#task: el salvador

[rekaning]

The Housekeeper | Part 3 | Elijah Mikaelson x Reader

Additional tags: Human!Mikaelsons, Modern!AU, Housekeeper!Reader, no use of Y/N Pairings: Elijah Mikaelson x Reader, The Originals x Reader (Platonic) Summary: You and Elijah gradually spend more time together with an added surprise visit.

Previously: Part 1 | Part 2

The professional relationship since your moment of connection with Elijah, morphed into something you hadn't foreseen.

Normally every morning when you'd arrive at the estate, you reported immediately to Elijah. He'd list a few things that needed to be completed by the end of the day, not really giving you a time limit for them, merely that they would need to be done before you left his home. Sometimes, he didn't have any tasks that required your attention at that moment and so you'd go about doing other menial jobs, such as cleaning the vast amount of rooms in the building, vacuuming or mopping the hallways and corridors, or dusting off the decor on the walls and shelves.

Now, when you arrived at the manor, besides Elijah giving you his to-do list, he always made some time for small-talk. You were more than happy to partake in getting to speak with him more. Even with the smallest of things, you found that it gave you more insight into how Elijah would think about things or what topics he found important or interesting. You would ask him about different undertakings his winery business was dealing with, and while he couldn't divulge too much information about ongoing deals and projects, he would let you know that things were proceeding well, or that one thing or another had fallen through but he was handling it well enough.

In turn, he would ask you about the projects that Freya and Kol were operating. He had heard from both his siblings that you were following up on their projects every so often, talking to either of them for hours on end about the discoveries they'd made at their current dig site in El Salvador. You had been especially animated about possible Mayan ruins that had been found near the site and were having a blast speculating with Kol about the implications of those ruins being there.

Apart from your morning chit-chats, Elijah also made it a point to insisting that you eat your lunch with him.

Usually, in the occasions that he was incredibly busy, you would take the lunch you made and leave it on a portable table next to his office desk—so as not to disturb the vast amount of paper work on the ornate dark mahogany—and leave him be until he would text you to let you know that you could go back in to pick up the empty plates.

However, in moments where he had time to sit and enjoy his meal and not just partake in the act of eating as a way to maintain sustenance, he would sit at the kitchen island and have his meal there, away from his computer and all the files and paper mess in his office. In those times, you would give him his space and leave the kitchen to have your own lunch in the dining room, which was incredibly too large for one person. Elijah, the day after he had played the piano for you, had let you know that it was okay to have lunch in the kitchen island, where you normally did.

You had protested for a moment but he had cut you off and instead asked you to eat lunch with him. You had no idea that he could mimic the puppy dog look but the way his eyes widened innocently and the way his lips formed into a pout, it was impossible for you to resist his request.

The two of you got to know each other more during these moments. He would regale you with tales of the shenanigans that he and his brothers, and occasionally his sisters, would get up to. He told of the rough patches he and his brothers had gone through, especially in the case of their father, Mikael.

To your horror, their father was not especially loving to any of his sons, least of all to Klaus. It was not widely known, but Klaus was actually only their half-brother, and that their mother had an affair with another. The scandal had been kept under wraps but tensions arose between Mikael and his wife Esther. The two never divorced however and went on to have Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik. However, Mikael's distaste of Niklaus had grown exponentially within that time that Finn, having moved away from his parents and began his humanitarian projects, convinced his younger brother to move in with him, until he was ready to go off on his own.

Your heart felt for him, hearing how tormented Klaus had been by his step-father, you finally knew where his distrust and paranoia had likely stemmed from.

Elijah knew the history of his family was difficult for you sometimes, so the moments where he felt you would need a break from that, he would ask you questions about your own mother, your upbringing, how school life had been before your housekeeping career.

You loved talking about your mom. It brought back so many wonderful memories with her. It helped keep her at the front of your mind, there was no fear of forgetting her anytime soon. You would happily show Elijah some picture from your phone's photo album of the few trips you took, one of which, you had traveled to El Salvador at the same location that Freya and Kol were currently at.

He enjoyed seeing you talk about her. Hearing the sheer love and admiration that you felt for her, the type of woman she was, Elijah couldn't imagine how losing her had impacted you. He hesitated to ask but one day he did. Your smile, which up until that point, had been burning bright, waned at his question.

"Forgive me, you need not answer that." He said quickly, trying to dispel the melancholy that had fallen over the kitchen.

You shook your head, "No, no, it's okay. I understand your curiosity."

You clasped your hands together, fingers tapping silent rhythms onto your skin, "It was pretty sudden. Nothing terribly tragic but, um, it was a heart attack."

You bit at your bottom lip, "One morning, I said, 'I'll see you later' and the next thing I know, I get a call from the general hospital saying that she's gone."

Elijah could hear the crack in your voice, could see how you gripped at your hands to keep you grounded and not crumble at the the thought of such a horrible moment in your life. He reached out, placing his larger hands on yours, and squeezed with such tenderness that you almost didn't feel any pressure from his grip.

"I can not begin to imagine what that must be like. I am sorry you had to go through such a thing alone." He said softly. The deep timbre of his voice was soothing, a warm balm to the familiar ache of loss from remembering your mother's passing.

It didn't help ease the profound sadness but having him there was a comfort in and of itself. Knowing you weren't alone with your grief.

You mustered up a small smile, "It still stings. I don't think that feeling will ever really go away, but it's a lot less than before." You turned over your hands from under his hold, his larger ones opening to allow you to move them, but you grabbed onto his fingers before he could pull away.

"Thank you, Elijah." You squeezed his digits, a warmth spreading through your chest at how his skin felt against yours. You hoped the forming heat you could feel on your cheeks wasn't visible to him.

"Anyone home!?"

The unexpected voice startled the both of you, causing you and Elijah to move your hands away from each other. You and he swivled your heads over to the footsteps you could hear coming from the direction of the entrance.

The head of a young looking man, features resembling Elijah, Kol and Finn, poked into the kitchen where you two were sat. His eyes were a striking baby blue, with prominent brows. His lips were spread in a resting smile.

"Henrik!" You turned to Elijah, who quickly stood from his stool, face lit up with a wide smile at the sight of his youngest brother.

You were quickly coming to love seeing Elijah's face like that, if your racing heart was anything to go by.

The younger man, Henrik, grinned just as widely and raced over the rest of the way to tackle his brother into a bear hug. The two men chuckled heartily and you couldn't stop the smile spreading across your face at seeing the genuine happiness both of them were exuding at the moment.

They parted after a moment, Elijah anchoring a hand to Henrik's shoulder, "Let me look at you!" He scanned his little brother top to bottom, "You've grown again over the last 8 months!"

Henrik laughed aloud and mockingly patted the elder's head, "Or is it that you've shrunk?"

Elijah chuckled at the reply and simply ruffled the young man's hair. He then moved aside, turning back to you and brought a hand to Henrik's back, bringing him forward, "Henrik, I'm sure you've heard of my new housekeeper?"

The youngest Mikaelson grinned at you, nodding as he uttered your name, "Of course I have. Nik told me all about you! It's so nice to finally meet you." He moved forward, outstretching his hand. You took it in yours and gave him a firm two shakes, "All good things, I hope."

He nodded enthusiastically, "For sure! Well, coming from Nik, it was all said with a hint of suspicion, but that's par for the course for him. Bekah and Reya are much more reliable and they couldn't stop singing your praises."

You laughed at his admittance, "I can't imagine what they'd praise me for."

His eyes widened, "Are you kidding, they said you make a mean chicken parmesan," his eyes turned downward, face sheepish as he looked up at you innocently, "I was kinda hoping to try it."

Oh, it seemed that Elijah was not the only one skilled in the 'puppy dog' look.

Your wide eyes looked over to Elijah, seeing his eyes dance with mirth and edge of his lips twitch with amusement.

You snorted, a look of exasperated endearment crossing your features as you looked back at Henrik, eyes narrowed with mock indignance, "I guess I can make it for tonight's dinner."

His face lit up instantly, excitement at the prospect of the rumored 'heavenly chicken parmesan', he pumped a fist into the air and turned around before you could change your mind about tonight's menu.

"I'll be in my room. See you in a bit!" Without looking back, he sped out of the kitchen, his hurried footsteps taking him to the staircase by the entrance.

"He's a bit brazen. I hope you can forgive him." Elijah's baritone broke the silence after Henrik's departure.

You looked at him. His eyes were still glued to where his baby brother had ran off, his face the picture of adoration for the whirlwind of energy that had just ran up the stairs.

You couldn't help but giggle, Elijah's eyes cutting to you at the sound, "There's nothing to forgive. I'm happy to serve. Although," your face turned contemplative as you turned away from him and walked toward the refrigerator, "I'll need to go make a grocery run. I ran out of mozzarella on Tuesday. And need to get some more basil. Actually, I could pair the chicken with some spaghetti. So, I gotta get another jar of sauce...hm, maybe two jars? I wonder how much Henrik eats. Probably two jars then. Oh and gotta get some extra chicken breasts..."

You continued to mutter different ingredients, seeming to have forgotten about Elijah's presence behind you. The action only caused Elijah's face to soften, his eyes following you closely, radiating warmth and tenderness.

He noticed that you tended to hyper-focus on a task that you deemed to be of utmost import. And it filled him with joy that you thought of tending to his siblings as important. You were hired as his housekeeper but that didn't stop you from attending to the wishes of his brothers and sisters. And you did so, not because they were his siblings, but because you genuinely wanted to help and provide in the way only you could.

The more and more he came to know about you the deeper and deeper he was falling in—

Wait.

Was he?

Was this...love?

*** Part 4

Author's note: Dun-dun-duuuuun! The L word!

[maurawrites]

Sulem Calderon gif pack [‘Mayans M.C. S02’]

In this here gif pack you’ll find 49 gifs of Sulem in season 2 of ‘Mayans M.C.’. All these gifs were made by me, so please don’t claim as your own. Do NOT put into other gif hunts.  If credit is given, you may use/edit them as sidebars, crackships, etc, just please ( @ ) me in your creations!

Made for @tasksweekly tasks #123: El Salvador (Sulem is Salvadoran, please respect this when using her)

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[weirdestbooks]

La Melancolía de Independencia (Wattpad | Ao3 | CH HHM Oneshots)

El Salvador was an independent country. He was independent now. Of Spain, of Mexico, of his sister—it was just him and him alone as the countryhuman of his nation.

El Salvador knew he should be happy. And he was, he really was.

But in order to get his independence, his sister had to die. 

El Salvador never wanted Federal Republic of Central America to die. She was more than a sister to him; she was also his mother. As much as she denied it, Central America has raised him and his other siblings. To him, she was and always would be his mother.

And now she was dead. 

And El Salvador was expected to celebrate.

His living siblings and niece had scattered, returning to their own, now independent countries.

And El Salvador was alone. He didn’t know how to be a country on his own, and a part of him didn’t want to. He was so used to having family so close to him, family he could visit as he pleased without many political implications. 

It was scary to be on his own. Now, he had to do the things his mother had done. He was in charge of diplomacy, of his borders, of looking after his people. 

It was a daunting ask. 

Was El Salvador up to that massive task? Could he live up to the legacy of his mother?

He didn’t know.

But he sure hoped so. He didn’t want his mother to have died for nothing, for all his people who fought and died for his freedom to have died for nothing.

He wanted to be the best countryhuman he could be for his people.

He only hoped he could live up to that goal.

[usergreenpixel]

MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 18: EL ENCARGO DEL MAESTRO GOYA (2021)

1. The Introduction

Hello, my dear Neighbors! I’m finally back with a freshly made review in tow!

So, this particular book (available on Amazon and ebook websites but only in Spanish) first came to my attention me due to my interest in Napoleonic era and, as of recently, Francisco Goya’s works. Naturally, this book caught my attention right off the bat because it’s a fucking jackpot!

Okay, Goya is actually a fairly minor character but he has an extremely important role in the story. More on that later!

(Also, tomorrow I will reblog this review to add my song because I’m having headaches today… Those bitches are bothering me again)

Anyway, I loved this book even more than I expected I would, so let’s analyze it to the best of my ability! This review is dedicated to @that-enragee . Enjoy!

2. The Summary

This novel tells a story of three siblings - Mercedes, Salvador and Marta. They are on the way to the city of Santander in order to receive their late aunt’s inheritance. However, another reason for the journey is a task given to Marta by her mentor, Goya. She must make a copy of a painting so that the French don’t loot the real thing.

3. The Story

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the romantic subplots! And that’s really rare for me. But here the subplots are written MASTERFULLY and progress naturally. Yes, there’s more than one romantic subplot. In fact, there’s two (both Mercedes and Marta find love).

I also appreciate the lack of a villain in the story. The take on events is very nuanced and awful people are shown to exist on all sides, so the take is more or less objective, not unlike Goya’s etchings with the theme of war. This nuance makes the story that much more enjoyable.

The pacing is also very good, but sometimes there are annoying flashbacks. Luckily, those are not extensive.

On a slightly darker note, props to the author for killing off some of the characters and making it stick. I know it’s a war story, but some writers don’t have the balls to include this degree of realism.

4. The Characters

Since the narrative takes place away from the frontlines, we don’t really have historical figures as major characters. Even Goya is a minor character in the book and he only appears properly in the end.

I actually liked his portrayal because he truly doesn’t want the French to loot precious artworks but also has an agenda. See, the painting Marta is to forge is a depiction of Santa Casilda by Zurbarán (a painting that actually WAS stolen during the war historically).

This is important because, according to rumors, praying to this particular depiction can cure ailments, including permanent deafness. Since Goya went deaf due to an illness at around 45 years of age, he believes that this painting is his last hope to get his hearing back.

Although I am aware of the ableist implications of the trope of a disabled person seeking a “cure”, it’s important to note that the world back then wasn’t accommodating to the disabled at all and views ranged from them being innocent at best to burdens at worst. Besides, Goya historically would always portray the disabled as helpless in his art, so it’s safe to assume that he internalized the views of the time period.

(Spoiler alert: No worries, dear disabled readers, the author doesn’t pull a magical cure out of her ass and disabled characters stay disabled.)

Goya is also supportive and proud of his pupil, Marta, which is the sweetest thing ever, so we get to see that he truly cares about her.

Speaking of disability, we also have another deaf character, Marta. As one of the main characters, she is naturally explored in more depth than Goya and we get to see her realistic struggle with her own deafness. Unlike Goya, she was born deaf and therefore doesn’t speak, instead communicating with some signs and writing.

She starts out seeking this alleged cure too, but mostly because she is done with being coddled and treated like a child by her siblings, especially Mercedes. She is naïve and somewhat innocent due to being very young (19ish), but she is also kind, brave, compassionate and a bit mischievous, using her painting skills to help pull a prank at one point.

She also embraces her deafness as the story progresses, finds a man who loves her the way she is and learns to respect her as her own person and not the innocent deaf girl she’s assumed to be. There’s a lot of depth and nuance to her character, and I truly appreciate it.

Mercedes, the other protagonist and the oldest sibling in her family is motherly and protective to the point of coddling Marta and being understandably angry that Goya got her involved in a dangerous mission for the sake of some fake “cure”. Mercedes is also a widow and and more cynical than her siblings, but mellows out over the course of her story.

As an older sister myself, I can definitely relate to her wanting to protect her siblings so I enjoyed her character too. I also think that making her a widow instead of an ingenue is a somewhat bold choice for a romantic subplot, but it definitely suits her and gives additional context to her character.

Claude Cornulier, a soldier sent to Santander to try and curb the atrocities, is sweet and a philosopher. He also understands that war is hell and expresses true empathy towards Spanish people. He also falls for Mercedes but never forces her into a relationship. Instead, he is a true gentleman and treats her with the utmost respect so their romance is healthy and entirely consensual.

Then there is Lieutenant Alfonso Bustamante, a fairly young but retired soldier from the Spanish Navy who feels insecure about having scars and only one eye. His health is in the shit as well, but we later learn that he helps local guerillas and has a ring of informants in the area, so he too fights for his country in whatever way he can.

Bustamante is also a gentleman and forms a friendship with Mercedes while also, eventually, falling for Marta. Although he does make the mistake of coddling her somewhat, he eventually realizes that it’s not the best approach and cuts it out, leading to a healthy relationship.

Salvador is a passionate young man who is also fiercely protective of his sisters, as the only living family member.

At one point the painter David is namedropped in the book and the French troops also joke about Soult looting too many paintings, but those two don’t appear in person.

5. The Setting

The descriptions are wonderful and not too long, thank goodness. I really liked them and they helped me become immersed into the story.

6. The Writing

Reading in Spanish was a challenge at times, but I like the style. It has a nice flow, doesn’t feel inappropriately modern and is fairly easy to read for those fluent in Spanish.

7. The Conclusion

Overall, an excellent book that really captured my imagination and attention! If you are fluent in Spanish, I can’t recommend it enough.

Either way, this concludes the 18th soirée at the Malmaison Media Salon.

Stay tuned for future reviews and tomorrow’s reblog with the song, everyone!

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

10+ Good Things Biden has Done: Education & Immigration Edition

Just a list of 10+ good things Biden has done in the last 4 years because I’ve been hearing too much rhetoric that it doesn’t matter who you vote for. It does make a difference. 

Find more good things here, here, and here.

Canceled over $140B of student debt for nearly 40 million borrowers. (x)

Strengthened protections for sexual assault survivors, pregnant and parenting students, and LGBTQ+ students in schools through an updated Title IX rule. This updated rule strengthens sexual assault survivors rights to investigation– something that had been gutted under the Trump administration, strengthens requirements that schools provide modifications for students based on pregnancy, prohibits harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and more. (x) 

Revoked an order that limited diversity and inclusion training. (x)

Cracked down on for profit colleges. (x)

Reaffirmed students’ federal civil rights protections for non-discrimination based on race, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender in schools. Specifically, the Department of Education made clear students with disabilities’ right to school, limiting the use of out of school suspensions and expulsions against them. (x) (x) 

Enhanced the Civil Rights Data Collection, a national survey that captures data on students’ equal access to educational opportunities. These changes will improve the tracking of civil rights violations for students, critical for advocates to respond to instances of discrimination. 

Provided guidance on how colleges and universities can still uphold racial diversity in higher education following the Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action. (x)

Designated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) status for immigrants from Cameroon, Haiti, ​​El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan, and more. (x) 

Ended the discriminatory Muslim and African bans (x). 

Provided a pathway to citizenship for spouses of U.S. citizens that have been living in the country without documentation. (x) 

Expanded healthcare to DACA recipients (x) 

This one is… barely a win but not by fault of the Biden Administration. The Department of Homeland Security as of Feb 2023 has reunited nearly 700 immigrant children that were separated from their families under Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy. From 2017-2021, 3,881 children were separated from their families. About 74% of those have been reunited with their families: 2,176 before the task force was created and 689 afterward. But that still leaves nearly 1,000 children who remain tragically separated from their families from under the Trump Administration. (x)

(okay this one is maybe only exciting for me who’s a census nerd) Revised federal standards for the collection of race and ethnicity data, allowing for federal data that better reflect the country’s diversity. Now, government forms will include a Middle Eastern/ North African category (when previously those individuals would check “white”). Additionally, forms will now have combined the race & ethnicity question allowing for individuals to check “Latino/a” as their race (previously Latine individuals would be encouraged to check “Latino” for ethnicity and “white” for race… which doesn’t really resonate with many folks). (x) (I know this sounds boring but let me tell you this is BIG when it comes to better data collection– and better advocacy!).

Rescinded a Trump order that would have excluded undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census which would have taken away critical funds from those communities.

Has proposed investments in a lot of programs including universal pre-k, childcare, mental health programs in schools, a national medical leave program for all workers and more. (x) 

Last… let’s also not forget all the truly terrible things Trump did when he was in office. If you need a reminder, scroll this list, this one mostly for giggles + horror, for actual horror about what a Trump presidency has in store, learn about ‘Project 2025’ from the Heritage Foundation. I know this post is about reasons to vote FOR Biden but let’s not forget the many, many reasons to vote for him over Trump.

Looking for more?

10+ good things Biden has done in climate and labor

10+ good things Biden has done in healthcare and housing

10+ good things Biden has done in the justice and courts system

A few other notes

Voting for Biden or Trump shouldn’t be the only reason you vote. You know what elections have more power over your life? LOCAL elections. If you’re not feeling jazzed about Biden… vote for someone really cool running for mayor, or your rep, or on your school board and then begrudgingly vote for Biden. 

A reminder that if someone online is trying to discourage you to vote there’s a good chance they are a paid actor to do so. Voter suppression was a well-documented tactic during the 2016 election and I’m sure the trolls are out in force again. 

Check your voter registration here, make a plan to vote, and encourage your friends to vote as well. 

All in all, yeah… there’s a lot of shitty things still happening. There’s always going to be shit but things aren’t going to change on their own. And that change starts (it certainly doesn’t end) with voting. 

Go vote in November.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

This political cartoon by Louis Dalrymple appeared in Judge magazine in 1903. It depicts European immigrants as rats. Nativism and anti-immigration have a long and sordid history in the United States.

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 28, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 29, 2024

Yesterday the National Economic Council called a meeting of the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, which the Biden-Harris administration launched in 2021, to discuss the impact of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the partial closure of the Port of Baltimore on regional and national supply chains. The task force draws members from the White House and the departments of Transportation, Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy, and Homeland Security. It is focused on coordinating efforts to divert ships to other ports and to minimize impacts to employers and workers, making sure, for example, that dock workers stay on payrolls. 

Today, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg convened a meeting of port, labor, and industry partners—ocean carriers, truckers, local business owners, unions, railroads, and so on—to mitigate disruption from the bridge collapse. Representatives came from 40 organizations including American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier; the Georgia Ports Authority; the International Longshoremen’s Association, the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots; John Deere; Maersk; Mercedes-Benz North America Operations; Seabulk Tankers; Under Armour; and the World Shipping Council.  

Today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced it would make $60 million available immediately to be used as a down payment toward initial costs. Already, though, some Republicans are balking at the idea of using new federal money to rebuild the bridge, saying that lawmakers should simply take the money that has been appropriated for things like electric vehicles, or wait until insurance money comes in from the shipping companies. 

In 2007, when a bridge across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis suddenly collapsed, Congress passed funding to rebuild it in days and then-president George W. Bush signed the measure into law within a week of the accident. 

In the past days, we have learned that the six maintenance workers killed when the bridge collapsed were all immigrants, natives of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Around 39% of the workforce in the construction industry around Baltimore and Washington, D.C., about 130,000 people, are immigrants, Scott Dance and María Luisa Paúl reported in the Washington Post yesterday. 

Some of the men were undocumented, and all of them were family men who sent money back to their home countries, as well. From Honduras, the nephew of one of the men killed told the Associated Press, “The kind of work he did is what people born in the U.S. won’t do. People like him travel there with a dream. They don’t want to break anything or take anything.”  

In the Philadelphia Inquirer today, journalist Will Bunch castigated the right-wing lawmakers and pundits who have whipped up native-born Americans over immigration, calling immigrants sex traffickers and fentanyl dealers, and even “animals.” Bunch illustrated that the reality of what was happening on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed creates an opportunity to reframe the immigration debate in the United States.

Last month, Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post noted that immigration is a key reason that the United States experienced greater economic growth than any other nation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The surge of immigration that began in 2022 brought to the U.S. working-age people who, Director Phill Swagel of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office wrote, are expected to make the U.S. gross domestic product about $7 trillion larger over the ten years from 2023 to 2034 than it would have been otherwise. Those workers will account for about $1 trillion dollars in revenues. 

Curiously, while Republican leaders today are working to outdo each other in their harsh opposition to immigration, it was actually the leaders of the original Republican Party who recognized the power of immigrants to build the country and articulated an economic justification for increased immigration during the nation’s first major anti-immigrant period. 

The United States had always been a nation of immigrants, but in the 1840s the failure of the potato crop in Ireland sent at least half a million Irish immigrants to the United States. As they moved into urban ports on the East Coast, especially in Massachusetts and New York, native-born Americans turned against them as competitors for jobs.

The 1850s saw a similar anti-immigrant fury in the new state of California. After the discovery of gold there in 1848, native-born Americans—the so-called Forty Niners—moved to the West Coast. They had no intention of sharing the riches they expected to find. The Indigenous people who lived there had no right to the land under which gold lay, native-born men thought; nor did the Mexicans whose government had sold the land to the U.S. in 1848; nor did the Chileans, who came with mining skills that made them powerful competitors. Above all, native-born Americans resented the Chinese miners who came to work in order to send money home to a land devastated by the first Opium War.

Democrats and the new anti-immigrant American Party (more popularly known as the “Know Nothings” because members claimed to know nothing about the party) turned against the new immigrants, seeing them as competition that would drive down wages. In the 1850s, Know Nothing officials in Massachusetts persecuted Catholics and deported Irish immigrants they believed were paupers. In California the state legislature placed a monthly tax on Mexican and Chinese miners, made unemployment a crime, took from Chinese men the right to testify in court, and finally tried to stop Chinese immigration altogether by taxing shipmasters $50 for each Chinese immigrant they brought.   

When the Republicans organized in the 1850s, they saw society differently than the Democrats and the Know Nothings. They argued that society was not made up of a struggle over a limited economic pie, but rather that hardworking individuals would create more than they could consume, thus producing capital that would make the economy grow. The more people a nation had, the stronger it would be.

In 1860 the new party took a stand against the new laws that discriminated against immigrants. Immigrants’ rights should not be “abridged or impaired,” the delegates to its convention declared, adding that they were “in favor of giving a full and efficient protection to the rights of all classes of citizens, whether native or naturalized, both at home and abroad.”

Republicans’ support for immigration only increased during the Civil War. In contrast to the southern enslavers, they wanted to fill the land with people who supported freedom. As one poorly educated man wrote to his senator, “Protect Emegration and that will protect the Territories to Freedom.”

Republicans also wanted to bring as many workers to the country as possible to increase economic development. The war created a huge demand for agricultural products to feed the troops. At the same time, a terrible drought in Europe meant there was money to be made exporting grain. But the war was draining men to the battlefields of Stones River and Gettysburg and to the growing U.S. Navy, leaving farmers with fewer and fewer hands to work the land. 

By 1864, Republicans were so strongly in favor of immigration that Congress passed “an Act to Encourage Immigration.” The law permitted immigrants to borrow against future homesteads to fund their voyage to the U.S., appropriated money to provide for impoverished immigrants upon their arrival, and, to undercut Democrats’ accusations that they were simply trying to find men to throw into the grinding war, guaranteed that no immigrant could be drafted until he announced his intention of becoming a citizen. 

Support for immigration has waxed and waned repeatedly since then, but as recently as 1989, Republican president Ronald Reagan said: “We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people—our strength—from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation…. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”

The workers who died in the bridge collapse on Tuesday “were not ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’” Will Bunch wrote, quoting Trump; “they were replenishing it…. They may have been born all over the continent, but when these men plunged into our waters on Tuesday, they died as Americans.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[historyhermann]

Nimona Spoiler-Filled Review [part 1]

Nimona is a science fantasy adventure-comedy film. It is based on ND Stevenson's webcomic, and later graphic novel, of the same name. Annapurna Animation, Vertigo Entertainment, DNEG Animation, Blue Sky Studios, and 20th Century Animation produced the film. Nick Bruno and Troy Quane directed it. Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary are producers. This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Nimona, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist. As a warning, there will be discussion of death, murder, depression, suicide, and other distressing topics.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-second article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 31, 2023.

The film begins in an almost Disney-like fashion, with the opening of a scroll. Viewers are told about a kingdom where everyone lived in peace with nothing to fear. A "great and terrible evil" is said to be lurking in the shadows. As the narrator states, in this "dark hour", a hero named Gloreth (voiced by Karen Ryan) rose up, banishing the evil. She vowed that her people would never be in such a vulnerable place again, thanks to an elite force of knights. Their descendants were tasked with protecting the kingdom for years to come. Following this, the narrator declares that if you want a happily ever after, you can never let your guard down because the monsters are "always out there". This film takes place 1000 years later.

What follows is one of the film's most important plot points: the beginning of Ballister Boldheart's "villain arc". While he is at the knighting ceremony with his boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin (voiced by Eugene Lee Yang), Queen Valerin (voiced by Lorraine Toussaint) declares Ambrosius, who is called Goldenloin in the rest of this review, a knight. However, she only calls him a "hero of the realm". To make matters worse, his sword activates, causing him to stab the Queen, and kill her. Even though it is evident that someone set him up, everyone is against him, and he becomes a fugitive.

Before going further, it is worth noting the amazing cast choices with this film. Apart from Eugene Lee Yang, Lorraine Toussaint, and Karen Ryan, there's Chloë Grace Moretz as Nimona, Riz Ahmed as Ballister, and Frances Conroy as The Director. This is enhanced by RuPaul and Indya Moore as announcers Nate Knight and Alamzapam Davis. Even two Saturday Night Live cast members voice characters: Sarah Sherman as Coriander Cavaverish and Beck Bennett as Sir Thoddeus Sureblade. In addition, Zayaan Kunwar voices a young Ballister, Charlotte Aldrich as young Gloreth, and Cindy Slattery as Syntheya (voice of the kingdom). Lastly, Julio Torres voices Diego the Squire, Sommersill Tarabek an Institute Analyst, and Lylianna Eugene as Patinece. Even ND Stevenson cameos as cereal mascot Kwispy Dragon.

What is interesting about these cast choices is that the voice actors have a lot of range. Moretz previously played Wednesday Addams in the two animated Addams Family films in 2019 and 2021, while Ahmed did the English dubbed voice of Takai in Weathering with You and Amin Nawabi in Flee. Furthermore, Yang voiced Toul in Star Wars: Visions, Toussaint famously voiced Shadow Weaver in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, RuPaul as Mr. X in Amphibia, Moore as Shep in Steven Universe Future and Brooklyn in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, while Conray has provided her voice to characters in We Bare Bears, Summer Camp Island, and many other (mostly live-action) productions since 1976.

Adding to this, Yang is outwardly gay and of South Korean descent. Ahmed is British-Pakistani. Toussaint is a Black woman born in Trinidad and Tobago. RuPaul is a Black gay man (and drag queen). Torres is a gay man born in El Salvador. Eugene is a young Black girl. Moore is a transgender non-binary Black woman with Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Haitian ancestry.

This diversity translates onto the screen. In the original comic, Goldenloin was a White man, but in this film, he is East Asian, like his voice actor. Similarly, Ballister is Asian descent in this film as well. Some online chatter claimed that the Queen Valerin's death was "anti-Black". However, this faulty and wrongheaded claim shows a lack of understanding about the film. For one, Valerin is beloved by everyone in the Kingdom. As such, everyone wants to avenge her death. Secondly, there are two other prominent Black characters, new anchors Alamzapam Davis and Nate Knight.

Furthermore, although Ballister is the one who "killed" Valerin, it is later revealed that this is a set up by The Director of the infamous Institute. Even if Valerin had survived, she would still be heading an oppressive system built on lies and deceit. So, there would have been a confrontation at some point. But, it's hard to know when that would have happened.

There is more to this film than its diversity and cast choices. For one, Nimona has a strong chaotic and "riot grrrl" energy to her. This is clear from her introduction about 10 minutes into the film, when she breaks into Ballister's "secret lair" (an abandoned tower) and "applies" to be his sidekick. Ballister isn't sure about her, but she tells him that "every villain needs a sidekick". After spurning her, he goes off to get arrested (despite his claim he won't be). That whole scene, which is less than three minutes long, begins the great dynamic between Nimona and Ballister. Surely, it is different from what is in the original comic, but that's ok.

Ballister's character development is clear. He goes from being an "innocent" hero who loves the Institute to a "villain" determined to clear his name. He wants to find who is responsible for killing Valerin, no matter what. Nimona helps him along the way. She notes that when the world sees you as a villain, you are one, no matter how hard you try and change that perception. That's an important message, especially when certain groups and individuals are villainized by reactionary individuals (and groups).

I also liked how fluid Nimona is with her forms. She changes into a rhino, a bear, a gorilla, a monkey, an ostrich, a whale, and a cat at different points in the film. Her ability to easily change her form is shown effortlessly in the film. This embodies the power of animation. If this film had been live action, rather than animation, it may have been an unmitigated disaster. Through her transformations, Nimona becomes a more relatable character, despite her desire for destruction. After all, she is excited when there are explosions through the Institute, with fire in her eyes, and saying "metal". Her relatability may be heightened for those who are gender non-conforming, trans, non-binary, or combination of all three.

Goldenloin's leadership of the mission trying to track down Ballister says a lot. It shows how committed someone can be to oppressive systems, even if you love the person being targeted. ND Stevenson noted in one interview that it is convenient for the Institute to cast Ballister as a villain and Goldenloin as the opposite.

This relates to the argument that at times cisgender gay individuals fit into corrupt institutions and systems that the trans community can't. Ballister does this during the film. At the same time, the Institute claims they are taking "every precaution" to keep everyone safe. They even have tests to stop "monster attacks". All these tactics attempt to keep people in a state fear. Similar tactics were employed by Clu and his minions, like Pavel and Tesler, in Tron: Uprising. In that series, those villains attempted to marginalize the Renegade and get everyone to turn against him.

In an undoubted criticism of mass surveillance, the Institute look at their cameras and use facial recognition in an attempt to locate Ballister. Despite this, Nimona and Ballister still escape, with Nimona telling how she ended up becoming a shapeshifter, and even kidnap the squire (voiced by Julio Torres). He reveals that the Director set up Ballister, with the video evidence to prove it, with Nimona later uploading this video. It is implied that Nimona doesn't feel pain. Later, in another relatable moment, Nimona says she feels worse when she doesn't shapeshift, saying it makes her insides feel itchy.

Nimona is not alone in criticism of surveillance. At one point, in the ever-controversial and problematic gen:LOCK, Col. Raquel Marin demands loyalty, belief in the chain of command. She is so paranoid of people criticizing her that she orders covert surveillance on the gen:LOCK team (the show's protagonists). There are many other examples of this in fiction. For instance, Philip K. Dick's The Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly, The Lord of Rings move adaptations (specifically the all-seeing Eye of Sauron), THX 1138 (1971), Brazil (1985), V for Vendetta (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and Snowden (2016) all have commentary which is critical of mass surveillance.

The rest of the film involves attempts to expose the Director for her crimes. In the process, the cruelty of the world is shown. The Institute's Knights try to electrocute her and a little girl declares she is a "monster". The latter breaks her. She comments that she doesn't know if it is scarier that everyone in the Kingdom wants to put a sword through her heart or that sometimes she wants to let them do that. Ballister agrees with her. But he reassures her that no matter what they do, they can't change how people see them. This brings me to one of the best parts of the film: when Nimona shapeshifts into Goldenloin. She does so that the Director will admit her crimes and note that she framed Ballister.

Unsurprisingly, the Director tells Goldenloin she is innocent. In a TV broadcast, she inspires fear in people, declaring that anyone around them can be the "monster". This is meant to increase public support for the Institute. She caps this off by lying, claiming she isn't the one in the video, pointing to the fact that Nimona is a shapeshifter. To make matters worse, Goldenloin causes Ballister to doubt his faith in Nimona and she flees from the Institute's knights, who now know the location of her secret headquarters. As she runs away and hides, she remembers playing, many years prior, with Gloreth, until the village residents pull them apart, surround her. She inadvertently causes a fire and Gloreth sides with ignorant adults of the town, declaring that Nimona needs to go back to "whence she came", back to the shadows.

Nimona then alludes to how depression and anger can lead to suicide. Nimona attacks the walled city, and despite their attempts to stop her, she goes onward. In the process, the Director shows her true colors. She wants to turn the cannons on the city, even though many innocent people will die! The attempt by Nimona to take her own life, to have the statue go through her heart, is stopped by Ballister who tells her she isn't alone and apologizes for her actions. As Stevenson noted in one interview, Ballister isn't a bad person, but doesn't understand everything Nimona is going through, even though he grows through the movie.

The film ends with the Director expressing her commitment to the oppressive system. She claims that Nimona is a threat to their "way of life". Nimona appears to sacrifice herself and transforms into a huge phoenix. As a result, the Director is killed, and a wall is destroyed. However, this isn't the end. There is a time skip. The kingdom has changed, with the former wall-breach becoming a trade road, while Ballister and Nimona are honored as heroes. Ballister is with Goldenloin, in a scene which reminds me of when Troy Sandoval and Benson Mekler run a restaurant side-by-side in the Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts series finale.

When revisiting his old hideout, Ballister remembers his time with Nimona, fixes up the place, and hears something which sounds like her. It is heavily implied that she has resurrected, bringing him great joy. This means that there is the possibility of a sequel or continuation in some form.

There have been many reviews of the film, whether in Variety, Empire, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, The Guardian, and Associated Press. None mention a criticism I saw online: that the film slimmed Nimona down from her chubby/fat/overweight self in the comic. I remember people claiming the same happened with Steven Universe over the course of that series. Fans had various explanations for that. As for Nimona, Stevenson stated that it was very important to him that Nimona's body type be accurate in the film.

In one interview he noted that Nimona is "chubby...curvy...never sexualized, and...gender-nonconforming". He added that she "has her own unique style...[and] chooses to look this way." In another interview, Stevenson noted that it was "very healing" to draw Nimona's body type because he had an hourglass-teenager body type which he was uncomfortable with. He further explained that Nimona is "not constrained by her body."

The film is different from the comic in many ways. Even so, Nimona is still an "embodiment of that feeling of limitless possibility". The film encourages audience members to question the labels people have assigned them,. It focuses on the ability of people to change and personal identity. As such, it should be no surprise that animators/creators such as Vivienne Medrano, Daron Nefcy, Michael Rianda, and Matt Braly, praised the film, along with many others on social media.

It is almost a miracle the film was made at all. In 2015, 20th Century Fox acquired the animation film rights to Nimona. The scheduled release was February 2020, with Blue Sky Studios doing the animation work. However, this changed when Disney gobbled up 20th Century Fox. As a result, the film was delayed to March 2021 and again to January 2022. To make matters worse, the pandemic caused remote production, adding a strain on the film's crew. The film's future was thrown into question when Disney announced that Blue Sky Studios was being shut down and ended the film's production. While there will continual speculation as to why Disney did this, some argued that Disney cancelled the film because of its LGBTQ representation.

Annapurna Pictures revived the film. DNEG Animation was added as an animation partner. Despite this change, the voice cast was retained. Later, reporting revealed that the film was the first release of Annapurna's new division, Annapurna Animation. The latter may be the division under which Hazbin Hotel is released. It will build upon an oft-watched indie animated pilot. In contrast, this film built upon what Blue Sky Studios completed before Disney closed the studio. This meant that the film wasn't started "from scratch". On a related note, I wish that Nimona would have been an animated series, rather than a film, as they could have explored more of the characters, but the film is strong on its own.

There is no doubt that more films like Nimona need to be in the world. This film comes at the same time that animated films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental have done well. Others, like Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken have bombed at the box office, or have only been released on streaming platforms. The latter is the case for Justice League X RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen: Part One, with a second part reportedly coming on October 31st. 

Nimona would not be possible without hard work of the writers, animators, storyboarders, and other crew. A largely-circulated spreadsheet in which people anonymously described their conditions in animation studios does not mention Annapurna Pictures or Annapurna Animation. Two reviews on Glassdoor are diametrically opposed. One praises Annapurna and another is very critical. So, the true work conditions are hard to determine. The same spreadsheet includes reviews describing DNEG as having low pay, disorganization, and overwork.

There is no doubt that that each member of the crew worked hard on this film, even though their working conditions may not have been the best. This film aired 59 days after the writer's strike began and 14 days after the actor's strike began.  Those individuals are represented by WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Both strikes are paired together in a Wikipedia page entitled "2023 Hollywood labor disputes". The script and work had been stockpiled. This allowed for the film to be aired. Netflix has become a struck company for striking actors and workers.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[hussyknee]

Arundati Roy writing in The Guardian against the Afghanistan War on October 2001

“Brutality smeared in peanut butter”

Why America must stop the war now.

By Arundhati Roy

Tue 23 Oct 2001 • 00.57 • BST •

-------------------------------------------

As darkness deepened over Afghanistan on Sunday October 7 2001, the US Government, backed by the International Coalition Against Terror (the new, amenable surrogate for the United Nations), launched air strikes against Afghanistan. TV channels lingered on computer-animated images of cruise missiles, stealth bombers, tomahawks, "bunker-busting" missiles and Mark 82 high drag bombs. All over the world, little boys watched goggle-eyed and stopped clamouring for new video games.

The UN, reduced now to an ineffective acronym, wasn't even asked to mandate the air strikes. (As Madeleine Albright once said, "We will behave multilaterally when we can, and unilaterally when we must.") The "evidence" against the terrorists was shared amongst friends in the "coalition".

After conferring, they announced that it didn¹t matter whether or not the "evidence" would stand up in a court of law. Thus, in an instant, were centuries of jurisprudence carelessly trashed.

Nothing can excuse or justify an act of terrorism, whether it is committed by religious fundamentalists, private militia, people's resistance movements – or whether it's dressed up as a war of retribution by a recognised government. The bombing of Afghanistan is not revenge for New York and Washington. It is yet another act of terror against the people of the world.

Each innocent person that is killed must be added to, not set off against, the grisly toll of civilians who died in New York and Washington.

People rarely win wars, governments rarely lose them. People get killed.

Governments moult and regroup, hydra-headed. They use flags first to shrink-wrap people's minds and smother thought, and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury their willing dead. On both sides, in Afghanistan as well as America, civilians are now hostage to the actions of their own governments.

Unknowingly, ordinary people in both countries share a common bond - they have to live with the phenomenon of blind, unpredictable terror. Each batch of bombs that is dropped on Afghanistan is matched by a corresponding escalation of mass hysteria in America about anthrax, more hijackings and other terrorist acts.

There is no easy way out of the spiralling morass of terror and brutality that confronts the world today. It is time now for the human race to hold still, to delve into its wells of collective wisdom, both ancient and modern. What happened on September 11 changed the world forever.

Freedom, progress, wealth, technology, war – these words have taken on new meaning.

Governments have to acknowledge this transformation, and approach their new tasks with a modicum of honesty and humility. Unfortunately, up to now, there has been no sign of any introspection from the leaders of the International Coalition. Or the Taliban.

When he announced the air strikes, President George Bush said: "We're a peaceful nation." America¹s favourite ambassador, Tony Blair, (who also holds the portfolio of prime minister of the UK), echoed him: "We're a peaceful people."

So now we know. Pigs are horses. Girls are boys. War is peace.

Speaking at the FBI Headquarters a few days later, President Bush said: "This is our calling. This is the calling of the United States of America. The most free nation in the world. A nation built on fundamental values that reject hate, reject violence, rejects murderers and rejects evil. We will not tire."

Here is a list of the countries that America has been at war with – and bombed – since the Second World War: China (1945-46, 1950-53), Korea (1950-53), Guatemala (1954, 1967-69), Indonesia (1958), Cuba (1959-60), the Belgian Congo (1964), Peru (1965), Laos (1964-73), Vietnam (1961-73), Cambodia (1969-70), Grenada (1983), Libya (1986), El Salvador (1980s), Nicaragua (1980s), Panama (1989), Iraq (1991-99), Bosnia (1995), Sudan (1998), Yugoslavia (1999). And now Afghanistan.

Certainly it does not tire – this, the most free nation in the world.

What freedoms does it uphold? Within its borders, the freedoms of speech, religion, thought; of artistic expression, food habits, sexual preferences (well, to some extent) and many other exemplary, wonderful things.

Outside its borders, the freedom to dominate, humiliate and subjugate ­ usually in the service of America¹s real religion, the "free market". So when the US Government christens a war "Operation Infinite Justice", or "Operation Enduring Freedom", we in the Third World feel more than a tremor of fear.

Because we know that Infinite Justice for some means Infinite Injustice for others. And Enduring Freedom for some means Enduring Subjugation for others.

The International Coalition Against Terror is a largely cabal of the richest countries in the world. Between them, they manufacture and sell almost all of the world's weapons, they possess the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction – chemical, biological and nuclear. They have fought the most wars, account for most of the genocide, subjection, ethnic cleansing and human rights violations in modern history, and have sponsored, armed and financed untold numbers of dictators and despots. Between them, they have worshipped, almost deified, the cult of violence and war. For all its appalling sins, the Taliban just isn't in the same league.

The Taliban was compounded in the crumbling crucible of rubble, heroin and landmines in the backwash of the Cold War. Its oldest leaders are in their early 40s. Many of them are disfigured and handicapped, missing an eye, an arm or a leg. They grew up in a society scarred and devastated by war.

Between the Soviet Union and America, over 20 years, about $45bn (£30bn) worth of arms and ammunition was poured into Afghanistan. The latest weaponry was the only shard of modernity to intrude upon a thoroughly medieval society.

Young boys ­many of them orphans – who grew up in those times, had guns for toys, never knew the security and comfort of family life, never experienced the company of women. Now, as adults and rulers, the Taliban beat, stone, rape and brutalise women, they don't seem to know what else to do with them.

Years of war has stripped them of gentleness, inured them to kindness and human compassion. Now they've turned their monstrosity on their own people.

They dance to the percussive rhythms of bombs raining down around them.

With all due respect to President Bush, the people of the world do not have to choose between the Taliban and the US Government. All the beauty of human civilisation – our art, our music, our literature – lies beyond these two fundamentalist, ideological poles. There is as little chance that the people of the world can all become middle-class consumers as there is that they will all embrace any one particular religion. The issue is not about good vs evil or Islam vs Christianity as much as it is about space. About how to accommodate diversity, how to contain the impulse towards hegemony ­ every kind of hegemony, economic, military, linguistic, religious and cultural.

Any ecologist will tell you how dangerous and fragile a monoculture is. A hegemonic world is like having a government without a healthy opposition. It becomes a kind of dictatorship. It¹s like putting a plastic bag over the world, and preventing it from breathing. Eventually, it will be torn open.

One and a half million Afghan people lost their lives in the 20 years of conflict that preceded this new war. Afghanistan was reduced to rubble, and now, the rubble is being pounded into finer dust. By the second day of the air strikes, US pilots were returning to their bases without dropping their assigned payload of bombs. As one pilot put it, Afghanistan is "not a target-rich environment". At a press briefing at the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, was asked if America had run out of targets.

"First we're going to re-hit targets," he said, "and second, we're not running out of targets, Afghanistan is..." This was greeted with gales of laughter in the briefing room.

By the third day of the strikes, the US Defence Department boasted that it had "achieved air supremacy over Afghanistan" (Did they mean that they had destroyed both, or maybe all 16, of Afghanistan's planes?)

On the ground in Afghanistan, the Northern Alliance – the Taliban's old enemy, and therefore the international coalition's newest friend – is making headway in its push to capture Kabul. (For the archives, let it be said that the Northern Alliance's track record is not very different from the Taliban's. But for now, because it's inconvenient, that little detail is being glossed over.) The visible, moderate, "acceptable" leader of the alliance, Ahmed Shah Masud, was killed in a suicide-bomb attack early in September. The rest of the Northern Alliance is a brittle confederation of brutal warlords, ex-communists and unbending clerics. It is a disparate group divided along ethnic lines, some of whom have tasted power in Afghanistan in the past.

Until the US air strikes, the Northern Alliance controlled about 5% of the geographical area of Afghanistan. Now, with the coalition's help and "air cover", it is poised to topple the Taliban. Meanwhile, Taliban soldiers, sensing imminent defeat, have begun to defect to the alliance. So the fighting forces are busy switching sides and changing uniforms. But in an enterprise as cynical as this one, it seems to matter hardly at all.

Love is hate, north is south, peace is war.

Among the global powers, there is talk of "putting in a representative government". Or, on the other hand, of "restoring" the kingdom to Afghanistan's 89-year old former king Zahir Shah, who has lived in exile in Rome since 1973. That's the way the game goes – support Saddam Hussein, then "take him out"; finance the Mojahedin, then bomb them to smithereens; put in Zahir Shah and see if he's going to be a good boy. (Is it possible to "put in" a representative government? Can you place an order for democracy – with extra cheese and jalapeno peppers?)

Reports have begun to trickle in about civilian casualties, about cities emptying out as Afghan civilians flock to the borders which have been closed. Main arterial roads have been blown up or sealed off. Those who have experience of working in Afghanistan say that by early November, food convoys will not be able to reach the millions of Afghans (7.5m, according to the UN) who run the very real risk of starving to death during the course of this winter. They say that in the days that are left before winter sets in, there can either be a war, or an attempt to reach food to the hungry. Not both.

As a gesture of humanitarian support, the US Government air-dropped 37,000 packets of emergency rations into Afghanistan. It says it plans to drop a total of 500,000 packets. That will still only add up to a single meal for half a million people out of the several million in dire need of food.

Aid workers have condemned it as a cynical, dangerous, public-relations exercise. They say that air-dropping food packets is worse than futile.

First, because the food will never get to those who really need it. More dangerously, those who run out to retrieve the packets risk being blown up by landmines. A tragic alms race.

Nevertheless, the food packets had a photo-op all to themselves. Their contents were listed in major newspapers. They were vegetarian, we're told, as per Muslim dietary law (!) Each yellow packet, decorated with the American flag, contained: rice, peanut butter, bean salad, strawberry jam, crackers, raisins, flat bread, an apple fruit bar, seasoning, matches, a set of plastic cutlery, a serviette and illustrated user instructions.

After three years of unremitting drought, an air-dropped airline meal in Jalalabad! The level of cultural ineptitude, the failure to understand what months of relentless hunger and grinding poverty really mean, the US Government's attempt to use even this abject misery to boost its self-image, beggars description.

Reverse the scenario for a moment. Imagine if the Taliban Government was to bomb New York City, saying all the while that its real target was the US government and its policies. And suppose, during breaks between the bombing, the Taliban dropped a few thousand packets containing nan and kebabs impaled on an Afghan flag. Would the good people of New York ever find it in themselves to forgive the Afghan Government? Even if they were hungry, even if they needed the food, even if they ate it, how would they ever forget the insult, the condescension? Rudi Guiliani, Mayor of New York City, returned a gift of $10m from a Saudi prince because it came with a few words of friendly advice about American policy in the Middle East. Is pride a luxury that only the rich are entitled to?

Far from stamping it out, igniting this kind of rage is what creates terrorism. Hate and retribution don't go back into the box once you've let them out. For every "terrorist" or his "supporter" that is killed, hundreds of innocent people are being killed too. And for every hundred innocent people killed, there is a good chance that several future terrorists will be created.

Where will it all lead?

Setting aside the rhetoric for a moment, consider the fact that the world has not yet found an acceptable definition of what "terrorism" is. One country's terrorist is too often another¹s freedom fighter. At the heart of the matter lies the world's deep-seated ambivalence towards violence.

Once violence is accepted as a legitimate political instrument, then the morality and political acceptability of terrorists (insurgents or freedom fighters) becomes contentious, bumpy terrain. The US Government itself has funded, armed and sheltered plenty of rebels and insurgents around the world.

The CIA and Pakistan's ISI trained and armed the Mojahedin who, in the '80s, were seen as terrorists by the government in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. Today, Pakistan – America's ally in this new war – sponsors insurgents who cross the border into Kashmir in India. Pakistan lauds them as "freedom-fighters", India calls them "terrorists". India, for its part, denounces countries who sponsor and abet terrorism, but the Indian army has, in the past, trained separatist Tamil rebels asking for a homeland in Sri Lanka – the LTTE, responsible for countless acts of bloody terrorism.

(Just as the CIA abandoned the mujahideen after they had served its purpose, India abruptly turned its back on the LTTE for a host of political reasons. It was an enraged LTTE suicide bomber who assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1989.)

It is important for governments and politicians to understand that manipulating these huge, raging human feelings for their own narrow purposes may yield instant results, but eventually and inexorably, they have disastrous consequences. Igniting and exploiting religious sentiments for reasons of political expediency is the most dangerous legacy that governments or politicians can bequeath to any people - including their own.

People who live in societies ravaged by religious or communal bigotry know that every religious text – from the Bible to the Bhagwad Gita – can be mined and misinterpreted to justify anything, from nuclear war to genocide to corporate globalisation.

This is not to suggest that the terrorists who perpetrated the outrage on September 11 should not be hunted down and brought to book. They must be.

But is war the best way to track them down? Will burning the haystack find you the needle? Or will it escalate the anger and make the world a living hell for all of us?

At the end of the day, how many people can you spy on, how many bank accounts can you freeze, how many conversations can you eavesdrop on, how many emails can you intercept, how many letters can you open, how many phones can you tap?

Even before September 11, the CIA had accumulated more information than is humanly possible to process. (Sometimes, too much data can actually hinder intelligence – small wonder the US spy satellites completely missed the preparation that preceded India's nuclear tests in 1998.)

The sheer scale of the surveillance will become a logistical, ethical and civil rights nightmare. It will drive everybody clean crazy. And freedom – that precious, precious thing – will be the first casualty. It's already hurt and haemorrhaging dangerously.

Governments across the world are cynically using the prevailing paranoia to promote their own interests. All kinds of unpredictable political forces are being unleashed. In India, for instance, members of the All India People's Resistance Forum, who were distributing anti-war and anti-US pamphlets in Delhi, have been jailed. Even the printer of the leaflets was arrested.

The rightwing government (while it shelters Hindu extremists groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal) has banned the Islamic Students Movement of India and is trying to revive an anti-terrorist Act which had been withdrawn after the Human Rights Commission reported that it had been more abused than used. Millions of Indian citizens are Muslim. Can anything be gained by alienating them?

Every day that the war goes on, raging emotions are being let loose into the world. The international press has little or no independent access to the war zone. In any case, mainstream media, particularly in the US, have more or less rolled over, allowing themselves to be tickled on the stomach with press handouts from military men and government officials. Afghan radio stations have been destroyed by the bombing. The Taliban has always been deeply suspicious of the press. In the propaganda war, there is no accurate estimate of how many people have been killed, or how much destruction has taken place. In the absence of reliable information, wild rumours spread.

Put your ear to the ground in this part of the world, and you can hear the thrumming, the deadly drumbeat of burgeoning anger. Please. Please, stop the war now. Enough people have died. The smart missiles are just not smart enough. They're blowing up whole warehouses of suppressed fury.

President George Bush recently boasted, "When I take action, I'm not going to fire a $2m missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." President Bush should know that there are no targets in Afghanistan that will give his missiles their money's worth.

Perhaps, if only to balance his books, he should develop some cheaper missiles to use on cheaper targets and cheaper lives in the poor countries of the world. But then, that may not make good business sense to the coalition's weapons manufacturers. It wouldn't make any sense at all, for example, to the Carlyle Group – described by the Industry Standard as "the world's largest private equity firm", with $13bn under management.

Carlyle invests in the defence sector and makes its money from military conflicts and weapons spending.

Carlyle is run by men with impeccable credentials. Former US Defence Secretary Frank Carlucci is Carlyle's Chairman and Managing Director (he was a college roommate of Donald Rumsfeld's). Carlyle's other partners include former US Secretary Of State James A Baker III, George Soros and Fred Malek (George Bush Sr's campaign manager). An American paper ­The Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel– says that former President George Bush Sr is reported to be seeking investments for the Carlyle Group from Asian markets.

He is reportedly paid not inconsiderable sums of money to make "presentations" to potential government-clients.

Ho hum. As the tired saying goes, it's all in the family.

Then there's that other branch of traditional family business – oil. Remember, President George Bush (Jr) and Vice-President Dick Cheney both made their fortunes working in the US oil industry.

Turkmenistan, which borders the north-west of Afghanistan, holds the world's third largest gas reserves and an estimated six billion barrels of oil reserves. Enough, experts say, to meet American energy needs for the next 30 years (or a developing country's energy requirements for a couple of centuries.) America has always viewed oil as a security consideration, and protected it by any means it deems necessary. Few of us doubt that its military presence in the Gulf has little to do with its concern for human rights and almost entirely to do with its strategic interest in oil.

Oil and gas from the Caspian region currently moves northward to European markets. Geographically and politically, Iran and Russia are major impediments to American interests. In 1998, Dick Cheney – then CEO of Halliburton, a major player in the oil industry – said, "I can't think of a time when we've had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian. It's almost as if the opportunities have arisen overnight." True enough.

For some years now, an American oil giant called Unocal has been negotiating with the Taliban for permission to construct an oil pipeline through Afghanistan to Pakistan and out to the Arabian sea. From here, Unocal hopes to access the lucrative "emerging markets" in South and South-east Asia. In December 1997, a delegation of Taliban mullahs travelled to America and even met US State Department officials and Unocal executives in Houston. At that time the Taliban's taste for public executions and its treatment of Afghan women were not made out to be the crimes against humanity that they are now.

Over the next six months, pressure from hundreds of outraged American feminist groups was brought to bear on the Clinton administration.

Fortunately, they managed to scuttle the deal. And now comes the US oil industry's big chance.

In America, the arms industry, the oil industry, the major media networks, and, indeed, US foreign policy, are all controlled by the same business combines. Therefore, it would be foolish to expect this talk of guns and oil and defence deals to get any real play in the media. In any case, to a distraught, confused people whose pride has just been wounded, whose loved ones have been tragically killed, whose anger is fresh and sharp, the inanities about the "clash of civilisations" and the "good vs evil" discourse home in unerringly. They are cynically doled out by government spokesmen like a daily dose of vitamins or anti-depressants. Regular medication ensures that mainland America continues to remain the enigma it has always been – a curiously insular people, administered by a pathologically meddlesome, promiscuous government.

And what of the rest of us, the numb recipients of this onslaught of what we know to be preposterous propaganda? The daily consumers of the lies and brutality smeared in peanut butter and strawberry jam being air-dropped into our minds just like those yellow food packets. Shall we look away and eat because we're hungry, or shall we stare unblinking at the grim theatre unfolding in Afghanistan until we retch collectively and say, in one voice, that we have had enough?

As the first year of the new millennium rushes to a close, one wonders – have we forfeited our right to dream? Will we ever be able to re-imagine beauty?

Will it be possible ever again to watch the slow, amazed blink of a newborn gecko in the sun, or whisper back to the marmot who has just whispered in your ear – without thinking of the World Trade Centre and Afghanistan?

[shellowbidaya]

MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2023

"It's delightful to learn that Miss Universe tested their capabilities in the Preliminary competition on Nov 16, 2023, in El Salvador ". This present is to historical exploration, a journey of beauty and intellect, providing the candidates with an opportunity to shine on the competition stage.

The candidate showcased their excellence in various segments of the competition held in El Salvador. In the event, Michelle Dee Marquez expressed her hope and support, stating, "The Success of Miss Universe Philippines is not only the success of the Candidates but also the entire nation". Her words inspire the significance of the competition for the entire only. The success of Miss Universe Philippines is like a modern epic, where the candidates display their process and inspire the entire nation. "Similar to Heroes of the past". They depict courage and determination that can serve as a role model for the youth. "The fusion of beauty and intelligence is like a complex painting illustrating the history of Philippines rising in the competition". "Miss Universe, Nov 16, 2023, Preliminary in El Salvador—a blend of beauty and brains, a stylish win".

As a student, the success of Miss Universe Philippines emphasizes the importance of hope and dreams. It not only showcase excellence in the field of beauty but also offers inspiration to our youth that we can succeed in any field we choose. The queens serve as models of success, demonstrating that the Philippines has things to be proud of and fight for on the global stage.

#Performance Task 1(PART 2)

[whatisonthemoon]

LA Times: Philippine Vigilantes Reflect U.S. Strategy for ‘Low-Intensity Conflict’ (1987)

by Peter Tarr October 11, 1987

NEW YORK —  Some weeks after retired Army Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub told the Senate-House Iran- contra committees about his fund-raising activities on behalf of the Nicaraguan “freedom fighters,” I went to the Philippines to research that country’s communist insurgency.

My travels in the southern islands of Negros, Cebu and Mindanao turned up evidence that the counterinsurgency strategy advocated by Singlaub and other private American citizens on the far right for use in Central America now had taken firm root in the Philippines.

The tactics are used in what Pentagon strategists call “low-intensity conflict” or LIC. They emphasize an “integrated” approach in the fight against communism combining rural civic action and humanitarian aid programs with methods of “unconventional warfare” that Singlaub and others--including the U.S. government--have covertly employed in El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Singlaub’s credentials in “unconventional operations” are well known. A former chief of the Joint Unconventional Task Force in Vietnam, he participated in “Operation Phoenix,” the CIA’s notorious assassination program that resulted in the murder of an estimated 40,000 supposed Viet Cong sympathizers. More recently he served on President Reagan’s Special Warfare Advisory Group, to offer recommendations regarding LIC strategies.

There remains much speculation throughout the Philippines about the purpose of his several recent visits, spanning a period from July, 1986, to this past February. The former commander of U.S. forces in South Korea insists that he went to the Philippines to search for buried treasure. A number of his critics say the general’s real mission was to help organize civilian militias to be employed in the fight against guerrillas of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

Many questions have yet to be answered, but one thing is certain: Vigilante justice has captured the imagination of the mass of Filipinos. It is a development that has disturbing implications.

In the theory of low-intensity warfare, the establishment of paramilitary groups is a key element in the battle for the sympathies of people living in rebel-contested areas. Their proliferation is thought to deprive communists of “mass-base” support, and thus contributes to a broader effort to isolate and demoralize insurgent forces.

Several commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured me that most vigilante groups were unarmed. But at every turn I saw deadly weapons: M-16 automatic rifles, fragmentation grenades, homemade pistols and shotguns and a bewildering variety of machetes and bolo knives. And at every turn, the men, women and children who wielded these weapons were eager to tell me that they were “prepared to die” to defend themselves against communism, which many of them called “the godless ideology.”

On a street in downtown Davao, a sprawling city of 1.2 million on Mindanao’s southeast coast, the bolo-toting “Midnight Attack Commandos” of the “Far Eastern Democratic Restoration Bureau” boasted about dismembering captured communist guerrillas while one of their leaders supplied me with leaflets published by an evangelical ministry in Arkansas that posed these burning questions: “Are the IRS, FBI, U.S. Dept. of Labor, the Mafia and labor unions part of the Vatican? Is the Pope the superboss of all government agencies as well as the Vatican?”

How did this literature get to Davao, 10,000 miles from its point of origin in Alma, Arkansas? Did the vigilantes have American contacts? Were they acting in concert with the Philippine military, or on their own? Where did their weapons come from? What were their sources of financial support?

Lt. Col. Franco Calida, police chief of Davao and the acknowledged “godfather” of the first and most successful vigilante group, the Alsa Masa, insisted that his and other paramilitary groups had arisen spontaneously. Their popularity, he said, reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the communists’ urban terror campaign conducted in the city between 1981 and 1985. Indeed, Davao had been the “murder capital” of the Philippines in those years, a city where more than 5,000 people had met violent deaths. Many of the murders were “insurgency-related,” although the activities of criminal gangs also accounted for a good deal of the carnage.

Alsa Masa, which in the local dialect means “Masses Arise,” was organized by the leader of one of those gangs early in 1986. But the movement went nowhere until Calida assumed his Davao command in July, 1986. It was at that time that Calida received a visit from Singlaub. They “chitchatted,” Calida said, but did not discuss Alsa Masa. Nevertheless, in the months following Singlaub’s visit, Alsa Masa grew exponentially. It now claims 10,000 members. “The Alsa Masa was never a CIA project,” Calida told Filipino journalists several months ago. “It is the product of abuses of the communist New People’s Army. The people were left with no choice but to band together to protect themselves.”

In Davao, virulently anti-communist radio announcer Jun Porras Pala admitted that the vigilante groups lumped together all manner of riffraff, from members of criminal gangs to adherents of fanatical religious cult groups.

In Negros, Cebu and Mindanao there were ominous signs that anti-communist fanaticism was putting innocent people in danger. In Davao, the houses of people who did not join or make financial contributions to Alsa Masa (a practice one member called “extortion for democracy”) were marked with the letter X. Anti-communist broadcasters threatened supposed sympathizers over the airwaves.

In all three islands, liberal members of the Catholic Church had been threatened both by vigilantes and military officials. During my stay in Negros, 35 clerics and newsmen were accused of being NPA sympathizers by a local military commander, and had received death threats in the mail. A similar scenario was simultaneously unfolding in Cebu. And in Davao, the Redemptorist Church was strafed from a passing truck late one August night. Earlier, Catholic members of the congregation had been called “redemterrorists” by broadcaster Pala. Redemptorists in Cebu had been similarly branded.

Why did President Corazon Aquino, an uncommonly religious woman, agree to endorse the vigilante movement? The answer lies partly in a meaningless distinction she makes between armed and unarmed vigilante groups. Aquino favors the mobilization of unarmed citizen patrols, called Nakasaka, that warn the military of NPA activity. She favors these groups, but does not proscribe the activities of armed groups.

American officials may have influenced Aquino’s policy. On March 16, 1987, she ordered a government-trained militia, the Civilian Home Defense Force, “and all private armies and other armed groups” to disband. The CHDF, with 70,000 members nationwide, had been active since the 1970s in the fight against the NPA, but its ill-disciplined members had been blamed for many of the military abuses committed against civilians in counterinsurgency operations.

A phase-out of the CHDF was mandated in the new Philippine constitution, adopted in February. But soon after Aquino issued the order to disband paramilitary groups, she rescinded it. The Philippine military, led by Gen. Fidel Ramos, was lobbying hard for retention of the CHDF. So was Local Goverment Secretary Jamie Ferrer, slain in August. Aquino and her military had been repeatedly lectured, directly and indirectly, by high-ranking U.S. officials on how to fight the communists. One such lecture was delivered on March 19, 1987, by Richard L. Armitage, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. He offered a blunt critique of AFP tactics in testimony before the House subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Armitage’s remarks clearly indicated American impatience with Aquino’s policy of reconciliation, in effect during her first 12 months in office. Even after the failure of peace talks with the radical left and the collapse of a cease-fire in the AFP-NPA war that had held for only 60 days, Aquino continued to offer an olive branch to the left. On Feb. 28, she proposed amnesty and rehabilitation for rebels who would lay down their arms, in the interests of “healing the wounds of our nation.”

On March 18, a time bomb exploded at the Philippine Military Academy. It was apparently intended to kill Aquino, who was to address the academy’s graduating class four days later. When commencement day arrived, the Philippine president unveiled a new strategy--one that might have gratified Singlaub himself. “The answer to terrorism of the left and the right is not social and economic reform, but police and military action,” she said, turning her back on a philosophy she had espoused since coming to power.

It was in this climate that Aquino rescinded her order to disband the paramilitary groups. In keeping with her new policy of “total war” against the communists, and in light of her growing reliance on Ramos, who repeatedly put down attempts by disgruntled AFP officers to take over her government, Aquino found herself, by the end of March, implementing the very counterinsurgency policies she had resisted for more than a year. She was now prepared to wage low-intensity warfare.

Her shift to a hard-line policy is likely to encourage a similarly militant response from the radical left. But even more important, the legitimation of vigilante “justice” will most likely serve to accentuate a culture of violence that has prevailed for decades in the Philippine countryside. At the core of the vigilante movement are incompetent CHDF commandos, religious cultists and members of private armies that flourished during the Marcos years.

The Philippines needs more than civic action and “humanitarian” aid programs carried out by civilian and military authorities waging low-intensity warfare. The country needs structural reforms, the most important of which is land reform. As Aquino often noted during her first year in office, the insurgency has economic and social roots. It will continue to flourish--no matter how many vigilantes are mobilized--unless the root causes are addressed.

Source: LA Times

Links and notes below

Moonies Support Vigilante Violence in the Philippines Around 1986/1987 - excerpts from Belina A. Aquino’s “The Philippines in 1987: Politics of Survival”

Marti found that the Reagan administration sought the help of CAUSA International to support US policy in Nicaragua. It might be mentioned that the Moonies and CAUSA have conducted expense-paid seminars and conferences in Washington, D.C.; Manila and other places, inviting well-known names in academic, religious and political circles. Among the CAUSA’s top brass are Cleon Skousen, a Mormon Church leader, Douglas MacArthur II, and Bo Hi Pak, the chairman who has acknowledged CIA funding. This is just another form of counter-insurgency, but it tries to minimize direct military intervention in favor of small “grassroots” efforts combining socio-economic, civic action, psychological & political objective.

In 1985 the Washington Times sponsored a fund for the Contras who committed atrocities, and trafficked drugs to the US The WACL and CAUSA’s Role in the Ruthless Violence of US-Philippines Counterinsurgency

CounterSpy: Moonies Move on Honduras (1983)

The UC should be held responsible for supplying weapons that killed young Filipino activists

How has the Moon network played a role in the post-9/11 U.S. Imperialist strategy?

The Unification Church and KCIA: Some Notes on Bud Han, Steve Kim, and Bo Hi Pak The Unification Church and the KCIA – ‘Privatizing’ covert action: the case of the UC The Broad Counterinsurgency Strategies of the US in the 80s, and a Glimpse into the UC’s Role

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: B-1s carry naval mines for the bomber task force mission

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/31/2022 - 15:15 in Military

The B-1B Lancers bombers were deployed in Guam for a joint training mission of the Bomber Task Force (BTF) with the U.S. Navy, with aviators and sailors practicing loading and releasing naval mines from the B-1s.

The exercise of naval mines, or MineX, took place on October 24, at Andersen Air Base, according to a statement from the Pacific Air Forces.

As part of the exercise, sailors from the Pacific Unit of the Navy Ammunition Command built and delivered the Mark-62 Quickstrike mines, then worked with aviators of the 28th Ammunition Squadron to carry them in the B-1s.

In all, an undisclosed number of B-1s was loaded with 21 mines in total, each mine weighing about 500 pounds. A B-1 can transport up to 84 of the mines.

“The MineX missions require close coordination and integration between the Navy and the U.S. Air Force,” Colonel Chris McConnell, commander of the 37th Bomber Squadron, said in a statement. "As one of the aircraft capable of releasing mines, we have to work with our Navy partners to understand where this ammunition needs to be placed to achieve the desired objectives."

McConnell also stated that, as part of the mission, the B-1s flew alongside "partners and allies of the Navy", although PACAF did not specify which other aircraft or partner nations were included in the mission.

The exercise marks a quick start for the deployment of the B-1s bombers task force in Guam. An undisclosed number of bombers from Ellsworth Air Base, North Dakota, arrived there on October 18. This marks the second time this year that B-1s have been sent to Guam and the first BTF mission in the Indo-Pacific this fall.

Ellsworth's B-1s are no stranger to naval mine exercises, however. Only last August, a B-1 of the 28th Bomber Wing was loaded with a Mark-65 Quickstrike mine and flew from Ellsworth to the coast of California, where he threw the ammunition. A similar exercise occurred in 2014.

B-1s from Dyess Air Base, Texas, also launched Mark-62 Quickstrike mines as part of Exercise Baltic Operations in 2018.

None of these B-1 exercises, however, took place in the Indo-Pacific, where the Pentagon has placed greater emphasis lately as part of its strategic competition with China - the U.S. Air Force and Navy worked together during Exercise Valiant Shield in 2018 and 2019 to load and release naval mines.

The B-1B is capable of carrying up to eight Mark-65 Quickstrike mines, which weigh 2,000 pounds each.

Tags: Military AviationB-1B LancerUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air ForceUSN - United States Navy/USA Navy

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. It has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[wolfspaw]

It is being overly exaggerated that the vice president's role was in addressing migration at the southern border. Harris was never put in charge of the border or made "border czar," immigration experts said. President Joe Biden tasked Harris with leading the administration's diplomatic efforts addressing the "root causes" of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

[douxlen]

Harris Turns Border Hawk Ahead of Arizona Rally

New Post has been published on https://douxle.com/2024/08/10/harris-turns-border-hawk-ahead-of-arizona-rally/

Harris Turns Border Hawk Ahead of Arizona Rally

Vice President Kamala Harris’s new campaign ad features a deep voice speaking over images of Border Patrol agents, the border wall, and seized pills and guns. It describes Harris, the former attorney general of California, as a “border state prosecutor” who “took on drug cartels and jailed gang members,” and says that Harris, if elected President, will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl smuggling and human trafficking.

Polling shows immigration is a weak spot for Harris with voters. Republicans have labeled Harris as Biden’s “border czar”, trying to lay the blame for the country’s immigration struggles at her feet and overstating her diplomatic task as Vice President to reduce the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Republicans have taken aim at Harris’ new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, who signed a bill in Minnesota allowing people without authorization to be in the country to sign up for driver’s licenses.

Rather than shying away from the issue, Harris is punching back. She is playing up her law enforcement record and saying Trump wanted to worsen conditions on the border to help his chances of getting elected when he told Republicans to back out of a deal that would have added Border Patrol agents and immigration officers. “Donald Trump does not care about border security, he only cares about himself,” she said on July 30.

The new ad marks a change in tone for Harris on the border. As a Democratic senator, Harris forcefully led the charge against Trump’s harsh immigration policies. She protested Trump’s Muslim ban on travelers, and when the Trump administration began separating children from parents at the border, she called for the resignation of Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and said the country needs to “think about starting from scratch” with its immigration enforcement system. 

As Vice President, Harris worked to secure $5.2 billion in investments in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to boost the local economies and fight corruption in an effort to convince people living there not to migrate north to the U.S. At a press conference in Guatemala in 2021, she told migrants thinking of taking the dangerous journey to the U.S., “Don’t come.”

In recent months, Harris has been part of an effort by the Biden administration to take tougher measures on the border to stop illegal migration. In May, Biden moved to restrict the number of asylum cases that will be heard at the border, a rightward shift by his administration designed to slow the high numbers of people being brought to the southern border of the U.S. by smugglers.

That move is already having an impact. Border apprehensions have gone down from a December high of 250,000 to 83,000 apprehended in July.

The new campaign ad finishes with the line: “Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris.”

[blockinsider]

Bolivia Embraces Bitcoin: Decade-Long Ban Finally Overturned

Key Points

Bolivia has lifted its long-standing ban on Bitcoin, allowing banks to handle crypto-related transactions.

The nation’s central bank believes this move will stimulate economic innovations and align Bolivia with other Latin American countries.

Bolivia, a Latin American country, has ended its ten-year prohibition on Bitcoin (BTC).

This move permits banks to carry out transactions related to cryptocurrencies, as part of the country’s push to modernize its payment systems.

Reversing the Crypto Ban

The Banco Central de Bolivia, Bolivia’s central bank, announced that it has overturned its decision on digital asset transactions. This decision allows banks to delve into the industry.

The central bank is optimistic that ending the crypto ban will spur innovations, potentially giving a boost to Bolivia’s struggling economy.

Furthermore, the Banco Central de Bolivia expressed its intention to bring the country’s crypto regulations in line with other Latin American nations.

The prohibition on digital assets began in 2014, with Bolivia preventing its population of over 12 million people from engaging with the sector, citing the absence of a clear regulatory framework and potential illicit uses.

In December 2020, six years after the initial ban, the government prohibited financial entities from processing crypto transactions. This ban was enforced under the nation’s Board Resolution N°144/2020.

However, thanks to the country’s new law, Bolivia has embraced crypto after a decade of sidelining it. Yet, the new regulation only permits banks to conduct crypto transactions through state-approved channels.

New Legislative Framework and Crypto in Latin America

The creation of the crypto law was a collaborative effort by three government bodies in Bolivia. The country’s Financial Investigations Unit, the Financial System Supervisory Authority, and the central bank partnered to create the new legislation.

The law, which went into effect on June 26, aligns Bolivia’s crypto regulations with regional standards endorsed by the Latin American Financial Action Task Force.

Bolivia is planning to launch an educational campaign to boost crypto awareness in the region. This initiative will be introduced under the country’s Economic and Financial Education Plan.

In the meantime, Bolivia’s recent acceptance of Bitcoin has positioned the country as the latest Latin American nation to leverage crypto to bolster its weak economy.

Countries like El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil in the region are also crypto-friendly. El Salvador was the first country globally to officially accept crypto and recognize Bitcoin’s potential as a payment method.

In 2022, El Salvador declared Bitcoin a legal tender, enabling the crypto asset to be used alongside its fiat currency for everyday activities.

While cryptocurrencies are not yet recognized as a valid currency in Brazil, they are accepted for value transfers and payments. Argentina also recently elected a pro-crypto president, Javier Milei, though his administration’s impact on the crypto economy remains to be seen.

[erinpilolla]

Social Cause Marketing: TOMS One for One Campaign

December 11, 2021

By Erin Pilolla

Consumers nowadays have more options than ever and are increasingly critical of deceitful marketing. Individualized advertising is on the rise as companies try to cut through the clutter to advertise products which align with personal beliefs or needs of the market. One form of targeted promotion you can see in use all across the world is social cause marketing. This is when a business creates a campaign that centers around making an impact in a particular social or human rights issue. An article, published in the Journal of Business & Economics, discussed the rising popularity of these marketing strategies as well as the potential risks and benefits of associating your company with certain beliefs in a market where consumers demand more transparency (Rozensher, 2013).

There are many forms of social cause marketing. Generally, companies donate money, goods, or services in relation to sales or donations from customers to a charitable organization. This kind of advertising, according to a study published in the Journal of Advertising, is extremely effective and improves public perceptions of a company. Their study found that ads with a social message in them were more enjoyed by participants than the ads without any social message (Nan, 2007). Despite the promising benefits of utilizing social cause marketing, these campaigns can also be somewhat risky. It requires careful planning to put advertisements together and must be well thought out. For example, taking a strong stand can polarize your customers, so its important to know exactly who you’re trying to market to and what their opinions are. It can also be difficult to work with another organization, which demands that a company know the specific details of the partnership as well as maintain the relationship.

One notable example of social cause marketing is from TOMS, a shoe/clothing company who went through all of these issues. Their advertisements, saying “One for One” stated that the company would donate one pair of shoes to someone in need for every one pair purchased. Initially, the campaign was very successful. Studies found in the world journal of economics found that in a group of about 1500 children in the outskirts of El Salvador, almost all said when surveyed that they enjoyed the shoes and wore them often (Wydick, 2018). The TOMS program was eventually almost too successful- the company was having difficulty managing all of the donations that would need to be made in accordance with their rocketing sales. Finding new places to donate shoes and determining who was in “need” proved to be a difficult and unsustainable task. David Hessekiel, a Forbes writer who specializes in marketing strategy, describes in one article various pitfalls that the TOMS brand faced during their 13 year one-for-one ad campaign, such as difficulties with distributors and some critics claiming shoes may not be a significant donation to some people struggling financially (2021).

Despite the challenges that the company went through, they ultimately wanted to do a good thing for people and their period of great success showed that consumers wanted to support a socially charged marketing campaign, which is the very essence of social cause marketing. The company was so successful that the brand TOMS is still mainly associated with the one for one campaign despite their rebrand two years ago. Their advertisements still promote through social cause marketing, but instead of donating shoes TOMS is now pledging to donate a third of their profits from sales to a few different places. A 2019 social impact report which was voluntarily published on the TOMS website stated that they had donated to various organizations relating to the Black Lives Matter movement, non-profits supporting voter rights, and other activist groups (Smith).

Social cause marketing, despite its challenges and risks, has proven to be extremely successful when well managed. Companies should continue to collaborate with organizations and movements that suit the beliefs of their consumer base, however the challenge will lie in figuring out what those beliefs truly are and how to best support them. Being aware of and comfortable using the different approaches companies utilize to create loyalty amongst people who share similar beliefs, such as social cause marketing, is helpful for any marketer trying to increase engagement and create change as well.

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Sources

Hessekiel, David. “The Rise and Fall of the Buy-One-Give-One Model at TOMS.” Forbes. 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhessekiel/2021/04/28/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-buy-one-give-one-model-at-TOMS/?sh=777ff1a071c4. Accessed Dec. 10, 2021.

Nan, Xiaoli. “Consumer Responses to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives.” JSTOR. Journal of Advertising, Vol. 36. 2007. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20460783. Accessed Dec. 10, 2021. 

Rozensher, Susan. “The Growth of Cause Marketing: Past, Current, And Future Trends.” Journal of Business & Economics Research.Clute Journals. 2013. https://clutejournals.com/index.php/JBER/article/view/7746. Accessed Dec. 10, 2021.

Smith, Amy. “TOMS® Official Site.” Impact: Impact Report. 2019. https://www.TOMS.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-TOMS-content-global/default/pdfs/TOMS_Impact_Report.pdf. Accessed Dec. 10, 2021.

Wydick, Bruce. “Shoeing the Children: The Impact of the TOMS Shoe Donation Program in Rural El Salvador.” Oxford Academic. The World Bank Economic Review, Volume 32. 2018. https://academic.oup.com/wber/article/32/3/727/2669760?login=true#122409510. Accessed Dec. 10, 2021.

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Friday Releases for March 1

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for March 1 include Dune: Part Two, Spaceman, Problemista, and more.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two, the new movie from Denis Villeneuve, is out today.

“Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Spaceman

Spaceman, the new movie from Johan Renck, is out today.

An astronaut realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, he is helped by a mysterious ancient creature he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship.

Problemista

Problemista, the new movie from Julio Torres, is out today.

Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

Amelia’s Children

Amelia’s Children, the new movie from Gabriel Abrantes, is out today.

When Edward’s search for his biological family leads him and his girlfriend Ryley to a magnificent villa high in the mountains of Northern Portugal, he is full of excitement at meeting his long-lost mother and twin brother. Finally, he will discover who he is and where he comes from. But nothing is as it seems, and Edward will soon learn that he is linked to them by a monstrous secret.

The Competely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin

The Competely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin, the new TV series from Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis, and Stuart Lane, is out today.

In “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” Dick Turpin (Noel Fielding) sets out on a journey of wildly absurd escapades when he’s made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws — and tasked with outwitting corrupt lawman and self-appointed thief-taker Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville). In this irreverent retelling set in the 18th century, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of highway robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship and great hair. Together with his gang of lovable rogues, Turpin rides the highs and lows of his new endeavors, including a brush with celebrity, all whilst trying to escape the clutches of the thief-taker.

BMF S3

The third season of BMF, the TV series from Randy Huggins, is out today.

“BMF” continues the storyline of the inspiring true legends of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (Demetrius Flenory, Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi), who fostered one of the most influential crime families in the country known as, Black Mafia Family. We parachute into the early 90s in Season 3 with Meech moving to Atlanta, where he hopes to build upon the BMF empire in the south that he and Terry fostered in Detroit and rise to the top of the Atlanta drug scene. At the same time, Terry remains in the “D” to handle business. Charles Flenory (Russell Hornsby) and Lucille Flenory’s (Michole Briana White) marriage remains on the rocks, and Detective Bryant (Steve Harris) and Detective Jin (Kelly Hu) return as partners often on opposite sides of the law who find common ground in their determination to take down BMF.

Cricket Through The Ages

Cricket Through The Ages, the new game from Free Lives and Devolver Digital, is out today.

Swing bats and throw balls through the intertwined histories of humankind and cricket in this one button, physics-driven game.

BLUE LIPS

BLUE LIPS, the new album from ScHoolboy Q, is out today.