#playing kingdom in french is good for my education i promise

[insouciant-king]

Isolated voice lines for Vampire Cookie in French specifically, missing his "J'ai soif" line for his skill and potentially some other more obscure lines. I just think he's neat

[not-twst-enough]

“*sniffs* because of my tears, I ended up breaking most of the rules. *sniffs* *sniffs* I really.....am the Queen’s worst soldier.....*sniffs* hck! uwaaaahhhhh!~”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Name: Gale Sombre

Japanese: ゲイル・ソンブレ

Romanji: Geiru Sonbure

Other Name:

Monsieur Fausse-tortue (Rook)

Ukame-kun (Floyd)

Crybaby-senpai (Ace)

Voiced by Sakakihara Yuuki

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Birthday: February 19

Starsign: Pisces

Height: 174cm

Eye Color: Turquoise

Hair Color: Dark Blue and Green highlight

Homeland:

Coral Sea (formerly)

Rose Kingdom

Race: half-cow; half-tortoise (hybrid)

Family: Unnamed Father and Unnamed Mother

PROFESSIONAL STATUS

Dorm: Heartslabyul

School Year: Second

Class: 2-D Student no. 12

Occupation: Student

Club: Cooking

Best Subject: Defensive Magic

FUN FACTS

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Gelatin

Least Favorite Food: Escargot

Dislike: Riddle’s anger

Hobby: Making Gelatin

Talents: Cullinary

Unique Magic: “Shell of Grief”

His UM has ability to engulf a large area with his aura, causing anyone within his reach to be overwhelmed with intense feeling of sadness and uncontrollable cry. This ability doesn’t mean to be in constant depending on Gale’s decision whenever he activate with his own freewill

PERSONALITY:

He is the most melancholic crybaby of Heartslabyul and never smiles. Gale is easily emotional at anything that he would constantly cries over. His clumsiness, many mistakes he have done to whatever he helps, horrifying things like danger, intimidation of others, Riddle’s punishments, the weirdness of NRC. All of these are droving him to be more sad that he usually ran away to his dorm and hides in isolated rose maze that is a safe place for him to cry no matter how long he stays. Due to his personality, he’s been mostly neglecting the rules and duties as the Queen’s soldiers. Almost everyone in Heartslabyul (sometimes Riddle himself) have forgotten about him. Some other knew of his personal disappearance but thought it’s troublesome to bring him back because of his melancholic behavior.

He often been easily teased and naming him a “coward” by many because how fragile and cowardly he looks. Either showing their affection towards him and jokes around with pranks but know that he is too sensitive when it comes to jokes. Making up scary jokes or stories would frighten him the most which obviously him begun to cry. Although he wouldn’t mind the good jokes as long as someone has to reassured him if it aren’t true and apologize that is offensive to him. Even Gale doesn’t always smile he would love to see those who’ve been around with him, smiles. He may be an annoying crybaby or a fragile coward to people’s eyes but he has a big kind heart. He is quite a shy one having hard time converse one another and showing his expressions other than sadness due to his past. Wouldn’t want to be the center of the attention by anyone. He’d usually thought negatively by mumbling harsh words to himself subconsciously that people would find it annoying. Find a way to cheer Gale up would be a hard mission to do but in order to zip his mumbles, they need various ways to bring his hopes up. It’ll take longer for Gale to feel what’s “happiness”.

In a good side, he’s surprisingly smart and a bit skilled at baking/cooking. He is very serious during class rather he’s really good at academic work than physical work thanks to growing up being well-educated back from his hometown he’s kind enough to help others explaining very detailed information and everyday he went to the library and studied by himself since Library is a quite place. Gale rather likes to stay quite places like in the rose maze and botanic garden. There are times he could be very serious but passionate if it’s about cooking. He’d nervously accept anyone’s help in baking & cooking if they promised to keep in mind of his teaching. Gale was actually wanted and tried his best to grow close relationship with anyone even if he always ran away from everyone. He’d slowly develop understanding new feelings from his observation and experiences. If something is serious that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to defend himself and other people he love. that really upsets him that much, he’d unexpectedly would show little bit of his true colors than he didn’t realized

Quick warning that his backstory is a bit angst ⚠️

Backstory

Gale was born to be a unique sea creature. A hybrid.....a frown hybrid to be precise. Apparently the parents have to live separately due to his father’s demand of work on the surface so from now on, his mother was the one who’ll raise Gale in the Coral Sea. Every mermaid children even from his school have avoided Gale because of his grotesque appearance: a body of a sea turtle and a horn & tail of a cow as a results of being isolated from them at the young age. Some mermaids did dare bullied while ridiculed Gale naming “son of a sea demon” which makes Gale constantly to mourn everyday alone on the rock until he realized he’ll never fit in with other mermaids or sea creatures. After some time, he and his mother had moved to the surface to reunite and live with their father at the Rose Kingdom. The differences from Sea of Coral is that Gale likes the atmosphere of the Rose Kingdom. People were been nice to him and the children wanted to play with Gale then he made few friends there but still until now Gale is still very insecure of his true form except only Heartslabyul knew who really was that they accepted him as also respected his decision to keep it a secret from outside students.

Trivia

He is the twisted version of the Mockturtle

The name Gale was named by his parents decision that is from an old English word of gal "jovial" and “light” meaning cheerful as they wanted their son to be the happy one. Sombre is a French word based on Latin sub “under” & umbra “shade”

His parents are actually different races as his father is a cow while his mother is a sea turtle

Gale has a hobby of making gelatin as the reference from an old Jell-O commercial in 1956

He has this other ability he could transform to his turtle form and quickly hides inside his shell whenever he was jump-sacred

He is the one who made the beret to design like Heartslabyul themed

He with Azul and Leech twins used to be an old classmates from their elementary school in the Coral Sea

Despite being sorted to Heartslabyul and as a Coral Sea-born, he doesn’t fit in well with Octavinelle students. He tried to, though.

Every spring break, he only visited Coral Sea to meet up with his relatives from his mother’s side

(Heartslabyul banner originally belongs to 👉🏻 @/piraticusdorm not mine)

[thebenzene]

Useful Machines: Neoliberalism in the Philippine education system

Useful Machines: Neoliberalism in the Philippine education system

(submitted as the final requirement for my Eng 13 class, 2nd Sem A.Y. 2020-2021)

In 2001, economists Akerlof, Spence, and Stiglitz won the Nobel Prize in Economics Sciences for their proposal of the Asymmetric Information Theory. This theory suggests that one party (sellers) may possess more information than the other party (buyers), hence having the edge to skew the price of goods sold. Information imbalance can lead to market failure. Now that we are all moving towards a globalized society and with globalization and open market, countries are becoming neoliberal-oriented. Given this internationally acclaimed theory, is it still good to set the market as the main basis in policy and law making? Neoliberalism may be promising even to our education system, but at what cost?

In 1776, British economist and the renowned “Father of Capitalism” Adam Smith suggested in his book entitled “The Wealth of Nations” that to attain maximum economic efficiency, all forms of government intervention and tariff barriers must be removed. This idea has been passed to generations despite John Maynard Keynes’ opposition to this belief. Keynes states that government intervention through increasing its demand is essential for an economy to grow. In 1938, the term "neoliberalism" was proposed to describe the concept of "the priority of the price mechanism, free enterprise, the system of competition, and a strong and impartial state" at the Colloque Walter Lippmann, a conference of intellectuals organized in Paris in August 1938 by French philosopher Louis Rougier. In the early 1980s, the Reagan administration and the Thatcher government initiated a series of neoliberal economic policies to combat the chronic stagflation that plagued both the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1970s. Up until the 2008 financial crisis, neoliberal policies dominated American and British politics (Harvey, 2005).

In the Philippines, Keynesian Developmentalism, which was supposed to promote the role of the state as the strategic factor on the road to development, was compromised by the Marcos dictatorship and took part in the flourishing of neoliberalism since there was no credible alternative besides neoliberalism itself. The publication of the anti-Marcos White Paper University of the Philippines School of Economics also played a factor on the rise of neoliberalism in the country (Bello, 2009)

As I-Fang Lee (2018) asserts that the role of education in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea has the common theme in their reform policies and discourses of investing in children and their education as human capital for the nation’s future. On the other side, policymaking in the education sectors of Pakistan, India, and Malaysia focuses on the importance of liberalization’s economic effects and the exigence upon the action of state elites and the domestic incentive they face (Thachil, 2009).

To be able to keep up with globalization, the Philippines is trying to utilize education as its main driver of economic growth (Saguiped, 2016). Through debt dependency, neoliberalism limits government intervention through rationalizing public spending and allowing the private sector to invest in delivery of social services such as education. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have imposed priority on debt servicing rather than government spending for social services provision (del Rosario-Malonzo, 2007).

In this essay, three points about the dangers of integrating a neoliberal education in our society are presented.

First, neoliberalism built a divide between natural science and liberal arts as education became a matter of profitability. There has been a discrimination between the fields of natural sciences and liberal arts. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum wrote in her book entitled “Not For Profit”, Indian parents take pride in a child who studies in an institution for technology and management but are ashamed of a child who studies literature or philosophy. The K to 12 program established a system where the demands of the global market have made everyone focus on scientific and technical skills as the key proficiencies. The humanities and the arts are perceived as useless courses (Nussbaum, 2010). In 2007, a paper published by the UP Diliman School of Economics proposed that to attain a better system for tertiary education, higher education should just be offered for those with the highest intellectual ability and positive traits. Education is not for all (Tan, 2007). Improving the education system through limiting investment to supporting bright students only implies that these students are only perceived as human capital that would continue to build the economy in the future.

Second, in a neoliberal economic system, the students are being seen as mere commodities in the free market that will serve as a mechanism for building the economy. From the perspective of the government, the economics of education is to systematically train the students to participate in the global arena as highly trained, English-speaking, cheap and docile, that will form a labor force catering to the demands of the international market conforming to the neoliberal ideals (del Rosario-Malonzo, 2007). The correspondence in structure, processes, and social relations between the school and the workplace implies that schooling prepares students for their roles as workers under capitalism (Bowles & Gintis, 2001). Patrick (2013) argues that it is not just knowledge that is reduced to utilitarian value, but the student as the embodiment of that knowledge. In this way, the student as a person is commodified within the system. Commodification happens when neoliberal education accounts the learners as an investment for the human capital for economic purposes rather than human persons that are studying for their self-growth and holism.

Third, Neoliberalism poses a threat to our democracy. As studying of the natural sciences is given more emphasis than the liberal arts, neoliberal education discourages critical thinking that is essential in building a democratic nation. (Nussbaum, 2010). San Juan (2016) calls neoliberal education the “pedagogy of the oppressed”. He also asserts that institutionalizing this kind of education in the Philippines will perpetuate oppression and dehumanizing realities of the citizens living under neoliberal capitalism. It is indeed alarming that preparing students for the main reason of future employment under profitable conditions seems to disregard the essence of education to train them as proactive citizens that will shape the democratic country in the future. When everyone is just thinking about schooling as a mere ticket for economic growth, individual profitability, and nothing else, our democracy is in peril. We need citizens who will be critical and wise upon building up a nation that serves the interests of the masses.

To cite Philosopher Martha Nussbaum again, “If this trend continues, nations all over the world will soon be producing generations of useful machines, rather than complete citizens who can think for themselves, criticize tradition, and understand the significance of another person’s sufferings and achievements. The future of the world’s democracies hangs in the balance.” We, as human beings, are more than catalysts of economic progress. We are more than just human capital supply to the demands of international economies. We are more than just “useful machines” that are programmed to serve the agenda of the elites and the capitalists. We are sentient and rational beings that are coexisting together that should strive for the greater good. We are not reducible into being labelled as mere economic actors, human capital, and commodified learners. We must aspire to be more critical, wiser, political citizens of our nation.

While the hegemonic ideology of neoliberalism is the prevailing orientation of our education system, let us not forget that there are always better approaches to building a system that is more humane and inclusive. The Human Development Paradigm encourages cultivating everyone’s unique capabilities. These capabilities in whatever aspect they may specialize must be respected by laws and institutions. They are free to develop their holism and could contribute to society to the extent of their capabilities. This model is committed to democracy as respecting one’s agency to decide for themself is an essential part of valuing human dignity (Nussbaum, 2010). Also, there is the Pragmatic Theory of Education which promotes the need for a pragmatic relationship between school and society because what is needed by society should be taught in school and the lessons taught in school are needed in society (Dewey, 1915).

References

Akerlof, G., Spence, M., & Stiglitz, J. (2001). Markets with asymmetric information. Committee, Nobel Prize.

Bello, W. (2009). Neoliberalism as hegemonic ideology in the Philippines: Rise, apogee, and crisis. Philippine Sociological Review, 57, 9–19.

Bowles, S. & Gintis, H. (1976). Schooling in capitalist America: Educational reform and the contradictions of economic life. New York: Basic Books.

Del Rosario-Malonzo, J.Economics of Philippine Education: Serving the Global Market. MULA TORE PATUNGONG PALENGKE, 81.

Dewey, J. (1915). The school and society. University of Chicago Press.

Harvey, D. (2005). A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-928326-2.

Lee, I. F. (2018). (Re) Landscaping early childhood education in East Asia: A neoliberal economic and political imaginary. Policy Futures in Education, 16(1), 53-65.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2010). Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities (Vol. 2). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Patrick, F. (2013). Neoliberalism, the Knowledge Economy, and the Learner: Challenging the Inevitability of the Commodified Self as an Outcome of Education. ISRN Education, 2013, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/108705

Saguiped, P. L. (2016). Neoliberal Globalization in the Philippines: Its Effects on Higher Education and the Country’s Attempt to Shift to a Global Education System and to a More Knowledge-Based Economy. https://www.academia.edu/30338066/Neoliberal_Globalization_in_the_Philippines_Its_Effects_on_Higher_Education_and_the_country_s_attempt_to_Shift_to_a_Global_Education_System_and_to_a_More_Knowledge_Based_Economy.

San Juan, D. M. (2016). Neoliberal restructuring of education in the Philippines: Dependency, labor, privatization, critical pedagogy, and the K to 12 system. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 16(1), 80-110.

Tan, E. A. (2012). What’s wrong with the Philippine higher education?. Philippine Review of economics, 48(1), 147-184.

Thachil, T. (2009). Neoliberalism's two faces in Asia: Globalization, educational policies, and religious schooling in India, Pakistan, and Malaysia. Comparative Politics, 41(4), 473-494.

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Hello ! Can you tell me about Charles I, King of England? I am curious about this king. Thank you :)

Sigh, my problematic fave... Charlie boy got greedy and forgot he ruled England not France lmao. 

No but no shade, of course it is more complicated than that. Charles is a very controversial figure. A number of Protestant historians have condemn him and his reign. He is often depicted as cold, indecisive, or even as a tyrant. Even though there is a certain truth in each of this qualifying adjectives, I tend to agree with historians who have written a more nuanced portrait of Charles without erasing the shaddy things he did because he did cross the line of legality. I like this quote from Katie Whitaker : "Charles was the last medieval king in Britain, a man imbued with all the ideals of chilvary, who believed he was appointed by God to rule." And here lies the tragedy. His reign was a defining moment where two conceptions of power came into collision : the divine prerogatives of the King against the privileges of Parliament.

Charles as a child had a weak constitution, some historians stated he was suffering from rickets. At some point, he conquered this physical infirmity however his speech came slowly and with difficulty and until his death he had a stutter. He spent his childhood in the shadow of his strong and radiant older brother, Henry, who he loved dearly. When Henry died in 1608, Charles was eleven, he had an excellent education, he studied French, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Greek, theology, drawing, dancing, fencing... His father, James I, was very much interested in the education of his children and one of the first letter Charles wrote to his father was :  "Sweete, Sweete Father, I learne to decline substantives and adjectives, give me your blessing, I thank you for my best man, your loving sone York". In his late teens he spent more and more time with his father even though he despised his "decadent" Court. He was religiously devot and of a strong moral stance which reflected in his Court when he was king. The guiding principles was order and decorum. Contrary to his father, he was also eager to play the role of an international statesman, which made his situation with Parliament even worse. However, he lacked confidence which caused him to be influenced by the ideas of the people he most trusted: Buckingham, his father... James could read the room, Charles unfortunately not so much. After James' passing, he started taking some of his father views to an extreme. However, it's important to note that when he came to power in 1625 the situation was already tense :

His father had a patriachal view of the monarchy. He wrote political treatises exposing his own views on the divine right of kings, stating :"‘Kings are justly called gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power on earth". This kind of discourse didn't sit well with the House of Commons which was already sensitive on the matter of its rights and privileges. Parliament thought it had a traditional right to interfere with the policy of the realm. And so the political atmosphere soured quickly between both parties. For instance, when Parliament tried to meddle with the Spanish marriage negociations (between Charles and the Infanta of Spain) James was furious.

Parliament had considerable leverage : was the one holding the purse strings. This proved to be a thorn in the side of EVERY Stuarts rulers and it’s why throughout out the 17th century, England was shy with its foreign policy. Unlike the French King who was doing whatever he wanted, the English monarch had to beg subsidies to Parliament. Schematically, here was the usual scenario : 

King opens a new Parliamentary session because he needs moneeey, the House of Commons says maaay be but before we reeeally need to discuss something else *push his own agenda*, *criticise the royal policy* (rumor has it that you can still hear the king muttering not agaaain), thus ensues many excruciating negotiations and conflicts which usually ends up with the king saying fuck you and either proroguing or dissoluting his Parliament (this hot mess found its peak during the Exclusion Crisis, was a real soap opera lol). 

Again, it is schematical because even in the House of Commons some MPs were content with James' patriachal views. Anyway, at the core, it was truly a battle between royal prerogative and privilege!

THEN, you add the very sensitive matter of religion, its impact on politics was huge.

There were the Anglicans and Presbyterians which didn't see eye to eye. Yet compromises were made which made coexistence bearable for some while others fled to Europe or in the colonies in order to set up their own independent churches. James had hoped to bring the two Churches together and to create uniformity across the two kingdoms (Scotland & England). He tried to establish a Prayer Book similar to that used in England but faced with great opposition, he withdrew. (but guess who tried to follow daddy’s steps but didn’t withdrew?)

And last but not least... who the English despised the most above all? The followers of this boy right here...

... CATHOLICS, satan's minions on earth. 

With the outbreak of the Thirty Years War in Europe the fear of Catholicism was very much alive. Charles and Buckingham pushed James to summoned Parliament to ask for money to finance a war with Spain. The very much anti-Catholic Parliament agreed to the subsidies but unfortunately the expedition failed. James died, and Charles at the age of 24 had to deal with the consequenses. 

Relations between King and Parliament deteriorated quickly. There were the matter of war + Buckingham had negotiated a marriage for Charles to Henrietta Maria, the sister of the French King, promising that she would be permitted to practise her own Catholic religion, and that English ships would help to suppress a French Protestant rebellion in La Rochelle. Obviously, Parliament was furious especially towards Buckingham and Charles was forced to dissolve Parliament. For the King it was a direct challenge to his right to appoint his advisers and to govern. The Privy Council started to consider ways of raising money without the help of Parliament : forced loan, ship money... let's say that from here it started to go downhill.

For the matter of religion, unfortunately the caution of James I was replaced by Charles' desire for uniformity. Moreover, the King was interested by the Arminian group which was an alternative to the rigid Calvinism : the emphasis was on ritual and sacraments and they rejected the doctrine of predestination. Howerver, for many English, this group had too much ties with Catholicism. Also, some of them were great supporters of a heightened royal power which freaked out a lot of people who feared a sort of takeover. Of course, as often with fears and phobias, it was out of proportion with reality. Nonetheless, for many, Arminian meant : Catholicism +  absolute monarchy = tyranny. When William Laud (the Arminian leader) became Bishop of London in 1628, another stormy Parliament session took place. Charles decided to prorogue it but the Commons refused and they passed the Three Resolutions which condemned the collection of tonnage and poundage that Charles was doing without their consent as well as the doctrine and practice of Arminianism. Charles dissolved the Parliament and proclaimed he intended to govern without the Parliament until it calms the fuck down. This proved to be a significant breakdown within the system of government and the situation got a whole lot worse.

It's already a lot right? BUT HANG ON because in this very healthy anti-Catholicism atmosphere who Charles married? A FRENCH CATHOLIC PRINCESS. It made the crown more vulnerable and perhaps a lot of things would have been different if she had been Protestant but damn they were good together!!! The romance of Charles and Henrietta Maria is one of the greatest love stories in history. At first one could say it was a mismatched couple : a Protestant King with a Catholic Princess. Their differences and lack of understanding made their earlier years together complicated and turbulent. There were lot of quarrels and yet, they fell passionately in love. Their daughter, Princess Elizabeth wrote an account the day before Charles was beheaded and she said: “He bid us tell my mother that his thoughts had never strayed from her, and that his love would be the same to the last.” Lina wrote on her blog her top 10 favourite titbits of info of love and heartache about Charles I & Henrietta Maria, go check it out ;)

This is getting too long lol I'm not going to get into what most historians called his "personnal reign" and the civil wars. I just hope that this couple of informations made you want to find more about Charles and his time :) 

Don't settle for just one book about him because as I said at the beginning, he is a very controversial figure and lot of biographies (not so much with the recent ones but still) tend to insist on his supposedly taste for "tyranny" and romanticise the role of Parliament (aka the whole Whig historiography). Charles' reign sparked off a revolution where new ideals of liberty and citizens' rights were born HOWEVER it was a matter of decades/centuries for these ideas to penetrate society and every strats of the political spectrum. The Parliament's ideology of the 1620-1640 (and then during the Restoration) had a very nostalgic vision of politics. The idea of reform was light years away from these ultraconservative men.

But to be honest even outside Parliament. When you look at men such as Fénelon, Bolingbroke or Montesquieu. They were all convinced that a restoration (often of a magnified past) was the only response to the evils of their time. Reform in the early modern period, whether it was religious or political, was thought as a restoration. It's in mid-18th century that the shift happened, the future was at last conceivable. Anyway, all of that is to say that I'm a bit wary of all the authors who depict the MPs of this period as great reformers, who fought against the tyranny. They were mostly conservative men and very attached to THEIR priviliges.

[princess-of-france]

MARGOT What pair of reverend hypocrites were here! Didst ever hear such sacrilegious dross?

CATHERINE From the town highwayman I did, but not From fathers of our holy mother church. By my faith,—

MARGOT Which they have none.

CATHERINE Ay, faithlessly, These ministers besmirch the very weeds God graces them to wear, concealing up With rich brocade their base irreverence. Would I might shred that fabricated piety With mine own teeth! And do they thus presume Themselves baptizèd as their ancestors In holy wisdom? Is this England’s church? Is this how angels operate sur terre,   Conniving means by which an anointed king Should plunge his helpless kingdom into war, His loyal countrymen up to the ears In bloodshed, on sly promises of wealth? O, scorpions of sanctity! To pay For vicious cruelty from unhallowed coffers! To purchase death, patron annihilation, And all to block the commonwealth a law Would faintly curb the gluttony of their lives! Bon dieu, c’était une hunte!

MARGOT Mayhap his Majesty favors their fraud.

CATHERINE May God forbid it! ‘Twould be worser still, If he should sway more to the part of knaves As here complotted so degenerately In crystal comprehension their vice. Nay, Margot, I’ll not think it, for to know The hubris pricking on such hungry schemes And still accede to their ignominy, Simply to break his fast upon a battle, Would prove this gross Plantagenet so great A tyrant, so devout a harbinger Of death, as he would stymie every language For words commensurate to his depravity. No proper king could be so without grace.

MARGOT Indeed he could, and likely is, for what’s A man if not a king of rage? And what’s a king, But yet a man who may rage anywhere? This sovereign’s late aggressions blistering Our coast, from Aquitaine to Brittany, Attest his appetite for cruel abuse, Since violence sans purpose is butchery— Unless thou thinkst he rightly weighs his own Just claim, through Edward’s bitter lineage, Unto the throne of France.

CATHERINE He has no claim And shall not war with France; it is insured.

(Henry V, Part 2; Act I, scene i)

CATHERINE Didst thou Not call me Catherine?

KING HENRY V Ay, perforce I did, But only once, and many names beside.

CATHERINE How did it taste, that name upon your tongue?

KING HENRY V Like velvet wine. A Burgundy, perhaps.

CATHERINE Wouldst thou drink it again?

KING HENRY V Until I’m drunk.

CATHERINE It may give thee great pounding in thy head.

KING HENRY V Good. ‘Tis the mark of purest alcohol.

CATHERINE Mayhap the wine shall not agree with that Stout soldier’s stomach thou didst lately boast.

KING HENRY V Then argue with it will my stomach straight, Yet purge it not, nor wish I’d not imbibed.

CATHERINE And if the wine grows bitter?

KING HENRY V Drink I still. For bitterness infects us all, at times, But loving patience runs it off its track.

CATHERINE What if the wine grows discontent with waiting For some infrequent jest to spark a fire In th’ barren ice castle of a woman’s duty?

KING HENRY V The duty of a queen is to her crown, So, must she rule by him that plays the king. It is her royal right and his great need,  Or else two kingdoms fall to cold neglect.

CATHERINE Suppose the wine doth take a latent shine To some poor drinker whose lips be not thine.

KING HENRY V I do not know.

CATHERINE Nor I. I know nothing. This wine’s vintage hath not been tasted before. Then who can say what foul effect it may Engender in our blood? And what fair words Can reassure what must be kept in cruel  Obscurity, until this virgin bottle  Gurgles forth the unseen, satin prize? If thou shouldst cease to love me,—

KING HENRY V Never, Catherine.

CATHERINE Two words, too much; I prithee speak no more, Lest perjury becomes thy poltergeist And haunts thee past the brink of love forsworn. ‘Tis time, methinks, to put our vows to bed, For Time alone shall prove their verity Or our capriciousness. Come thou, sweet King, I shall believe thy rhetoric tonight; Perchance tomorrow too. Yet I do call On thy soul’s tenderness and beg thee, lord, Bestow what education thou hast gleaned With patience humbler than a shriven monk, For schoolgirls know, as scholars oft forget, That earthly wisdom hath a painful cost. Then learn me gently, learn me skillfully, Whilst I do strive to learn thy gentle skill. A herald’s work is never done, yet mine Concludes with this last, final embassy, Which thou must break thy pattern and accept Or lose to stubborn pride thy willing wife: Love me, Henry, with every breath thou hast. Leave fortunes to the future, wars to the past. Come crown thy unmade monarch; she is thine And I am yours and you forever mine.

        [Enter ALICE, two years later. She rocks a whimpering baby in her arms.]

ALICE O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars, and at his heels, Leashed in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire Crouch for employment. 

        [Enter the QUEEN, dressed all in black.]

ALICE Mais pardon. Est-ce le moment?

         [The QUEEN nods. The Queen nods. Carefully, ALICE hands her the child. They exit. Enter a funeral procession. The court of England is dressed in mourning black. A blue-and-red silk sheet covers the marble casket of King Henry V. Enter the DANCER.]

DANCER But pardon, gentles all, The flat, unraisèd spirits that have dared On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object. Can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? Or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! Since a crooked figure may Attest in little place a million, And let us, ciphers to this great account, On your imaginary forces work.

        [Enter QUEEN CATHERINE, aloft, holding her infant son. ALICE, EXETER, BEDFORD, and GLOUCESTER look up her.]

DANCER, cont. Suppose within the girdle of these walls Are now confined two mighty monarchies, Whose high uprearèd and abutting fronts The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.

        [The DUKE OF BEDFORD takes the king’s crown from off his brother’s casket. He sets the crown on a pillow, held by the DUKE OF GLOUCESTER. Exit GLOUCESTER.]

DANCER, cont. Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts. Into a thousand parts divide on man, And make imaginary puissance.

        [Enter, to one side, KING HENRY V. He looks up at his wife and child.]

DANCER, cont. Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i’ the receiving earth, For ‘tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings.

        [Enter GLOUCESTER, with the crown. He approaches the QUEEN.]

DANCER, cont. Carry them here and there, jumping o’er times, Turning the accomplishment of many years Into an hourglass. 

        [Exit HENRY V for the last time. GLOUCESTER kneels before his monarch and holds up the crown, nestled in the blood-red velvet cushion.]

DANCER, cont. For the which supply, Admit me Chorus to this history, Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.

        [Below, the English and French court sinks to its knees. All hail KING HENRY VI. CATHERINE holds her son and looks out into the darkness. Into the future. Lights out.]

(Henry V, Part 2; Act V, scene iv)

To my beautiful friends,

Started from the bottom and now we’re here. And I’m emotional.

It has been the greatest honor and a joy to share the Gentle Herald Project with you all over the past three months. Thank you so much for giving me the space and support to introduce 2H5 to Tumblr. This project means the world to me and so does our wonderful Shakespeare community. Till the next French campaign, mes amis!

Oh yes, and HAPPY 598th BIRTHDAY, KING HENRY VI! ♥

xx Claire

@harry-leroy @suits-of-woe @skeleton-richard @lizbennett2013 @henriadical @aquitainequeen @dedraconesilet @stripedroseandsketchpads @sleepinelysium​ @ardenrosegarden

[stars-and-rose]

Sanders Sides Marching/Concert Band! AU

So about two weeks ago I made a shit post about me procrastinating writing Cursed Kingdom and making a band AU instead.

Well it happened. And I'm highkey living for it.

As for Cursed Kingdom, I'm halfway through writing the next chart! I also have my notes all ready for the next part of Heart Point.

With all that said, enjoy!

Marching/Concert band AU!

Flutist/Head Section Leader! Roman

* The rest of his section are all girls

* And they all (platonically) love Ro

* Freshman year, someone made a bitchy comment about Ro being the only guy and the section leader fucking decked them

* Roman became a section leader junior year and aspires to be as badass as the section leader his freshman year

* Loves marching, but is better at concert

* Like, Ro impressed Thomas with his marching pieces, but damn ask Ro to play fast dramatic or slow passionate concert pieces and he'll steal your heart

* Can also play guitar

* Has been trying to convince Thomas to let him join strings on guitar and Thomas patiently reminds him strings doesn't work like that

* Romans also a choir kid

* Once the band was at a game and the person who was supposed to sing the National anthem got sick and Thomas made Ro do it

* Ro paints his nails before concerts; he loves how the color looks against his flute when he's playing

* The flutes have a tradition where they put glitter on their faces (cheekbones) for football games

* Ro is the best at doing the glitter and all the girls make it do it for them

* Buys his section lunch on the last day of band camp

* Bitches about the tan lines he gets from his flip-folder

* Screamed for a solid ten minutes when he learned they were doing a Disney teamed show sophomore year

* Has made it for regional sand was first alternate for all-states Junior year (he was livid)

* Wears his varsity jacket all the time: he got it freshman year for lacrosse and got band added Junior year and he loves it

* Wants to go for music education and be a high school band/choir director

* Now as a senior, Ro is head section leader and has his hands on the school's singular piccolo (everyone is doomed)

Saxophonist/Equipment Manager! Virgil

* Virgil can play alto, tenor and barry sax with the same ease, but prefers tenor

* He has a little storm cloud pin on his saxophone strap

* His section is relatively small and he likes it that way

* Virgil helped so much with getting people's instruments on the truck and lugging cases around, Thomas gave him to the position of equipment manager halfway though sophomore marching season

* Once, some left their trombone on the truck and it was ten o'clock at night and Vee wanted to go home so he stormed into the band room and screamed "WHOEVER'S TROMBONE IS ON THE TRUCK THEY BETTER COME FUCKING GET IN BEFORE I SHOVE THEIR SLIDE UP THEIR ASS!"

* Safe to say that everyone was very careful about getting their instruments off the truck afterwards

* Virgil's speciality is Jazz

* Improv? Virgil can blow your mind. All his anxieties seem to vanish when he plays

* Expect for during auditions

* His first audition, he had a panic attack in the room and had to leave

* Thomas fought tooth and nail for Virgil to be able to audition again and stayed in the room with Vee during the audition to prevent another attack

* Made all-State jazz Junior year

* Also plays piano

* Once told everyone he wrote a song and proceeded to go up to the piano and angrily smash buttons and then bowed and said thank you

* Everyone thought he was for real and it was an actual, extremely Improvised, song

* Virgil wears his Letterman once in a blue moon, he prefers his hoodies. His Letterman only has band because physical activity? G r o s s

* Always has sunscreen/bug spray during band Camp because he burns so easily and bug bites eww

* Learned a bunch of meme songs and can play them by heart

* Wants to go for Music Therapy

* Senior year, Virgil head Equipment manager and has two sophomore helpers

Trumpeter/Head Librarian! Logan

* Logan has a fucking gift he's always in tune like h o w

* He's always loud you, can always hear him play

* Thomas- "Whoa guys who hit that A?"/"Who missed that note a fumbled for a measure?"

* The whole ass trumpet section- "LOGAN"

* Logan became assistant librarian as a sophomore

* He convinced the head librarian and Thomas to let him redo the library and he went wild

* Gets pissy went people keep losing music "God damn it Rebecca I got you a copy of this yesterday."

* The freshman make Virgil/Roman or (usually) Patton go get music for them because Logan scares them shitless

* His flip folder is so organized, he always can get to the right song within ten seconds flat

* Always on step. A l w a y s.

* Like everyone checks his feet to see if they're on step; the band has a conspiracy that Logan is a robot- because its impossible to be that onstep 24/7

* Plays French horn for concert

* He would play trumpet for concert but there's a single French horn and Thomas needs a section

* For districts, he dual auditions on both instruments

* He's better at trumpet but since there's like five French horns he makes it on French horn every year, made regions Junior year

* Spends most of band camp in the library because 1) lets get all the music we'll ever need copied and 2) air conditioning

* The best at Music Theory

* Only wears his Letterman at festivals, he claims its so the others can find him but it's really because he's smug. Also has track on it because Lo’s a firm believer that exercise is good for your brain

* Wants to study the effects of music on the human brain

* As senior, he runs the library and has a junior and sophomore helper

Percussionist/ Drum major! Patton

* Everyone loves Patton; he's the nicest drum major they've ever had

* The freshman all flock to him

* Walks around to all the sections, offering any help he can

* Always carries water around in case someone needs it, especially during parades

* Once, someone passed out during Band Camp due to dehydration. Patton angrily lectured the entire band about the importance if drinking water. There was a PowerPoint involved.

* Patton pep talks the band before every performance

* Before becoming drum major, Patton played snare drum for marching

* You bet your bottom dollar that he had light-up drumsticks (they exist I promise)

* He wrote a cadence sophomore year, the percussion section performs it all the time

* Has a journal filled with music-related puns

* Sometimes lets Roman glitter his face, the flute section has highkey adopted Patton as an honorary member

* For concert, Patron plays Mallets

* He also plays violin

* He also dual auditions for districts on violin and mallets

* Makes regional band on mallets, and all-state orchestra on violin

* His violin case has stickers all over it. Right near the handle is a crown, a lightning bolt, a book and a heart sticker- it reminds him of his friends all eases his nerves before auditions

* Has a scrapbook of all is band memories, he started it in freshman year

* Wears his Letterman at games- it's a size to big (he ordered it that way on purpose), because it's really warm

* Wants to become a composer

* Currently as a senior, head drum major with an assistant who's a junior. I really just love drum major Patton let me have this

Band Director! Thomas

* 10/10 stressed

* It's his fifth year directing the school's band

* Honestly he loves the boys

* They're probably his most talented players

* HE JUST WISHES THEY STOPPED GIVING HIM HEART ATTACKS ON A DAILY BASIS

[onceuponaprincessworld]

CaptainSwan WIP Fanfiction RECS

Hello Beautiful Fandom, thanks to CSBB and to the talended writers of our fandom we have some amazing new stories to read. So, I present to you a list of some great work in progress fanfictions that I am currently reading, including CSBB stories but not limited to them. Tell me what you think.  Hope you enjoy!

In case you are intrested here is my previous lists. 

Echoing Souls, @like-waves-on-the-beach

Young Professor Swan leads a quiet but hectic life as the newest member of the Anthropology Department at University of Maine at Storybrooke, as well as being head curator for the University’s brand new museum. Killian Jones is a hardened detective who forms one half of the best homicide team in the small city of Storybrooke. When tragedy strikes, Emma and Killian find themselves thrust together, each feeling an inexplicable and frustrating attraction to the other. As the young couple works to find answers to the mystery that will take them on a journey together, they will also explore their undeniable chemistry and connection. Sometimes the universe has plans wherein the past, present, and future converge to assure that destiny is reached in every life.

Nuuk, @wellhellotragic

When a chance encounter with a blue-eyed mystery man on an ill-fated flight turns Emma Nolan’s life upside down, she has a choice to make: Continue with her arranged marriage to Senator Gold's son to save her parent's company, or turn her back on everything she's ever worked towards for a chance at happiness.

Tripping Over the Blue Line, @welllpthisishappening

It's a transition. That's what Emma's calling it. She's transitioning from one team to another, from one coast to another and she's definitely not worried. Nope. She's fine. Really. She's promised Mary Margaret ten times already. So she got fired. Whatever. She's fine, ready to settle into life with the New York Rangers. She's got a job to do. And she doesn't care about Killian Jones, captain of the New York Rangers. At all.

He's done. One more season and he's a free agent and he's out. It's win or nothing for Killian. He's going to win a Stanley Cup and then he's going to stop being the face of the franchise and he's going to go play for some other garbage team where his name won't be used as puns in New York Post headlines. That's the plan. And Emma Swan, director of New York Rangers community relations isn't going to change that. At all.

They are both horrible liars.

MissMatched.com, @lenfaz

In a world where every dating site swears by their algorithms and databases to find the most accurate match with a high percentage of compatibility, a new site is giving them all a run for their money. Missmatched.com promises no data or algorithm, just a few people that *know* how to find your best match based on their instincts and their vibes. Emma Swan is hired to investigate if there's a fraud involved with the site’s claim of not using any type of statistics. That path leads her right into the hands of Missmatched.com founder, Killian Jones, who promises her that he'll prove he's worth his salt by finding Emma her perfect match without any data or algorithms involved.

Harder than Easy, highest_water

Emma Swan meets Killian Jones when she finds herself hiding with him in the bushes from an overzealous admirer. Turns out he works with David. Turns out he can read her pretty damn well. Turns out Emma Swan has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. CS AU

When The Tide Turns, @trueloveseyeroll

The plan was to go to England, finish the case and head back home in a matter of days. Of course, nothing in Emma’s life ever goes according to plan. Not only does she end up travelling across Europe, looking for a Liam Jones in order to finish her case, she ends up travelling with Liam’s brother - an annoyingly handsome Killian Jones. And she doesn’t trust him one bit.

I'll Drop Anchor in Your Heart, @cutieodonoghue

Single father Captain Hook and his daughter are whisked into a new kind of adventure when land calls to them in the form of the Princess of Misthaven and her son Henry.

To Build a Home, @cutieodonoghue

Lifelong orphan and wanderer Emma Swan moves to Storybrooke, Maine in search for a home. Content with a new job as deputy, she meets Killian Jones, director of an orphanage. It doesn't take long for sparks to fly, but will Emma finally be able to settle down and find a home here?

Dark Gray, @cutieodonoghue

Killian operates a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, preferring a life of isolation, until one day a woman and a baby wash up on his little island and change his life forever.

To Every Thing a Season, @icecubelotr44

After witnessing the tragic murder of his brother Liam, Killian Jones is more determined than ever to discover the secrets of time travel. Fast-tracking his education at Storybrooke University, Killian is assigned a lab assistant, one Emma Swan. Together, they find a way to break through the veil of time so Killian can set things right. But what will be the price for changing the past, and is it one they're willing to pay?

Not In The Game Plan, @onthecyberseas

Emma Nolan moves back home to Tampa and goes back to work for her parents, the owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Helping star quarterback Killian Jones lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title proves to be a challenge, especially as their relationship grows on and off the field.

Your Case or Mine, @blowmiakisscolin

Detective Emma Swan is one of Boston Homicide's finest. Killian Jones is head of the FBI team who swoops in to take jurisdiction when multiple homicides sharing similarities with her current case pop up out of state. But they'll have to learn to work together to lure out their killer when they're required to go undercover. As a married couple. CS Cops/Undercover/Fake Marriage AU.

Part of the Narrative, @emmaswanchoosesyou

Emma Swan just wants to write the follow-up to her bestselling debut novel, that’s all. But when she gets off to a rough start with her new editor, Killian Jones, she knows it’s not going according to plan. Then, an unexpected figure from Emma’s past reappears and life begins to mirror the crime thriller she’s penning. Suspicion and secrets abound–but love might too. Writer/editor AU with a thriller twist.

Drowning is Too Late to Learn, @accio-ambition

Bouncing around with her son for the majority of her life, Emma Swan has told herself she's happy in the city. It's where the most camera operating jobs are, and that's how she makes her money. But when an old friend calls her and asks for her help on a new project in small town Maine, Emma finds herself in a place she's never been with people she doesn't know filming a profession she knows nothing about. But with the captain of the ship she's filming begins taking a keen interest in her and her life, she finds herself wondering whether she might just catch something other than fish. Deadliest Catch AU

A Wing and a Prayer, @xhookswenchx

Killian has searched all corners of the realm for centuries looking for the magical object that will end the curse placed on his kingdom. What he finds is a reluctant ally in the form of a fiery Princess Emma. He quickly discovers that Emma has an agenda of her own, and the two strike a deal that they hope will save both their kingdoms.

Wait for the Moonrise, @lifeinahole27

Emma doesn’t remember who she was before she was found in the woods, but she knows that she has a few close friends, a good job, and a loyal cat that greets her every day when she gets home from work. What she doesn’t know, however, is that her past is about to catch up to her in the strangest of ways. She learns quickly that not everything is as it seems, not even her cat.

Walk Beside Me, @beardetective

When Emma Swan's friend group gets a new addition, Emma's not sure what to think about the smooth-talking, dog-loving Killian Jones. Especially when he's funny and nice and determined to spend time with her.

I Thee Wed, @justanotherwannabeclassic

Once upon a time, Princess Emma and Lieutenant Killian Jones stole away into the dark of the night to elope. In the morning light, however, they must face the repercussions of their actions before they can live their "happily ever after." This is where their story begins...

Arrangements, @a-fictional-life

A princess needs a husband, even in a land where suitors are scarce.

If One Only Remembers to Turn on the Light, @this-too-too-sullied-flesh 

Every week, Killian sells his wares at the farmer's market, and every week, he sees Her. One day they meet--through well-meant, meddling matchmakers, of course--and Killian realizes that there is much more to the beautiful Emma Swan than he'd first thought. Alternate Universe.

Fix you, @1handedpiratewithadrinkingprob

Emma is a nurse on the med surg floor of her hospital when she meets Killian, a patient recovering from surgery following a traumatic hand injury. With a long road to recovery and a few too many over time shifts, Emma and Killian learn to heal together. Modern/ hospital AU.

If the Stars Align, @swanslieutenant

Danger lurks around every corner in the French court and as a Musketeer in service of the royal family, Killian’s duty is to protect them from any and all threats. As his relationship with Queen Emma develops into something more than just friendship, threats against the queen escalate and place everything they both hold dear into jeopardy.

Fish out of Water,  Sassysazzles

Modern!AU Captain Swan. Hiding from her past, Emma finds a job working for a simple Fishmonger in a small town in Maine. Running away leads Emma to right where she belongs…even if it's a little fishy.

Something like you love me, @kittennharington

Emma decides the best way to get Mary Margaret off her back about Walsh is to say she already has a boyfriend. Except she doesn't. That's where Killian comes in. Fake!Engagement fic.

Fairytale of New York,  @artistic-writer

An AU elsewhere fic based in New York. Emma Swan and her best friend Mary Margaret "Snow" Blanchard are ready for a change. After Mary Margaret gets offered a new job at a school in Manhatten, Emma decides to go with her. She takes a job in a traditional, mom and pop diner called Granny's and soon both of them are finding love in the most unlikely of places.

The Promise, @flslp87

Killian and Emma, two souls destined to be one. Come along on their journey of True Love, filled with romance, passion, and challenges as they fight for their Happy Beginning in The Promise.

[thinktosee]

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, SLAVERY AND MILITARY CONSCRIPTION – BEHAVIOURAL MANIPULATION AND CONTROL THROUGH COERCION and FEAR

“I think a lot about him especially when it comes to my writing or what kind of teacher I want to be. David was fearless and uncompromising of his values in everything and that only pushes me to do better, because I can practically hear his signature critique otherwise.”

-         Zylph, U.C. Undergraduate and David’s friend from St. Joseph’s Institution International High School, singapore

A. INTRODUCTION

Image courtesy picturequotes.com

Military conscription, slavery and hostage-taking are immorally coercive processes designed to oppress, disorient, intimidate, disenfranchise, affect, subjugate, manage, re-orientate and control the victim’s behaviour and actions. Their basic premise is FEAR or the overwhelming ability or threat by the bully, criminal or aggressor to inflict unimaginable physical or psychological pain/distress or both on the victim. These criminal acts originate from a personal desire by the bully/aggressor/criminal for social, political and or economic advantages. These crimes go against the public interest, and yet, they were and still continue to be framed by the bully as mutually beneficial -  “cooperate and nothing will happen to you.” Or “It’s for your own good. You will like it”

B. DEFINITIONS and CONTEXT

1. Stockholm Syndrome

Poster for the 2018 movie, “Stockholm.” Image courtesy www.imdb.com

“A psychological response wherein a captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands.” (1)

On Aug 23, 1973, two criminals’ attempt to rob a bank in Stockholm, Sweden led to the taking of 4 hostages. They were only released on Aug 28. However, the victims refused to testify against their kidnappers (2). Perhaps the words of Natascha Kampusch, a victim of another tragic kidnapping may explain this phenomenon :

"I find it very natural that you would adapt yourself to identify with your kidnapper," she says. "Especially if you spend a great deal of time with that person. It's about empathy, communication. Looking for normality within the framework of a crime is not a syndrome. It is a survival strategy.” (3) 

“Stockholm Syndrome” could essentially be said as a coping or survival mechanism by the victim, in the light of the prolonged ordeal which she encountered.

"It's some kind of a context you get into when all your values, the morals you have change in some way." – Kristin Ehnmark, a hostage in the 1973 Stockholm bank robbery (4)

2. Slavery

Image courtesy www.independent.co.uk 

“A condition in which one human being was owned by another. A slave was considered by law as property, or chattel, and was deprived of most of the rights ordinarily held by free persons.” (5)

Slavery is as ancient as human civilization. In Exodus 9:1, the Lord commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh to “Let my People go….”  From the 16th to the 19th centuries, we learned that Africans were abducted and traded as slaves by the millions to the New World of the Americas. (6) Perhaps unbeknown to many of us, the European colonials were also actively slave-trading in the Dutch East Indies. (7) Slavery’s connection to colonialism, be it European-imposed or localized (8), is undeniable. It was a system of exploitation and discrimination of the human worth in the worst possible way. Slaves were denied their rights to freedom and dignity. This institutionalization of slavery was possible through an elaborate system of governance, laws, customs, education, and other forms of physical, social and psychological coercion, manipulation and restraint. It ensured the total submission of the slave. What was considered immoral or abnormal in one place, was legalized and normalized in another. The slave felt trapped, disenfranchised and helpless. His identity, his very existence, was violently crushed. A new identity was imposed – a tradeable and replaceable product - a slave. Fear, once again was the underlying tool. This time it was wielded by the slave owner and supported by the state.

The American Civil War of 1861-65 was about slavery. I like to highlight an example - the basis for the decision by the State of Mississippi to leave the Union :

“[O]ur position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-the greatest material interest of the world... A blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization….” (9) (10)

This statement should always be remembered, particularly since slavery continues to exist in its various tragic manifestations today, as this title of an Oct 2018 report by the United Nations attests :

With 40 Million Forced into Modern Slavery, Third Committee Expert Urges States to Protect Rights of Women, Girls, Companies Must Remedy Violations (11)

A slave may also be someone we know – an abused live-in partner, worker, child, or hostage. Fear, that potent tool of a criminal, is the favoured modus operandi.

Our family’s copy of a classic. A great dramatic tale of Southern plantation life, (built and sustained by slave labour) during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. Hollywood made this into a movie in 1939, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in the lead roles. (12)

3. Military Conscription

Image courtesy abc.net.au “Why Australia said no to conscription.”

“Conscription, also called draft, compulsory enrolment for service in a country’s armed forces. It has existed at least from the time of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (27th century bce), but there have been few instances — ancient or modern—of universal conscription (calling all those physically capable between certain ages). The usual form — even during total war — has been selective service.” (13)

Compulsory enlistment or mandated militarized public education is slavery. It presupposes the state, that is, the ruling few, has a claim on the life, freedom, choice and dignity of a citizen, for the public good (I have not encountered any instance where this so-called public good is reasonably and satisfactorily justified. We should thereon read the term “public good” broadly. I submit that in reality, it means for the “good of the self-serving ruling class.”)

Modern conscription may be traced to the Prussian state in the 19th century. (14), (15). This was a period of wars and carnage, including the Napoleonic campaigns, in feudal Europe. (16) The Prussian kingdom deemed it necessary to introduce universal conscription for the security of the “fatherland.” Military expenditure then was said to be as much as 75% of the state’s budget, far above the average of 25% across Europe. In most respects, Prussia could be said to be a militarized kingdom. (17) The French statesman, Count Mirabeau was believed to have said, “Prussia was not a country with an army but an army with a country…” (18) This is a weighty distinction, and it still applies to this day, especially among us who wonder about the youthful soldiers who are shipped far away to another continent to engage in wars in “defense” of their home and country. Or just as curiously, youth who are conscripted and still not allowed to vote or voice their opinion on the matter.

Conscription, especially in peace-time is harmful to the conscript. It is designed to upend the conscript’s identity, with a corollary to establishing a new one, with an affiliation to the military-state apparatus and its agenda. It may be further expressed as follows :

“The tactics of a thought-reform program are organized to:

1. Destabilize a person's sense of self,

2. Get the person to drastically reinterpret his or her life's history and radically alter his or her worldview and accept a new version of reality and causality,

3. Develop in the person a dependence on the organization, and thereby turn the person into a deployable agent of the organization.” (19) 

C. CONCLUSION

          Image courtesy cnn.com

Slavery, abduction and conscription have a common feature – the power dynamics overwhelmingly favour the criminal or offender. The methodologies employed are also similar – fear, threat, harm, disenfranchisement, anxiety, intimidation, inducements/rewards and the like. The objectives too coincide – to control, oppress, induce conformity, empathy and helplessness, with a view to “own” the victim. That’s right – a conscript is a slave and a victim too. Abduction is obviously illegal. Slavery, within its traditional definition, is no longer legal. Time also to call out conscription for what it truly is – brain-washing-cum-slavery.  

Slavery exists so long as we live in fear.

Image courtesy Amazon.com

“Fear is the greatest weapon in God’s arsenal. It is why the church concocted Hell.” 

-   Cardinal Franklin, played by F. Murray Abraham, in 2018’s “Robin Hood.” (20)

 In the Spirit of David Cornelius Singh

By David’s father

https://thinktosee.tumblr.com/

 Sources/References

1. https://www.britannica.com/science/Stockholm-syndrome

2. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22447726

3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/11/natascha-kampusch-interview

4. “Promises to Pay (Vol. 1) : Banks, Battles and Bellies”, p235. Rezvi, Masood. 2018. Published by K.M. Rizvi

5. https://www.britannica.com/topic/slavery-sociology

6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zy7fr82/revision/3

7. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/two-centuries-slavery-indonesian-soil.html

8. “Race and Slavery in the Middle East. An Historical Enquiry. Lewis, Bernard. 1994. Oxford University Press. Chapter 1.

9. https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice/five-truths-about-black-history

10. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_missec.asp

11. https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/gashc4244.doc.htm

12. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-gone-with-the-wind-1939

13. https://www.britannica.com/topic/conscription

14. Ibid.

15. http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/docpage.cfm?docpage_id=3895

16. https://www.britannica.com/event/Napoleonic-Wars

17. Ibid.

18. Chap 7, “The Prussian Military State.” Showalter, Dennis. “Early Modern Military History, 1450-1815.” For readers who wish to learn more, we also suggest separately exploring the connection between Prussia and Imperial Japan.  

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780230523982

19. https://culteducation.com/cults-in-our-midst2.html

The reference here is based on the research findings of Prof. Margaret Thale Singer and originally published in her tome, “Coercive mind control tactics.” Prof. Singer performed extensive research studies on trauma experienced by POWs and cult members. She was the leading authority on the subject. A brief overview of her research is also available via this link : 

http://www.psychologicalharassment.com/coercive-mind-control-tactics.htm 

20. https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/robin-hood-2018/ 

[biofunmy]

Boris Johnson, Giuseppe Conte, Dorian: Your Friday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering Boris Johnson’s promises to speed up Brexit talks, how Giuseppe Conte went from irrelevant to irreplaceable and a chicken-sandwich battle for the ages.

Mr. Johnson promised that Britain’s Brexit negotiators would sit down with their European counterparts twice a week through September, with the possibility of additional technical meetings, to try to reach a deal that would avert the risk of a cliff-edge departure.

“While I have been encouraged with my discussions with E.U. leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop,” he said in comments released by his office, “it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo.”

Details: The Conservative Party leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, resigned, and Lord Young of Cookham, a former cabinet minister, resigned as a Conservative whip in the House of Lords on Thursday.

Meaning: The move seemed to acknowledge the mounting concern about the suspension of Parliament, a decision that provoked spontaneous protests in London and other cities.

How Giuseppe Conte became irreplaceable

The departing prime minister of Italy, after 14 months of being ignored and mocked, has been using his resignation last week to catapult himself into a leading role in the country’s government.

In accepting the mandate to form a government on Thursday, Mr. Conte said that he wanted to win back lost time “to allow Italy, a founding member of the European Union, to rise again as a protagonist” and “transform this moment of crisis into an opportunity.”

What’s next: Mr. Conte will now begin meetings with all party leaders and is expected next week to submit to President Sergio Mattarella a cabinet that, if approved, will be brought to Parliament for a confidence vote.

Reminder: Mr. Conte will preside over a populist/anti-populist coalition between the Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party.

What genes say (and don’t say) about sexuality

An ambitious new study found that many genes play a role in sexual behavior, and that there is no one “gay gene.”

The study in the journal Science found that genes account for perhaps a third of the influence on whether someone has same-sex sex, along with social and environmental factors.

“I hope that the science can be used to educate people a little bit more about how natural and normal same-sex behavior is,” said one of the lead researchers. “It’s written into our genes and it’s part of our environment. This is part of our species and it’s part of who we are.”

Perspective: One of the study’s researchers and a colleague, both gay men, parse the implications and limitations of the work in an Op-Ed.

Accused of recruiting for Jeffrey Epstein

The Times is reporting on disturbing new accusations that Jeffrey Epstein relied on a ring of women close to him to feed his insatiable appetite for girls.

Mr. Epstein’s accusers contend in court papers that his onetime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, along with a small cadre of other women — including several assistants and one referred to as Ms. Maxwell’s “lieutenant” — helped Mr. Epstein lure girls into his orbit and managed the logistics of his encounters with them.

Legal dilemma: Experts also told The Times that prosecutors may struggle in deciding whether to charge the women, because some may have initially been victims themselves.

If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it

Those excluded from France’s sacred August holidays

France is famous for its long summer vacations. In Paris, handwritten notes pop up on the doors of the local bakery, brasserie or locksmith indicating that the owners are away and that you should be, too.

But for many, vacations are becoming increasingly out of reach financially, especially as traditional summer hot spots cater to high-income clients. The gap reflects an increasingly unequal French society — another sign of the things that gave rise to the Yellow Vest movement.

Here’s what else is happening

Measles: There is a “dramatic resurgence” in the disease on the Continent, the World Health Organization said — fueled in part by a rising wave of people who are refusing to be vaccinated. Albania, Britain, the Czech Republic and Greece joined 12 other nations where the disease is endemic.

Hurricane Dorian: The powerful storm is on course to hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. It could start as early as Saturday night, with winds of up to 130 miles per hour. Forecasters predict that the hurricane will drop 4 to 8 inches of rain, with up to a foot in some areas.

Climate change: The Trump administration laid out a far-reaching plan to cut back on the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change.

Colombia: A former rebel commander called for a return to arms, saying the government has failed to honor the peace deal that ended a 52-year war.

Snapshot: Above, a Popeyes location that sold out of chicken sandwiches in New York, after Twitter insults led to the most successful product launch in the fast-food chain’s history. A viral social media debate between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A had customers flocking to restaurants across the country to see for themselves — and it turned into a logistical headache.

U.S. Open: Taylor Townsend upset the Wimbledon champion Simona Halep for the biggest win of her career. Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old who has captivated the tennis world, beat Timea Babos to reach the third round. Next she will face the defending champion, Naomi Osaka.

What we’re reading: This piece in the Atlantic. Remy Tumin on the briefings team, says: “My friend and former colleague Peter Brannen puts the fires in the Amazon into the context of humanity’s burning of fossil fuels, which summons ‘creatures long dead to return to Earth’s surface and give up the ancient energy they took to the grave,’ he writes.”

Now, a break from the news

Listen: Lana Del Rey’s fifth major-label album, “Norman ____ Rockwell!,” is a collaboration with Jack Antonoff packed with fiery lyrics.

Smarter Living: One thing you can do for the environment is drive less. Our Climate Fwd: newsletter did the math for the U.S. Since Americans drive trillions of miles every year, a 10 percent reduction would equal taking about 28 coal-fired power plants offline for a year. Short trips are the lowest-hanging fruit — you can ditch the car and walk, bike or take public transit.

And if you use Slack to escape from email hell, we can help you keep it from taking over your life.

And now for the Back Story on …

Namor, the Sub-Mariner

The Marvel Comics character turns 80 on Saturday. Created by the writer-artist Bill Everett, he has been a villain, a hero, a corporate tycoon and more.

In his origin story, published on Aug. 31, 1939, he is a force of nature personified. Two divers who spot him in the ocean depths are in awe of “the long strokes of his powerful arms.”

Under water, his hair and skin color vary. On land, he has brown hair and is Caucasian — closer to his modern look.

The cartoonist Art Spiegelman, writing about how fascism shaped the golden age of comics in the 1940s, noted that the volatile Sub-Mariner was “a marked contrast to the square and square-jawed vigilante do-gooders who lived in the less scruffy DC Comics neighbourhood.”

The reason for Namor’s rage resonates today: undersea explosions set off by a scientific expedition. With the kingdom of Atlantis threatened, his mother tells him, “It is your duty to lead us into battle!” And so he has, for eight decades and counting.

That’s it for this briefing. We’re off on Monday for the U.S. Labor Day holiday. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Chris Harcum provided the break from the news. George Gustines, a senior editor for graphics and video, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about Uber’s struggle to make a profit. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Philosopher John who lent his name to a “Lost” character (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • On Thursday, we distributed 2,000 copies of the Times Magazine special issue “The 1619 Project,” along with a related newspaper section, for free to readers outside our headquarters in New York.

Sahred From Source link World News

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[wcharaf]

Sleeping on the upper bed, I woke up Thursday morning while Walid is playing the creepy man prank on me, staring at me real closely.  I missed his creepy man jokes.  He used to stand behind the door of my office when we worked in 2004 in a cellphone shop, and watch me in a creepy way, and pretend that he is hiding when I see him.  Sometimes it made me wonder if a psychological issue was really being manifested.  Thankfully, it was  just a prank all along.

Walid is 10 years older than me, but he has the wisdom of a 100 years old philosopher. He grew up in Beirut Golden time, in an ocean of intellectual waves, when Beirut was the Paris of the East.  Then the intellectual waves became intellectual wars, and they in turn converted to real wars, and he lived the civil war in lebanon that started in 1975 day by day, the Israeli occupation that swept up to Beirut in 1982, till he left in the 90’s, and the civil war outlasted him till the year 1989, when it kind of ended with the Taif Accord, while the war with Israel continued till today.  He studied music in California, and a bunch of other things.  He is a professional guitarist, a well learned pianist, a great composer, and an accomplished poet in Arabic.  He is a reference and an expert in the Arabic Language with all its branches, Arabic Music, Arabic poetry, and fluent in English and French.  He also speaks Spanish, and some Russian and German.  He is also an Islamic scholar, and few of his friends declared him as Mujtahid.  Although it might have been a joke at certain times, but it really reflected his intellectual capability to infer the jurisprudence he needed for his daily life.

Walid is also an radio producer, video producer, a TV host, a columnist, a chinese cuisine chef, a donut baker, an educator, and school administrator. I have been in London since Sunday, and I have not yet gotten to the real icons, like Big Ben, The Parliament House, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, nor have I seen the Thames yet.  By this point, I knew that it was not possible to catch up to the possibilities of each area, and it will be a matter of glancing over, and selecting few destinations of each neighborhood among the few ones I had planned originally.

It is time now to go to the heart of London, Westminster, where Big Ben, Parliamentary palace, and surrounding government buildings. I wanted to start the tour in the National Gallery.  The bus took us to Telefogar station, but stopped few stops before due to traffic, and after grabbing a croissant au fromage from Paul cafe, a little stony entrance called my name to it.

#wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 5:24am PDT

In a city like this, almost everything is beautiful, and every shop or cafe, every alley and corner, is worth a stop and a visit. It is like walking in a large museum. Nevertheless, some places call your name, so sometimes you answer to the call, and sometimes you apologize sadly and promise to have a second chance in the future.

Paul called me into it, just like this arch. Upon entering it, and moving from one chamber to another, I found myself passing through some Roman sites.  It was the Roman Baths.

This is London for you. Layers and layers of history, all preserved, all appreciated, all relevant, all breathtaking.  If an alien species attack us, and give us the choice to preserve only one city from utter destruction, I would choose London, because objectively with it, you would preserve the largest amount of human civilization possible.

Exiting from the Roman Baths, I find myself at Somerset house.

  Carrying on, I got to the Trafalgar Square.

#wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #vangogh

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:10am PDT

Wikipedia:

Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars with France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain.  The name comes from Arabic طرف الغرب … meaning cape of the West.

The site of Trafalgar Square had been a significant landmark since the 13th century and originally contained the King’s Mews. After George IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace, the area was redeveloped by John Nash, but progress was slow after his death, and the square did not open until 1844. The 169-foot (52 m) Nelson’s Column at its centre is guarded by four lion statues. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square, but the Fourth Plinth, left empty since 1840, has been host to contemporary art since 1999.

The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including Bloody Sunday, the first Aldermaston March, anti-war protests, and campaigns against climate change. A Christmas tree has been donated to the square by Norway since 1947 and is erected for twelve days before and after Christmas Day. The square is a centre of annual celebrations on New Year’s Eve. It was well known for its feral pigeons until their removal in the early 21st century.

That area is busy. I can’t start to tell you what is in that area, but  I headed to the National Gallery.

The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.[a] The Gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.[4] Its collection belongs to the public of the United Kingdom and entry to the main collection is free of charge. It is among the most visited art museums in the world, after the Musée du Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[3]

Chambers and chambers, rooms after rooms, filled with the masters of the masters, the founders of Art!  Like nothing I have scene before.

There is a room in the Detroit Institute of Arts that I considered the most valuable room in North America.  It contained three paintings for Van Gogh, two for Renoir, Two for Degas, and a couple paintings for Cezanne.

To walk into a building that contained all the pieces I was already in love with, and have watched with awe in Art History Books, and fantasized about all my life, was a big event in my life.

I have no words to describe the National Gallery, but I will leave you with these samples:

1628 … follower of Rembrandt #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #rembrandt

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:24am PDT

Eugene Delacroix 1859 #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #delacroix

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:26am PDT

Jacques-Louis David 1816. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #jaquesdavidlouis

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:28am PDT

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 'Madame Moitessier' 1856. It took him 12 years to complete. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:30am PDT

Lady Queen Jane Grey: "Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact, indeed, against the Queen's highness was unlawful, and the consenting thereunto by me: but touching the procurement and desire thereof by me or on my behalf, I do wash my hands thereof in innocency, before God, and the face of you, good Christian people, this day.1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 18 May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar."

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

Samson and Delilah by Rubens 1609. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #rubens

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:44am PDT

Two rooms full of Rembrandt !!! #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #rembrandt

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:49am PDT

"He that is without sin along you, let first cast a stone at her" John 8:7. Rembrandt 1644 #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #rembrandt

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 6:52am PDT

#wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #stfrancis

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 7:32am PDT

Caravaggio 1609. Salome receives the head of John the Baptist. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #caravaggio

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 7:43am PDT

Joseph William Turner … one of my favorite masters. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #josephwilliamturner

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

No identification needed. #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #monet

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 8:04am PDT

Vincent Van Gogh #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #vangogh

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 8:20am PDT

#wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017 #vangogh

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 8:22am PDT

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There was a special exhibition for Michelangelo that I didn’t have a chance to see.  I left the National Gallery, and found Walid napping after prayer on its lawn, right behind a sign that said: “Keep Off the Lawn”.

#fish&chips #fishandchips #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 9:36am PDT

It was time for lunch, and I could not put off the Fish and Chips anymore, so the closest restaurant was called the Admiral, an 1860 restaurant, that offered the authentic British Fish and Chips.  We enjoyed our dinner, and headed to Westminster to enjoy the sunset at Big Ben and the Thames.  It was a lovely night.  The only disappointment is the attempt of American corporations, like Mcdonald’s, World Disney, Universal, and Coca Cola, to penetrate this historical city.

On our way, we stopped by 10 downing street, at the Prime Minister’s residence.

  This Whitehall street that took us down to the Westminster Abbey,  was lined with governmental departments and monuments.  We saw the guards changing at the Guards House, which houses by itself about few museums and monuments.

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#bigben #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 10:55am PDT

The Westminister Bridge had witnessed a terrorist attack few days before, so the columns will filled with flowers, candles, and notes such as this:

#wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 10:59am PDT

RIP . #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

RIP . #wissamlondontrip2017 #london #visitlondon #lovelondon #ilovelondon #london4all #london🇬🇧 #londoner #londonstyle #londonlife #london2017

A post shared by Wissam Charafeddine (@wcharaf) on Apr 6, 2017 at 11:04am PDT

We spend sunset at this walking the Westminster Bridge and South Bank, chatting, and finally taking a bus back to the hostel, getting lost, ending somewhere with lots of nightlife, eating a Turkish Large Spicy Chicken Shawarma, and walking home in an epic day in which we walked about 12 miles and over 25,000 steps.

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London Trip: Day 5: Trafalgar Square – National Gallery – Big Ben Sleeping on the upper bed, I woke up Thursday morning while Walid is playing the creepy man prank on me, staring at me real closely.