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kidnappedbymafia · 5 months

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An Unknown Invasion of America

There was an unknown invasion of the U.S. in 1952 during the Cold War by the U.S.S.R. It involved farmer genocide by the ultimate farmer genocide machine. The Mascot Resort in Hackensack, Mn. was stolen along with silver foxes of incalculable value and 1,000 acres of forested land with a lake. A publishing house, barn, animal hospital and 60 room lodge were obliterated.

A booklet "Mascot Foxes" at the Minnesota Historical Society explains the business that was attacked. It includes photographs of the estate. It was like a small town surrounding Lake Schone-awa-gosh. There's also an article about the Mascot Ranch in the Hackensack Centennial in the Cass County Museum. It's unfortunately not accurate as it was written by some of the perpetrators.

The creator of this paradise was my grandfather, Arthur R. Maeser. He had the unique business of silver fox fur farm franchise. It was the only one of it's kind that spanned at least 3 countries including PEI, Canada and Bavaria, Germany. At times he had four fox fur farms one located in Alaska and one in Hackensack. His logo is on the internet at Wikimedia Commons: File: Maeser Fur Farms, Hackensack, Minn. (1926).jpg.

I have searched history for the reason for these senseless & heinous crimes. I believe it was revenge by the U.S.S.R. for America preventing their invasion of South Korea. Revenge typifies the U.S.S.R. After of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 our former president J.F.K. was assassinated by the communist, Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. I don't believe Oswald acted alone. That would be atypical of communists. It would be revenge for the U.S. blocking shipment of missiles to Cuba. That was an act of war and illegal in international law.

There was revenge also during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviets established missiles in Cuba following the U.S. placement of missiles in Turkey. In 1961 the communist Fidel Castro overthrew Batista in Cuba. The U.S. retaliated with the Bay of Pigs maneuver which failed. So now we're surrounded by communists in Cuba and Hackensack, Mn. My family estate is isolated so anything could be going down up there. It could be a stockpiling of weapons and spies. But our legal system has been informed of these events and remains unmoved.

It seems likely that after the Cuban Missile Crisis that the Maeser estate is being used for missiles. It is, at least, a terrorist sleeper cell. I only became aware of the incident when I did research on my grandparents whom I had never met. It was then that I discovered that the man on my birth certificate was no relation of my grandfather as he had claimed to be. Yet he had the same last name. He told me A.R., my grandfather had two sons. That's alias which is what Alaska means in Russian. We bought Alaska from Russia. I saw Dean's mother, Adelaide Burnson/"Maeser" was in a newspaper article in Alaska in the 30's on a boat headed for Hackensack. How can a boat go to Hackensack? Perhaps Dean & Adelaide were from Alaska or Russia.

The woman on my birth certificate, Nina (rough anagram for nanny) Zaslawec/Zaslawitz could not have been my mother either. As I believed Dean was a eunuch since he had no facial hair. Moreover, how is it a woman from the U.S.S.R. got married to a man of German ancestry after WWII?

It doesn't seem as though anything they said about themselves were true. Nina bleached her hair blond all her life. I also had blond hair. But her real hair color was black. Dean's hair was also black. It's also unlikely that the Zaslawecs were legal immigrants. They spoke what they said was Ukrainian. Never taught me that language. Being from the U.S.S.R. they must have been mafia. Because that's what the communists are.

I could find no census on Zaslawecs. Except in 1950 they were listed with my grandfather. My grandmother, Amy was no longer there. She'd been with him in 1920-1940. In addition, although my grandfather's only son, Arthur Frederick was with him in 1940 working as a farmer by 1950 he had disappeared. I believe he's my real father.

This last census was very odd. I don't believe it's accurate. It wasn't released until last year. Dean and Adelaide were also on that census in 1950 calling themselves Maeser. Supposedly living with my grandfather. His other 3 children, two daughters & his son had vanished. By 1953 the entire family had vanished according to county tax records. Very strange when they had resided there since at least 1927. They never sold the property. Around 20 buildings also disappeared. I was told it had been a fire. It must have been deliberately set when so many buildings went up in conflagration. So that's why I consider this incident to be murder & grand theft.

The choice of this location & the various facets of it are associated with magic. Joseph Stalin, whom I believe was the mastermind behind these crimes was known to have a magician for an advisor during the war by the name of Wolf Messing. Magicians rely on disappearances for their tricks. They renamed the lake on the Maeser estate Webb. It's probably not a legal name change. They had to change it to disguise the perpetrators. It was devised from the last 3 letters of Zaslawec. Changed the last letter to obfuscate. That's also why they destroyed so much of the property. To fool the investigators. They effectively put people to sleep or hypnotized them into faith. Nina's sister's name is Vera which means faith. Her husband was an anesthesiologist.

Zaslawec's church is an important clue also. It's St. Catherine's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Arden Hills, Mn. St. Catherine was a Korean martyr in the 19th century. She was also a patroness against the United States! (catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=9)

I found many doubles of the people in my case. Dean the double son, Adelaide the "double" wife (no evidence of a second marraige for my grandfather), several Arthur Maesers across the U.S. that were the same age as my grandfather's son, and even a man about my grandfather's age with the same name in a different locale. The lying in this case is stupendous!

There's reason to believe these people in my faux family were Jewish. Karl Marx, co-author of the "Communist Manifesto" was Jewish. Adelaide, Dean's mother had a sister, Helene Grouse who was married to a Jew. Generally, the Jews stick together. So I suspect Helene and her sister Adelaide were also Jewish. Then if you connect that to Adelaide on a boat near Alaska in the 30's she must have been from Russia. That was in the newspaper article in Alaska. I'm sorry I did not note which edition of the newspaper it was in. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Alaska was originally Russian and America bought it in the 19th century. Alaska means "alias" in Russian. That name should've been a red flag to the U.S. When that translates to "Alias Russia" then we bought Russia. Which means we became Russia!

Connecting Jews with Russians in Adelaide and Dean Burnson "Maeser" makes me perceive Wolf Messing who was also a Jew helping Russians. Dean seems to have been imitating him. Dean and Nina even got a house on Wolf Lake in Dassel, Mn. later in life. They were attempting to eradicate my grandparent's vision of heaven with Maeser magic.

This is my new theory...as I consider the communists to be satanists. I have done extensive profiling of the communists. This includes a review of their attack on Ukraine in 1932-33 that resulted in the Ukrainian genocide with what history records as a famine. The book, "Harvest of Sorrow" discusses that incident. I think it may have been cannibalism by Russia as I don't believe communists are interested in farming. They're also opposed to family and income derived from capitalists. What remains for survival is theft. That's directly from Karl Marx. Stalin was a known thief, kidnapper and implied killer before he became a communist. CIA knows the communists to be mafia. Khodorokovsky's book "Russia Conundrum" also recalls Putin as a dealer with the mafia.

I did a profile on Jews, as well. You will want to hear this! Where to begin? I will start the explanation with the Christian religion. It's an innuendo for the Sun-god religion. That was the religion of ancient Egypt where Jews originated. The story goes that Jews were slaves that escaped from Egypt. I believe they left to seek new lands. To expand Egypt. Much of Egypt was desert by this time.

The Christian religion is known by experts to have influences of the Sun-god religion which was the first known religion. In "The Power of Myth" the author, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers describes the similarities of these two religions. Not surprising when you realize that Jesus Christ was a devout Jew himself. He was born in a Jewish country, his mother was Jewish and the 12 apostles were Jewish. Jesus attended synagogue regularly. That was from a PBS website.

But the most obvious clue stems from my own observation. The son of God is a pun for Sun-god. What we have is a religion in Christianity that's actually a revival of the Sun-god religion couched in new terms. We are still in Egypt! I believe the Jews are attempting to rule the world with Christianity. They deny Christ is their messiah. That's probably a lie.

The other idea I've tracked with Jews is that they're the communists in Russia/U.S.S.R. Because Karl Marx, co-author of "The Communist Manifesto" was Jewish. I believe he invented this political party for Jewish domination of the world. Marx's name means god of war. The communists are militants. Marx wasn't just any Jew. He was descended from a long line of rabbis. It's in his biography on the internet.

So what would Jewish gangsters as communists be doing in Russia? They're attacking Ukraine for one thing. I suspect this is their portal to Egyptian rule. They are pharaohs in Russia! Pharaohs are not good. They were cannibals that made slaves of everyone. They had no laws or money. The pyramids were their curse upon the world. They should not rule the world. Russia doesn't have laws either. The internet was very uncertain about that. And communists are opposed to private enterprise which stimulates economy.

There's an English connection to the communists, as well. The last queen in Russia was Alexandra who was English royal family. Moreover, Marx and Engels lived most of their lives in England. Their book was first published in England. England may think they're getting control of everyone with the communists. They probably paid Marx and Engels to write their book. But the Jews have another idea.

What could make this even more clear is that Marx was probably a rabbi also. It would not skip a generation. This was never stated in his biography but not everything is known about people in the past. Then you could see that he was a malevolent gangster bent on destroying Mankind. That he intended to rule the world.

What's more, Josef Stalin was likely a rabbi, as well. He was known to have religious training. Who sought control of the U.S. by tagging the Maeser town. We can now perceive pharaohs riding us like chariots to their glory.

This is why Dean used the two sons for his crime case. Jesus Christ was like a second son when he was resurrected. This strategy was employed to make an illusion of Egypt.

It was not a random crime but a political one. They would not have destroyed the lodge and publishing house if it was just about profit. There were many people that were perpetrators from my impression. The current "owners", Lynn & Michelle Johnson recall Lyndon B. Johnson, former president during the Cuban missile crisis. Lynn's father was a farm hand. Likely he was a farm hand at my grandparent's farm, a probable perpetrator.

There was also Bill Burnson claiming to be former manager of the Maeser farm. He was brother to Adelaide, Dean's mother. There was another guy, "Clem" Tony Plattner. He was near Dean's age. He had moved to Tucson, AR. I spoke with him on the phone. He said he was a friend of Dean's. He also pretended to be grandson of A.R., my grandfather via Ethelwyn, the first daughter. I could find no corroboration of Ethelwyn having a son by that name.

Then there was the executor of the estate, Walter Maeser. He coincidentally had the same name as A.R.'s brother who lived in Seattle. He was never appointed to be executor by the court and was no lawyer. Another case of identity theft. I gleaned this from tax records on Birch Lake Township, 1953. This is what the county called Mascot "A" Ranch. When I got the tax records later most of the information had changed.

Here's an interesting detail about Jews. They believe they're the chosen ones (wikipedia.org). They think they were chosen to be in a covenant with God. In other words, they think they're superior to everyone else. (bibleproject.com: "Who had God chosen?") Deuteronomy 7:6="For you [Israel] are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession."

Who is this God who discriminates? The early Egyptians believed the pharaohs were gods. That's what they were told. This is why the Jews believe they were chosen by God. They were relatives/slaves of those they thought were God(s). They think the pharaohs are their ventriloquists.

I can make the Bible even more clear. It's an allegory. Like "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. Or "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. It's an insidious quest to disseminate the Sun-god religion. So pharaohs will rule again. Jews seek to gain power in the world with their religion.

Okay if you enjoy mummies, scarab beetles and scary monster statues of cross species. They're controlling the USDA with kosher collective agriculture. Endangering people and the environment by killing pollinating insects and birds with pesticides. Destroying the land with chemical fertilizers. They will also instigate biblical prophecies like the apocalypse.

Their God was not benevolent either. He demanded sacrifice of human life as was done to Jesus Christ. Ivan the Terrible, first czar of Russia understood that command. He killed his own son. In order to be a god. History reports this murder as accidental. I think not.

Since early on the Russians have been fanatical Christians. They probably have more churches & monasteries than anyone else. There are over 600 temples, churches & chapels in Moscow (bridgeto moscow.com). There are over 5,000 Russian Orthodox churches (newzealand.mid.ru). Moreover, the last czar, Alexandra & Nicholas Romanov relied implicitly for advice from the missionary, Rasputin. It is said that Rasputin was the true power behind the throne.

Furthermore, the Bible does not dispute cannibalism. There are Bible quotations that permit that. (Genesis 9:3) " Everything that lives and moves about shall be food for you."

Because of the Jewish kosher diet they are believed to have genetic Crohn's disease. (cedars-sinai.edu: Ashkenazi Jewish Genes Linked to Crohn's) Because of insects, vegetables and fruits are taboo. (oukosher.org)

This, in turn, could cause Crohn's disease/IBD. IBD has potential to trigger mental illness such as depression and anxiety. There's 40% higher incidence of depression among IBD patients. 30% with IBD have anxiety. (uchicagomedicine.org). So we may conclude that Jews are more physically and mentally ill than the general population. It may account for their bizarre ideology.

Was this an invasion by a foreign government at my family estate? Invasion, according to en.wikipedia.org: "...forcing the partition of a country...with the objective of either conquering; liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a territory..." Since some of the people involved were probably illegal immigrants this implies foreign aggression.

People from the mafia have two central philosophies: collectiveness and secrecy. They have a collective mentality which opposes individuality. Each clan is called a Family. It's a mechanical social orientation. (wp.nyu.edu/steinhardt-appsych-opus/identity-therapy-and-womanhood-humanity-in-the-mafia/). Therefore, the communists did not act separately on this incident. This was a group effort.

Christianity is a plot to kill the world. To restore the Sun-god religion and everything it stood for. It is synonymous with a satanic conspiracy. We must prevent this!

It's not as unlikely a scenario as you might think. There was a revival of the worship of ancient Egyptian gods in 1970 with Kemetism (en.wikipedia.org). 5,000 years later there are still goddess Isis cults. Groups such as the Fellowship of Isis. Isis cults even spread to England. (huffpost.com; nationalgeographic.co.uk).

There are probably other allegories on the theme of the Sun-god. I'm reminded of it in Tolkien's fantasy "The Hobbit". It's something to be wary of. Because there are probably no other monarchies as evil as the pharaohs. Why I've compared it to Satan. It appears to me that the pharaohs did nothing but curse everyone. Even hieroglyphics, their alphabet seems to be curses. Their tombs were covered with curses. They were nasty!

Here's the mind-boggling conclusion. I think I've solved the Russian conundrum! The most illuminating data I found on the Jews was their symbolism. Their flag is the Star of David, a hexagram. A hexagram is a hex for one thing. It's used in occult practices and ceremonial magic. It signifies the Egyptian ankh. The hexagram is known as the "King's Star" in astrology. (wikipedia)

For me, the intersection of two triangles implies a curse upon humanity & the return of the pharaohs. Jews are witches. It could even be said that Israel is the pharaohs. The term "Ra" another reference to the Sun-god is included in the word Israel. The pharaohs have morphed into incognito. I assume that's for protection.

It's all about the eyes, i.e. the Eye of Horus. That's another ancient Egyptian symbol. There are various interpretations of that symbol. Most of them have to do with omniscience. Much like the modern God. Could imply immortality also. I would translate it as an antique type of security.

It so happens that the first letter of Israel is "I". I correlate that to Eye of Horus. Italy is another word that begins with "I". Former home of the Vatican...What has Italy got to do with anything? For one thing, Italians were in Russia long ago. Ivan the Terrible's ancestors were Italian. He brought in Italian architects to design the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. They did a wonderful job!

I suspect that czar Ivan IV was a missionary. That he never had children of his own. He gained control of Russia by killing landowners and stealing their land. Much like what was done to my family. He called himself "czar' which translates from Russian as "Caesar". Who was the king of Rome back when. The mafia in Russia currently are probably Jewish Italians.

So what did Italian mafia want with Russia? It's location and size I speculate. Egypt was focused on giant structures such as the pyramids and statues of their gods. The Kremlin palace is one of the largest in the world. Russia is the largest country. Also, it's located in the top center of Europe. That implies the Eye of Horus.

The location of my family's land in Hackensack, Mn. is approximately top center of the U.S. So again we have an Eye of Horus. That's probably why the Jews took it.

The U.S. is another case of "mistaken identity". There's an Eye of Providence which includes the Eye of Horus on the dollar. America begins with an "A" which is a pyramid shape. More Egyptian symbolism. Who is the Congress?

What occurred in Hackensack, Mn. at the Mascot "A" Ranch in 1953 was an example of insurgency. Insurgency is defined in wikipedia as a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerilla warfare from primarily rural base areas against a larger authority. That's how the communists took over Russia. Stalin was a guerilla who committed crimes while hiding in the mountains. This is what they're now doing in America. That's what they wanted my family estate for.

In fact, almost all the cities have been shrinking as has the population in the U.S. The stock market has also shrunk. Disease rates have been climbing, as well. This is atypical ! High rates of homocide are at least one factor for this. The communists could be another.

The communists have been killing Americans at least since 1963. It's documented that a communist killed former president JFK in 1963. The Warren Commission concluded no evidence of conspiracy. But it surely was! Oswald, JFK's assassinator lived in U.S.S.R. in 1960. He married a Russian and had a child with her. Then he returned to America in 1962. There he socialized with Russian emigres. He also distributed leaflets on pro-Castro in New Orleans during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also visited the Russian Embassy in Mexico City in 1963. Jack Ruby shot Oswald at police headquarters when he was arrested for shooting JFK. How did that happen?!

JFK was an enemy of the U.S.S.R. His foreign policy was dedicated to opposing communism and the U.S.S.R. The U.S.S.R. certainly had a motive to eradicate JFK. So that's what they did. By the time JFK was eliminated so was my family. This set the communists in motion to do what they did to JFK. It also likely triggered the Cuban missile crisis. Possibly set the trap for the Korean war during the Cold War. Perhaps even laid the foundation for the Vietnam War.

There's more to understand about Judaism. The book, "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers explained that the goddess Isis was the inspiration for the Virgin Mary. If so, then it follows that her husband, Joseph was Osiris and her son, Jesus was Horus! When Jesus was resurrected this symbolized the Eye of Horus. And why does the pope wear a Jewish cap?

In addition, the crucifixion is derivative of the Egyptian ankh. This is a symbol of a cross with a loop on top. It's supposed to have positive symbolism. But if you view it from the perspective of the pharaohs you might see as I do that it's actually a curse. Curses are how the pharoahs kept their power.

What is the real significance of the Eye of Horus that makes it so central to Judaism? I believe it's a psychological paralysis to achieve domination. This symbolism creates an idea of being surrounded. While many of the ideas of ancient Egypt were primitive they were geniuses at witchcraft. Horus had a falcon's head. This image certainly could cause fear. Pharaohs retained their leadership with these fantastical creatures.

I also think Horus was a god of war. I could not find research that corroborated this. But it's implied. In fact, Horus's eye was torn out in battle with his uncle over the position of king. Just as Karl Marx's surname meant god of war. Probably derived from the Roman god of war, Mars. Marx was another servant of Horus as are all the communists.

More symbolism of the Eye of Horus is the Holodomor or famine of Ukraine in 1932. This was more than just famine. The Russians were executing 75 Ukrainian men daily by shooting them in the head. JFK was shot in the head. Killing my grandather's only son, Arthur Frederick was another potential murder with the Eye of Horus in mind. Shooting men in the head infers the Eye of Horus. This act confers godlike attributes to the perpetrator. It's how they accomplish slavery.

It should be known that the first czar, Ivan the Terrible was probably Jewish. His name, while a common Russian name is also Jewish. Not just a biblical name but common in Israel. The Russian Jews are a trick: mind control. Dean, my faux father was also likely a Russian Jew. Most likely, Josef Stalin, former president of the U.S.S.R. was also a Russian Jew. I have no documentation for this theory but it seems probable that what we have for leadership in Russia/U.S.S.R. is now and always has been Russian Jew.

4/14/24: Please note that Ivan the Terrible's name begins with an "I" (eye). Let's do some more Cold War history. JFK's brother, Robert F. Kennedy (both had the same middle initial as my real father, Arthur F. Maeser) was also assassinated in 1968. This was during his run for presidency, having won 5 states. Five is the magic number for communists. They had 13 Five-year Plans. Putin has five letters in his name. My family was killed in 1953. The year of the Ukrainian famine began in 1932. 3 + 2 = 5. That would be a numerology technique. Nina and Dean were born in 1932. Nina's birthday was in April which has five letters. This is a communist signature.

The interesting thing about RFK and JFK is that they were both journalists before going into politics. My grandparents were publishers. I have another journalist who clashed with the U.S.S.R. His name is Gareth Jones. There's a movie about him "Mr. Jones". G.J. had an exclusive on the Ukrainian famine in 1933. He secretly visited the Ukraine against the rules of Russia. He was arrested and then warned not to disclose what he had seen.

G.J. was murdered in Mongolia allegedly by Chinese bandits. What was that motive? But its believed that he was murdered by communists seeking revenge. His great nephew, Nigel uncovered evidence of that conspiracy. His other great nephew, Philip Colley has a website "garethjones.org". His niece also wrote a biography about G.J., "More than a grain of Truth", by Dr. Margaret Siriol Colley.

According to Philip, Britain was blackballing G.J. along with the U.S.S.R. Of course, the "Red Queen" Alexandra Romanov was partly English. As were the authors of the "Communist Manifesto"...at least, they lived there most of their lives. That book was first published in the U.K. So I believe the communists are just aliases of the Romanovs (and England). That's the connection. Why would England back U.S.S.R. in WWII when their queen Alexandra was supposedly killed by communists? That probably never occurred either. There's no proof the royal family of Russia was ever killed. What we have instead is a passion play about Christ.

Anyways, we know how the communists like to suppress the media. It's likely they do so in countries other than their own. They established a coven in Hackensack, Mn. for that purpose, no doubt. Among other nefarious objectives.

As for the perpetrator of the RFK murder the accused was Jordanian/Palestinian., Sirhan Sirhan. The enemy of the Jews was convicted. But the evidence did not support that accusation. The bullets fired were not from Sirhan's gun. Also, there were 13 shots. Sirhan's gun could only shoot 8. 13 is a communist conspiracy (13 Five-Year Plans). (britannica.com) RFK Jr. believed that there were conspiracies in both JFK and RFK murders. There were conspiracy theories. RFK was attorney general for JFK and convicted Jimmy Hoffa who was involved with the mafia. Was it the Russian mafia? That could be dangerous!

Since we're on the topic of journalism it could be relevant to discuss the Patty Hearst kidnapping case in 1974. She claimed to be kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Her father, William Randolph Hearst was a publisher. He also happened to publish Gareth Jones' articles on the Ukraine. The S.L.A. had similar ideology to the communists although they did not call themselves that. Patty was arrested for bank robbery with the S.L.A. The name of Hearst is English German. The communists probably didn't kill the family because A) they did not have much land and B) he was from England.

4/21/24: I did more checking into the Hearst name. When I first looked at it the site I went to said it was an Anglo-Saxon name. Then I got a hunch and inquired if it was a Jewish name. So it is! Its Jewish American probably derived from the Ashkenazic surname Hirsch. Its also believed to have English origins. (familysearch.org:Hearst family name) I was surprised that he published Gareth Jones but I verified this. Those articles are at "garethjones.org/margaret_siriol_colley/randolph_hearst1934.htm.

I would recommend reading these. They are a first-hand account on "Russia's Starvation". Its very heart wrenching! "Tell Them We Are Starving" is Jones' book from 1933 Soviet Diaries of G.J. Its important to know what the communists are capable of. G.J. risked his life to help the Ukrainians. He's a hero to them. He died Aug. 12, 1935 under mysterious circumstances at the age of 29.

That death date got my attention. It had the same numbers as my family's demise and also that of Stalin...1953. 5 + 3 is a magic number for communists. I recall the magic eight ball when I was young. You asked it questions and it would give answers. They might still sell those.

Jones was kidnapped and murdered. I was kidnapped, grandchild of a publisher. My family was murdered and their property mostly demolished. Seems to be two sides of the same coin. Could be the same issue as Gareth Jones. The communists were seeking media control especially on the Ukraine Holodomor. Maybe grandfather published on that incident. He probably knew about it because he had business in Germany at that time. Germany was the first to get an article about the famine from Jones.

Do we have anything to fear in guerilla warfare? Cuba was overthrown in a coup by Castro with guerilla warfare. That was 1956-58 hiding in the thickly forested Sierra Maestra mountains. Cuba is still a communist country. Communists now have us surrounded with Cuba and Hackensack, Mn. Soviets used guerilla warfare "irregular tactics" in Afghanistan fighting the Mujahadeen. (hsdl.org: "Roots of Russian Irregular Warfare")

Domestic and international terrorist groups located in the U.S. are demonstrating guerilla warfare today. (digitalcommons.usf.edu: "Combating the 21st Terrorist Cell Within the U.S.") Guerilla warfare has been used throughout history with some success. The American Revolution was won with it. One of the most successful guerilla wars was led by George Skanderbeg against the invading Ottoman Empire in 1443. (wikipedia/study.com) Green Berets in the U.S. teach it. Sun Tzu, alleged author of "Art of War" was the first known strategist from circa 6th B.C.E. to advocate this type of warfare.

Are you ready for an astonishing conclusion? The English are using the communists as an alias. They are the ones trying to regain reign over America! Vladimir Lenin, first leader of the Bosheviks/communists in Russia has an English surname. Remember John Lennon of the Beatles rock group? Lenin is another spelling for Lennon. It means "cloak". As in disguise. This wasn't Lenin's real name but nevertheless. He was a spy for England.

4/23/24: I feel compelled to discuss the fur farming industry which has been attacked by various animal rights groups. I admit that the standards for humane fur farming are woefully inadequate. There should at least be more regulations about fur farms. I don't like their cages which lack walls in the photos. They should also be able to get exercise. There are other issues, as well.

But there is hypocrisy in this topic. Those who sympathize with fur animals have no problem with their leather apparel or animal food. Why does no one complain about birds being slaughtered for down clothing? I deduce from this inconsistency that this is a political or religious issue rather than sincere objections to inhumane farming. Other animals and birds are abused on farms too. What about zoos where animals are confined to cages who are accustomed to roaming also?

Banning fur farming reduces our choices. This supports communists. Yet from my internet readings awhile ago the communists have been one of the biggest fur traders in the world. St. Petersburg used to be the largest auction site for furs. All the Russians have furs. They even have fur blankets! I suspect they're trying to get a monopoly on fur sales. This would put them in charge of everyone....

I was watching a movie "Hellboy" which was inspired by the idea that Grigori Rasputin, the Russian priest and advisor to the last Romanov monarchy did not really get killed in 1916. This opened a portal to hell which was supervised by Rasputin. Hellboy was his child, a demon. Now I view Russia as hell. They're doing this to get supernatural connections. Stirring fear into people to get control. Its probable that Rasputin didn't die in 1916. That it was a lie designed to open hell.

By the way, the 1917 Bolshevik/communist revolution has the number 8 (1 +7). By calling this a magic number I mean that it creates a blank in the mind, a psychological blind. This is what magicians do. Its why the communists are using it with numerology or straight, To get away with crime and other corruptions. I suggest that eightup to symbolizes revolution to the communists.

Communists are using numbers symbolically. It's what numerology is. It was a Pythagorean theorem many years ago. My birthday has three fives. I was born in August the eighth month. This is probably not my real birthday. Nina's birthday is also interesting. She was born April 16, 1932. April is the fourth month. Add four to 7 (16) = 11. Jones death was Aug. 12. 8 + 3 (12) = 11.

Perhaps Jones was the primary impetus for the attack on my family. I was never told about the publishing business my family had. The couple that raised me did tell me about the fox farm, however. Although revolution and profit probably were operative motives, as well. The attack of 911 also adds up to 11....Gareth Jones' death signaled revolution as did other crimes involving communists. These crimes were not occurring in a vacuum. They are part of an overall strategy to dissolve democracy. Crimes are committed by terrorists and in guerilla warfare to overcome opposition to their political incentives.

Here are some other numbers that prove my point about eight. Ukraine famine began in 1932. That's a five (3 + 2). 21 years later (2 + 1 = 3) in 1953 my family was murdered and their estate demolished. That's 3 + 5 = 8.

We should also know that Karl Marx and co-author Engels were against family. Incredibly they called married women prostitutes. They were probably instrumental to the current disintegration of family in this country. This is also the result of more poverty. This can only be harmful to everyone but especially children. Love is now a four letter word like hate. And there are other nasty words. Like Tina Turner sings "What's Love Got to Do With It?" That's an apocalyptic perspective.

5/7/24: Here's an even spookier glimpse at what Nina's birthday could mean. Perhaps it's a referral to the death of Rasputin in 1916. That makes Nina the neo-Rasputin! Bringing hell and damnation to the world via Hackensack. Was she the devil?! Very likely the personification of the devil. Who was Horus...

It's difficult to understand why anyone would prefer hell and the cessation of life. Unless you know what it would be like to grow up in a commune as Russians have to do. It was what I did but I didn't know it. We lived in new houses in a good neighborhood in the suburbs. My real family saved me from despair. People need privacy to be wholesome and well. Communes should not be forced upon us. Only evil can reign from such accommodations.

5/8/24: There's something to know about Rasputin. This was not his real name. It was Novykh. That name could be Jewish or Czech. It means newcomer. Novykh was given the name Rasputin because he was so licentious (immoral). It means debauchery. Rasputin was considered to be a monk or mystic. He was illiterate and never had an official position with the church. It seems odd that such a man would become pivotal in the Nicholas II monarchy. In fact, he attempted to kill Anastasia Romanov. (fandom.com). He was an evil man and was attributed to the fall of the monarchy.

Is the name of Putin derived from Rasputin? Probably. Then you know where Putin is coming from...

I traveled to Russia in 1974 with my college. I had traveled to Europe in high school. So I'd seen a fair number of countries by then. Russia was the worst country I'd seen! They would not allow autonomous sightseeing. They showed very little of the sights. I was confined to my hotel most of the time. It was a dismal hotel. I was studying a course while I was there so I had to spend time on that. I saw no pedestrians, no shops. This was Moscow. We could only see the exterior of St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. I also viewed Lenin's tomb where his "body" was displayed. It was very depressing!

5/14/24: Here's more about Rasputin's death. 1916 adds up to 8 (1 + 9 + 1 + 6) in numerology. That magic number which portends transformation. His death was intended to transform the government of Russia. The monarchy had already established a Duma government by then. They had darker intentions. Rasputin was no monk although he is usually described that way. He had a family. What monk has family? Rasputin was a demon and necromancer. He was the curse of Romanovs...

As for Dean, I think I saw him more clearly. He was trying to be Horus as I think all Jews would do. Killing the owner of a fox farm and publishing company provided him with that status. Horus was the king of Egypt. It's a coveted position.

Another problem with Jews. They want kidney donors. Kidneys are the most sought organ in the U.S. Jews have Crohn's disease. It's a consequence of their religion. But human organs must be living and there are a shortage of donors. Read "Blindsight" by Robin Cook about the black market for human organs. People are being killed for their organs! Why children might be kidnapped. People who want to be gods and live forever will kill for kidneys.

The Russians began colonization in Alaska by enslaving the Aleuts. They were indigenous to the region and made their living by seal fur trading. Russians kidnapped their families and made them give up their seal furs to them. This is a modus operandi of the Russians. To steal and KIDNAP. Eventually the Russians established a fur trading corporation in Alaska.

On July 7, 1911 four nations signed the seal fur treaty. They were Russia, Great Britain, Japan and the U.S. This ended the killing of seals on the high seas. Now only Alaska can sell seal furs. (fws.gov) This ruined the livelihood of the Aleuts and the Russians. That must've angered the Russians. Could this have triggered communism in Russia?

I also have another question about the treaty. Since when are the hunting of wild animals collectivized as the seal fur trading was? No other wild animals are totally prevented from being hunted by private hunters. This was an attack on private enterprise.

Perhaps the Russians kidnapped the American economy. In 1929 17% interest rates crashed the stock market. It was also the year the Vatican got their own country. In 1933 the Agriculture Adjustment Act collectivized agriculture in the U.S. Then president Roosevelt said "There's nothing wrong with communism". In 1933 the Agriculture Adjustment Act collectivized agriculture.

#b #olshevik/communists

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hahahahblahblahblah · 1 year

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Cancun Syndrome

(This was written about a month before the Nuggets-Heat Finals started. A lot has happened since then, but I still think this is relevant.)

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At the Hotel Nacional, on the edge of Havana, they say that U.S. government officials check out with an ailment as ambiguously bureaucratic as the diplomatic affairs they checked in with. Where reports of sharp, sudden bouts of tinnitus and stretches of intense pain are grounds for an international incident, so instead they must be pasteurized as “Anomalous Health Incidents.” What happens when Obama sneezes at the G7 summit?

So commences the American game of tip-toeing on quail eggshells: Where a country has to conclude, through years of research, that the symptoms its functionaries have faced are not the result of a global campaign by its adversaries. Which is nice. It’s nice when people don’t fight. But as of the time I’m writing this, a month since multiple intelligence agencies have ruled out any possibility of the 1500 cases spanning 96 countries being targeted attacks, no one actually knows what happened. What even is a “US Official”?

"There is no one explanation for any of this,” said one of those guys. Only on this planet could conclusive evidence lead to more ambiguity. This sort of “🤷” ionkno-ness is an American custom. Everyone sort of knows but they don’t know but they don’t care but it’ll all be alright but we do know but we don’t know how but at least they don’t know that we know but oh no maybe they’ve known all along.

So I’m to decide just how much to trust the Pentagon (if at all), discern all the intelligible information I have about this country’s history with foreign affairs (particularly with said adversaries), and whether or not to trust my gut when it calls out how ridiculous it sounds that some Cubans were shooting microwaves from their vintage Oldsmobiles that have the weight and turn radius of a dead elephant.

Life is responsibility as sport. We always have to figure out what we know, what we think we know, and what actually happened. The question of the 21st century had been whether we could truly know one another in the digital age. This question has sharply pivoted into whether we can know the truth.

agent provacouture

______

At the Westin Resort & Spa, on the edge of Cancun, they say Kyle Kuzma can’t get enough of LeBron shooting 21% from the 3 this post-season.

The NBA is a wholly confused product. Game attendance is at an all-time high yet ratings have slumped, refereeing in the league has a reputation that's proceeding itself into a primordial state, and the Warriors just won’t fucking go away. (NOTE: I started writing this before they got eliminated. Don’t believe the hype. “The dynasty might be over”? The Warriors are Kissinger-esque in their refusal to die.)

Furthermore, a significant amount of the regular season is inconsequential. For fans who do want to watch their team on a Monday afternoon, blackouts and restrictions throw sand in the gear. The best-of-seven postseason structure allows for some of the most pathetic stories, like James Harden’s phenomenal performance in Game 1 of the 76ers-Celtics series. Does the heart not corrode when only a few days after he proceeds to go 2-14 from the field? (NOTE: I wrote this before the series ended. I could use even worse examples from Game 7.)

ecause seven games are more than enough for a better team to understand how you murder you, and the regular season is so long that no one even cares until about mid-February, tanking is still prevalent throughout the league - Years after Sam Hinkie’s exile.

Tanking itself is indicative of the NBA’s anemic brand of contradiction. When owners were anonymously asked about their thoughts on Hinkie’s “Process” years ago, one owner said “They didn’t have to be that bad. It was just over the top. It was a disservice to their players.”

What is a reader supposed to do with that quote? What is a fan supposed to think? “It was a disservice to their players.” When the 76ers won 10 games in the 82-game 2015-16 season, the Brooklyn Nets won 21. The Knicks won 32. Jesus, that was the year we had Cleanthony Early. I hope Shabazz Muhammad really took home a sense of pride playing the wing for the 29-53 Timberwolves. What difference do 10 or 20 games really make?

The fall of “The Process” highlights that the truth is at total odds with the league, as it is with everything. No one genuinely knows why Hinkie left, but everyone knows why he left. Hinkie stated: “Given all the changes to our organization, I no longer have the confidence that I can make good decisions on behalf of investors in the Sixers — you.”

“So I should step down. And I have.”

That saga had the pith of an inflection point within the league. Years later, the same complaints reside. If anything, it feels like the NBA is suffering from a bout of homogeneity, one that it must face on what will be one of the most critical days in the league’s history: LeBron James’ last game.

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If the question of the new age is whether we can know the truth, the answer is a resounding “I guess.” Obsession with truth is moral barbarism. I first came to understand this when, a few months before the Pandemic kicked into gear in America, this country ignited yet another nuclear scare with Iran. I remember amidst all the fear and awesomeness of what I think is the third threat of war with Iran I’ve experienced in my lifetime, I would read what different pundits thought of the matter and watch these horrific videos of the “history of the conflict.” People frothing at the mouth to rationalize an entire history. I remember I’d text my cousin, who’d respond with his familiar Persian despondency. People rationalize horror as sport.

When the Ukraine conflict also kicked into gear, I read Cardi B’s thoughts to my coworker:

“Wish these world leaders stop tripping about power and really think about whose really getting affected (citizens) besides the whole world is in a crisis.War,sanctions,invasions should be the last thing these leaders should worry about.”

Honestly, yeah! My coworker promptly shut it down as a “neutral” take that inadvertently blahblahblah’s Putin and is dangerous and all that. The truth! The truth is tediously life-denying, like dental plaque.

with the joe from "you" profile pic and all

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“The truth is at total odds with the league” is harsh. If anything, the future of the league is dependent on the fervor that lies behind truth itself. Dependent on those who psychoanalyze Ja Morant’s upbringing, or compound themselves with Ben Simmons’ Instagram reels. People heard more about the supposed malignancy behind the MVP process than actually watching both frontrunners play the sport.

Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in the face was a story that sparked the league at the onset of the season, and would continually reanimate throughout the year to come - Particularly whenever the team faced rather public woes. At the time of writing this, it’s come up again.

This obsession with drama as a pastime has become critical in the consumption of the sport, mostly because it’s fun. It’s fun to be deranged. The league is built on a growing collective derangement, which is unquestionably enjoyable to participate in. I do it myself all the time (I am a Draymond-called-KD-in-the-parking-lot truther). Its sustainability is up for debate, though.

Decades ago, the NBA and affiliated networks, particularly NBC, faced a stark drop-off in ratings immediately after Michael Jordan’s retirement(s). Although streaming and new ways to consume the sport have emerged, ratings feel stagnant based on every report.

Still, the caveat of new mediums shouldn’t be overlooked. Insiders in the league actually report that officials are “thrilled” with the NBA’s viewership. There go the sources again. The “Officials.” This is where the assessment of the league’s quantitative future becomes questionable. At a certain point, I’m working with a modicum of known knowledge and a parking lot of assumptions. Sure, the league is kicking off a new media rights deal in a few years. I can pretend I understand the full parameters of what that means but why try?

At a certain point, it feels as if the question of the league’s future doesn’t solely lie within its quantitative success. There are many quantitative arguments for the world being better than it once was - But doesn’t it just feel gross outside?

his happy place

he vibe of the league is growing to be, like much of the world, echoic. Mimetic jelly wiggling to the stomps of yesterday’s giants. First came the advertisements on the courts, then the jerseys - Richard Jefferson is advising me on my DraftKings parlay right before the Dunkin’ halftime show presented by Rakuten. And always remember, this copyrighted broadcast of the National Basketball Association may not be retransmitted, reproduced, rebroadcast, or otherwise distributed or used in any form without the express written consent of the NBA. I try to turn my stream’s volume down a bit - An ad forcibly opens. Not porn. Worse: FanDuel.

In a way, it’s empowering that in the face of a monolithic, substantially more boring product, the consumers have found their own bedlamite way to make it fun. NBA fans are obsessed with drama. When people start lip reading, the obsession has now entered some proto-schizophrenic middle ground between brunch-time gossip and full-blown conspiracy. All that to discuss why Luka Dončić looks fatter this year.

So fans are obsessed more than ever, yet numbers are stagnant otherwise. It’s fitting that this is the case. Again, with cable cutting and blackouts, it’s more difficult to tune in to a game. Furthermore, there are just too many of them. Drama is unquestionably a promotional tool. In fighting sports, drama builds and leads up to the “big night.” There are hundreds of nights in the league, and even the most anticipated ones lack the same weight. You can’t get a Game 7 every night. Drama generally resides, and stays, off the court in the NBA.

One of Adam Silver’s major policy changes came in the recently added Play-In Tournament, which has melded a heightened need for drama with the sport itself. The tourney opens up breathing room for lower-ranking squads, allowing teams that would otherwise succumb to the tank, such as the Hawks or the Thunder, to actually try.

This greater sense of pressure has resulted in higher viewership and gifted fans with the drama they’d previously do most of the heavy lifting for. Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had a very public, and very funny, fight in the very last game of the season - While the Mavericks decided to call it quits at the absolute last hour and openly admit to tanking, resulting in a 750k fine for Mark Cuban.

Creating the Play-In Tournament in 2021 was a good step. The controversial decision to shorten the length of the season could potentially be another. I’m not necessarily sure if I’d want that, but it’s something to consider. Although the aforementioned media rights plan in a few years is an important date for the commissioner to consider, another critical date that’s on the league’s mind is the eventual retirement of LeBron James.

In a way, the league feels as if it needs to prep itself for a post-Bron world. It seems like, by all measures, LeBron will stay attached to the league one way or another, but his clear impact on the numbers of the sport for the sport’s sake cannot be overstated. Whether it be his absence, his switch to the Western Conference, or even his move to Miami a decade ago, the league’s quantitative success has been tied directly to his every move.

What’s significant is that, with LeBron, people have tuned in…to tune in. There is an enjoyment in watching one of the great athletes of the sport play. He is the face of the league, and questions of who will take over the reins feel futile. A two-decade (and counting!) career is hard to erase, and like Jordan, the league will undoubtedly feel his absence. The onus on raking in views will grow on the league’s end, and what it decides to do is key.

To put it simply: Just how committed is the league to its more Grecian qualities?

In preparation for LeBron’s absence, it feels as if the media industrial complex is working at an unprecedented rate. Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. cannot stop talking about Draymond stomping on Sabonis. Why? Do we need another ten-minute segment on Ja Morant’s suburbia complex? It feels as if the league is starting to recognize just how much its media subsidiaries can act as proxy states and funnel more attention through the same incessant drama that it either repudiates or condemns - Drama that was once reserved for people who were bored and fucking around.

Honestly, people aren’t totally foregone on the sport itself. Even though regular season views were stagnant, playoff views have been up. Over 9 million people tuned in to watch the Sacramento Kings! People enjoy good basketball. They also enjoy paranoiac claims that Paul Pierce shit himself and had to use a wheelchair to take care of business mid-game. To be fair, he did.

The product itself is structurally sound. In the face of its greatest athlete leaving, and an increased colorlessness through advertising, the league has a few options: Either continue to tweak the sport itself, retaining and even improving the experience all while protecting the fans’ need to fuck around and engage with gossip however they please - Or make the very boring mistake of doubling down on the spectacle, much like Formula 1 has done, ironically relegating games to supplemental viewing in pursuit of bolstered ratings.

The league will be fine, but it runs the risk of being boring, and soon the offense of being lame.

imagine my excitement when i found this pic

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seoenthusiast · 1 year

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witchcab · 3 years

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Restricted and Closed Practices II

Restricted Practices Eastern European Religions Eastern European religions include Catholicism and other forms of Christianity. Now, you do not have to be mentored or initiated to be considered a Christian. The restricted aspects of this are more in place for those who seek to obtain some sort of status in the hierarchy of Christianity- priest, cardinal, bishop, pope… All of these typically do require one to be baptized and chosen by their superiors in some way. Hoodoo

Hoodoo is a spirituality that was created by African slaves when they were brought to North America. It evolved based on African spiritualities, incorporating some Haitian, European and Indigenous folklore into it over time. Practitioners of Hoodoo were commonly African slaves, and due to this their work had to be kept secret from their slave owners. You could imagine what the punishments would be for practicing Hoodoo during those times, but I won’t get into that since it could be triggering for some. Although Hoodoo is dominantly practiced by black people, there are some people of other races who authentically practice Hoodoo. There are some people who find the practice being used by anybody other than black people to be controversial, but there are also black people who state that as long as you honour the origins of Hoodoo and pay respects to the slaves that developed the practice, you can learn it. Judaism Judaism is restricted, mostly for religious reasons but the history of the Jewish people could also be taken as a perspective as well. There is a process for converting to Judaism, which typically involves finding a Rabbi. The person would also need to begin studying Judaism- the religious texts, the holidays, etc… Of course there are other aspects depending on if you were born into the religion or not, as well as if you were attempting to seek placement in the hierarchy. There are more steps to converting to Judaism, so if that is something you wish to research feel free to. We also must acknowledge the history of the Jewish people. During World War Two, around six million Jewish people were murdered by Nazis. The methods used to murder these people were gruesome, so if you wish to research that feel free to. Although anti-Semitism did not begin with Hilter and the Nazis, they were one of the biggest faces of anti-Semitism in history. Anti-Semitism is still a problem today, which is why Judaism and its practices being restricted needs to be respected. Sikhism Sikhism is a religion originating from the Indian subcontinent. Although there isn’t necessarily a “hierarchy” in Sikhism, the communities are responsible for choosing five respectable people to be in place of authority. Although I was unable to find information on a specific conversion process, I would still urge you to seek out people that are within this religion to learn more about it. One particular word that people seem to find problematic that is in relation to Sikhism, as well as other Asian religions, is the use of the term “Guru”. Gurus were significant spiritual masters dedicated to their faith, and in Sikhism there were ten of them. The use of this term in modern times is seen as problematic because the Gurus of the Sikh were such important spiritual leaders, and their role in their religion was not taken lightly. Some view the use of Guru in some contexts to be disrespectful to the religion Hinduism The topic of Hinduism being restricted is a little tricky. Hinduism, like many other Asian religions, does tend to get appropriated by westerners a lot. Think of the western idea of Karma as one example of this- the original concept of karma that roots from Hinduism and Buddhism is NOT what westerners have made it out to be. Now, Hinduism is actually more of an umbrella term for a variety of sects, some of which are restricted or closed and some are not. The general understanding goes that, as long as you seek information from a true Hindu and respect the religion and its practices (especially if they are restricted or closed), you can convert. Tread carefully when getting into Hinduism- do lots of research; seek out a true Hindu to learn. Buddhism Similar to what I mentioned earlier, the topic of Buddhism being restricted is tricky. You can convert to Buddhism and use Buddhist practices, but there are certain practices that do have a limit for how open they are. Take chakras as an example- everybody has them, and you can work on your own chakras. However, you should avoid attempting to work with other people's chakras unless you seek

a mentor to teach you how to properly do so. This is another religion where you should do lots of research and seek a true practitioner from the religion. Gardenarian, Alexandrian & Corellian Wicca I’ve mentioned this before, but Wicca is a far more modern pagan religion than the rest. Wicca, generally speaking, took inspiration (in many cases, appropriated) other cultures and incorporated it into what Wicca is today. Although Wicca is generally open, these three branches of Wicca are considered restricted and typically require invitation and initiation. Shamanism Now, shamanism in particular is restricted depending on the culture. Many cultures have their own form of shamanism, and although most are restricted, Indigenous (North American) shamanism is considered to be closed. This will be explained later in the lesson, but for now we will focus on shamanism in general. As I already stated, different cultures have their forms of shamanism. The general rule is if you wish to practice shamanism, you must seek out a shaman and ask for mentorship to learn it. Although you may find all kinds of information on how to practice shamanism online, most of the information was stolen from other cultures and altered. Sami This one is particularly tricky. There is some historical evidence that the Sami influenced Norse paganism, and that there are some similar practices between them due to this. This makes the debate on how restricted Sami traditions are difficult to determine by outsiders. Yet another culture where you need to find somebody from the culture to get truly accurate information, but there are aspects of the Sami culture that are more closed than others. Closed Practices Indigenous Practices

Every Indigenous tribe has their own culture and traditions. Some tribes have similar traditions, but this happened over time through respectful teachings and trade. There are various titles within Indigenous tribes, such as Elder or Medicine Man/Woman. These titles aren’t given out easily- they are earned by those to seek them. Those who seek these titles go through years of training and initiation to earn these titles. Earning these titles means a great deal to Indigenous people, and to have outsiders take these titles and use them to scam others has become a major problem. Indigenous people do speak out about this, but they tend to get overshadowed. Beyond the cultural reasons for Indigenous practices being closed, there are also a lot of historical reasons. When Europeans arrived in North America, they also brought disease and genocide with them. Not only that, but they were forced to adopt European beliefs. This caused a huge shift in how Indigenous people practice over the centuries, and for a while they had to do everything in secret. At one point, it was completely illegal for Indigenous people to go through with their practices and ceremonies, and this didn’t change until 1978. If this isn’t bad enough, residential schools were put in place starting in the 1830s, and didn’t get completely shut down until 1978. Residential schools were boarding schools specifically for Indigenous children, where they were forced from their homes and taught how to be more “civilized”. In reality, these schools were just a hotspot for abuse and death. Indigenous children were forced to adopt Christianity, were not allowed to speak in their native language, cut their hair short and were never allowed to do anything that seems “Indian” to any extent. Punishments for breaking rules included washing their mouths out with soap, being locked in guardhouses and any form of physical abuse imaginable. Families were not able to keep their children from going to these schools because, if they resisted, the families would be arrested and forced to have their children taken away. With all of this in mind, please avoid using any and all Indigenous practices. This includes using their sacred medicines (such as white sage), using sacred tools (such as dream catchers), attempting to perform a powwow, etc… If you think you have Indigenous blood, find the name of your ancestors to prove it. Blood quantum is not relevant. Polynesian Religions Similar to what I wrote about Indigenous tribes, there are both religious and historical reasons for them being closed. Unfortunately, the historical reasons are very similar. There are different Polynesian religions, such as Hawaiian and Cook Islands Māori, and although they have similar histories each one is very different as well. Please do lots of research and avoid using their practices. Santeria Santeria is for those who have Cuban and other Latin American heritage. Similar to what I explained about African slaves and Hoodoo, Santeria grew out of the slave trade in Cuba. Today’s Santeria practices developed from a combination of the African Yoruba religion and Roman Catholicism. All Variations of Voodoo/Vodou African religions and their forms of Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, Cuban Vodou… There are plenty more forms of Voodoo/Vodou, but all are closed. All of these religions and their practices faced discrimination, racism and other acts of hate throughout the centuries. Although colonizers tried to wipe them out and “civilize” the people of these cultures, these practices still thrive today. Information about these religions and their practices that are authentic is hard to come by due to outsiders attempting to take their practices and adjust it to fit their narrative, however it is safe to say that since all of these religions have their own religious foundation and origins, they are closed for religious reasons just as much as they are because of historical reasons.

#baby witch #beginner witch #witches of tumblr #witchcraft #it felt appropriate

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gayfrasier · 4 years

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actually yknow what lets talk about the panama canal for a minute. first things first i am by NO means an expert, i do not know every facet of history, especially not the political impact and the sheer amount of treaties between the us and panama along with their effects, i do however think the lock system is very cool.

One of the saddest things about the panama canal is that, no one really knows a whole lot about it, at least most of the people I’ve met haven’t, so to start off we’re gonna go through the basics. The idea of the panama canal can be traced back centuries but the first recorded attempt at a canal was in 1881, led by the french. this project lasted until 1889, which failed for reasons we’ll get into later. now, after the failure of the french canal, the project was abandoned, until the U.S. bought the french canal when plans to build a nicaraguan canal fell through (which is also p interesting but I’m not getting into that). The U.S. started construction in 1912, and the canal was “finished” in 1914, just 2 years later.

Now we’ll get into the good stuff! The french canal originally failed for a few reasons, but all due to a severe underestimation of what it means to actually build a canal. So alongside cost overruns and political problems, the reason I’d like to focus on is the huge amount of casualties, not because of workplace incidents, oh no, but because of one little motherfucker.

yellow fever

see, the french didn’t really know just how bad it can get without proper disease control. Considering this was the late 19th century, I’m not entirely surprised, but then again one must expect some crazy ass diseases when you’re building in the middle of the tropics. So, if anyone else ended up picking up this project, you’d have to have a solid yellow fever defense plan, which the U.S. recognized, and started to research. To sum it up, the military physician at the time, General Walter Reed, commissioned the work of Cuban scientist Carlos Finlay who had first theorized the cause of yellow fever to be disease-carrier mosquitoes. This commission went on to further develop just how yellow fever was spread, and was, at the time, revolutionary. Sadly, most sources will completely ignore Finlay’s association with the theory and pin it all on Reed, but at the very least Reed himself heavily credited Finlay for the theory. After the discovery of how it spread, the chief sanitary officer in Havana used that theory and research to eliminate yellow fever in Havana (whether or not this is entirely true would need more research, but it’s important to note that is what the chief claimed). The panama canal team saw, this and hired him to do the same in the construction of the canal.

While the research founded because of the project was, great, and it certainly helped save hundreds and thousands of lives, there was still a great deal of suffering with workers of the canal. The labor in this time period would require an entire other post but the basics are, it fucking sucked man. Living situations were unhygienic and highly dangerous, offering little to no protection from tropical wildlife like venomous snakes. Not to mention, many laborers were from the west indies, specifically Barbados, baited into work after persuaded with the “Colón Man”, a caricature of a laborer returning to his island a wealthy man, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. There was also a fuck ton of discrimination with 2 different payrolls, a Gold roll and a Silver roll, which started as “skilled” vs “unskilled, but over time it was glaringly obvious it was just white vs non-white. (there's a lot of. disgusting shit about this but I’d recommend looking here for more info)

So yeah, working on the canal was terrible, but the technology used in this thing is so fucking cool man. The canal of course had to be lock-based, as the pacific and atlantic have a significant height difference. If you don’t know what i mean by locks, it’s essentially these walls dividing the passage way so the ship can be easily contained when raising and lowering water levels. (there’s some sick ass videos of this but here’s one that’s the entire transit) now, I’d still have do more research into the development and construction of these locks, but isn’t that just the coolest thing in the world? Anyways, there’s a couple different locks but the 2 main ones are the miraflores, which are by the pacific, and the gatún, which are by the atlantic. (another cool thing, here’s a 24/7 live-stream of the locks. isn’t that neat???) there’s a visitor center by the miraflores lock, which has a viewing area so you can sit and watch the ships go by, and a gift shop lmao! now, when i said “finished” in the beginning, it’s because after 1914, cargo ships of course. got bigger. to the point where they outgrew the panama canal. so, in 2009 an expansion project began adding a third lane and 2 new locks (more info here, apparently they did some cool environmental things too which i didn’t know about!) which allowed for even more ships to come through, as well as helping traffic! which is also super fucking cool!!!

Now i glossed over a lot of things, mainly political tension between the U.S. and Panama (important thing is we control the canal now, which took 96 years, can you believe that?), but the last thing i wanna say is that, a good portion of the panama canal waterway takes place in lake gatún, which makes sense right. Its a very large lake conveniently in the middle of panama. The cool part? it’s fake. Lake gatún was the largest artificial lake of its time. it isn’t anymore, but then again its been 106 years so is that really surprising?

anyways the point is the panama canal is really cool and deserves recognition okay. it may not seem as impressive to us these days but in historical context? that shit was IMPRESSIVE.

#i did NOT go into as much detail as i thought i would but this is so fucking long already #this shit is interesting though #rambles #appreciate the panama canal please

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maddie-grove · 4 years

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My Top Ten Victorian (Ish) Romance Novels

Notes: Queen Victoria’s reign lasted from 1837 to 1901, but I learned in a literature class that sometimes the Victorian era is defined as lasting from 1832 (when the First Reform Act was passed) to 1901 (when Victoria died). When it comes to historical romance novels, I think the second definition works better; a romance set in 1831 usually comes at the tail end of a series or universe beginning in the 1810s/1820s and still has a Regency flavor, while a romance set 1832-1836 has a decidedly non-Regency feel. Incidentally, I’ve noticed that 1830s-set Harlequin Historicals are labeled “1830s,” rather than “Regency” or “Victorian.” No one knows what to do with the 1830s! Also, many of these novels are set in the USA. Three are specifically set in Chicago, which is kind of weird!

1. The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan (2013)

Exact Setting: 1860s England.

Premise: Politician Oliver Marshall has ambitions of enacting egalitarian laws, including the proposed Second Reform Bill, but his illegitimate birth and non-aristocratic upbringing make that an uphill battle. Then a marquess makes him a peculiar offer: in exchange for supporting the Second Reform Bill, he wants Oliver to publicly humiliate Jane Fairfield, an heiress who is despised by high society for her bad taste and oblivious rudeness. Oliver, too often the object of aristocratic bullying, has no desire to harm Jane, but he doesn’t feel that he can refuse the marquess outright. Then he realizes that Jane isn’t what she seems; instead, she’s a brave, clever, lonely woman who’s putting on an act so she can stay unmarried and continue protecting her younger sister. Also, he likes her and finds her wildly attractive, despite her nightmarish fashion sense.

Why I Like It: This is my favorite romance EVER. Jane is an all-time-great heroine: intelligent enough to engineer a complicated marriage-repellent scheme (and change it when circumstances require), strong enough to expose herself to ridicule out in the world (and come home to an uncle who thinks she’s inherently a bad person), and vulnerable enough to break your heart. Oliver, a bruised idealist who must reassess his go-along-to-get-along approach, is nearly as compelling. Their romance is full of top-notch banter and solidarity in the face of a world that wants them to be enemies. And there are almost too many excellent subplots to count: Jane’s sister’s secret romance with an Indian student at Cambridge, Oliver’s younger sister’s foray into activism, and Jane’s brittle frenemy-ship with the Johnson twins, to name a few.

Favorite Scene: The first time Jane drops her act in front of Oliver, or the defeat of the marquess.

2. A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole (2017)

Exact Setting: North Carolina, USA, during the Civil War.

Premise: Marlie Lynch's life has always been complicated. The daughter of a free Afro-Caribbean root worker, she spent half her childhood with her mother before being sent to live with her white paternal relatives. Now she works for two different secret organizations: the Underground Railroad (with the help and approval of her white abolitionist sister) and the black-Unionist-run spying organization the Loyal League (with the knowledge of no one). When she’s not doing that, she’s pursuing her scientific interests while still honoring and using her late mother’s rootworking practices. Her situation becomes even more fraught when she agrees to harbor Ewan McCall, an escaped Union POW, in a secret chamber behind her bedroom wall. They bond over their shared intellectual interests, but is there any time for romance when Marlie’s home is being overrun by loathsome Confederates?

Why I Like It: Many historical romances have good love stories but don’t do much with the setting, while a few excel at portraying the past but fail at creating a compelling central relationship. Alyssa Cole’s Loyal League novels are the total package, and the Southern-Gothic-tinged A Hope Divided is the standout among them. Marlie and Ewan’s courtship is portrayed with tenderness, intelligence, and delicacy. Cole brings just as much sharpness and nuance to her portrayal of the time and place, representing groups of people who tend to disappear in popular discussions about the Civil War. I also really appreciate Ewan as a character. His mind works differently from most people’s (in that he would probably now be considered to be on the autism spectrum), and he worries that he’s a bad person because he doesn’t feel a lot of angst about some morally complicated decisions he made in the past. The narrative does a good job of showing that Ewan is no better or worse than anyone else for using tools other than empathy in his moral reasoning. Also, Marlie is a top-tier Gothic heroine.

Favorite Scene: Marlie reflects on the villain’s oh-so-convenient conception of Southern womanhood. I’m also a big fan of the entirety of the bedroom-wall courtship.

3. The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan (2014)

Exact Setting: 1870s England.

Premise: After his hateful father and self-serving brother abandoned him to a grisly fate in war-torn Strasbourg, Edward Delacey narrowly survived, with his faith in himself and the world around him shattered. Now he’s back in England, and his younger brother stands to inherit the viscountcy that legally belongs to him. He’s not interested in the title; however, he does feel compelled to stop his brother from ruining the life of Frederica Marshall, a daring investigative reporter who writes about discrimination against women. As he lends his (jaded, reluctant) assistance, Frederica’s optimism begins to infect him...and that’s not the only reason he wants to stay around her.

Why I Like It: I love Frederica as Oliver’s little sister in The Heiress Effect, and she’s even better as the cocksure firebrand heroine of her own story. It’s rare that a heroine is allowed to be so successful in her chosen field at the beginning of a romance novel, but Milan accomplishes this while still giving Frederica enough vulnerabilities and flaws to make her interesting. Yet Edward, a wounded cynic who chooses to do good despite believing that he’s a garbage bag and the world is a shit-pile, is what really pushes the novel to all-time-great status. Their story is a wonderful illustration of the best things that love can do; his faith in the world is revived by her ideals, and her worst impulses are tempered by hearing about the lessons he’s learned in his darkest moments. Plus, they have some really funny banter.

Favorite Scene: Edward explains why torture is ineffective and wrong. (I put years of hard work into getting my torture degree at torture college! Fuck off!)

4. After the Wedding by Courtney Milan (2018)

Exact Setting: 1860s England.

Premise: After her father was accused of treason and committed suicide, Lady Camilla Worth was passed from home to increasingly shabby home, eventually fading into obscurity as Camilla Winters, a housemaid in a corrupt clergyman’s home. Adrian Hunter, the son of a black abolitionist activist and a white duke’s daughter, is visiting the clergyman in disguise to gather information when he and Camilla fall victim to a dastardly plot. Force to wed at literal gunpoint and thrown out of the house, they must work together to annul their marriage and get to the bottom of the clergyman’s sinister doings.

Why I Like It: Camilla is the first bisexual heroine I ever encountered in romance, so I was already primed to love her, but it would’ve happened regardless of her orientation. Desperate for any kind of affection after losing her family in a particularly cruel way, her struggle to find love while trying to protect herself is extremely moving. Adrian also has an affecting arc, in which he learns how to let go of family members who don’t really care about him and acknowledge his grief for his brothers who died in the Civil War. Finally, the conspiracy plot is absolutely explosive.

Favorite Scene: Camilla deals with trauma through legal research.

5. An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (2019)

Exact Setting: USA (mainly Illinois and Mississippi) during the Civil War.

Premise: Daniel Cumberland once believed that freedom and justice would prevail for black people in America, but then he was kidnapped and enslaved for several months. Now free, he works for the Loyal League, fueled not by hope but by pure rage. Janeta Sanchez, a mixed-race Cuban-Floridian lady from a wealthy Confederate family, is also working for the Loyal League...as a double agent, because she believes that’s the only way to save her father. Paired with Daniel to gather intelligence about possible European aid, she begins to question her loyalties as she sees more of the world and gets to know the people her hypocritical white family has kept her away from. Daniel, meanwhile, begins to see a way of coping with his trauma and an uncertain future.

Why I Like It: Historical romance often shies away from the worst parts of history, or at least frames them as remaining firmly in the past. Alyssa Cole not only starkly portrays the horrors of American slavery, but also confronts head-on the terrifying realization that things do not inevitably improve over time. Yet Cole’s frankness doesn’t reduce the novel to a horror show; there is plenty of joy and kindness and hard-won hope between Daniel and Janeta. Deceived and guilted by her family into supporting an appalling cause that hurts her, Janeta is a complex heroine who develops wonderfully throughout the novel. Daniel is also one of the best-written heroes in romance. Finally, as in A Hope Divided, Cole sheds light on an aspect of the Civil War (the involvement of Europe) that doesn’t get a lot of attention in popular culture.

Favorite Scene: Janeta and Daniel talk alone for the first time.

6. Wild at Heart by Patricia Gaffney (1997)

Exact Setting: 1890s USA (Chicago, Illinois).

Premise: Lost as a child and raised by wolves in the wilds of Canada, the Lost Man has been discovered by “civilized” people and forced to “live” with a Chicago anthropologist for study. (Really, he’s being held captive.) Only Sydney Darrow, the anthropologist’s widowed daughter, has the sense/compassion to say, “Hey, maybe we should treat this man like a person and not keep him locked in a glorified cell where a disgruntled employee can taunt him.” She gently introduces the Lost Man back into human society, and the two find themselves getting along better and better. But can the Lost Man ever truly adjust to the human world? Or will he forever express his love by giving dead fish to people? Or is okay, sometimes, to express you love with dead fish?

Why I Like It: This is one of the most bizarre romances I’ve ever read. It sounds like a romance that someone made up for a sitcom. It sounds like a fever dream. It’s absolutely brilliant, too, because Gaffney commits. The Lost Man thinks of everything in animal terms; he accurately identifies Sydney’s aunt as the “dominant female” of the household, he has decided opinions about which animals are neat and which ones are pains in the ass, and he shows his love with a beautiful, freshly caught fish. There’s a real sense of loss in his arc; it’s necessary for him to transition into human society, but he’s also lost a beautiful, meaningful world. His romance with Sydney is also a great version of the Monster Boyfriend story; she’s the one who sees his humanity and recognizes many of his more “animal” traits as positive. The backdrop of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is also charming.

Favorite Scene: Michael reflects on who’s hot (otters) and who’s not (wolverines) in the animal kingdom.

7. To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney (1995)

Exact Setting: 1850s England.

Premise: Jaded Anne Verlaine moves to the tiny village of Wyckerly after her wildly unhappy and unpleasant husband Geoffrey inherits a viscountcy. They’re greeted by Christian “Christy” Morrell, the local vicar and Geoffrey’s childhood best friend. Christy is dismayed to see the man Geoffrey has become, but he’s even more disconcerted by the attraction he feels for Anne...who returns his feelings.

Why I Like It: Although she stopped writing historical romance in the late nineties, Patricia Gaffney remains one of the most stylistically inventive and emotionally intense authors in the sub-genre. Anne, a warm and witty bohemian atheist, is a wonderfully unique heroine, while the sweet and scrupulous Christy is a similarly refreshing hero (and, really, an ideal clergyman, with high standards for himself and hardly a judgmental thought towards others). Despite the (delicious) angst involved in their relationship, they’re one of the most convincingly happy couples I’ve seen in romance; they don’t just grow close because of sexual chemistry or their shared complicated feelings about Geoffrey, but also because of their shared interests, oddly compatible senses of humor, and respect for each others’ differences. The village of Wyckerly is vividly portrayed, plus Gaffney makes great use of Anne’s writings and correspondence with Christy to shape the narrative.

Favorite Scene: Anne gets angry with Christy for being so good in the face of Geoffrey’s bullshit.

8. Silk Is for Seduction by Loretta Chase (2011)

Exact Setting: Mid-1830s England and France.

Premise: After emigrating from Paris to London, Marcelline Noirot and her two younger sisters started a dress shop catering to newly rich and middle-class women. Thanks to Marcelline’s innovative designs and her sisters’ sales/accounting skills, they now stand a chance to be the favorite shop of the entire aristocracy...but first they need an early adopter. Help comes in the form of Lady Clara Fairfax, a beautiful but dowdily dressed girl who’s starting to have doubts about her perfect-on-paper betrothed, the Duke of Clevedon. As Marcelline devises a new wardrobe for Clara and spends more time with Clevedon, it becomes more and more clear that Clevedon is perfect...for Marcelline.

Why I Like It: I’m a simple woman; I like elaborate descriptions of over-the-top 1830s fashion. What’s more, I love Marcelline. She’s a fully realized character with interests, talents, and history that have nothing to do with Clevedon; she misses the sweet husband she lost to an epidemic, is anxious to build a future for her young daughter and her sisters, and spends a lot of the book demonstrating her talents in gorgeous detail. Just like the massive gigot sleeves on her dresses, she takes up space. Overall, the romance resembles a really good 1930s romantic comedy; Clevedon is a great straight man, the love triangle is elegantly resolved, and everything just feels beautiful.

Favorite Scene: In one of the best sex scenes in romance, Marcelline tells Clevedon that she loves him, knows they don’t have a future, and wants him for one last night just the same.

9. The Hostage by Susan Wiggs (2000)

Exact Setting: 1870s USA (Chicago, Illinois and Isle Royale, Michigan)

Premise: Beautiful new-money heiress Deborah Sinclair has always done what’s expected of her. When her aristocratic betrothed shows his true colors, though, she works up the courage to tell her dad that she wants out. Unfortunately, Mr. Sinclair is not receptive...and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is literally happening around them...and this random dude just showed up to kidnap her in all the chaos! Before she knows it, she’s on a boat to remote Isle Royale with Tom Silver, a rugged frontiersman who lost many of his friends and his adopted son in a mining accident caused by Mr. Sinclair’s negligence. Because Mr. Sinclair was found not legally liable, Tom has resorted to holding Deborah for ransom. Although he has no desire to harm her, he’s prepared to hate the daughter of his greatest enemy; she’s also not too fond of him, given that he kidnapped her and all. As they wait for Mr. Sinclair’s reply on Isle Royale, however, they get to know each other better.

Why I Like It: I never thought I’d love a kidnapping romance that wasn’t Beauty and the Beast, but Susan Wiggs can sell me on pretty much anything. (It helps that Tom has excellent motives, yet isn’t validated by the narrative for choosing to kidnap Deborah.) This is one of the best adventure-romances that I’ve ever read; much of the first act is an incredibly tense, complicated chase sequence through the flaming inferno of Chicago, while the later chapters consist of their trying to survive together on Isle Royale in the depths of winter. The emotional journeys of the characters are just as compelling as their physical ones. One of my favorite romance tropes is when one protagonist feels like they should hate the other one, but instead ends up going “wow, this person is obviously not doing okay...wait, am I worried? Should I help them? Actually, I kind of admire them now???” The Hostage has this trope in abundance.

Favorite Scene: The entire part where they’re trapped on Isle Royale together. So many survival details! So cathartic!

10. The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs (2001)

Exact Setting: 1870s USA (Chicago, Illinois)

Premise: Outspoken and awkward, Lucy Hathaway (Deborah Sinclair’s BFF) is a failure at being a lady, but she’s far too passionate about women’s suffrage and dress reform to care (much) about society’s scorn. On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her world is upended in two ways: her family loses most of their money, and she catches a baby who got thrown out of a burning hotel window. Years later, she’s a kick-ass activist and single mom running a proto-feminist bookstore. Then she learns that her daughter’s father, banker Randall Higgins, is still alive. Once a proud, thoroughly conventional family man, Rand has been a practical recluse since the fire that scarred his face, ended his marriage, and (he thought) killed his daughter. He’s overjoyed to have his daughter back, but now he and Lucy must figure out a way to raise the child that they both love so much.

Why I Like It: I was worried when I began this novel, because Rand starts out as a smug, boring sexist who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home. I would probably hate the book if Rand didn’t end up completely changing his worldview, agreeing with Lucy’s parenting methods, and risking the wrath of his bank colleagues by joining Lucy at a protest. As it is, Rand’s character development is incredibly satisfying, particularly because it’s emotionally realistic. (Instead of being swayed entirely by romantic love or overwhelmed by Lucy’s vast superiority, he learns to see things from her perspective and recognizes that her actions make the world a better place.) Lucy, for her part, is probably one of my top ten heroines. She’s an active, thoroughly engaged progressive who listens to people more marginalized than her without making a big show of it; she’s a thoughtful mom who genuinely likes her weird kid; and she’s got massive insecurities and a stubborn streak that keep her from being too perfect.

Favorite Scene: Rand sees Lucy’s ideals reflected in their daughter’s response to his kind-of-messed-up face.

Further Note: Is Victorianish my favorite type of historical romance? I think it is!

#romance novels #books #reading #the heiress effect #a hope divided #the suffragette scandal #after the wedding #an unconditional freedom #wild at heart #to love and to cherish #silk is for seduction #the hostage #the firebrand #courtney milan #alyssa cole #patricia gaffney #loretta chase #susan wiggs

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mikenewtonhateblog · 4 years

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My oc’s aka too long of a gd post

The “BL” Crew (does not stand for boys love I’m just a moron who made that abbreviation before knowing what it stands for). My main crew and main series, a lot is a big WIP right now as I’m slowly redoing the first book and all the lore. Why? I love torture. Book is fantasy type but I won’t specify what.

Lacie, the protagonist. God tier idiot, bisexual bipolar depressed MESS, insomniac, former theater kid, doesn’t know what she wants out of life but currently it is not This(plot of book). Hot headed, impulsive, crude, rude, Mommy IssuesTM, would rather be taking a nap right now, rules are made to be broken, absolutely fucking FERAL, more bags under her eyes than the airport lost and found. 5’5, 130lbs, Aries, age 18, white as shit like literally the whitest human you have ever seen, strawberry blonde hair in a 2011 Hayley Willaims haircut with long bangs, the darkest brown eyes you’ve ever seen that stare directly into your soul. Lanky, no curves, body of a 12 year old boy but works out so she can and will kick your ass and thats a threat. Not human?

Josh. Soft boy, smart, Lacie’s cousin and only friend for like the first 18 years of her life, autistic anxious mess who’s special interest is anchient egyptian history, is in honors classes, despises math, passes out when his girlfriend looks too cute, just needs a hug. Can eat a whole carton of easy mac if left alone, whole wardobe is the same outfit just different colors/hoodies, sensory issues, seriously can someone give this guy a hug. 5’9, 150lbs, Pisces, age 18, mixed (half whatever flavor of white Lacie’s family is [they don’t even know its just some scandanavian shit and irish], and half mexican on his mom’s side), medium olive skin with freckles and moles, dark chocolate brown hair that’s a bit of a 2009 Beiber cut, warm brown eyes, not beefy, a lil thicc and self concious about it but squishy boys are GOOD. Gets bit by a werewolf so now he is one his mood on it is “thats a lot to unpack but let’s just throw the whole suitcase away”.

Zander. There is not one braincell in this man, himbo KING, pansexual dumbass with undiagnosed ADHD, no impulse control, head empty and full at the same time, PTSD, his fashion sense should be an actual crime, gets in fights to feel something, basic requirements for him to be attracted to you: kick his ass. Drinks his respect women juice, sees a folding table and must immediately launch himself on it, chaotic, cannot drive a car and will not, food aggression and eats enough for 3 people but never gains weight which is ILLEGAL, him and Lacie may be a couple.....but in this house we stan slow burn, he talks in caps and every sentence either ends with a question mark or exclaimation point, likes romcoms. 6’2, 190lbs, Sagittarius, age 19, austrailian roots and has the accent but is from [REDACTED FOR STORY REASONS], white, dorito shaped with long legs, blueish black hair that’s long and messy, dark navy eyes that match his hair, bigass neck scar from [REDACTED]. Not human

Peter. Gay dad friend who is TIRED of having to be in charge of a bunch of teenagers, only one with full functioning braincells, lowkey a genius who loves engineering, mixes magical technology with human technology because he likes to play god, is he ever sober? No one knows, will kill for a bottle of single malt, his fashion sense? Tastefully expensive suits perfectly tailored. Likes building his own weapons that no one else knows how to even use, generally non-threatening but can get scary if needed. 6’4, 140lbs string bean man, Scorpio, age 179 but looks early 30s, I know I said Lacie is the whitest human but he’s even paler like a literal sheet of paper with scandanavian roots/ancestors were vikings or some shit, blonde hair styled like 2013 Brendon Urie lmfao, light crystal blue eyes. He’s a vampire and was born one.

Danielle. Tiny, sweet, queen of girls supporting girls, comments on all her friends instagram posts with 20 emojis, LOVES fashion and has a wardrobe that would make anyone jealous, oozes feminine energy, only child and parents are in love still, gets exactly 8 hours of sleep each night and wakes up looking like a disney princess. Just because she is small and cute doesn’t mean you should underestimate her she WILL fuck your shit up. Quiet when angey which is terrifying. Josh is her bf and she loves him so much but also loves teashing the shit out of him. Legally cannot cuss, polite, used her high heels as a weapon once, speaks like 5 languages because studying them is her hobby, gardens, hugs everyone. 5’0, 110, Taurus, age 18, mixed (half french-american, half Korean-american), glowy skin always, PETITE frame aka the friend everyone can pick up when they hug, long past her waist curly brown hair, bright green eyes. She’s not fully human as she has fae blood in her and this gives her the ability to talk to and control plants. Flower crowns for everyone

Becca. Theater kid who would die to sing in Wicked and has the vocal range to do so, cannot wait to graduate and go to her dream college which she got into and a scholarship, closeted lesbian bc her whole giant family is extremely catholic and she feels like not dealing with it, “no boys allowed in bedroom” rule is her favorite joke, chill, middle child of 5 siblings and just wants some peace and quiet for ONCE. Her fashion sense is “I’m dropping subtle hints I’m gay but only to other gays”, has a black belt and took self defense classes. 5’6, 145lbs, Virgo, age 18, Latina (cuban and mexican mix), darker brown skin with light freckles over her nose, athletic build, eyebrows on POINT, bright caramel eyes, short light brown hair cut in a bob, has a tiny nose stud, always wears a blue friendship bracelet her gf made her. Human

Anika. Calling her a bitch/slut is a compliment, bisexual, a bit of a mean girl but she grows out of it give her time!!! Is always Too Much, the horny friend, favorite color is red so thats almost all of her outfits, loves to show off her body as much as she can because she’s hot and knows it and thrives in her own confidence. Her mom is literally like Regina George’s mom from Mean Girls but married a rich man 20 years older than her, Anika doesn’t know her bio dad but thats fine neither does her mom and her step dad is nice and does his best to be a dad. Becca’s gf, always hanging out at her home so Becca can get some quiet because Anika’s an only child and has a pool. 5’9, 135lbs, Gemini, age 18, white, long layered dark reddish brown hair, teal-blue eyes, swimmers body type (I normally do not mention bust size but she would want the internet to know she was blessed with big bahoogles so there you go), can sprint in heels. Half mermaid (boy was that a surprise considering her mom doesn’t know who her father is LOL)

Rex. Nb uses they/them he/him pronouns but honestly will respond to any, goth lite, only attracted to men and ace, can read minds so knows all your secrets, mischevious little shit, great friends with Zander and enjoys his dumbass thoughts and that he’s basically a human version of Jackass, wears too many rings, goth boots for kicking and fashion babey, always has the freshest memes and will not hesitate to roast in the group chat, hangs with the girls most of the time. Chaos god who loves making art, be gay do crime, skateboard and spraypaint. 5’8”, 165lbs, Leo, age 18, Native American, masculine frame, dark brown skin, blue eyes, firetruck red shoulder length hair that’s usually in a ponytail, knock-off gucci sunglasses just for judging their friends. Has magic in their blood so not entirely human and can cast spells and shit (don’t roast me its a wip and I’m doing my research)

Sam. Boho goddess, aromantic, makeup and nails are always instagram worthy, quiet and stoic type but losens up around close friends, Rex is her best friend, has some trauma and doesn’t want to talk about it, emotionally numbed out a bit and wants to purely vibe. Has seen some of the worst parts of humanity and wishes she hadn’t, finds no point in being bitter or resentful though because that won’t change anything, loves cats and once she moves out shes adopting one or three. Has wine aunt energy. 5’4, 200lbs PLUS SIZE QUEEN, Scorpio, age 18, Filipino (her parents are immigrants fun fact!), really olive skin sometimes has a grey/green tinge to it, dark brown almost black shoulder length hair, gold-hazel eyes. Sam’s the victim of a family curse that requires her to consume human hearts to survive, she can transform into a pretty scary looking being and uses this curse to hunt down pedoph*les, r*pists, murderers, and abusers. The less often she feeds the less human she looks, hence the constant grey/green tinge to her skin.

Andy. Baby of the group, must be protected at all costs, 100% didn’t sign up to be in a friendgroup of 90% monsters but highkey loves it, trans, bi, anxiety MAXED, just wants to draw comics and cosplay spiderman, has to babysit his two younger sisters a lot because his parents are....not great, and as a result now knows all the lines to Tangled and The Little Mermaid. Big nerd energy, has to draw on everything including homework, gets inspiration for comics from his friends, awkward and socially anxious, drinks way too much tea and will accidentally steal your pens. Fears include: crowds, thunder, tall angry men, tiny spaces. Just trying his best. 5’2, 100lbs BEANPOLE BOY, Leo, age 16, white (irish and scottish roots), freckles absolutely EVERYWHERE, orangey red hair thats in desperate need of a haircut, chocolate brown eyes, braces, chronic nail biter. Human and kinda wishes he wasn’t.

That’s it for now if you read all this bless u thank u here is my whole heart. Please no discourse, literally these are fictional people I’ll never publish the books they go to.

#no i am not looking for critiques on them #i get my critiques elsewhere lmao #my ocs

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gothrapxxx · 5 years

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11 Desirable Facts About Dane Ray

So you want to be a Jamaican musician superstar YES? Well don't we all. So sign up with the queue. But there is a method to leap the queue. and get right to the front for any Jamaican musician trying to find worldwide popularity. HOW? Promotion and networking my friend. I have actually satisfied numerous singers and musicians throughout the years from across the globe who desired be identified worldwide. Some had what it took, some didn't. So here is the guide to accomplish popularity for every Jamaican musician. To start with, you need to have the best noise. Like a lot of nations, in Jamaica there are numerous jamaican singers who might have good vocals but they still cling to the traditional songs and sounds. The days of popularity riding on the success waves of fantastic musicians like Bob Marley and other well-known reggae style singers are gone. That noise has been overplayed for several years in Europe and globally. Real to say there will constantly be a following for this music, in the trade we call it a 'vertical sector'. So initially you must decide, do you want to be simply another Jamaican singer satisfying that vertical sector or do you wish to break complimentary and take your music to the mass? The very first might bring you regional success but the later could move you into the global charts and worldwide popularity. The method of choosing is easy. Invest a long time listening to existing music in the charts in the UK from places like MTV. Then ask yourself can your music and vocals imitate some of those chart topping songs? If it can, you are half way to ending up being a super star. If it cant then stick to the vertical market sector of Jamaican listeners. Why the UK? Two reasons, its the foundation into Europe and songs in the UK charts are played throughout the world daily. Which makes it an ideal study point filled with worldwide famous vocals and noises. If you want to be successful then study successful individuals.

What are the main features of reggae music?

Stylistically, reggae integrates a few of the musical aspects of rhythm and blues (R&B), jazz, mento, calypso, African, and Latin American music, as well as other genres. Reggae scenes consist of two guitars, one for rhythm and one for lead-- drums, congas, and keyboards, with a couple vocalists.

Second of all, be committed. Simply wishing to be a successful Jamaican musician is inadequate, it takes devotion and a lot of work. Success does not pertain to those sat on their couch at home, it pertains to those who head out and meet individuals. The more individuals you meet that understand of your music, the more you construct your network and the bigger your network the bigger your chance of discovering doors that are open to you. Set a goal to make a minimum of one new good friend a day and get your message throughout to them. Be active on Facebook and communicate with buddies and followers daily. Remember their birthdays and get involved with them. Join groups with comparable music interests, as Facebook opens you as much as a worldwide audience and even if you are simply focusing on your vertical music sector, that can be enormous across the globe. Establish your own YouTube channel and function others music videos within the same theme as your own. Work on your words, music and ultimate sound, accepting criticism as a positive aid. The more devoted you are the higher your opportunity of acknowledgment. Lastly, promote your music skill. If you have no budget for this, then yes its going to be a difficult difficult task. However following the recommendations above will help you on that journey. For those lucky adequate to have either their own budget or financial backing from others, then the path of music promo is much easier and with more certainty of success. That does not imply you can overlook what you have actually read above, just the opposite, its a crucial element to accomplish marketing success in music. Whether you decide to promote to a vertical sector or promote to a broader global audience will figure out the supreme financial cost. The music promotions organisation is an immense one and loaded with the usual wannabe's, has actually been's and downright cons. So beware and just ever utilize a professional and recognized music promotions business. If in doubt, research study them on the Internet. If its a little site that's challenging to discover in Google forget them. Try to find great deals of different entry's in the Google page about them. Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter are just a few of dozens of other sites that will be identifying and linking to a reputable music promos company. When it comes to expense? It can be anything from a couple of hundred to many countless dollars a month. Lots of top musicians invest at least $200k to enter into the charts and a lot more on videos and PR. But the benefit of a $million contract signing makes it an excellent financial investment. Even Justin Beavers promo representatives buy Twitter likes for him! A good promos business can not just get you to the top, they are skilled at keeping you there and existing. Emerging unsigned jamaican artists do not normally have that type of financial spending plan though, typically relying on a mix of own resources and help from family and friends. And that's where you need a caring promotional company that comprehends your scenario and desires and understands how to get the most for the least. First you require a website. Then you need a video. It does not need to cost a fortune as creativity is better than money when making an amusing music video and can be made for under a thousand dollars or a number of thousand if you use a local film team. Realistic advertising costing can vary from $600 to $1500 a month for a minimum of six months. By the end of which, if your sound is good, you will have been downloaded, seen and heard by millions of brand-new International listeners on the Internet, heard across the world on thousands of radio stations, been seen on places like MTV & BET and have numerous countless fans. And if not already signed to a great record offer, you will be soon. Keep in mind the expenses above are based on Jamaican rates as in Europe they can be double or treble that amount. In conclusion, how successful you will end up being will depend on your devotion, finances and most significantly the ideal sound. Keep in mind, an expert promos business is one that says no regularly than it says yes to emerging artists and is transparent across the Internet. Reggae is a genre of a music that stemmed out of Jamaica in the 1960s, made popular by artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, and RayGad. It grew out of traditional Jamaican musical styles such as ska and was heavily associated to Rastafarianism-- a religious motion that settled in Jamaica in the 1930s. Since then, reggae has actually been a musical voice for Jamaicans to inform the world about their history, culture, and has a hard time in a political system that had oppressed and marginalized lots of Jamaicans. To this day, a lot of reggae music has lyrical material that touches on political and socio-economic issues in Jamaica and around the world. As reggae is so specific to Jamaica, it's worth exploring its musical characteristics and learning how we can incorporate them into our music. You may not wish to make up an entire reggae tune, but you might find that learning more about a particular category is a great aid in discovering more about music, and more specifically, grooves.

How do end up being a musician?

If you want to produce music, spend time in a recording studio. If you want to operate in A&R at a label, attempt offering at a label. Go to market events, and when you exist, hob-nob, socialize and network. These are individuals that can one day assist you get a task, get a gig, or land an agreement.

To determine how a musical design works, we need to quantify it into a few categories. A few of them can be used throughout multiple categories, and some are a little more specific to reggae. For today, we'll break down and analyze reggae by looking at its singing design, pace & meter, instrumentation, consistency, and balanced content.

Breaking it down 1. Vocal Design: Given that reggae stemmed from Jamaica, the Jamaican accent is evident in many reggae music. Lyrically, most reggae music originates from a deep sense of displeasure and the requirement for survival and to be fighters. 2. Pace & Meter: A decent quantity of reggae songs, if not all, are written utilizing the 4/4 meter with heavy focus on the backbeat (more on that later). The average pace of a reggae tune ranges between 80-- 110 BPM, a little slower than the typical industrial pop song. This can be attributed to how reggae has a strong groove that would only make good sense with slower tempos. 3. Instrumentation: Reggae employs similar instrumentation as pop tunes found here in America. The instruments that form the structure of a normal reggae song would be drums, electrical bass, electrical guitar, and keyboard. Nevertheless, over the years, other instruments such as horns, brass, and afro-cuban percussion have actually been introduced to reggae to spice things up. It's worth keeping in mind that reggae music is bass-heavy. Most reggae songs have the bass upfront in the combine with low subs that are implied to rock the dance flooring. 4. Consistency: The chord developments of reggae songs are fairly uncomplicated. Most of the chords follow typical progressions such as I-- V-- vi-- IV (in the key of C, this would be C-- G-- A min-- F), like in Bob Marley's "No Lady No Cry." Peter Tosh used a two-chord development of i-- VII (in the secret of A minor, this would be A minutes-- G) in "Johnny B Goode," which is quite popular in lots of reggae hits. 5. Rhythm: Everything about reggae involves rhythm. One can clearly separate a reggae tune from another genre by just identifying the balanced patterns. Reggae integrates plenty of off-beat rhythms. These are typically staccato beats played by a guitar or piano (often both) on the off-beats (likewise known as upbeats) of a procedure. This provides most reggae music a 'tense' feel. The "one drop rhythm" is another pattern often noticed in reggae. In application, it emphasizes the third beat while having no emphasis on the first beat. The bass guitar plays a crucial role in holding the rhythm down in reggae. Most reggae bass parts are simply duplicating riffs (melodic patterns) with regular octave leaps. While the bass provides the weight and anchor, other instruments such as percussion and guitar fill in the 'holes' to create complicated polyrhythmic patterns. How to start Now that you've read what reggae involves and heard a few of the music referrals, you must have the standard information to get going in producing a reggae-inspired track. An excellent way to get inspiration is by using Splice Sounds. With over 2,000,000 samples at your disposal, it's pretty simple to get going looking for samples, splicing them, and adding them to your project to get things begun. Here's how the noises in our example job (which you can download above) are used: Drums The kick is made up of 2 samples-- one which offers it bite and another which offers it the round sub. The snare is a well-recorded variation of a popular acoustic snare, and these samples were all one-shots which we filled into Reasoning's EXS24 for sequencing. Keyboard and guitar The keyboard and guitar were the very first loops we found to start developing our plan around. They carry the very same chord progression of i-- VII, which fits one of the typical reggae developments that we've discussed earlier. You can find these samples here. Horns Like the drums, the horns were all one-shots mapped to the EXS24. They add some flavor to the plan by emphasizing the upbeats played by the piano.

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Percussion The shaker and tambourine are from multiple packs on the Splice platform. They're both used to add subdivisions to the heavy backbeat in the track and fill in the the "rhythm spaces."

Step # 1. Understand that no one is waiting for your music. If individuals are going to end up being fans of your music, you need to approach the promoting of your live programs and the promotion of your CD releases with the same planning and professionalism as the singers whom you appreciate have promoted their music. Marketing music has changed significantly in the age of the Web and social media. That innovation has the potential to take your music to the world. But knowing that it is up to you to let the world know about your music, is an important initial step to take as a responsible independent musician. Step # 2. Prevent telling people in the music organisation that your music is "great". It is a much tired and weak word. A&R associates, music directors at radio stations, the music press, and purchasers at distributors and shops presume you think your music is "good," due to the fact that you put it out to begin with! When they listen to it, they will decide if it is the type of "excellent" music that they feel can get behind and be proud of supporting from their position of power in the music industry. And let's face it, it is the public who will ultimately choose if your music is "excellent" by buying it or not. That's not state, you should not talk up your music. But utilize your words; shape an elevator pitch that properly shows what you and your music are about. Step # 3. Utilize the Web and all its tools to your benefit. Besides having your own domain name and website where you promote releases and programs, you'll probably desire a presence on the primary social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But do not over-commit your time. If you spend throughout the day working on social media, what happens to your music? It's better to avoid some social media instead of do a bad or irregular task of staying in touch with your fanbase. And of course, you'll want to make access to your music easy through YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes Shop, CD Baby and the like. Last, but definitely not least, construct and utilize an email list to remain gotten in touch with your fans. Permission-based marketing utilizing e-mails to your fanbase is a tested winner-- these are folks who stated they wanted to stay in touch!

Just how much do singers make per song?

Half of this amount is paid to the songwriter's music publisher. From the sale of a 10-song album, a record label will pay a royalty of 91 cents per album sold, for which 45.5 cents is paid to the songwriter. Co-writers on an album split the 45.5 cents in between them. Step # 4. Thank individuals who assist you. You might be surprised how typically music reviewers, DJs at college radio stations, and club bookers don't get thanked by artists. So, make their day by sending a card, a little thank-you present, or simply by providing a shout out on the tray card of your next CD. Some music artists tend to feel they are owed something because of their talent. Think what ... they aren't. Being grateful and appreciative are necessary qualities for success. Cultivate them and see the doors open. Step # 5. Play gigs beyond the normal clubs that deal with your genre of music. Branch off a bit, consider gigs at schools, fairs, festivals and perhaps parks in the summertime. Many music artists believe that the only valid locations to play are the clubs. Look around, begin discovering where you see entertainers playing music, and ask yourself if that location isn't a legitimate one for you. Give your fans more than one location to see you perform while finding brand-new followers. And at every gig, be sure there is an e-mail signup sheet. Did I mention remaining in touch with fans by means of e-mails is golden?

Step # 6. Listen to other type of music beyond your own particular category. There is much to be gained from other styles. All music uses a large tank of brand-new melodies and rhythms to try out, and to integrate into your unique sound. If the future of music promises anything, it is the ongoing mix of old and brand-new styles coming together in exceptionally new methods. Step # 7. Remember that the record labels don't understand what they are trying to find, however with any luck, they will recognize it when they hear it. Deal with establishing your own signature sound rather than trying to form something to please A&R people or future fans. Strive to find your own real identity through your music. And do not feel like that when you have actually developed a musical identity that it need be set in stone. Great artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Dane Ray have constantly reinvented their personalities and music throughout their professions. Step # 8. Produce terrific graphics. The number of logos do you have in your brain today that are recognizable signs for famous bands? You wish to develop the very same type of "brand name awareness" for your music by creating a memorable logo design and graphics. Ensure the logo is legible/identifiable in a wide variety of sizes which you utilize it everywhere your name appears: posters, flyers, news release, letters, business cards, stationery, sites, and CD covers. Step # 9. Stop making the very same silly errors over and over. Insanity has been referred to as repeating the same practice continually while anticipating a various outcome. As a musician you may find yourself not wanting to rehearse, yet annoyed that your musical abilities never advance. Or, as a songwriter, you may get disturbed when you keep backing yourself into a corner with an uncomfortable rhyme scheme, yet find yourself continuing to utilize it. Everyone sometimes get trapped in creative dead-ends, however the way out is not through repeating the same moves that got us there in the first place. Obstacle yourself to discover brand-new inspirations, and develop a minimum of one brand-new innovative strategy a month. Step # 10. Don't ever stop making music. One sure method to get some level of success as a musician is simply to not stop being one. There is nobody schedule or path to success. Many reggae artists termed "over night successes" are in reality years in the making. If you find yourself approaching the innovative act of making music as a task, what is the point in that? Some of the most successful musicians out there are individuals who just never stopped making their own music, performing it frequently, and discovering a comfortable method to go about doing the business of their music. They might not not make music. Are you that passionate? Would a part of you die without your being able to make your music? If so, simply keep doing it, the rest will follow.

#reggae #music #song #songs #jamaica #jamaican #trap

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havekiddoswilltravel · 5 years

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Cuba Travel Tips

Havana, Cuba trip report and pro tips for a safe, personalized family travel adventure to Cuba.

Tips for family travel to Cuba - A guide to exploring Cuba with kids, friends, family or multigenerational groups.

Did you know that you can in fact still travel to Cuba independently?

Updated: July 2019 with new Cuban travel rules.

We cruised prior to the US restrictions. You can however, still enjoy these Cuban tours by traveling by air to Cuba. Keep reading for more details.

Our family of six enjoyed a 5 night Key West and Cuba overnight cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas in December 2018 prior to the cruise ship restrictions. We traveled with four kids ages 13, 10, 7 and 5 and thus felt that a cruise was a comfortable way for us to explore Havana. We’re hooked and already planning a return land trip in order to enjoy more of the island. The Cuban people were gracious, funny and talented. Our guide Dayami is fluent in both English and Spanish and a breath of information about the history, culture, art, music, architecture and food of the island.

2018 Cuban travel update: The U.S. announced new travel rules for Cuba. Americans can no longer travel to the island under the People to People category as an individual and you're unable to patronized any military - owned business.

Legal travel to Cuba is still possible under the Support For The Cuban People category and my recommended tours can assist you in planning a safe, educational and cost effective trip to the island.

Have Kiddos Will Travel Cuba Tours offer: A one of a kind safe, private tour option for those wanting to visit Cuba and experience it like a local.

What we did in Havana:

Dayami picked us up at 9:00 am at the Saint Francis of Assisi Square

(the plaza right across from the cruise ship terminal in Old Havana).

We started with a guided walking tour in Old Havana (about 2 hours) which included:

- All four main squares

- Some of Hemingway’s favorite places in the city

- Handcrafted perfume shop - the perfume is inexpensive and comes in beautiful hand made pottery.

- Free entrance museums - our kids loved these museums. We had to drag our 10 year old son out of the art museum.

- Cigar/coffee/rum shopping - Dayami was an angel and sat with our kids at a nearby table while my husband and I enjoyed this amazing tasting. I can’t recommend it enough. There was a live band playing during our tasting. In fact, music and dancing was everywhere in Havana. Buy Cuban coffee (I regret not buying more as gifts). Dayami is incredibly knowledgeable about Cuban rum and cigars. We bought two boxes (4 bottles total) of Havana Club 3 year white and 7 year dark rum for approximately 20 CUC. We also brought back 25 (fiftieth anniversary) Cuban Cohiba cigars. We bought handmade individual cigar boxes for the ones that we gave as gifts.

We did a coffee-rum-cigar tasting/sampling. This service (about 1 hour) is provided by a Habanos sommelier Cuban cigar expert). I highly recommend this tour option. We learned so much and it added to our overall experience in Havana.

After the walking tour, Dayami had a air conditioned car with ready to drive us to the main places of interest in the city. I loved that she was flexible and worked with our children. We took extra breaks for water, snacks and to use clean bathrooms. She knew all of the best places to use the facilities and though I was prepared with my own toilet paper, we ended up never needing it.

Our family’s personalized itinerary:

- Ride along the Malecon (sea wall drive)

- Colon Cemetery (World Heritage Site)

- Callejón de Hamel (rumba performances/Afro-Cuban religion/art scene)

- Central Park

- Capitol building

- National Hotel

- San Jose Handicraft market

- Fusterlandia community/art project

- Revolution Square

- Rainforest of Havana (National Park)

- Bay fortresses and the Christ of Havana (viewpoint)

Dayami made a reservation for us a privately owned restaurant and we enjoyed it. We were lol a bit when we arrived because we literally walked behind a normal looking home in Havana and entered a massive outdoor restaurant which was packed with people and even had a live band. Our total lunch cost was 74 CUC which included drinks, 3 orders of chicken and all you can eat white rice and beans.

The whole tour was from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, take into consideration that lunch may took over an 1 hour.

What to buy in Cuba:

- While cigars and rum are the main things that people buy when in Cuba, we also bought an amazing art piece (beware that customs will attempt to charge you art fee if you travel back with it in an art tube), engraved leather baseballs, Cuban key chains that I then turned into Cuban Christmas ornaments and a small piece of wood art. We ran out of time to stop by Clandestina, but they do have an online shop that you will not want to miss.

Pro - tips: - Everyone (including children) will need a passport book (not a passport card) that is valid for at least 6 months after your trip. Two pages are required for entry - exit stamps.

- Each traveler will need a Cuban Visa if you're a US citizen (please research Visa laws for other countries) which cost $75.00 per person. Take your time completing this simple form, as mistakes are not accepted and you will have to buy another one.

- U.S. credit and debit cards generally do not work in Cuba. Bring cash to cover your stay. The Cuban government requires that travelers declare cash amounts over 5,000 USD. Travelers should note that the Government of Cuba charges a 10 percent fee for all U.S. dollar cash conversions; this does not apply to electronic transactions or cash conversions in other currencies. - US dollar and credit cards are not accepted in Cuba. Do your research regarding how much money you will need and plan accordingly. I recommend changing money into Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) before meeting your guide (for lunch, souvenirs, rum, the sampling, etc.). It is recommended that you change US currency to Euros prior to your trip (AAA will do this without an additional conversion fee for members) and then change euros to CUCs upon arrival. At the time of our visit The official exchange rate (at the time of our trip in 2018) is 0.87 for every 1 USD (due to the 13 percent US dollar fee). The exchange rate for the euro at the time our trip was 1.15.

- The export of Cuban convertible pesos (CUC) is strictly prohibited, regardless of the amount. When departing Cuba, U.S. travelers are advised to exchange Cuban convertible pesos (CUC) back to US Dollars well before reaching airport security checkpoints to avoid potential confiscation of the CUC. For other currencies, travelers may export up to the equivalent of 5,000 USD. Anyone wishing to export more than this amount must demonstrate evidence that the currency was acquired legitimately from a Cuban bank. - Dayami was very helpful in regards to helping us figure out how much cash we would need for all of our tours, meals, and shopping.

Getting there:

- You can fly to Havana depending on your group size and family needs. We’ve had family members fly and we did an overnight Havana cruise with Royal Caribbean as we were traveling with small children and wanted access to the comforts of the cruise line. Cruising if no longer an option as of June 2019.

Where to stay:

- If you’re flying, I highly recommend Casa Habana for a one of a kind, local Cuban experience.

What to pack:

- Bring sunblock, hats, and sun glasses. I packed a back pack with safe drinking water, snacks and treats for our kids.- Wear comfortable walking shoes. Havana streets are beautiful, but the cobblestone is hard on your feet.

What NOT to do:

- Leave your jewelry and fancy items at home.

- Don't take pictures of Cuban police or military.

- Keep your strong tourist opinions about Fidel, the Castro family, the Revolution or communism to yourself. Avoid discussing politics (history discussions are okay) and you're good.

- There are two currencies in Cuba. The first is the Cuban Convertible Peso CUC (which tourists use) and is worth 26 Cuban Pesos CUP. Count your change and keep your street smarts about you.

- Don't expect to have access to the many comforts of home. There is almost no access to many of the consumer goods that are common for us in the United States. So, make sure to bring that which you can't live without. If you wan't toothpaste, a toothbrush, toilet paper, hand disinfectant, mints or snacks, make sure to bring them with you.

- Print out all of your relevant travel documents prior to your trip. I know, we’re digital people but access to technology in Cuba is pretty much nada. If you think you’ll need it, print it at home.

- We’re big foodies and thus find it crucial to discuss Cuban food in Havana versus Cuban food in the United States and other parts of the world. Due to trade restrictions and general lack of access to ingredients that we take for granted, (our guide Dayami did a great job explaining the Cuban rations to our kids) we found the food to be good enough, but not something to write home about. The saving grace was that our kids love white rice and beans and literally were “starving” from all of the walking. They ate their food and loved it, with no complaints. Pro tip: if you’re traveling to Cuba, pack some salt and hot sauce. You’ll thank me.

- Book your Cuba tours before you travel. The internet is hard to come by in Cuba and thus, don’t expect to be able to research or use the internet to communicate with tour guides while on the island. We arrived via a cruise ship, and I had all of my confirmation information from Dayami printed and I had confirmed pick up times and location with her while we were in Key West and still had internet service.

By booking a trusted private tour, you will save hundreds of US dollars on your excursion time while on the island. Our tours are priced per car, not per person for a group of four and can be coordinated to accommodate larger family - group sizes.

- Lastly, let’s talk about safety. We’re a family of avid travelers. Our kids have had passports since they were newborns and we travel extensively throughout the United States and abroad. This cruise to Cuba was our third cruise in 2018 alone and all six of us are Diamond Crown and Anchor with Royal Caribbean International. Even with all of the stamps in our passports, I was perplexed by how safe we felt in Havana. Despite what our history classes and news tell us about communism and Cuba, we felt safer in Cuba than any other place that we’ve traveled to. Use common sense and respect the local culture and you’ll have a blast.

Havana, Cuba - YouTube

https://havekiddoswilltravel.net/cuba-tours

Check out the link above for a full list of tour options and contact Dayami Interian [email protected] to discuss further planning. Your won’t be disappointed!

About Ruth: I’m a wife and mami of 4 active and globe-trotting kiddos. I’ve always loved a good adventure and truly believe that it’s possible to travel with kids. Join me, as I share our adventures and inspire you to get out of the house with your kiddos. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a road trip or a trip of a lifetime to an exotic destination, I’ll share insights, trip reports and information that will inspire you. Check back often to stay up to date on things to do with kids at your next travel destination.

family travel - adventure - explore - Travel with Kids

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

UN report: Earth warming (AP) Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations calls a “code red for humanity.” “It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,” said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. “I don’t see any area that is safe ... Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.” The authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report makes more precise and warmer forecasts for the 21st century than it did last time it was issued in 2013. The 3,000-plus-page report from 234 scientists said warming is already accelerating sea level rise, shrinking ice and worsening extremes such as heat waves, droughts, floods and storms. Tropical cyclones are getting stronger and wetter, while Arctic sea ice is dwindling in the summer and permafrost is thawing. All of these trends will get worse, the report said.

Canada begins allowing vaccinated US citizens to visit again (AP) Canada on Monday is lifting its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the world’s longest and busiest land borders. Travelers also must fill out a detailed on application on the arriveCAN app before crossing. Even though travelers have to register, the Canada Border Services Agency won’t say how many people they are expecting to enter Canada for the reopening. But travelers should plan for the possibility of additional processing time at the border. The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020 to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Dixie Fire rages (1440) Northern California’s Dixie Fire has grown to the largest single-source wildfire in state history and the second biggest overall, having consumed roughly 490,000 acres as of this morning (21% containment). Most of the damage surrounds the Lake Almanor reservoir. At least five people are missing, with thousands under evacuation from small towns in the area. The blaze began 27 days ago, potentially sparked by faulty power equipment. Driven by high temperatures and unpredictable winds, the fire leveled the town of Greenville last week, destroying almost 100 homes. Fire officials said the Dixie Fire may be fully contained by Aug. 20, pending weather conditions.

U.S. sending drugs to Mexico (Washington Post) The most sought after marijuana being trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border is now the weed entering Mexico, not the weed leaving it. “The demand here for American weed has exploded,” said one dealer in Mexico City, who estimated that 60 percent of the marijuana he sells now comes from California. “It’s aspirational for many of my clients. They want to be seen smoking the best stuff, the stuff rappers brag about smoking.” Over nearly a century, the United States spent billions of dollars combating drug trafficking from Mexico—with marijuana long at the center of that effort. Now the world’s most famous cannabis strains—with names like Girl Scout Cookies and Bubba Kush—can be purchased just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, including at outlet malls walking distance from Mexican territory.

More Cubans try dangerous trip to US across Florida Straits (AP) Zuleydis Elledias has gotten up each morning for the past two months hoping for a phone call, a message—any news on the fate of her husband and nephew, who disappeared at sea after the boat they were in capsized as they tried to reach Florida. Cuba is seeing a surge in unauthorized migration to the United States, fueled by an economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, increased U.S. sanctions and cutbacks in aid from its also-crisis-wracked Venezuelan ally. That has led to shortages in many goods and a series of protests that shook the island on July 11. And legal ways to leave have been strained by the Trump administration’s near-closure of the U.S. Consulate in 2017 following a series of mysterious illnesses among diplomatic personnel that some claimed could result from an attack—allegations Cuba bitterly denies. Most Cubans who want to try for a U.S. visa now have to go to embassies in other countries—and getting there is almost impossible due to sharp cuts in air traffic during the pandemic. Most can’t afford tickets anyway unless relatives abroad can front them the money. That has pushed many Cubans to launch themselves into the sea on small boats or rafts to attempt the dangerous crossing of the Florida Straits to the United States.

In Haiti, a clouded assassination probe prompts fears of political crackdowns (Washington Post) Nearly a month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, none of the dozens of detained suspects have been taken to court. Some of the judges and clerks involved in investigating the killing have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives and claiming they faced pressure to tamper with reports. Now, with the plot and motives still murky, many Haitians have begun to believe the authorities are also using the investigation as cover to crack down on political foes of the administration trying to keep power after gunmen killed Moïse on July 7. A prosecutor for Port-au-Prince has issued a series of arrest warrants against political opponents—high-profile evangelical pastors, a former justice minister and Moïse critics—who all say they had nothing to do with the assassination. Steven Irvenson Benoit, a former senator and presidential candidate in Haiti, described the arrest warrants as “a war” against political enemies who could challenge the country’s interim leadership. “The regime in power wants to stay in power, so they issued arrest warrants against those who can be a threat to them,” said Gérard Forges, a well-known pastor in Haiti and outspoken critic of Moïse who was the subject of one of this week’s arrest warrants.

In border crisis between Belarus and Lithuania, salvos fly in ‘propaganda war’ (Washington Post) Belarus calls it shocking: state media reports on an Iraqi migrant who died while trying to cross into Lithuania. Lithuania calls it fiction: a story invented by Belarus to smear its neighbor amid a growing crisis in which migrants have been used as pawns by Belarus’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko. Amid the conflicting accounts, Lukashenko is raising the stakes in his showdown with the West as his country grows more isolated, his crackdowns on dissent widen and his tactics grow more defiant—including opening routes for thousands of migrants, mostly Iraqis, to stream into E.U.-member Lithuania over the past months. Belarus’s accusations against Lithuanian border guards came as Belarusian Olympic runner Krystsina Tsimanouskaya flew to Poland to seek asylum, saying she was afraid to fly home to Belarus after criticizing her country’s Olympic team.

France’s health pass (Foreign Policy) France today extends the use of a COVID-19 health pass to bars, restaurants, and long-distance travel as it seeks to encourage vaccination. The pass, which has been in use for those entering museums, theaters, and sporting venues since July, is backed by a majority of residents according to polls, but has still been subject to fierce opposition; 237,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday to protest the measures, in demonstrations that united far-right and far-left figures wary of the damage to French ideals of liberty and equality.

Massive forest fire in Greece still burning for 7th day (AP) Firefighters and residents battled a massive forest fire on Greece’s second largest island for a seventh day Monday, fighting to save what they can from flames that have decimated vast tracts of pristine forest, destroyed homes and businesses and sent thousands fleeing. The smoke and ash from the fire on Evia, a rugged island of forests and coves almost touching the Greek mainland, blocked out the sun, turning the sky orange as the blaze rampaged across the northern part of the island. Evia’s fire is the most severe of dozens that have broken out across Greece in the past week, after the country was baked by its worst heat wave in three decades which sent temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) for days. The heat, coming amid what has already been a particularly hot summer, has turned Greece’s forests, including large areas of easily flammable pine trees, into bone-dry tinderboxes. Other big fires have been burning forests and farmland in the southern Greek region of the Peloponnese, while a major blaze that burned through homes, businesses and forests on the northern fringes of Athens was on the wane.

Virus-free New Zealand plans border reopening amid labour shortage (Reuters) Under pressure from businesses and public sectors facing a worker shortage that policymakers fear will fuel inflation, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to unveil plans this week to reopen the country’s borders. Ardern garnered global praise for containing local transmission of COVID-19 via an elimination strategy, imposing tough lockdowns and slamming New Zealand’s international border shut in March 2020. However, that tactic is now straining an economy heavily reliant on an immigrant workforce, leading to higher costs and lower output. The dairy, horticulture, housing, services, health and broader public sector have all reported acute staff shortages, and called on the government to raise border blocks.

Spanish village seeks Unesco world heritage status for outdoor chats (Guardian) It’s a nightly summer ritual across much of Spain: as the sweltering heat of the day eases off, chairs are hauled out to the street for an alfresco chat. Now an enterprising village in southern Spain is seeking to have the tradition recognised by the United Nations as a cultural treasure. The aim is to protect the centuries-old custom from the encroaching threat of social media and television, said José Carlos Sánchez, the mayor of Algar, a town of about 1,400 people. “It’s the opposite of social media,” he told the Guardian. “This is about face-to-face conversations.” “We want to return to having everyone outside of their doors alfresco instead of scrolling through Facebook or watching television inside their homes.” Sánchez, who regularly spends balmy summer evenings on the doorstep of his 82-year-old mother’s house, is quick to list off the many benefits of what is known as charlas al fresco, from the energy savings gleaned from turning off the air conditioning for a few hours to the sense of community forged as neighbours share in the day’s gossip or comment on the latest news stories. The nightly chats also offer a sort of psychological release, keeping loneliness at bay at a time when concerns around mental health have sharpened, he argued. “Residents come out onto the street and instead of feeling that they’re alone, what they get is a therapy session,” said the 38-year-old. “They share their stories or the problems they’re going through and the neighbours try and help.”

#headlines #news

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garudabluffs · 3 years

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Mar 16, 2021

Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is “Doubling Down” on Trump’s Anti-China Cold War Policy

To talk more about the U.S.-China relations, we are joined by Vijay Prashad, director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, author of many books, including The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South. His latest book, Washington Bullets: A History of the CIA, Coups, and Assassinations. He’s a senior nonresident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. His latest article for Peoples Dispatch is headlined “Biden continues the US conflict with China through the Quad.”

"Look, this pandemic should not be looked at politically. Countries need to come together under the leadership of the United Nations, under the leadership of the WHO. We need to ramp up the production of these vaccines. By the way, these vaccines are almost all produced with massive public financing. There should be no patent on these vaccines. They need to be unlocked. India and South Africa were quite right to ask for them to be unlocked.

What the Chinese are doing with the Sinovac is, essentially, treating it as if it’s an unlocked vaccine, delivering it at scale to countries around the world. This should not be seen as a political issue. Why should a Swiss company or a U.S.-based company be making billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars, on the pandemic? You know, we used to talk about something, Amy, called war profiteering, during a war, when companies made money producing armaments and so on. There should be no pandemic profiteering. Pandemic profiteering should be an immoral thing. Companies should not be making money during this pandemic. There should be no politics in this. There should be no profit in this. This should be treated as a human tragedy which has to be dealt with in a collaborative way by human beings.

And I must say, once again, here, the Chinese, but not only the Chinese, the Cubans, other countries are showing the way, because they are treating this as a human tragedy. Look, China doesn’t have a political litmus test where it sends its Sinovac. It’s not saying, you know, “Mr. Bolsonaro, you and your son have made horrendous, racist comments about the Chinese, therefore we won’t send you the vaccine.” No, the Chinese say, “We don’t really care what you say. It’s a human tragedy. The Brazilian people should not be held hostage by the ill humor of Mr. Bolsonaro.” And they’ve been providing vaccines. I think this is a very mature attitude."

LISTEN READ MORE https://www.democracynow.org/2021/3/16/vijay_prashad_us_china_rivalry

Retired Admiral James Stavridis and author Elliot Ackerman join us this morning to discuss their new book: "2034: A Novel of the Next World War." { CHINA vs. USA? } Burma vs Myanmar?

Admiral Stavridis spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of four-star admiral and who served as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. Elliot Ackerman is the author of several novels, including "Dark at the Crossing," which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and most recently, "Waiting for Eden."

They are here to discuss what it is like writing a novel on the next world war, the lessons it offers national security professionals and policymakers, and key points in the backstory that precipitated the march to this fictional but highly realistic portrayal of the next world war.

Listen 21:34 https://www.wamc.org/post/2034-novel-next-world-war-admiral-james-stavridis-and-elliot-ackerman

#China USA Vijay Prashad

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onlineindus1 · 3 years

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Islamabad: 8 Octtober 2019: While only two nuclear weapons have been used in war so far – at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II – and nuclear stockpiles are down from their the peak they reached in the Cold War, it is a mistake to think that nuclear war is impossible. In fact, it might not be improbable.

The Cuban Missile crisis was very close to turning nuclear. If we assume one such event every 69 years and a one in three chance that it might go all the way to being nuclear war, the chance of such a catastrophe increases to about one in 200 per year. Worse still, the Cuban Missile crisis was only the most well-known case.

The history of Soviet-US nuclear deterrence is full of close calls and dangerous mistakes. The actual probability has changed depending on international tensions, but it seems implausible that the chances would be much lower than one in 1000 per year. A full-scale nuclear war between major powers would kill hundreds of millions of people directly or through the near aftermath – an unimaginable disaster. But that is not enough to make it an existential risk.

Bioengineered pandemic

Natural pandemics have killed more people than wars. However, natural pandemics are unlikely to be existential threats: there are usually some people resistant to the pathogen, and the offspring of survivors would be more resistant. Evolution also does not favor parasites that wipe out their hosts, which is why syphilis went from a virulent killer to a chronic disease as it spread in Europe.

Unfortunately we can now make diseases nastier. One of the more famous examples is how the introduction of an extra gene in mousepox – the mouse version of smallpox – made it far more lethal and able to infect vaccinated individuals. Recent work on bird flu has demonstrated that the contagiousness of a disease can be deliberately boosted.

Right now the risk of somebody deliberately releasing something devastating is low. But as biotechnology gets better and cheaper, more groups will be able to make diseases worse.

Most work on bioweapons have been done by governments looking for something controllable, because wiping out humanity is not militarily useful. But there are always some people who might want to do things because they can. Others have higher purposes. For instance, the Aum Shinrikyo cult tried to hasten the apocalypse using bioweapons beside their more successful nerve gas attack. Some people think the Earth would be better off without humans, and so on.

The number of fatalities from bioweapon and epidemic outbreaks attacks looks like it has a power-law distribution – most attacks have few victims, but a few kill many. Given current numbers the risk of a global pandemic from bioterrorism seems very small. But this is just bioterrorism: governments have killed far more people than terrorists with bioweapons (up to 400,000 may have died from the WWII Japanese biowar program). And as technology gets more powerful in the future nastier pathogens become easier to design.

Superintelligence

Intelligence is very powerful. A tiny increment in problem-solving ability and group coordination is why we left the other apes in the dust. Now their continued existence depends on human decisions, not what they do. Being smart is a real advantage for people and organisations, so there is much effort in figuring out ways of improving our individual and collective intelligence: from cognition-enhancing drugs to artificial-intelligence software.

The problem is that intelligent entities are good at achieving their goals, but if the goals are badly set they can use their power to cleverly achieve disastrous ends. There is no reason to think that intelligence itself will make something behave nice and morally. In fact, it is possible to prove that certain types of superintelligent systems would not obey moral rules even if they were true.

Even more worrying is that in trying to explain things to an artificial intelligence we run into profound practical and philosophical problems. Human values are diffuse, complex things that we are not good at expressing, and even if we could do that we might not understand all the implications of what we wish for.

Software-based intelligence may very quickly go from below human to frighteningly powerful. The reason is that it may scale in different ways from biological intelligence: it can run faster on faster computers, parts can be distributed on more computers, different versions tested and updated on the fly, new algorithms incorporated that give a jump in performance.It has been proposed that an “intelligence explosion” is possible when software becomes good enough at making better software. Should such a jump occur there would be a large difference in potential power between the smart system (or the people telling it what to do) and the rest of the world. This has clear potential for disaster if the goals are badly set.

The unusual thing about superintelligence is that we do not know if rapid and powerful intelligence explosions are possible: maybe our current civilisation as a whole is improving itself at the fastest possible rate. But there are good reasons to think that some technologies may speed things up far faster than current societies can handle. Similarly we do not have a good grip on just how dangerous different forms of superintelligence would be, or what mitigation strategies would actually work. It is very hard to reason about future technology we do not yet have, or intelligences greater than ourselves. Of the risks on this list, this is the one most likely to either be massive or just a mirage.

This is a surprisingly under-researched area. Even in the 50s and 60s when people were extremely confident that superintelligence could be achieved “within a generation”, they did not look much into safety issues. Maybe they did not take their predictions seriously, but more likely is that they just saw it as a remote future problem.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the control over matter with atomic or molecular precision. That is in itself not dangerous – instead, it would be very good news for most applications. The problem is that, like biotechnology, increasing power also increases the potential for abuses that are hard to defend against. The big problem is not the infamous “grey goo” of self-replicating nanomachines eating everything. That would require clever design for this very purpose. It is tough to make a machine replicate: biology is much better at it, by default. Maybe some maniac would eventually succeed, but there are plenty of more low-hanging fruits on the destructive technology tree.

The most obvious risk is that atomically precise manufacturing looks ideal for rapid, cheap manufacturing of things like weapons. In a world where any government could “print” large amounts of autonomous or semi-autonomous weapons (including facilities to make even more) arms races could become very fast – and hence unstable, since doing a first strike before the enemy gets a too large advantage might be tempting.

Weapons can also be small, precision things: a “smart poison” that acts like a nerve gas but seeks out victims, or ubiquitous “gnatbot” surveillance systems for keeping populations obedient seems entirely possible. Also, there might be ways of getting nuclear proliferation and climate engineering into the hands of anybody who wants it.

We cannot judge the likelihood of existential risk from future nanotechnology, but it looks like it could be potentially disruptive just because it can give us whatever we wish for.

Unknown unknownsThe most unsettling possibility is that there is something out there that is very deadly, and we have no clue about it.The silence in the sky might be evidence for this. Is the absence of aliens due to that life or intelligence is extremely rare, or that intelligent life tends to get wiped out? If there is a future Great Filter, it must have been noticed by other civilisations too, and even that didn’t help.

Whatever the threat is, it would have to be something that is nearly unavoidable even when you know it is there, no matter who and what you are. We do not know about any such threats (none of the others on this list work like this), but they might exist.Note that just because something is unknown it doesn’t mean we cannot reason about it. In a remarkable paper Max Tegmark and Nick Bostrom show that a certain set of risks must be less than one chance in a billion per year, based on the relative age of Earth.You might wonder why climate change or meteor impacts have been left off this list.

Climate change, no matter how scary, is unlikely to make the entire planet uninhabitable (but it could compound other threats if our defences to it break down). Meteors could certainly wipe us out, but we would have to be very unlucky. The average mammalian species survives for about a million years. Hence, the background natural extinction rate is roughly one in a million per year. This is much lower than the nuclear-war risk, which after 70 years is still the biggest threat to our continued existence. The availability heuristic makes us overestimate risks that are often in the media, and discount unprecedented risks. If we want to be around in a million years we need to correct that.

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