity in Colchis having in mind subsequent full economic integration of the region with Hellas and highly Hellenized Anatolia. They were supposed to improve local industrial output. This ended up in failure because of super humidity of the country. In many lowland places there were terrible marshes, and the Greeks had no special idea how to drain those marshlands. There was no chance for maintaining Hellenic industrial structures as agriculture was too slow in development. Hellenism in Colchis failed with the Hellenic communities first becoming bilingual, then completely assimilated within the local society.  

           Still, the Greeks exported different materials, like timber, linen, metals. They imported industrial goods, mostly ceramics, which was imitated by the Colchians. Phasis and Dioscurias were splendid Greek cities dominated by the mercantile oligarchies. Gradually they became more democratic. To promote trade, Phasis issued its own silver money with Graeco-Colchian types. Trade of the peoples across the Black Sea thrived. Armament industry and ceramic production flourished in Pontus, mining in Colchis and agriculture in Bosphorus. The whole Black Sea area might be looked upon as a multicultural region of which the economic systems were ultimately based on the principle of Hellenism. The age-old maritime route from Sinope towards Phasis was easily covered in three days. From the 3rd c. B.C. Greeks flooded Colchis also for the transit purposes.

           The Colchians used to write in Greek and build the temples in Greek style, but these did not prevent local kings and sceptuchoi (dukes) in the 3rd c. B.C. from conquering the Hellenic poleis.

               Then economic crisis followed. In 105-66 B.C. Colchis was a part of kingdom of Pontus and there could be illusion of short economic revival. End of the 1st c. B.C. was total political chaos for Western Georgia and urban life declined, the Greeks losing their identity. Experiment aiming for inclusion of this land into the Greek economic system failed. And for the Romans Colchis/Lazica was just Pontic limes to be defended in a manner of forward defence (T. Dundua. Colchis in the 6th-4th cc. B.C. The Greek Settlements in Western Georgia. Tbilisi. 2009; T. Dundua. Georgia within the European Integration. Tbilisi. 2016, pp. 24-33, 48-51, 81-88; T. Dundua. History of Georgia. Tbilisi. 2017, pp.8-10, 121-126).

Global story is as follows. Climate determines eco­no­mics. Hot and less humid environment defines an early advantage of the South over the North – indeed, the Egyptian state and the crafts confront entirely the primitive clan-system which existed in fact everywhere. Then the whole situation was changed.

           Times after, some technical improvements towards the North created a very comfortable vegetation process, while the Egyptians still needed time to put the seed beyond the reach of the sun. In the 9th-8th cc. B.C. the Greeks are already vanguard by means of the technics and the structures. The countries being superb before, like Egypt and Babylon, or India, now face a new hegemonic power – Hellas, already overpopulated and needing grain and the raw materials to be imported. Then the perception of Europe has appeared. Europe is a special term for the part of the earth, which stipulates or will stipulate the same vanguard level of development. Even Scythia with its rough spring was thought to be reorganized in the Greek manner, than those countries which needed the additional finances for irrigation. So, the making of Europe started (The author is largely indebted by the general works about European integration. Some of them are cited here: Prosopographia Imperii Romani Saec. I. II. III. Pars VI. Consilio et Avctoritate Academiae Scientiarum Berolinensis et Brandenburgensis. Iteratis Curvis Ediderunt L. Petersen, K. Wachtel. Adivvantibus M. Heil, K. P. Johne, L. Vidman. Berolini. Novi Eborau. MCMXCVIII; A. N. Sherwin-White. The Roman Citizenship. Oxford. At the Claredon Press. 1939. Second edition. Oxford. 1973; D. Braund. Rome and the Friendly King. The Character of the Client Kingship. Beckenham, Kent. Fyshwick, Australia. 1984; F. Braudel. A History of Civilization. Printed in the USA. 1995; K. Rozen. Die Geburt Europas. Das Mittelmeer – die Wiege der Europäischen Kultur. Bonn. 1998, pp. 10-25; K. Held. Die Entdeckung der Welt bei den Griechen als Ursprung Europas. Das Mittelmeer…, pp. 26-45; H. Galsterer. Einheit und Vielfalt im Römischen Reich. Das Mittelmeer…., pp. 115-129; G. Alföldy. Das Imperium Romanum – ein Vorbild für das vereinte Europa? Basel. 1999; K. M. Girardet. Bundesstaaten im Antiken Griechenland und das Romische Imperium als “supranationale” Ordnung – Modelle für ein vereintes Europa von Morgen? Europa. Traditionen-Werte-Perspektiven. Beiträge zu einer Ringvorlesung der Philosophischen Fakultät der Universität des Saarlandes in Sommersemester 1999. St. Ingbert. 2000, pp. 13-48; B. und H. Galsterer. Romanisation und einheimische Traditionen. Xantener Berichte. B. 2. Köln. 1992. Kolloquium in Xanten. 2-4 Mai. 1990, pp. 377-387; S. Runciman. The Fall of Constantinople 1453. Cambridge. University Press. 1996; J. J. Norwich. A Short History of Byzantium. Published in Penguin Books. 1998).

           The Greek pattern was as follows: 1. occupying or even frequently being invited to the key-points of other economic structures like Caria, Thrace, Bosphorus or Colchis; 2. establishing the autonomous Greek social structures granted heavily with the technics from metropolis; 3. the natives being equipped with the best tools for agriculture; 4. the Greek industrial structures maintained on this background; 5. exporting supplies to Hellas and receiving back some industrial goods. The Aegean and the Pontic (the Black Sea) areas were supposed to form once unique economic space. Anatolia was a complete victory of Hellenism, even being integrated politically under Mithridates Eupator, king of Pontus, as far back as in the 1st c. B.C. The Roman overlordship gave a new sense to the economic prosperity of the Greek World. But there were the serious failures too. Colchis (Western Georgia) offered a dangerous humidity to the Greek way of life. The Greeks living there had no chance to keep their industrial spirit as the agriculture was very slow in a development. Soon the Greek community became a bilingual one, and after – totally assimilated within the Colchian society. As to Bosphorus (at the Northern Black Sea coast), a corn-supply from Asia Minor to Greece had broken the traditional scheme, and the region soon lost its Greek style (T. Dundua. The Making of Europe (Towards History of Globalization). The Caucasus and Globalization. Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies. v. 2. Issue 2. Sweden. 2008, pp. 38-45;  Т. Дундуа. Как создается Европа (к истории глобализации). Кавказ и глобализация. Журнал социально-политических и экономических исследований. т. 2. вып. 2. Швеция. 2008, pp. 44-52; T. Dundua. Georgia within the European Integration. Tbilisi. 2016, pp. 7-23; T. Dundua. History of Georgia. Tbilisi. 2017, pp. 39-55).

     With no Greek residents any more, Colchis/Lazica still remained a vigorous recipient of the Greek styles.

[scripttorture]

Torture in Fiction: Midnight’s Children

I’m doing this one in the full knowledge that it’s probably not a story most of my audience is familiar with. Which is part of why I’m covering the movie rather than the book.

 Once again I’m rating the depiction and use of torture, not the movie itself. I’m trying to take into account realism (regardless of fantasy or sci fi elements), presence of any apologist arguments, stereotypes and the narrative treatment of victims and torturers.

 Midnight’s Children is Salman Rushdie’s masterpiece and quite possibly the modern Indian novel. Here’s the trailer to give everyone an idea of the story.

 It tells the story of Saleem, tying both his life and his family history intimately to the story of his country. Saleem, born at midnight on the moment of India’s independence, is gifted with supernatural powers that could have changed the course of history.

 I’m focusing on the end of the story. After the bloody period of partition and Bangladesh sheering itself from Pakistan, as PM Indira Gandhi comes closer to declaring her bloody ‘Emergency’ Parvati-the-witch uses her powers to assault Major Shiva, Saleem’s long time rival.

 As people are ‘disappeared’, tortured and forcibly sterilised the pregnant Parvati marries Saleem. Days after their son is born military forces raid and demolish the slums of Delhi, with Shiva at their head. Saleem is captured and tortured by a boy he’s known from childhood.

 In a story that is so much about metaphor and layered coincidences this is as much a clash of ideals, a clash of ‘Indias’ as it is a personal vendetta. Saleem, raised by a wealthy Muslim family, with every advantage the newly independent India could offer and Shiva, who grew up in a single parent household as an impoverished slum dweller, embodying the inequalities fracturing Indian society.

 I’m not gonna lie I adore this movie and there’s really an awful lot to admire in its tactful, hard hitting and original depictions of torture, rape and brutality.

 I’m giving it 9/10

 The Good:

 1)      Parvati rapes Shiva. It’s unusual in and of itself to see a woman inarguably rape a man. The characters make this even more unusual: Parvati is generally a sympathetic character whereas Shiva is defined by his violence, lack of empathy and physical strength. And yet the way the scene is played doesn’t leave any doubt. The fear and revulsion are clear on Shiva’s face as a character the audience has come to love ties him up with a sari. She does it to spite Saleem.

 2)      In the middle of the night Shiva stands on a roof and announces to the slum Parvati and Saleem call home that it’s going to be demolished. As the inhabitants stagger out into spotlights bulldozers plough through their homes. Parvati is crushed in the rubble of the slum, desperately trying to save her infant son. I’m not sure what impact this scene has on a Western audience. But slum clearances are a reality in much of the world and this scene captures their magnitude and horror. Ordinary people powerless to do anything but run while their homes are torn down around them.

 3)      While Parvati tries to save her child Shiva runs into Saleem. And beats him unconscious. The contrast between them is superbly handled, Shiva in his military uniform, thoughtlessly violent while Saleem tries desperately to reason with him, saying everything he can think of that might make it stop. Including telling Shiva that Parvati’s son is biologically Shiva’s. Shiva doesn’t stop.

 4)      Beaten bloody Saleem wakes up in a room with two military policemen and Shiva. They explain that Midnight’s Children are dangerous and that Saleem is going to give them their names and addresses. His response is ‘Never’.

 5)      The torture scenes themselves, such as they are, are very cleverly shot. It’s a device which lets the film keep its 12 rating and in this case I think it works well. The abuse Saleem suffers in the custody of Indira Gandhi’s government is shown in the blood stains on his clothes, the cuts on his face, his exhausted slump. Contrasted against Shiva (and the other guard’s) spotless uniforms, cheery smiles and threatening questions. We see blows swung but rarely land.

 6)      In the midst of torture Saleem tells Shiva that they were swapped at birth. ‘I stole your life’. He says it with a gun in his mouth. It’s a signal that Saleem has reached the point where he doesn’t believe Shiva can hurt him anymore. So he lashes out with the only weapon he has, the secret he’s held on to for years. The effect it has on Shiva is momentous.

 7)      And this scene highlights a thread that goes through all of the torture scenes in the movie: the dignity of the victims. Despite blood, drool and generally looking as though he’s beaten half-way to death, Saleem keeps his dignity. What’s rarer though is that the film applies this to Shiva as well. Shiva isn’t debased when he is a victim instead it’s acting as a torturer and abuser that takes his dignity away.

 8)      The acting in these scenes is nothing short of phenomenal. The characters are expertly portrayed. Siddarth’s superb turn as Shiva gives all of these scenes so much power and the chemistry between the actors helps make these some of the most emotive portrayals of abuse on screen.

 9)      The forced sterilisation scene is incredible. Shot in the cramped confines of a tent (similar to the ones actually used in India) Saleem struggles desperately against a team of doctors and nurses. As he’s held down an anaesthetists mask comes down over his face and the camera fades to black with Saleem still saying ‘no’. Once again I’m not sure of the impact this has in the West but it encapsulates the horror of forced sterilisation campaigns in Asia in way that no other piece of fiction comes close to.

 10)  One of the things points 2, 3, 4,5 and 9 together highlight is torture as a function of government bodies. The movie handles the scale and bureaucracy of abuse beautifully. It doesn’t let us forget that behind the ‘tough men’ are neat politicians, ordering the abuse or allowing it to happen. It certainly doesn’t let us imagine that torture is something that happens accidentally without the order, or apathy of people in power.

  The Bad:

 Usually I take off more than one point for this unfortunately common and hugely damaging stereotype.

 Under torture Saleem ‘talks’ and he accurately gives the names and locations of 419 of Midnight’s Children. I’ve covered at length why this isn’t possible, and how the memory problems torture causes prevent people who want to ‘talk’ from giving accurate information.

 So why not jump on it here?

 Because in this story, which is about the country as much as the characters, the torture isn’t really the point. The point is that the Emergency, the erosion of democracy and the erasure of human rights, ‘broke’ the ideals embodied in India’s independence. As Saleem’s narration puts it:

 ‘We were the promises of independence, and like all promises we were made to be broken.’

 I do have major problems with this aspect of the film. But I also want to acknowledge that there’s a place for metaphor in stories. And with any serious issue where we should draw the line with these sorts of metaphors is always going to be up for debate.

 Whether this use is justified or excusable I’ll leave for you to decide.

 Overall:

 Midnight’s Children is a story that is utterly, unapologetically Indian and the portrayal of torture throughout is as much rooted in the country as the portrayal of religion and politics.

 Torture in Midnight’s Children isn’t about ‘making people talk’ despite the posturing interrogators who lord over Saleem. It’s about the divisions in India: the way the rich and powerful treat the poor and the way government bodies condone or ignore systematic abuse.

 The movie concentrates on abuses that rarely make it in to fiction in the Western world but are realities elsewhere. This different perspective, a perspective I recognise, is something I really appreciate.

 But I think what makes this movie special to me isn’t just the careful dissection of torture in India but the way the story handles points that are almost universally ignored.

 Midnight’s Children shows ‘good’ people torturing and does not for a moment suggest that this was right or understandable.

 It shows ‘bad’ characters being abused and does not rob them of their dignity or suggest that they ‘deserved’ it.

 Characters we are supposed to empathise with and characters we are supposed to revile are treated with the same respect. The victims are allowed their dignity. The abusers are shown to be wrong.

 When so many stories chose instead to show torture failing against heroes while it succeeds against villains Midnight’s Children is a welcome dose of humanity.  

 Happy Independence Day everyone.

Disclaimer

[steenpaal]

The 7D - Wikipedia

The 7D is an American children's animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation, which premiered on Disney XD on July 7, 2014. It is a re-imagining of the title characters from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and their adventures prior to the introduction of Snow White.[1][4] The first season consisted of 24 episodes.[5] On December 2, 2014, the series was renewed for a second season.[6][7] On November 25, 2016, Disney XD announced that the series was cancelled after two seasons. The show aired its final episode on November 5, 2016.

The 7D defend the land of Jollywood from the magical villains Grim and Hildy Gloom, who attempt to dethrone Queen Delightful and rule Jollywood.[1] The Glooms attempt to steal magical gems from the 7D mine to aid in their efforts.[8]

Episodes

Characters

The 7D are a group of dwarves who protect Jollywood from the Glooms and other threats. They are the descendants of the dwarves that founded Jollywood. The members of the 7D are:

Bashful (voiced by Billy West)[1] – Bashful is shy and sweet. He harbors a crush on Queen Delightful and hides in embarrassment when he hears Queen Delightful's name.[9] West describes Bashful as a sweet character who tries to catch up to the others. He also likes that Bashful has another side to him.[10]

Doc (voiced by Bill Farmer)[1][11] – Doc comes up with various inventions to help the 7D on their missions and engineered the sky buckets transportation system for all of Jollywood.[9] Farmer has been the voice of Goofy, and also Sleepy in other Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs projects.[10] Farmer said that in making a new take on Doc, he pinches his voice and makes him a little scatterbrained.[12]

Dopey (vocal effects provided by Dee Bradley Baker)[1] – Dopey communicates with whistles, animal sounds, and visual gags. In an interview with Disney Examiner, Baker said that portraying Dopey was easier and allows for more freedom because he uses only animal sounds and whistles.[13]

Grumpy (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)[1] – Grumpy is the aggressive and short-tempered dwarf who wears a flower pot as his hat.[14] He likes to have cheese and likes to wrestle. He can't put up with noises, disgusting things, or injustice. In portraying Grumpy, LaMarche drew inspiration from his friend who is a stockbroker, as well as parts of Danny DeVito's character Louie De Palma from Taxi and Jason Alexander's character George Costanza from Seinfeld.[10][15] In "Gingersnaps and Grumpy Snaps" and "Finders Keepers," it is revealed that Grumpy has a pet goat named Giselle.

Happy (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)[1] – Happy is joyous and is known for breaking out into song, much to the dismay of Grumpy.[16] Richardson said that he drew inspiration from fellow voice actor Jim Cummings with a "country / New Orleans" voice where he is "always upbeat, always positive," and as "if someone just handed him a beer."[10] Ruegger said that Richardson was the first one of the seven to be cast, and that his voice set the tone for casting the others.[12]

Sleepy (voiced by Stephen Stanton)[1] – Sleepy is always tired. In an interview with Variety, Scott Menville said that Stephen Stanton came up with over fifty different ways to snore.[17]

Sneezy (voiced by Scott Menville)[1] – Sneezy has powerful sneezes and has a variety of allergies that causes him to sneeze.[18] In the episode "Welcome to the Neighborhood," he shows off his handkerchief collection.

The Glooms

Hildy Gloom (voiced by Kelly Osbourne)[19] – Hildy is a witch and Grim's wife. Hildy is Osbourne’s first major voiceover role;[12][20] Osbourne was asked after Disney had auditioned 300 girls. She said that she had not seen the character design, which was created before the auditions, until after she got the job. She describes Hildy as "bad with the best intentions" and calls her "my alter ego – my Sasha Fierce".[20][21]

Grim Gloom (voiced by Jess Harnell)[1] – Grim is a warlock and Hildy's husband. In "The Jollywood Jam", it is revealed that Grim's great-great-great-grandfather was a warlock who was defeated by the Founders of Jollywood. Harnell describes him as "a bad-at-being-bad guy". Regarding his role as a Disney villain, he said that "there's a fine line — especially in 7D, which is a broad comedy — because you don't want to scare little kids".[22] He said "Grim is so awesome because he's totally stupid but he's got a really good heart. He's actually not a bad guy, he's just trying to keep up with his wife, which I guess a lot of us can relate to".[12]

Jollywood characters

Queen Delightful (voiced by Leigh-Allyn Baker)[1] – Queen Delightful is the ditzy ruler of Jollywood. Whenever there is trouble, she goes into a tizzy where she spins around and acts like a police light and siren. She then summons the 7D by pulling a rope for the Bing-Bong Bell.

Lord Starchbottom (voiced by Paul Rugg)[1][23] – Lord Starchbottom is Queen Delightful's personal assistant who is often getting annoyed at the 7D's antics. In portraying Starchbottom, Rugg drew inspiration from Jerry Lewis, whom he and Ruegger both admire.[10]

Recurring characters

Magic Mirror (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg)[24] – The Magic Mirror serves Queen Delightful and resides in the castle's treasure room. In the episode "Mirror, Mirror", the Glooms steal the Magic Mirror from Queen Delightful and replace her with a wise-cracking Not-So-Magic Mirror. After the Magic Mirror was rescued by the 7D, she falls in love with the Not-So-Magic Mirror and dates him.[9]

Crystal Ball (voiced by Jay Leno)[24] – The Crystal Ball is an artifact the Glooms use to spy on Queen Delightful. The Crystal Ball also gives the Glooms some information that they seek. A running gag is that Crystal Ball would often tell jokes that are followed by a laugh track.

Sir Yipsalot (voiced by Bill Farmer)[11][25] – Sir Yipsalot is Queen Delightful's pet dog.[17][18] His favorite treat is pickles.[25]

Squire Peckington (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)[25] – Squire Peckington is Queen Delightful's pet parrot who is seen perching in her crown.[18]

Snazzy Shazam (voiced by Leigh-Allyn Baker)[26] – Snazzy Shazam is a witch with blonde hair who was Hildy Gloom's rival in school. She frequently competes in the witch contests where Hildy feels like she needs to upstage her. In "Sleepytime", she had put a hundred people to sleep. In "Cat on a Hot Grim Roof," Snazzy brags about having a fashionable black cat. In "Hildyrella", she competes against Hilday in the Ultimate Supreme Sorceress Pageant.

Peaches – Peaches is a slow-moving warthog who pulls the Glooms' carriage.

Giselle (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)[27] – Grumpy's pet goat. In "Finders Keepers", Giselle develops a friendly rivalry with Peaches.[28] In the episode "When Pigs Fly", it is revealed that Giselle's last name is Munchen.[29] In the episode "Whose Voice Is It Anyway", Giselle is said to have been raised by a bloodhound, and in turn raised Dopey.[30]

Production

The 7D was placed into production in June 2012 for the Disney Junior channel with characters redesigned by Noah Z. Jones.[24][31][32] In an interview with Indiewire, Gimeno said that the pilot episode was done in Flash, but the series was changed to traditional 2D which added production value as Flash was design heavy. The storyboards and pre-production were done at Disney. Animation was produced by Digital eMation in Korea and Toon City in the Philippines.[31] Ruegger also said that the 2D is also better suited for the show's style.[12]

The theme song and many of the in-episode songs are done by Parry Gripp. He describes the song as "in kind of a punk rock style...It's pretty fast and has guitars and the tone of my voice is a bit nasal and aggressive. But the music in the show really varies."[16] In an interview with Geek Mom, Gripp said that he was asked to pitch song ideas for various Disney shows, and that The 7D clicked with his style. He estimates he wrote about 120 songs for the first season, although many are very short and their styles vary. Composer Keith Horn does the orchestration in the show.[3]

Entertainment journalist Jim Hill has noted that some have related the voice ensemble to Marvel's Avengers since it features actors who have voiced in popular cartoon shows. He also noted how many of the crew have worked on Animaniacs, including Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner, Paul Rugg, Deanna Oliver, and Randy Rogel. Among the voice actors, LaMarche had voiced Brain, and Jess Harnell had voiced Wakko.[10] Voice director Kelly Ward said "God forbid if anything were to happen when they were all in one place because the voice-over industry would be dealt a crippling blow." The cast usually recorded in ensembles of two to four characters when possible, with Ruegger editing the timing afterwards for characters that recorded separately.[12]

Scott Menville, who voices Sneezy, said that the show takes place before Snow White was born so the Evil Queen from the film will not be there. He also said it is a contemporary take on the film as the characters are hip to the current generation and its pop culture references.[4] Jevon Phillips of Hero Complex also placed the series 30 years or so before Snow White. Ruegger said that the show's demographic differed from his previous works with Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain; however, he was also encouraged by Disney Junior to expand the demographic to include parents.[33]

Broadcast

The 7D debuted on July 7, 2014 on Disney XD,[24] on the Disney Junior block on Disney Channel on December 26, and on the Disney Junior channel in 2015.[6] In Canada, the series began broadcast on July 13 on Disney XD.[34] It premiered on Disney Channel in Southeast Asia on September 7.[35] In Australia, Disney XD began broadcasting the series on December 1.[36]

On December 2, 2014, the series was renewed for a second season,[6] where Ruegger planned to make 39 half-hour episodes.[7] The season premiered on Disney XD on January 23, 2016. The season is slated to have guest stars Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne to play Hildy's parents, Fran Drescher, Amy Sedaris, Jim Belushi, Jay Mohr, George Takei and "Weird Al" Yankovic.[37] On April 25, 2016, co-executive producer Tom Warburton posted on his blog that the second season would be the series' final season and that the crew will be moving on to other projects.[38] The series finale aired on November 5, 2016.

Reception

The 7D premiere broadcast ranked number 2 overall among Disney XD’s animated original-series premieres for kids 2–11 and kids 6–11.[39]

Brian Lowry of Variety wrote poorly of the show, claiming that it has none of the charm of the source material, and that its plots "fall into a sort of No Kid's Land in terms of age groups".[40]Rob Owen wrote in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the characters were blandly drawn, and that the show was just a chance to capitalize on the film.[41]

The 7D was selected by the Behind the Voice Actors staff for Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series in 2015.[42]

Video games

In June 2014, Disney Publishing Worldwide released "The 7D Mine Train App", an endless-runner video game where the player chooses one of the redesigned 7D dwarfs as their game avatar to pilot a mine car through various levels of the mine, picking up gems. It is loosely associated with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction at Walt Disney World which opened in May 2014.[43][44]

Disney also released an online game on their Disney XD website called "The 7D Dwarf Track Builder" where players can assemble a mine track or sky bucket course according to the dwarfs' specifications.[45]

References

^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "'The 7D' Report for July 7 Disney XD Premiere". Animation Magazine. April 25, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014. DisneyChannelPR (April 3, 2014). "Kelly Osbourne joins the cast of Disney's The 7D, a contemporary, comedic take on the seven dwarfs, premiering this summer" (Press release). Archived from the original on December 17, 2014.

^ "Keith Horn music in new Disney animated series". keithhorn.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016.

^ a b http://geekmom.com/2014/07/parry-gripp/

^ a b Yoshihara, Craig (June 19, 2014). "The Two Sides of Scott Menville: Dadding and Sneezing". Babble. Retrieved August 11, 2014.

^ Shea Fontana [@SheaFontana] (July 28, 2014). "Confirms: "season one is 24 half hours"" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2014 – via Twitter.

^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (December 2, 2014). "'The 7D' Renewed for Second Season by Disney". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 2, 2014.

^ a b Ruegger, Tom (December 2, 2014). "Disney's "THE 7D" Renewed for 2nd Season". Cartooniacs.

^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 19, 2012). "Disney Jr Orders Seven Dwarfs Toon Series". Deadline. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

^ a b c "Mirror, Mirror / The Big Bash". The 7D. Episode 3.

^ a b c d e f Hill, Jim (July 7, 2014). "Disney Hopes That 7D 's Stellar Voice Cast Will Make Animation Fans Happy, Not Grumpy". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2014.

^ a b "Disney Legend, Bill Farmer talks about voicing Goofy and new Disney Junior series "The 7D"". mediamikes.com.

^ a b c d e f McLean, Thomas J. (July 18, 2014). "Little Stars, Big Voices". Animation Magazine.

^ Orenda, Tami (July 10, 2014). "Dee Bradley Baker Whistles While He Works as Dopey on "The 7D"". Disney Examiner. Storyteller Media. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.

^ "The 7D – Sneezin' Season; The Delightful Diamond Mystery – Saturday, Sep 20, 2014 – Ark TV Transcript – Ark TV – Search what is being mentioned across national TV". ark.com.

^ Galas, Marjorie (February 18, 2014). ""The 7D" – New Voices And New Lives For The Seven Dwarves". Variety 411. Variety Media. Retrieved August 8, 2014.

^ a b Plasket, Kelli (July 7, 2014). "The Song of the 7D – TFK gets a sneak peak at Disney XD's new animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs prequel". Time for Kids.

^ a b Galas, Marjorie (February 18, 2014). "Voice Actors In Their Own Words: The Talent Behind "The 7D"". Variety 411. Variety Media. Retrieved August 8, 2014.

^ a b c The 7D. Episode 2.

^ Bacle, Ariana (April 3, 2014). "Kelly Osbourne joins Disney's 'The 7D' cast". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly Inc. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

^ a b Logan, Michael (July 3, 2014). "Kelly Osbourne Turns Disney Villain in The 7D". TV Guide.

^ Walker, Jodi (April 3, 2014). "Kelly Osbourne joins Disney's 'The 7D' cast". The Family Room (EW.com). Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2014.

^ Kaplan, Don (July 5, 2014). "Disney's new series '7D' draws loosely on 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'". NY Daily News. Retrieved August 7, 2014.

^ "7D Characters". Disneyxd.disney.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

^ a b c d Kenneally, Tim (April 25, 2014). "Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg Join Cast of Disney's 'The 7D'". The Wrap. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

^ a b c The 7D. Episode 6.

^ "Cat on a Hot Grim Roof". The 7D. Episode 17b.

^ "Interviews". Dee Bradley Baker official website. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015. Over at Disney Television, we're recording a second season of "The Seven D," (as dwarf "Dopey," parrot "Squire Peckington" and Giselle, the goat).

^ "Finders Keepers / The Queen's Quest". Disney XD Press. Retrieved January 25, 2016.

^ "When Pigs Fly". The 7d. Season 2. Episode 1a.

^ "Whose Voice Is It Anyway". The 7d. Season 2. Episode 5a.

^ a b Desowitz, Bill (July 1, 2014). "Immersed in Movies: Alfred Gimeno Talks Directing Disney's New '7D' Series". Animation Scoop. Indiewire.

^ Amidi, Amid (June 19, 2012). "Disney Redesigns The Seven Dwarfs For "7D"". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved January 25, 2016.

^ Phillips, Jevon (July 5, 2014). "'Animaniacs' creator tackles fairy tales with 'The 7D'". Hero Complex – Los Angeles Times.

^ Quiring, Tami (June 20, 2014). "New Animated Series The 7D Premieres On Disney XD This July 13th". Village Gamer. Retrieved December 2, 2014.

^ Goh, Melody (September 4, 2014). "Move aside, Snow White: It's time for 'The 7D' to shine". The Star. Malaysia.

^ DHiggins (December 1, 2014). "NEW THIS WEEK: The Flash, Jane the Virgin, The Walking Dead 2014 finale, Shark Week and more". Foxtel. Retrieved December 2, 2014.

^ Ge, Linda (December 17, 2015). "Ozzy, Sharon Osborne Join Disney XD's 'The 7D' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved January 25, 2016.

^ Warburton, Mr (April 25, 2016). "warburtonlabs: It's a Wrap, 7D-Style". warburtonlabs.blogspot.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.

^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 17, 2014). "Disney's Animated Series 'The 7D' Launches Week-Long Event With Solid Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

^ Lowry, Brian (July 3, 2014). ""The 7D" TV Review on Disney Jr". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2014.

^ Owen, Rob (July 7, 2014). "A new take on the Seven Dwarfs with '7D' on DisneyXD". Community Voices – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing. Retrieved August 11, 2014.

^ Stephen Stanton [@Stephen_Stanton] (July 8, 2015). "Congratulations to everyone on Team #The7D for your @BTVA BEST VOCAL ENSEMBLE IN A NEW TELEVISION SERIES Award! :)" (Tweet). Retrieved August 13, 2015 – via Twitter.

^ Mauney, Matt (June 12, 2014). "Disney to release Seven Dwarfs-inspired app, TV show". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

^ Calimlim, Aldrin (June 13, 2014). "Disney Launches The 7D Mine Train Game Based On 'The 7D' Animated TV Series". AppAdvice. Retrieved June 17, 2014.

^ Quiring, Tami (June 20, 2014). "New Animated Series The 7D Premieres On Disney XD This July 13th". Village Gamer.

External links