#this site and its leadership deserve each other

[maggi-cube]

In the notes of that last rb I had the unpleasant experience of seeing yet another “let people enjoy themselves” comment and I think that if I have to listen to some stupid ass, dumb ass, absolutely ridiculous, asinine, and mind-boggling-proud-of-its-ignorance statement I am going to make a threat of such Looney Tunes proportions that it is considered a bannable offense apparently

[crehancarpentry]

Bring the best kitchen renovations to your home in Clonee and Ratoath

If there is one area where changing the layout can work wonders, your kitchen is it, but the right professionals are a must. Therefore, for anyone looking to acquire the finest Kitchen renovations in Clonee has to offer or the best Kitchen renovation in Ratoath, one cannot go wrong with Crehan Carpentry & Construction. They remain a family business established more than 30 years ago with the kind of approach that makes every project treated with duly deserved professionalism and care.

Why Should One Hire Crehan Carpentry & Construction?

What sets Crehan Carpentry & Construction apart is the fact that they have been an efficient family contractor for many years and have vast knowledge of any task in carpentry and construction. Kitchen renovations are at the core of their operations, the result of which is a focus on manufacturing products of high quality and paying attention to features and details. Regardless of whether you are revamping your kitchen’s style or redesigning its structure, they guarantee that every aspect that you have envisioned turns out the way that you wanted it to.

Expertise in Kitchen Renovations

For anyone who is contemplating conducting a Kitchen renovations in Clonee, Crehan Carpentry & Construction is able to provide personalized service to suit your requirements. Apart from traditional kitchens, they cover all styles of kitchen remodelling, whether a client is interested in a contemporary or traditional style.

This process commences by ascertaining your vision. The designers consult with you to create a succession plan that fits the client’s personality and practical needs. Their professional staff then takes care of plumbing, electrical installations, and fittings, among other tasks, and all this is done professionally. Due to their experience, they avoid the various challenges that accompany kitchen renovations and thus steady the process.

Tailored Solutions for Ratoath

Their family team is famous for its efficient leadership and, of course, for the focused and steady attitude they have. Depending on the company and the size of the project, they oversee all the functional areas of construction, from construction budgets to site visits; they make sure every detail is properly attended to. People’s feedback on the aid received from a number of satisfied customers speaks volumes about their commitment and efficiency.

Comprehensive Renovation Services

Apart from the kitchen renovations, Crehan Carpentry & Construction can make other improvements to your home. Their expertise includes:

Shelving & Storage Solutions: When it comes to design, there are special designs to be made to allow for more space and the best utilization of the same.

Bedroom Renovations: Give your bedroom the look and feel of a world-class executive suite.

Bar and Shop Fittings: Ideal for offices, retail stores, clinics, homes, schools, restaurants, and more.

Flooring: Laminate and wooden flooring which enhances beauty and with extra strength.

Garden Sheds and Extensions: This is perfect if you wish to increase the size of your home or require additional living space with workable storage spaces.

Why Their Clients Love Them

The messages they receive from their clients also portray the obvious fact that they are hard-working people with a professional attitude. This, in turn, ensures that each project is done to the best quality since they possess adequate experience and expertise. Whether they are working on a small makeover or a full-scale remodelling project, the family-oriented team’s goal is to deliver what you envision and even more.

Summing up, if you really want to get the best kitchen renovations in Clonee or need a kitchen renovation in Ratoath at a reasonable price, Crehan Carpentry and Construction is who you should turn to. Therefore, their experience, skills, and close attention to each customer allow the clients to have a stress-free and satisfying renovation process.

[illustratemagazine241]

Illustrate Magazine – Your go-to Music Magazine

Illustrate Magazine, a concern of Illustrate Media, is an uprising online platform based in New York, United States, dedicated to novelty music that deserves global recognition. It introduces a wide array of musical categories showcasing artists that break boundaries every day and up-and-coming independent musicians. When it comes to music, Illustrate Magazine is the go-to source for everything from mainstream pop to underground and experimental sounds from all around the world. It is all about going beyond the common and mediocre and searching for musical innovation.

In other words, it is a multi-genre music discovery channel, entailing a digital footprint across all the major digital channels. It is praised highly for its inclusivity and diversity – particularly in alt-rock, electronic music, hip-hop, heavy metal, country, folk, new jazz, improvisational music, modern composition, traditional music, and many more are all genres that are listened to with utmost eagerness and analyzed for their immersive, radical experience.

Up until now, Illustrate Magazine has published nearly 2000 features and over 700 news pieces and 600 music reviews combining debut singles, EPs, and LPs from solo artists and bands. Among the most-covered genres across the site, readers will find metal, indie, rock, country/folk, hip-hop/rap, EDM music, and R&B/POP in that order.

Although the magazine has been launched only in 2022 and it hasn’t even been a year of it, it has reached successful global leadership and it is evident in its many platforms. It's a great place to come across debut releases (singles, Eps, and LPs) from new musicians, artists, and illustrators, as well as read reviews and gets to know more about them.

Aligning with the year of establishment, Illustrate Magazine also makes it the 22nd pick in the Top 45 music magazines and publications according to FeedSpot in this blogpost. Among the saturated market of thousands of other magazines and publications, it is an honor for Illustrate and its writers to be included as a verified platform. Picked from an analysis of metrics that showcased domain authority, unique visitor impressions, social media engagements, and freshness and quality of content. 

Illustrate Magazine actively uploads around 20-25 pieces of content every day including interviews, music reviews, features, news about concerts, gigs, and band activities, and daily and weekly playlists on its own website. What sets its website apart from a lot of other music blogs and magazines that act as a platform for indie talents, is its unique arrangement with pops of important titles to catch the reader’s attention. The magazine not only provides Spotify features and handpicked imagery to promote independent original musicians and bands to a larger audience but also has records of over 300 exclusive interviews with the craftsmen behind them. Hovering on the intriguing thumbnails of each post enables the readers to become intrigued enough to pick the content of their choice.

 Apart from that, the magazine also updates its content feed on several widely-used platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. They have their own Pinterest board full of good finds and have over one thousand streamers on the well-known streaming platform SoundCloud, and YouTube and thousands under each genre of Spotify playlists.

Despite the magazine’s attempt at opening the door to underrated musicians, it never shies away from covering features and news about the big names in the music industry. In order to give the readers a glance back to what may be familiar, the site spins newsworthy content besides interviewing artists from all corners of the industry.

Some of their notable works are mentioned in the following, under every category found across the magazine’s website.

In May of 2022, the magazine published an article featuring the song “Potion” by Calvin Harris featuring Young Thug and Dua Lipa, where they delve into an update, detail, and review of the musical production. RnB musician and queer advocate Kehlani’s “Everything” and more collaborations with other mentionable artists like Justin Bieber was also covered in a newsworthy piece. Featuring the rock and pop genres together, the magazine also talked about YungBlud’s collab with Willow in “Memories” and the music video for it, and Camila Cabello’s collab with her in “Psychofreak.” Pop artist and actress Hailee Steinfield’s sampling news for “I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox from March is also a noteworthy mention as Illustrate makes an effort by going in-depth to the behind-the-scenes of this initiative. Perhaps one of the more remarkable features covered is about the star of “Euphoria,” Hunter Schafer’s debut direction of the video ‘hornylovesickness.’

The inclusivity of such diverse projects goes to show that Illustrate Magazine keeps up with globally renowned artists and labels. Posting approximately 10 contents every single day also gives the magazine its edge on reviving fresh content to stay relevant and make it to the top among other highly-recommended music publication platforms.

Illustrate Magazine has also begun a new series to feature 10 releases in one go, in an attempt to diversify and expand its horizons, giving its global readers a chance at exploring music they have never heard of but should add to their playlists. Monday Blues, Tuesday Tunes, Wednesday Grooves, Thursday Thrills & Friyay Beats, all the picks from these pieces are Editor’s Choices, so readers can expect to find some of the most carefully curated music.

It is also worth mentioning that Illustrate Magazine goes the extra mile to include intercontinental writers and collaborators. Not only is it a media outlet for talented musicians, but it also takes into account the writers who keep it versatile with their own perspectives about the tons of musical talents that come through, and make every piece count for something.

With the aim to make a mark in the music industry, the US-based magazine, Illustrate Magazine, continues to cover underrated musicians and artists from across the world in order to support their passion, music and art. The magazine has a strong sense of community and wants to bring together up-and-coming illustrators within the growing independent music scene.

[tgh2023]

Pratibha Rathi: A Seasoned Recruiter

“At Maneva Consulting, hiring for niche IT skills is our area of specialisation.”

Pratibha Rathi(Director, Maneva Consulting)

There are no second thoughts about the fact that an organisation runs successfully because of its manpower. Relishing this idea and the potential of Human Resources, Pratibha Rathi plunged into the business world with Maneva Consulting in 2016. Since childhood, she has had an entrepreneurial bug inside her. “It also came from my parents; my father, at the age of 75, works no less than a young man and my mother seeks perfection in whatever she does, and with her passion to be an entrepreneur,” mentions Pratibha. Taking inspiration from her parents and with the great support of her family, she transitioned her professional journey from a successful corporate career to becoming an entrepreneur.

She loves to constantly improve herself by learning & exploring new things. Other than being a powerful entrepreneur and guiding force of her company, she is also a great puzzle solver. She has solved a jigsaw puzzle of 13,200 pieces. She says, “Keeping the solution-oriented approach, I’ve always loved solving jigsaw puzzles.” She is also planning to participate in the upcoming World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship.

With an extensive corporate experience of over 15 years, Pratibha, a qualified Computer and HRM Professional with graduation in Law & Science is running Maneva Consulting. Showcasing her entrepreneurial skills and true leadership, she keeps moving forward by overcoming every obstacle that comes her way. Pratibha often recalls the days when she was burning the midnight oil to prove her excellence and maintain the trust of clients. With time, she has proved that she deserves every bit of what she has today. “In my entire entrepreneurial journey, it is my team and family that has always supported me in every best way possible,” smiles Pratibha.

She believes, “When we work together, we grow together”. Through collaboration, the team learns from each other and develops skills together. Pratibha always encourages an environment of open dialogue and feedback within the team, to bring different perspectives and opinions to the table.

AN EPITOME OF EXCELLENCE

Being a one-stop HR solution, Maneva Consulting uses a unique on-site and off-site delivery model to offer training and staffing solutions that are tailored for specific industries and help its clients achieve fast deployments and world-class quality. Every consultant of the company is highly qualified and has industry experience of more than 10 years. The expert team of the firm works closely with the clients to learn about their specific needs and come up with custom solutions to meet those needs.

The technical recruiters of Maneva Consulting have in-depth knowledge of IT expertise to provide clients with the best staffing solutions. With a strong network of talented people all over the world, the company quickly finds the best IT Specialists that suit the requirements of the clients.

“With a solid understanding of the client’s requirements, we submit top-notch resumes to match them with the job specification,” says the Founder. Aligning with the main objective of the company and with ‘100% client satisfaction’, the team ensures the highest level of quality in its services.

THE ESTEEMED CLIENTELE 

Maneva Consulting has a reputation for working with the utmost professionalism and providing the best in class HR services. Currently, the company is providing its services to multiple IT and a few non-IT Companies. The reputed clientele of the company includes IT giants like Wipro and Oracle.

Pratibha asserts, “We achieve client satisfaction and a strength to deliver to the best of our capacity by taking their feedback into great consideration and acting on it with the best possible solutions.”

‘NEVER GIVE UP!’

Pratibha believes as an entrepreneur, it’s important to take risks and never give up. She says, “Follow your heart, dream big, and never give up on your dreams. If you have confidence in yourself, take that first step, nothing can stop you from succeeding”.

[drgreg]

Endocrinologist In Krom River, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The society finally amalgamated with the South African Ornithologists' Union in 1916 to type the South African Biological Society. During its 9 years of existence, 103 papers have been read, a lot of them by well-known scientists corresponding to J. Pole Evans , John Hewitt , A.J.T. Janse , and Austin Roberts .

We have a novel strategy in advertising your small business as we have taken a scientific approach in constructing our web site to rank on google. Ethel M. Doidge, a future eminent South African mycologist and bacteriologist, was this yr appointed assistant to I.B. Pole Evans, mycologist and plant pathologist of the Transvaal Department of Agriculture. Degree in botany by the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1909 and a D.Sc.

Fantastic fowl island that’s desperately wants safety. Next time simply may you cock the water with fish oil and offal, just whereas we are not in Marion Waters. This was a great initiative to address the mouse problem at Marion Island. I really dr gregory hough south africa enjoyed the feedback from the individuals. This cruise/fund raiser is definitely worth each rand spent. I watched the Kirstenbosch/Struik presentation through Zoom & loved every minute.

Lack of sleep has a huge impact in your day and the way folks experience you. Find out how a lot you need to guess getting and why you should prioritise getting a restful night’s sleep with Rev Tim. At the annual Interact Dinner held final week the model new leadership for Interact 2021 were inducted by Mrs Ros Parker, the President of the Grahamstown Rotary Club. The President of the Kingswood College Interact Club for 2021 is Atang Gabaraane and the Vice-President is Wanda Madasa.

This kind of tour is very worthwhile & deserves all the help from SA TOURISM. Our Chief Patron Nelson Mandela’s wish is for us to assist as many children around South Africa as attainable. We help dr gregory hough south africa youngsters who suffer from treatable facial deformities similar to Cleft Lip and Palate, burn victims, Moebius syndrome and other circumstances.

Loose comparisons that can be made, nevertheless, are largely in maintaining with different local analysis. For example, Brown71 reports on the presence of young males as a proof of crime but in addition signifies the relevance of female marginalisation. Moreover, Demombynes and Özler33 also discovered no significant relationship between unemployment and crime, although the coefficients were positive for violent crime. Conversely Gilfillan62, Brown63 and Blackmore49 all report on the importance of unemployment as a predictor of high crime ranges within the nation.

[cornerstoneindiacxosearch]

Executive Search Firms in Bangalore have qualified recruitment managers

Recruitment specialists look for job openings and conduct interviews with applicants to make sure their business has enough employees to run and grow. In addition to doing fundamental recruitment responsibilities, these teams' managers also engage in strategic leadership activities to ensure that the team can draw in qualified applicants.

Recruitment managers who are working with Executive Search Firms in Bangalore are burdened with some essential duties which they perform comprehensively. These duties are discussed in the following lines:

Defining     recruitment objectives: These professionals can find out how much the     department heads intend to grow their staff throughout the upcoming fiscal     year by meeting with them. Additionally, they can find out about any     impending retirements or other extended absences that may necessitate     hiring new personnel for the organization. They can use this information     to develop goals for their team's hiring process.

Building     a brand for recruitment: The collection of values and characteristics that a     company exhibits to prospective candidates makes up its recruiting brand.     It describes what working at the company would be like. The recruiting     team can attract applicants that might thrive in this atmosphere by having     a recruitment brand that accurately represents the company's work     environment.

Choosing     applications for jobs: Many businesses have automated application portals     where job seekers may submit applications, upload resumes, and other     supporting materials, arrange phone interviews and track the progress of     their applications. By organizing candidate materials and notifying them     when the system discovers missing documentation, these programs facilitate     the application process for the hiring team. The manager, who is in charge     of hiring, may research various programs and select the one that best     suits the requirements and financial constraints of the business.

Selecting     job sites: While     most businesses post job opportunities on their main website, a company's     hiring staff may also post open positions on websites run by outside job     boards. These websites frequently receive a lot of traffic from job     seekers, enabling the recruiting team to connect with more qualified     individuals. The hiring manager may decide which job board websites the     organization utilizes to post job opportunities because there are so many     of them.

Uniformity     in job listings: In some organizations, team leads or department managers write the job descriptions for available positions on their team. The manager of the recruitment team may develop a standardized template for job postings to     guarantee that each one contains all the details a jobseeker would     require. This sample may talk about the company's mission or values, which     can assist applicants, assess how well the business aligns with their values.

In a nutshell, it can be said that the Executive Search Firms in Mumbai and Executive Search Firms in Delhi are equipped with high-quality recruitment managers. These managers form an integral part of the recruiting process and help the client companies to get the most deserving candidate who would lift their company’s future.

[eliasahmed1]

Illustrate Magazine – Your go-to Music Magazine

Illustrate Magazine, a concern of Illustrate Media, is an uprising online platform based in New York, United States, dedicated to novelty music that deserves global recognition. It introduces a wide array of musical categories showcasing artists that break boundaries every day and up-and-coming independent musicians.When it comes to music, Illustrate Magazine is the go-to source for everything from mainstream pop to underground and experimental sounds from all around the world.It is all about going beyond the common and mediocre and searching for musical innovation.

In other words, it is a multi-genre music discovery channel, entailing a digital footprint across all the major digital channels. It is praised highly for its inclusivity and diversity – particularly in alt-rock, electronic music, hip-hop, heavy metal,country, folk,new jazz, improvisational music, modern composition, traditional music, and many more are all genres that are listened to with utmost eagerness andanalyzed for their immersive, radical experience.

Up until now, Illustrate Magazine has published nearly 2000 features and over 700 news pieces and 600 music reviews combining debut singles, EPs, and LPs from solo artists and bands. Among the most-covered genres across the site, readers will findmetal,indie, rock, country/folk, hip-hop/rap, EDM music, and R&B/POP in that order.

Although the magazine has been launched only in 2022 and it hasn’t even been a year of it, it has reached successful global leadership and it is evident in its many platforms.It's a great place to come across debut releases (singles, Eps, and LPs) from new musicians, artists, and illustrators, as well as read reviews and gets to know more about them.

Aligning with the year of establishment, Illustrate Magazine also makes it the 22nd pick in the Top 45 music magazines and publications according to FeedSpotin this blogpost. Among the saturated market of thousands of other magazines and publications, it is an honor for Illustrate and its writers to be included as a verified platform. Picked from an analysis of metrics that showcased domain authority, unique visitor impressions, social media engagements, and freshness and quality of content. 

Illustrate Magazine actively uploads around 20-25pieces of content every day including interviews, music reviews, features, news about concerts, gigs, and band activities, and daily and weekly playlists on its own website.What sets its website apart from a lot of other music blogs and magazines that act as a platform for indie talents, is its unique arrangement with pops of important titles to catch the reader’s attention.The magazine not only provides Spotify features and handpicked imagery to promote independent original musicians and bands to a larger audience but also has records of over 300 exclusive interviews with the craftsmen behind them. Hovering on the intriguing thumbnails of each post enables the readers to become intrigued enough to pick the content of their choice.

 Apart from that, the magazine also updatesits content feed on several widely-used platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, andFacebook. They have their own Pinterest board full of good finds and have over one thousand streamers on the well-known streaming platformSoundCloud, and YouTube and thousands under each genre of Spotify playlists.

Despite the magazine’s attempt at opening the door to underrated musicians, it never shies away from covering features and news about the big names in the music industry. In order to give the readers a glance back to what may be familiar, the site spins newsworthy content besides interviewing artists from all corners of the industry.

Some of their notable works are mentioned in the following, under every category found across the magazine’s website.

In May of 2022, the magazine published an article featuring the song “Potion” by Calvin Harris featuring Young Thug and Dua Lipa, where they delve into an update, detail, and review of the musical production. RnB musician and queer advocate Kehlani’s “Everything” and more collaborations with other mentionable artists like Justin Bieber was also covered in a newsworthy piece.Featuring the rock and pop genres together, the magazine also talked about YungBlud’s collab with Willow in “Memories” and the music video for it, and Camila Cabello’s collab with her in “Psychofreak.” Pop artist and actress Hailee Steinfield’ssampling news for “I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox from March is also a noteworthy mention as Illustrate makes an effort by going in-depth to the behind-the-scenes of this initiative. Perhaps one of the more remarkable featurescovered is about the star of “Euphoria,” Hunter Schafer’s debut direction of the video ‘hornylovesickness.’

The inclusivity of such diverse projects goes to show that Illustrate Magazine keeps up with globally renowned artists and labels. Posting approximately 10 contents every single day also gives the magazine its edge on reviving fresh content to stay relevant and make it to the top among other highly-recommended music publication platforms.

Illustrate Magazine has also begun a new series to feature 10 releases in one go, in an attempt to diversify and expand its horizons, giving its global readers a chance at exploring music they have never heard of but should add to their playlists.Monday Blues, Tuesday Tunes, Wednesday Grooves, Thursday Thrills&Friyay Beats,all the picks from these pieces are Editor’s Choices, so readers can expect to find some of the most carefully curated music.

It is alsoworth mentioning that Illustrate Magazine goes the extra mile to include intercontinental writers and collaborators. Not only is it a media outlet for talented musicians, but it also takes into account the writers who keep it versatile with their own perspectives about the tons of musical talents that come through, and make every piece count for something.

With the aim to make a mark in the music industry, the US-based magazine, Illustrate Magazine, continues to cover underrated musicians and artists from across the world in order to support their passion, music and art. The magazine has a strong sense of community and wants to bring together up-and-coming illustrators within the growing independent music scene.

[halla-hunts-the-wolf]

A short-story preview.

Set in a story where years down the line, Fen'harel has yet to destroy the Veil, but his plights are making all of Thedas weary of the modern elves.

Four Dalish elves band together to avenge a massacre. Will they inflict Justice or Vengeance on those responsible? And what secrets will they uncover along the way?

Warning: Violent acts & Character Death.

----

On the outskirts of Ansburg, a Dalish settlement had been destroyed. 

They had been camping beside the coast, where a river drained off from the ocean. 

They’d thought that the lack of freshwater would make the paths less favorable towards merchants or humans in general.  Their aravels had been pitched and their halla let loose to graze. 

They lasted three days. 

On the fourth day, when two cloaked riders closed in on where the Dalish were meant to be, the stench of death still remained, carrion birds harvested bodies, and a started fire had laid waste to everything.  

Blood ran the river red by the time the two riders reached the desolate camp.

Their movements became slow and they approached with caution; anticipating an ambush, but all they were met with was the silence that the massacre left behind. 

“Maker,” one of the riders mumbled, bringing his arm up to cover his nose.  “Who could have done this? Do you think it could’ve been Fen’harel?” 

“No,” the other rider says, his voice somber and distant. “No, these elves were not his enemies and they did not deserve his wrath.”  As he spoke, he would have abandoned his mount, an older Dracolisk, beside the river. Carrying on by foot, he would assess the carnage.  Bodies lay to waste around him, many of which were missing their pointed ears. It was sickening, deplorable, and a byproduct of fear.  “Even so, this act is unforgivable.” His voice would crack, overwhelmed by anger  and grief. “There are so few of our people left, and the only thing they have done is chosen not to take a side in this foolish war.” 

“The war that we are fighting.” 

“Yes, because even though it is foolish, it can not be ignored.  Not when innocent people are being slaughtered like this.” The second rider would crouch down, to close the eyes of an elf who was staring up at the sky. “Falon’Din enasal enaste.” 

“What are we going to do now, carry on to Tevinter?” 

“We are going to bury them, and find those responsible.” 

The first rider lets out an exasperated sigh. “Lavellan, we don’t have the time-” 

“- Then we make time.” 

The first rider says nothing more, hanging his head in silent compliance. 

They spend their evening in this way, gathering bodies and offering them final prayers. They didn’t have the means to do a proper ceremony, but they would do their best with heavy hearts.  

Nightfall had soon come and gone, and as a new dawn broke across the sky, the two men sat across from each other, swallowing down their rations despite lacking a proper appetite.  

“So you didn’t find your dalish contact amongst the dead?” The first rider would ask, his bright green eyes were growing red, as he fought the  need to sleep.  Only in his mid-twenties, and a recently freed slave of the Tevinter Imperium, he was not used to the constant traveling and combat he had to endure while shadowing the former Inquisitor.  He rubs at his face, hands running across his mutilated vallaslin.  The branches that spread over his cheeks had been cut into and burned by his former master, when he was only eighteen and freshly kidnapped from his own clan. “Perhaps he went after those responsible?” 

“No,” Lavellan would shake his head. “Ryland would have waited for us, had he still been alive and of his own free will.” The older elf  would be fiddling with a string around his neck. He clutched at the sending crystal as if it was his life line with one hand, while the other, a prosthetic, would be clutching a potion. “This group was made up of smaller dalish clans, ones that were left abandoned by their clanmates when they joined Solas. Ryland was traveling with them, to bring them to another encampment on the other side of Nevarra.” 

“That was very noble of him.” 

“Yes, and I’m the one who asked him to do it.” 

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, and drink your potion.” 

Lavellan would stop fiddling with his necklace, taking to unscrewing the cork of the bottle in his hand. “If we had gotten here a day sooner Ma’hallian, we may have prevented this from happening entirely.”  He would down the bottle in one go, guzzling it’s dark purple liquid, looking as if he’d just bit into a lemon afterwards. “This thing could be a poison.” 

“A poison that keeps you from keeling over in pain.” Ma’hallian would remind him gently, before reaching out to take the empty bottle from the other man’s hands. “And we didn’t get here a day sooner, so we have to keep moving forward.” 

“We will, as soon as the person responsible is brought to justice.” 

The white-haired elf would lean forward, fixing the former Inquisitor with a narrowed gaze. 

The older elf was on the cusp of fifty, with silver streaks in his long chestnut hair and wrinkles overtaking his darkened skin.  These days, his hands shook whenever he lifted his sword, and his amber eyes always smoldered with conviction. “Is it justice you are after, or is it vengeance?”

“The two are not so different, when faced with a situation like this.” 

“We both know that they are.” 

Lavellan hated being shown up by his assistant, someone who could be so callous and shy towards the rest of the world. The boy had spent the majority of his life either in solitude or servitude and yet, he still managed to come out of it with a remarkable sense of responsibility and level headedness. 

“I-” He does not get a proper sentence out, as a distant sound causes his ears to twitch. Ma’hallian hears it too and they rise to their feet.  

Ma’hallian draws a dagger from his belt and Lavellan pulls free his sword from its sheath.  They approach the source of the noise with silent steps, until they are looming over the site of a destroyed aravel. It’s red fabric and splintered wood had made a heavy pile, and something dared to move beneath it. 

“Careful,” Lavellan murmurs, “it may be an abomination that’s risen.” 

Leering forward with one foot, the elf  would kick the debris away, his sword poised to strike down, but he would stop just short of skewering another elf. 

An elf also nearing his fifties, with deep red hair that was coated in soot and streaked with soft greys. His face, while well defined, was covered in laugh lines and scars alike. They danced along his vallaslin for Ghilan’nain, etched in blue to match his eyes.   This new elf stares up at them, as a cough rattles throughout his chest and past his lips.  “Well, hello your highness. I survived then? Unless you managed to finally kick the bucket too.” 

“No, Ry, you’re just that lucky.” Lavellan would put his sword away before holding out a hand, hauling his former partner from the aravel. Eyeing him wearily, in search of any wounds that could prove fatal. 

“Ah well, what can I say? The universe loves me.” Ryland dusts himself off, wincing as he does so, but seemingly unharmed save for a few aches, bruises, and perhaps a concussion after being crushed beneath one of their landships. “How bad is it?” 

“You’re the only survivor.”

 The red-head takes in a sharp breath. “That can’t be right. Where are the bodies?” 

They take him to the people who they had wrapped or covered, ready to be buried, as time permitted them.  He looks them over, with blue eyes watering, before he shakes his head.  “There were younger elves here, children, and a mage. None of them are with the dead.” 

“Perhaps they perished in the fire that ravaged the camp?” Ma’hallain offers, supervising Ryland as Lavellan wanders off to their mounts. “Or animals picked off their remains?” 

“You are  a grim young man, Ma’hallain, but no. The only scavengers in this area are the birds, and they wouldn’t be able to devour  a body within a day, let alone a dozen or so. The person responsible for the siege must have taken them.” 

“And who was responsible?” Lavellan had rejoined them, bringing a fresh pair of clothes to Ryland from his carry on.

“There’s a human settlement nearby, Ansburg? They’ve recently come into new leadership and the man appears to be terrified of us knife-ears.” Ryland would strip there, pulling his otherwise tattered shirt over his head and tossing it to the ground.  Lavellan would hand him the clean one and Ma’hallian would have the decency to look away as he took off his pants as well. “When the local militia arrived, I told them that we had no ties with Fen’Harel or the Qun. They said that they were under orders and at the end of the day, all elves were the same.” 

“Yet they would never claim that all humans are murderers, would they?” 

“Fear is bred by ignorance, highness. They’ll get what’s coming for them.” 

Lavellan would grumble, “Did you at least scout Ansburg when you first made camp?” 

“Course I did, seemed like a normal shemlen village. Smelt of rotten fish and wet dog. There weren’t any elves, but I didn’t find that odd. There aren’t many flat ears left in the smaller settlements.”  

“Did you find where this new leader lived?” 

“It was the first thing on my list, but something seemed off about it. The whole village was sort of dreary, but his estate was shimmery, almost. Like the stones were reflecting the light.” 

Ma’hallian snaps back to attention, his ears drooping just so. “That sounds like warding, and a very obvious one.  I bet he is using it to scare others away, people do that in the Magisterium. Either to scare the already fearful, or to make a spectacle out of something valuable.” 

“So we’ll need a mage?” Lavellans asks. 

“Unless warriors suddenly know how to dispel things? Rogues most certainly do not.” 

“Oh,” Ryland would croon, “Do you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like a call to Dorian. Tell him I said hello, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know that I survived.” 

Rolling his eyes, Lavellan would turn away from the other men. Knowing that Ma’hallian was glib due to his many years living in darkness and Ryland was only using humor to cope with the carnage around them. 

[earths-roots-grow-up]

Headcanon abt Prussia’s psychology and historical relationship with Poland underthe cut. I hope you like it :)

Fact: The Polish-Teutonic wars were a series of military conflicts that started in 1308 when Teutonic Order took over polish city of Gdańsk (Danzing) and annexed it (event is knows as Slaughter of Danzing). After that came the first Teutonic War, in which the Order won Pomerelia from Poland. It was the beggining of larger Polish-Teutonic conflict that lasted for over 200 years and some following wars include:

- The second Teutonic War, a conflictr that took place between 1409 (when the Grand Master declared war on Poland and Lithuania) and 1411 when the conflict ended with Battle Of Grunewald. Teutonic Order lost and had to retreat, then manage to withstand the Siege of Malbork. The Knights did survive the defeat, but they never again gained their previous influence and power, while Poland-Lithuania was established as one of main powers in Central Europe. After wiki: "Most of the brothers of the Order were killed (during the final battle), including most of the Teutonic leadership". Many Teutonic fortresses were taken over and only eight castles reminded in Teutonic hands after this conflict. - The Thirteen Years' War, when the Order's Prussian territories began a revolt against the Order and asked Poland for help. Poland was like ‘hell yeah, let me make this my problem!’ and Prussian Confederacy/Kingdom of Poland truce was created. This war ended with the Knights losing and having to give up Western Prussia to Poland. - The Polish–Teutonic War 0f 1519–1521 that ended with a treaty of Kraków - this treaty resulted in parts of Order's Prussian territories becoming secularized as the Duchy of Prussia under polish rule (4 years later). This was sealed by the Prussian Homage of 10 April. There were more conflicts between 1308 and 1521, but I don't want to write an entire book here, so I reccomend the Polish-Teutonic War site on wiki, it has a pretty comprehensive list :). So in super short oversimplified terms, as I understand it: The wars started at the beginning of the 14th century with Teutonic aggression and lasted for over 200 years, during which Poland and the Order pretty much became THE RIVALS. The turning point was the battle of Grunwald when the Order lost a lot of its power, but still had some fight in it. It ended with Teutonic Knights secularizing and becoming a vassal state to Poland. This of course completely turned upside down after Prussia became independent again, got the status of a Kingdom and pretty much whipped Poland off the map in 1700s for 100 years, so I guess Prussia never forgets (which is one of my fav HCs for him xD).

Headcanon:

So my most obvious headcanon that comes from this is the hate/hate relationship that Poland and Prussia have. I believe they really can't stand each other and view each other as enemies. Their whole history is pretty much one somehow dominating the other or attempting to dominate him - from the Teutonic Wars, through Prussia becoming Poland’s vassal and then tables turning and Prussia (& Austria & Russia) partitioning Poland into nonexistence & and the Germanization that followed, until WW2 when they also fought. It’s a pattern.

It's like they live for revenge and each revenge has to be more brutal and dramatic than what happened before. It’s a snowball of anger that escalates. And I HC that yes, all of this was seen by both of them as revenge for the previous hurts and both of them believe the other deserved it for what he did before. The difference between them is that Poland views himself mostly as the victim that fights back (due to Polish martyrology culture, which is strong in the historical nation narrative [The Christ of Nations, etc], and the general belief in the “Germanic Aggressor”) and Prussia sees himself as the conqueror who has been humiliated by someone lesser (due to his general lack of empathy for those he sees as victims, so he would never cast himself as one, he himself wants to be casted as the aggressor, as to him this position means power and agency).

Prussia can never get why Poland kinda glorifies himself as the Victim and The Martyr (an important element of Poland’s identity), as to him that makes no sense, being a victim is pathetic, right? and Poland can't understand why Prussia glorifies himself as the conqueror as to him he's just a bloody tyrant so why would you be proud of that, right?

They see value in different things to the most basic level, which makes communications very hard - and both of them see value in things that end up being destructive to them, bc both the ‘Might is Right!’ and the ‘My suffering makes me SpEcIaL!’ thinking is not healthy. They are both messed up, just differently. But the way they are messed up kinda... makes them the perfect enemies and makes it easy to escalate conflict. They fit in this very pathological way, when Poland needs to “suffer” for his national identity of the Martyr of Europe to make sense and he needs someone to cast as the aggressor, while Prussia needs to attack and conquer to see himself as the badass powerhouse of Europe he wants to be. They are like the perfect toxic relationship - they bring out the worst in each other due to their specific world-view quircks, so it kinda makes sense that their history is so bad.

But my second less-obvious headcanon is:

Prussia began the Teutonic Wars with the slaughter of Danzing because he was young, ambitious and very impulsive. Gilbert has a hot temperament and a strong desire to be active - and he did exactly that, without really thinking through the ramifications of attacking a big established country while being just a young Knights Order. You can see this on macro scale in the Teutonic Wars and on micro scale in the Battle on lake Pejpus where he charged on a frozen lake. He was so into attacking that he never even considered the environment. The thing is, this failures (and his hot temper!) almost killed him. He literally almost died due to the lost wars, lost most of his power and had to completely re-invent himself from a military crusading catolic Knights Order into a secularized Duchy just to SURVIVE and ended up under the Polish boot for years. His biggest enemy’s boot. And he needed to kneel in front of him. This is IMO an incredibly important moment for how his further development went. The Ordnung Muss Sein discipline-is-key culture and the strategic mindfulness that become a second nature to him start here, when he almost dies because of his reckless actions. It also ingrained a sense of deep humiliation connected to the Prussian Homage that only installed the need for power EVEN MORE. Before he wanted power because he hated the feeling that he is less important than Actual Counties and believed he was given unfairly bad cards by being born without land. Now tho there's an extra motive: fear. Fear of being subjugated. And revenge. This kick started the process of creation of Kingdom of Prussia as we know it - so the transition from a wild-child-Order that just went with the flow and threw himself into battle on literal iced-over lake, into a very calculating, rational thinking soldier who assesses the room and everyone in it at the moment he enters and is hyper aware of all the environment and situation that accompanies his conflicts. So I guess the short version is: Prussia is very disciplined and controls his anger very well but that's not how he always was. He’s a powerful force of nature, a wildfire, that is being reigned in by the self-imposed diligent soldier discipline in order not self destruct. It becomes his second nature, he becomes the Machine, bc if he stayed the Wild Child he started as, he would have perished and he is aware of that. So this explains why he is so merciless about his discipline and order - it’s not just a preference he has, on a more primal level it’s about survival to him. Natural tendencies still sometimes slip through, especially when he's tired, drunk or in any way vulnerable. I like to HC that you can hear the more crazy part of him when he laughs - it's such a loud, boisterous, overwhelming laughter that it does not seem to fit his cold, diligent matter-of-fact soldier-persona at all. It's bc what's inside is spilling out in the laughter. You can also see it when he parties ;)

You can also see it in violent outbursts of anger that happen when he is REALLY on edge. They are kinda scary. But most of his ‘anger outbursts’ (and wars)  are calculated and planned to get his way with minimal consequences. The truth is, he feels like he failed himself whenever he really looses control.

My other HC about Gil as Teutonic Knghts can be found here, here, here and here if you like my rambly takes :)

[anniekoh]

This Indian Country: American Indian Activists and the Place They Made by Frederick Hoxie (2012)

Frederick E. Hoxie, one of our most prominent and celebrated academic historians of Native American history, has for years asked his undergraduate students at the beginning of each semester to write down the names of three American Indians. Almost without exception, year after year, the names are Geronimo, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. The general conclusion is inescapable: Most Americans instinctively view Indians as people of the past who occupy a position outside the central narrative of American history. These three individuals were warriors, men who fought violently against American expansion, lost, and died. It's taken as given that Native history has no particular relationship to what is conventionally presented as the story of America. Indians had a history too; but theirs was short and sad, and it ended a long time ago.In This Indian Country, Hoxie has created a bold and sweeping counter-narrative to our conventional understanding. Native American history, he argues, is also a story of political activism, its victories hard-won in courts and campaigns rather than on the battlefield. For more than two hundred years, Indian activists—some famous, many unknown beyond their own communities—have sought to bridge the distance between indigenous cultures and the republican democracy of the United States through legal and political debate. Over time their struggle defined a new language of "Indian rights" and created a vision of American Indian identity. In the process, they entered a dialogue with other activist movements, from African American civil rights to women's rights and other progressive organizations.Hoxie weaves a powerful narrative that connects the individual to the tribe, the tribe to the nation, and the nation to broader historical processes. He asks readers to think deeply about how a country based on the values of liberty and equality managed to adapt to the complex cultural and political demands of people who refused to be overrun or ignored. As we grapple with contemporary challenges to national institutions, from inside and outside our borders, and as we reflect on the array of shifting national and cultural identities across the globe, This Indian Country provides a context and a language for understanding our present dilemmas.

Image 1

15: My informal quiz is intended to prod students to look beneath the surface of the popular beliefs that define Native people as exotic and irrelevant. I also ask students to consider why it is that Americans so easily accept the romantic stereotype of Indians as heroic warriors and princesses? Why don’t we demand a richer, three-dimensional story? I pose a Native American version of the question the African American writer James Baldwin often asked white audiences a generation ago: “Why do you need a nigger?” My question is the same: Why do Americans need “Indians”—brave, exotic, and dead—as major figures in national culture?

17: This book counters that preference by presenting portraits of American Indians who neither physically resisted, nor surrendered to, the expanding continental empire that became the United States. The men and women portrayed here were born within the boundaries of the United States, rose to positions of community leadership, and decided to enter the nation’s political arena—as lawyers, lobbyists, agitators, and writers—to defend their communities. They argued that Native people occupied a distinct place inside the borders of the United States and deserved special recognition from the central government. Undaunted by their adversary’s military power, these activists employed legal reasoning, political pressure, and philosophical arguments to wage a continuous campaign on behalf of Indian autonomy, freedom, and survival. Some were homegrown activists whose focus was on protecting their local homelands; others had wider ambitions for the reform of national policies. All sought to overcome the predicament of political powerlessness and find peaceful resolutions for their complaints. They struggled to create a long-term relationship with the United States that would enable Native people to live as members of both particular indigenous communities and a large, democratic nation.

The story of these activists crosses several centuries. It opens in the waning days of the American Revolution, as negotiators in Paris set geographical boundaries for the new nation that ignored Indian nations that had fought in the conflict and had been recognized previously in international diplomacy. Native activists take center stage in the 1820s, when nationalistic U.S. leaders abandoned an earlier diplomatic tradition and pressed Indian leaders to surrender their homes to American settlers. The Choctaw James McDonald, the first Indian in the United States to be trained as a lawyer, is the protagonist of chapter two. McDonald became his tribe’s legal adviser and drew on American political ideals to defend Indian rights, thereby laying the foundation for future claims against the United States.A generation after McDonald, the Cherokee leader William Potter Ross developed and widened the young Choctaw’s arguments. During the middle decades of the nineteenth century he traveled among Indian tribes in the West as well as to Washington, D.C., to recruit other Native leaders to defend tribal sovereignty. Among those who followed in Ross’s wake were Sarah Winnemucca, a Nevada Paiute who in the 1880s became a nationally famous writer, lecturer, and lobbyist, and a group of remarkable Minnesota Ojibwe tribal leaders who battled both at home and in Washington, D.C., to preserve their tiny community on the shores of Mille Lacs Lake.In the twentieth century the leading activists were often polished professionals like Thomas Sloan, an Omaha Indian who became an attorney and established a legal practice in Washington, D.C. The first Indian to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Sloan helped found the Society of American Indians in 1911 (serving as its first president) and encouraged other community leaders to create similar networks of support. In the 1930s, when Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal offered those leaders opportunities to speak out in defense of their tribes, these networks brought forth tribal advocates such as the Seneca Alice Jemison and the Crow leader Robert Yellowtail, as well as a new generation of intellectuals and thinkers, among them the Salish writer and reformer D’Arcy McNickle and the visionary scholar Vine Deloria, Jr., who by the time of his death in 2005 had become the leading proponent of indigenous cultures and tribal rights in the United States.

..

Vocal opposition to Indian landholding in Mississippi began in 1803, after Napoleon had suddenly decided to sell the entire territory to the Americans. The French emperor’s decision immediately transformed the Choctaw homeland from a distant border area to an inland province that boasted hundreds of miles of frontage on a river that was destined to become the nation’s central highway.15 Secure borders and the lure of plantation agriculture triggered a surge of settlement. The American population in the region doubled between 1810 and 1820 and then doubled again by 1830. New towns clustered along the east bank of the Mississippi as well as on the lower reaches of the Tombigbee River, two hundred miles to the east.The American immigrants were soon calling for the creation of two territorial governments in the area. Congress had first organized Mississippi Territory in 1798 as a hundred-mile-wide swath of unsurveyed land hugging the east bank of the great river and then in 1803, had expanded its borders so that it stretched south from Tennessee to the Gulf. Finally, in 1817, the region took its modern shape when the Tombigbee settlements became the Alabama Territory, Mississippi’s eastern neighbor.Events on America’s northwestern frontier echoed those along the Gulf. Secure borders, a surging settler population, and aggressive local leaders encouraged the rapid organization of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois into territories and states during Jefferson’s presidency. (Ohio became a state in 1803; Indiana in 1816; Illinois in 1818.) Jefferson championed both traditional Indian diplomacy and westward expansion. He understood the value of traditional diplomacy, but he also understood the rising power of western politicians and was far more likely to accommodate them.In 1808 Jefferson supported a major purchase of Choctaw land. He noted that while it was “desirable that the United States should obtain from the native population the entire left (east) bank of the Mississippi,” federal authorities were also determined “to obliterate from the Indian mind an impression . . . that we are constantly forming designs on their lands.” The Choctaws’ current debt of more than forty-six thousand dollars, he explained, provided a solution to this dilemma. Owing to “the pressure of their own convenience,” Jefferson reported, the Choctaws themselves had initiated this sale of five million acres of their land. He wrote that he welcomed this “consolidation of the Mississippi Territory,” and the Senate quickly ratified the agreement.16

...

95: Leaders of the removed tribes were quick to promote the idea of multitribal “international councils” aimed at promoting peaceful relations among the tribes in Indian Territory and the surrounding region. These councils grew out of a tradition of peace conferences that U.S. officials had organized prior to removal to reduce tensions between western tribes (particularly the Osages, Pawnees, Kiowas, and Comanches) and the eastern Indians who had begun to migrate voluntarily to the West early in the century. Fort Gibson, erected in 1822 along the Arkansas River at a spot near the future site of the Cherokee capital of Tahlequah, had been the scene for several of these gatherings. One such meeting in 1834 involved more than a dozen tribes (including recently arrived Delawares and Senecas from the Midwest) that pledged friendship to one another and agreed to meet again to conclude a formal treaty. The 1835 Camp Holmes treaty, negotiated on the prairies west of Fort Gibson, fulfilled that goal. It established peaceful relations between the eastern tribes such as the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Creeks, and local groups such as the Wichitas and Osages. A second gathering the following year extended the Camp Holmes agreement to the Kiowas and Kiowa-Apaches.15In the 1840s the Cherokee tribal government, along with the governments of neighboring groups, began hosting their own intertribal meetings. They took this step both because they were eager to maintain good relations with the powerful tribes that had previously occupied their new homelands—particularly the Osages, Kiowas, and Comanches—and because they were increasingly conscious of threats to their borders. To the south, the new Republic of Texas, dominated by slaveholders, seemed determined to remove its resident tribes and create a homogeneous, independent settler nation on the model of the United States. The Cherokees had little interest in antagonizing these aggressive neighbors, many of whom were recent arrivals from Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Tribal leaders in Tahlequah were also aware that Mexican officials to the west, still resentful of the Texans’ recent success in their war of independence, were eager to form alliances with Comanches and other groups who had traditionally raided agricultural communities along the Arkansas River. To the north, resettled tribes from the American Midwest—particularly Delawares, Shawnees, Potawatomis, and Wyandots—were making new homes on the Missouri frontier. The disruptions accompanying their arrival triggered yet another round of retaliation and resentment among indigenous groups.16Large intertribal gatherings began in 1843. In June of that year more than three thousand representatives of twenty-two tribes gathered at Tahlequah in response to invitations sent out by John Ross and Roly McIntosh, the chief of the Creeks. For four weeks the delegates made camp across a two-mile-wide prairie and participated in round dances, ball games, and parades. William Potter Ross, barely a year removed from his Princeton graduation, was among them.When the formal sessions began, Chief John Ross reminded the delegates of the serious work before them. “Brothers,” he cried, “it is for renewing in the West the ancient talk of our forefathers, and of perpetuating forever the old pipe of peace . . . and of adopting such international laws as may redress the wrongs done by the people of our respective tribes to each other that you have been invited to attend the present council.” In addition to securing pledges of peace from all who attended, Ross won approval for eight written resolutions that established rules of conduct and included the declaration “No nation party to this compact shall without the consent of all the other parties, cede or in any manner alienate to the United States any part of their present territory.”17One white observer predicted that the 1843 gathering would “disperse without having done anything,” but the resolution regarding land cessions was a clear signal that the men who had been victims of removal had a serious purpose. They wanted to forge an alliance that could hold their enemies at bay.18 Often ignored by outsiders, these gatherings continued throughout the coming decade.

[lonelycloudscholar]

If you are not worthy of your place, you will have more than a house of good, and you will have more to celebrate.

The saying goes: If you don't deserve a place, you will have a lot of things.

One must have noble character to afford money, power, and reputation for these newspapers. Otherwise, they will surely be subjected to disaster.

[Zhou Yi] There is a cloud: ′′ Deity is thin, wisdom is small and big, strength is small and heavy, little is less than a thread."

In ′′ Chogen's ′′ it also says: ′′ The rich and reputation, from moral, such as the flowers in the mountains, is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one , like a bottle of flower, its root is not planted, it can stand and wait."

If morality is not worthy, it is difficult to be rich and rich for long, after all, man's virtue determines the fate of man.

To enjoy the newspaper, you must first fix your own morality. Xuude is the best way to change his life.

zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ zhǎng jiǔ

Fan Zhong-yang once said: The congenital worry and worry, the day after tomorrow will be happy!

The supreme realm of morality is to restore the body, the family, rule the country, and benefit the world. Only those who are mindful of the world will have a rich and honorable lasting.

Fan Zhong-yan during the Northern Dynasty period, was a famous literary, but he spent his whole life walking for the people

When he was an official in Taizhou, he saw the local sea turtles in disparage for years, often the sea water inversion accidents occurred, leaving the people displaced and

Fan Zhong-yan Xinsheng was intolerant, so the emperor built a wing to protect the people's peace. After playing, Fan Zhong-dang himself took the battle, leading the local people, and repaired the whale day and night.

However, halfway through the construction, the tsunami was encountered, and hundreds of people were killed and injured. Then, let the Imperial Court opponents, seized the handle, and one after another said that this was a warning from the sea gods, that they could no longer repair the moss.

Regarding the issue of ′′ fixing and not repairing there is a heated discussion within the Imperial Court, but the common people can't afford to wait. Fan Zhong-Yan, who is anxious, stood on the work site and waited, watching the sea water slowly fails to A slight step back.

In order to give back to the people a peaceful home, he insisted on forgetting his life and finally waited for the decision to fix it. After the tsunami was completed, there was no flooding again. Later, the local people were grateful for Fan Zhong-yan, and even more, they named the sea turtle ′′ Fan Gong-y

For this reason, Fan Zhong-Zhong-Fan received a gift, and bought a house in Suzhou, and asked Mr. Feng Shui to take a look at it. It turned out to be a feng shui treasure land. Fan Zhong-Zhong listened to it, and didn't Good luck to the people of the Lebanese people.

This moment, Fan Zhong-shuan, who was the heart of the people, was the family of the family, and was the official's bureau, all donated to the Fan family. When he died, he did not even have a decent coffin.

Since then, it has left the style of ′′ faithfulness to the world ′′ and became the Fan family training, so that the children and grandchildren, Sun Jianji, and the family can carry the year of the year!

It was Fan Zhong-yang who was in the world's spirit, passed on to the world, and let me wait for the future generations to study, work, and be human.

In ′′ Zhou Yi :"it says, ′′ The house of the good will have more celebration".

Those who upgrade their own morals, will receive the honor and wealth of riches, like wild flowers in the mountains, and the mountains are flourishing and flourishing. Not only do they have their own newspapers, they will also have descendants and descendants of Yu Qing

shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù shī qù

The idiom, ′′ Cheng-Ya, what can we lose is a good interpretation of Han Xin's life.

As we all know, Han Xin, is a famous founding meritor in the West Han, with unique leadership skills, never defeated in his life. It can be said that without Han Xin, there would be no Dahan Dynasty.

He was originally a man under Xiang Yu, and spent two years around Xiang Yu, and was only a guard. Because he could not be used again, he turned to Liu Bang. He was seen by the people who were looking at him and highly recommended to Liu Bang, and since then he was in war. The sandfield, by the good of the king, ascends to heaven.

Even Liu Bang sighs, ′′ Even a million army will win, and the attack will be taken, and it is not as good as Han Xin!"

After Han Xin assumed the office of the great general, the first gun was ′′ Ming Xiu's martial path, the darkest of the way ". Han Xin, who won the win. After that, it was even more unpackable. Within a few short years, Liu Bang took down half a mountain.

Everything came too smoothly, Han Xin became the capable general of Liu Bang's men, no one disobedient, he began to be proud and self-righteous.

Just when the Qi country was destroyed, Han Xin was greedy for merit, and he still took over the Qi Guo, which had already fallen, by surprise, to coerce Liu Bang and seal himself as king Qi. There was no way Liu Bang could only do the same.

At this time, Han Xin is like the sky. Even more, while Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were in the middle of the war, when he needed the support of Han Xin, he only kept his mouth up, and clearly asked Liu Bang for a seal.

Han Xin, who looks like the future, has done such injustice, again and again, and again, and again, challenge authority. Liu Bang has already hated him in his heart, but he also taboos his ability, and finally, he still doesn't know what to do. Kill Han Xin.

The Han Xin of the Lord of Gao-Zheng, can be said to have all the wealth of reputation status. But as a subject, they do not know how to converge themselves, avoid interests, and eventually fall into a different and three communities.

[Left Chuan] There is a saying, ′′ Many injustice will be taken from themselves, and a child will be treated ".

No matter how big you are, if you don't have a fear of morality, you will eventually go to destruction, it is only a matter of time.

In ancient times, no one wants to take a good reputation, build a business, and enjoy a wealthy reputation, but this kind of reputation is not unchanged and never broken in those who have no virtue.

Those who have been killed by a few, or those who are trying to find a position of power, will eventually become nothing.

And those who are truly virtuous do not care about their personal success or failure, honor and disgrace, but are in a hurry for the people to think about what the people think and do the truth for the people, and in the end they will gain a rich reputation.

miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng miè wáng

Mencius :"Dodosuke, help".

If you don't get the support of the people, even if you stand tall and have more, you will eventually lose it.

In the end of the East Han year, Minister Dong Zhuo, Kwon-yan, held the power of the world, it can be said that the scenery was infinite, and he was eventually killed

He had no ancestors to protect, noble people to help each other. He was completely dependent on his personal efforts, and he was decisive and decisive all the way, and he established the Xilang army and became

However, at that time, the Imperial Court, the Horse Palace, the foreign relatives, the dictatorship, and the party of the palace, led the military to Beijing in order to save the Holy Driving, and after resolving the rebel party, Dong Zhuo became a vassal of power under one person and above

Once man has supreme power, he no longer wants to be subjected to man.

Therefore, Dong Zhuo forced the little Emperor Liu to argue the lower position, re-enacted Liu Association to offer emperor to Han, and truly implemented the heavens to make the priests, plus the army in his hands, and Dong Zhuo was even more fearless and did whatever he wanted, and he was willing to kill indiscriminately. Hands to cover the heavens.

Dong Zhuo, who is unshakable, not only does he allow his own men to rob people and women, but if any opponents appear, they are all considered to be disorganized and tortured, causing the people to complain and be hard to say.

In the end, the people were forced to endure it, and the-way priests fought against Dong Zhuo, and died at the hands of his son, Pub. When the news of Dong Zhuo's death came out, the people of the whole country celebrated with joy, it was seen that the people were just angry with Dong Zhuo.

It's just called, ′′ The people who get the heart of the world."

Dong Zhuo, who has lost the heart of the people, was pointed out by Wanfu His life was an infinite scenery, but this kind of reputation, which was derived from violence, was always a deed of morality.

Many times, how far a man can go is not in how much he has achieved, nor in how strong his ability is, but in how thick he is.

In life, your virtue, also determines your destiny, you can be without talent, but not deed. No man will seek disaster, and what you gain by power will be lost in the end by virtue.

To be born, to be expensive is to have virtue, only to be upright and good to people, can do virtue in the world.

Write at the end

It is said in the Book of Grain: ′′ The shallow waters do not swim, the great fish do not swim, and the shallow of the trees do not flash, and the thin of the earth does not produce great

Meaning, if the water is not deep, how can it attract big fish? If the trees are not lush, how can there be great darts to inhabit here? If our earth is not rich, how can there be great yields?

On the contrary, how can we carry things if our moral deeds are not heavy? You must know that giving will be rewarded, contentment will be happy, understanding gratitude life will become more and more smooth.

On the contrary, if virtue is not worthy, for what others have, we often go to envy, to compare, to discuss, to evaluate, and there will be disaster.

Remember, man is doing, heaven is watching, and no one can escape. For whatever cause you sow, you will get fruit, and the house of good will have more to celebrate, and the house of bad will have more.

◎ Disclaimer: Part of the content, images are from the internet, if there is infringement please contact us in time to delete

[realitista]

It may be a cult, but we should know what they want.

Conservatism (big C) has always had one goal and little c general conservatism is a myth. Conservatism has the singular goal of maintaining an aristocracy that inherits political power and pushing others down to create an under class. In support of that is a morality based on a person’s inherent status as good or bad - not actions. Of course the thing that determines if someone is good or bad is whether they inhabit the aristocracy.

Another way, Conservatives - those who wish to maintain a class system - assign moral value to people and not actions. Those not in the aristocracy are immoral and deserve punishment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4CI2vk3ugk

https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/conservatism.html

Part of this is posted a lot: https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288 I like the concept of Conservatism vs. anything else.

*****

A Bush speech writer takes the assertion for granted: It's all about the upper class vs. democracy. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/06/why-do-democracies-fail/530949/ “Democracy fails when the Elites are overly shorn of power.”

Read here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/conservatism/ and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism#History and see that all of the major thought leaders in Conservatism have always opposed one specific change (democracy at the expense of aristocratic power). At some point non-Conservative intellectuals and/or lying Conservatives tried to apply the arguments of conservatism to generalized “change.”

The philosophic definition of something shouldn't be created by only adherents, but also critics, - and the Stanford page (despite taking pains to justify small c conservatism) includes criticisms - so we can conclude generalized conservatism (small c) is a myth at best and a Trojan Horse at worst.

*****

Incase you don’t want to read the David Frum piece here is a highlight that democracy only exists at the leisure of the elite represented by Conservatism.

>The most crucial variable predicting the success of a democratic transition is the self-confidence of the incumbent elites. If they feel able to compete under democratic conditions, they will accept democracy. If they do not, they will not.

And the single thing that most accurately predicts elite self-confidence, as Ziblatt marshals powerful statistical and electoral evidence to argue, is the ability to build an effective, competitive conservative political party before the transition to democracy occurs.

Conservatism, manifest as a political party is simply the effort of the Elites to maintain their privileged status. One prior attempt at rebuttal blocked me when we got to: why is it that specifically Conservative parties align with the interests of the Elite?

*****

There is a key difference between conservatives and others that is often overlooked. For liberals, actions are good, bad, moral, etc and people are judged based on their actions. For Conservatives, people are good, bad, moral, etc and the status of the person is what dictates how an action is viewed.

In the world view of the actual Conservative leadership - those with true wealth or political power - , the aristocracy is moral by definition and the working class is immoral by definition and deserving of punishment for that immorality. This is where the laws don't apply trope comes from or all you’ll often see “rules for thee and not for me.” The aristocracy doesn't need laws since they are inherently moral. Consider the divinely ordained king: he can do no wrong because he is king, because he is king at God’s behest. The anti-poor aristocratic elite still feel that way.

This is also why people can be wealthy and looked down on: if Bill Gates tries to help the poor or improve worker rights too much he is working against the aristocracy.

*****

If we extend analysis to the voter base: conservative voters view other conservative voters as moral and good by the state of being labeled conservative because they adhere to status morality and social classes. It's the ultimate virtue signaling. They signal to each other that they are inherently moral. It’s why voter base conservatives think “so what” whenever any of these assholes do nasty anti democratic things. It’s why Christians seem to ignore Christ.

While a liberal would see a fair or moral or immoral action and judge the person undertaking the action, a conservative sees a fair or good person and applies the fair status to the action. To the conservative, a conservative who did something illegal or something that would be bad on the part of someone else - must have been doing good. Simply because they can’t do bad.

To them Donald Trump is inherently a good person as a member of the aristocracy. The conservative isn’t lying or being a hypocrite or even being "unfair" because - and this is key - for conservatives past actions have no bearing on current actions and current actions have no bearing on future actions so long as the aristocracy is being protected. Lindsey Graham is "good" so he says to delay SCOTUS confirmations that is good. When he says to move forward: that is good.

To reiterate: All that matters to conservatives is the intrinsic moral state of the actor (and the intrinsic moral state that matters is being part of the aristocracy). Obama was intrinsically immoral and therefore any action on his part was “bad.” Going further - Trump, or the media rebranding we call Mitt Romney, or Moscow Mitch are all intrinsically moral and therefore they can’t do “bad” things. The one bad thing they can do is betray the class system.

*****

The consequences of the central goal of conservatism and the corresponding actor state morality are the simple political goals to do nothing when problems arise and to dismantle labor & consumer protections. The non-aristocratic are immoral, inherently deserve punishment, and certainly don’t deserve help. They *want* the working class to get fucked by global warming. They *want* people to die from COVID19. Etc.

Montage of McConnell laughing at suffering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqMGDocbVM&ab_channel=HuffPost

OH LOOK, months after I first wrote this it turns out to be validated by conservatives themselves: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/16/trump-appointee-demanded-herd-immunity-strategy-446408

Why do the conservative voters seem to vote against their own interest? Why does /selfawarewolves and /leopardsatemyface happen? They simply think they are higher on the social ladder than they really are and want to punish those below them for the immorality.

Absolutely everything Conservatives say and do makes sense when applying the above. This is powerful because you can now predict with good specificity what a conservative political actor will do.

*****

We still need to address more familiar definitions of conservatism (small c) which are a weird mash-up including personal responsibility and incremental change. Neither of those makes sense applied to policy issues. The only opposed change that really matters is the destruction of the aristocracy in favor of democracy. For some reason the arguments were white washed into a general “opposition to change.”

* This year a few women can vote, next year a few more, until in 100 years all women can vote?

* This year a few kids can stop working in mines, next year a few more...

* We should test the waters of COVID relief by sending a 1200 dollar check to 500 families. If that goes well we’ll do 1500 families next month.

* But it’s all in when they want to separate migrant families to punish them. It’s all in when they want to invade the Middle East for literal generations.

The incremental change argument is asinine. It’s propaganda to avoid concessions to labor.

The personal responsibility argument falls apart with the whole "keep government out of my medicare thing." Personal responsibility just means “I deserve free things, but people more poor than me don't."

Look: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwpBLzxe4U

*****

And for good measure I found video and sources interesting on an overlapping topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vymeTZkiKD0

*****

Some links incase anyone doubts that the contemporary American voter base was purposefully machined and manipulated into its mangle of abortion, guns, war, and “fiscal responsibility.” What does fiscal responsibility even mean? Who describes themselves as fiscally irresponsible?

Here is Atwater talking behind the scenes. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/news/2013/03/27/58058/the-religious-right-wasnt-created-to-battle-abortion/

a little academic abstract to lend weight to conservatives at the time not caring about abortion. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-policy-history/article/abs/gops-abortion-strategy-why-prochoice-republicans-became-prolife-in-the-1970s/C7EC0E0C0F5FF1F4488AA47C787DEC01

They were casting about for something to rile a voter base up and abortion didn't do it. https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/02/05/race-not-abortion-was-founding-issue-religious-right/A5rnmClvuAU7EaThaNLAnK/story.html

The role religion played entwined with institutionalized racism. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisladd/2017/03/27/pastors-not-politicians-turned-dixie-republican/?sh=31e33816695f

https://www.salon.com/2019/07/01/the-long-southern-strategy-how-southern-white-women-drove-the-gop-to-donald-trum/

Likely the best:

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133

I'll leave it at that. Anyone who can read these and come away doubting the architecting of the contemporary American Conservative voter base is a lost cause (like the Confederacy).

Via Gray Idolon on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/kxtuwh/its_no_longer_a_political_party_its_a_cult_former/gjci4ua/?context=5

[day0one]

Donald Trump's Far-Right Extremist Army Has Turned On Him

The monster that Trump created doesn’t need him anymore.

For months, President Donald Trump’s message to his supporters was clear: The election was being stolen from him, and they needed to fight to take it back.

So on January 6, during a Trump-promoted rally to “Stop the Steal,” thousands laid siege to the US Capitol in a stunning attempt to do just that. The fallout of their failed insurrection, which resulted in five deaths, was swift: Trump was de-platformed from nearly every major social network and, on Wednesday, impeached for a historic second time.

When he emerged on camera a short while later, tail tucked between his legs, to condemn the rioters whom he himself had incited, and to call for a peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden, his base felt betrayed.

“So he basically just sold out the patriots who got rounded up for him,” one person wrote in a 15,000-member pro-Trump Telegram group. “Just wow.”

In online havens for MAGA extremists, including Gab, CloutHub, MeWe, Telegram, and far-right message boards such as 8kun, the tone toward Trump is shifting. HuffPost reviewed thousands of messages across these platforms and found that a growing minority of the president’s once-devout backers are now denouncing him and rejecting his recent pleas for peace. Some have called for his arrest or execution, labeling him a “traitor” and a “coward.” Alarmingly, many of those who are irate about Biden’s supposed electoral theft is still plotting to forcibly prevent him from taking office – with or without Trump’s help.

“We don’t follow you,” another Telegram user wrote, addressing Trump after the president put out his video urging calm and order. “Be quiet and get out of our way.”

It has become apparent that now – after his mass radicalization campaign of voter-fraud disinformation and conspiracy-mongering – even Trump can’t stop the dangerous delusion he’s instilled across the country or the next wave of violence it may soon bring.

Authorities are urgently warning of armed protests being planned in all 50 state capitals in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration. Politically motivated extremists “will very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,” according to a new joint intelligence bulletin from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and US National Counterterrorism Center. The document, first obtained by Yahoo News, attributes this threat to “false narratives” that Biden’s victory “was illegitimate, or fraudulent,” and the subsequent belief that the election results “should be contested or unrecognized.”

Ahead of last week’s riots, Trump supporters openly planned their attack on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other mainstream platforms, where they shared materials including flyers titled “Operation Occupy the Capitol.” These sites have since cracked down aggressively on such behavior, causing extremists to migrate to lesser-known corners of the internet to plan their next move.

While this has hindered their ability to spread propaganda and enlist new recruits, their new social channels are subject to less scrutiny and have already exploded in reach.CloutHub, MeWe, and Telegram shot to the top of the charts of popular free apps on the App Store and Google PlayStorein the wake of the siege. Gab has also reported a massive surge in new users, with about 10,000 people signing up every hour.

In these spaces, HuffPost has observed calls to “burn down” the Capitol, launch “an armed revolt,” “pop some libtards” and “TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK WHATEVER IT TAKES!!” Some posts are more specific:“Civil War is here. Group up locally. Take out the News stations,” one person declared. “LET’S HANG THEM ALL,” another implored. “LET’S FINISH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.”

The Boogaloo Bois, a far-right militia organizing to foment civil war, is capitalizing on the unrest to issue online a renewed call to arms. The FBI has warned specifically of potential Boogaloo violence during planned rallies at state Capitol buildings in Michigan and Minnesota on Sunday.

“There's a war coming, and cowering in your home [while] real patriots march with rifles ... will make you a traitor,” commented a member of an encrypted Boogaloo chat.

Some extremists, however, are urging each other not to attend any of the upcoming armed protests. The Proud Boys, a rabidly pro-Trump neo-fascist group that helped storm the Capitol, is cautioning its followers that such demonstrations could be “fed honeypot” events set up by authorities in order to seize attendees’ guns.

It seems that even the Proud Boys are losing faith in Trump: a Telegram channel run by the group reposted a message with Trump’s video along with the text “The Betrayal of Trumpist base by Trump himself continues.”

For four years, the president’s supporters have worshipped him like a god. His rallies have been likened to cult gatherings. Nearly half of his campaign donations came from small donors, trouncing Biden’s 39%. For most of his presidency, Trump enjoyed strong support from the Republican base, polling well above 90% with that group. But after the Capitol riots, his support is plummeting at record rates.

MAGA world has stood unwaveringly by Trump’s side through multiple allegations of sexual assault (including rape), an impeachment for abuse of power, revelations that his administration literally caged children, a historic rise in national debt, countless lies, blatant self-enrichment by him and his family members, a pandemic that has claimed close to 400,000 American lives under his leadership – nearly a fifth of all deaths worldwide – and more.

So to see his “America First” army suddenly begin to turn on him is truly remarkable. It’s happening broadly among his supporters, and even among the far-right extremist communities that have flourished online during Trump’s presidency.

Among the recent messages excoriating Trump in dedicated pro-Trump networks:“tbh I hope they hang Trump at this point”; “He deserves what’s coming to him”; “he is literally done he will die in jail”; “Seriously hoping they’ll lock him up or lynch [him]”; “Guy is the biggest cuck ever at this point”; “Can’t wait til the left locks up his bitch ass. Rot in prison.” Several people have proclaimed that at this point, Trump can only redeem himself by declaring martial law to maintain power by force.

After losing to Biden, Trump systematically attacked the allies that propped up his presidency in a desperate effort to keep his re-election fantasy alive.

He first turned his adherents against Fox News, which stoked his ire by accurately projecting Biden’s electoral victory in Arizona before a few other networks did so. Then, when some Republicans – including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell – declined to play along with his unsupported claims of mass voter fraud, Trump urged his base to turn on them. After that came Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence, who refused Trump’s unconstitutional demand to reject votes in favor of Biden. (“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted on the afternoon of January 6, provoking chants of “Hang Pence” during the riots.)

Now that Trump himself appears to finally be backing away from his “Stop the Steal” hoax, a growing faction of his supporters is through with him, too.

But after the dramatic failure of his slow-motion coup, as he counts down the days until his return to life as a private citizen, Trump presumably has more pressing concerns than maintaining his followers’ devotion. Aside from the hundreds of millions of dollars in personal debt hanging over his head, it seems increasingly likely that he could face criminal prosecution, from which he will no longer be immune. And following his latest impeachment, if the Senate convicts him, it can also vote to disqualify him from ever running for office again.

With so much at stake and no sane hope of clinging to power, it’s now in the president’s best interest for his base to avoid further violence, which could increase his chances of conviction. But the reality is that the monster Trump created doesn’t need him anymore.

“He can promise and call for peace all he likes,” one Gab user wrote. “Won’t make a blind bit of difference.”

[salmenzo]

Weekly Update - Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Commitment - Conviction - Consideration

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”

Walter Elliot

Good Morning,

I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend.  As I continue to say, I am hopeful this winter comes to an end soon.  I miss running in the morning, and I think most of us have seen enough snow and can stand a little warm weather.  In the meantime, we will continue to persevere.

Student Activities and Updates

Lyman Hall Culinary Arts now has a Facebook page.  The page is filled with tips, tricks, and information on fitness, food, fun, and finance. They’d love for everyone to join them on it! Please consider sharing this page with your followers. Thank you for your continuous support of our program!

Link: https://www.facebook.com/Lyman-Hall-Culinary-Arts-and-Hospitality-Management-104907028229218 

Follow High School Sports from Home

Both Sheehan and Lyman Hall have live stream capabilities for athletic events in the gymnasium via NFHS Network (subscription rates apply).  

Sheehan Gym NFHS Live Stream 

Lyman Hall Gym NFHS Live Stream

Live stream options for other SCC member school sites will be communicated once that information is compiled by the league.

Both Sheehan and Lyman Hall are working with Northford Ice Pavilion to establish live stream capabilities for hockey games.  Virtual swim meets will also be filmed. If the meet is not live streamed, footage will be available to watch after the meet.

Sheehan High School Dramatic Arts Society

This is just a reminder that the Sheehan High School Dramatic Arts Society drama production 10 Ways to Survive Life in a Quarantine will be streaming on February 19 & 20, 2021 beginning at 7:00 PM. A streaming ticket for this event is $20.00 and will allow you to have your family watch the show. Streaming tickets can be purchased from our website: http://bit.ly/SheehanDrama. Each ticket has its own unique streaming code. 

If you're spending a long time at home, it can be a challenge to keep yourself occupied. Luckily, 10 Ways to Survive Life in a Quarantine is full of handy solutions, from putting on a musical with your dog, to becoming an announcer for a made-up sport, to falling in love with an inanimate object. Hey, we promised handy solutions - we never said they wouldn't be strange. Whether or not you're inspired to take up origami and squirrel observation, this play is sure to bring a laugh to anyone who finds themselves unexpectedly indoors.

Sheehan’s production stars:  

Arianna Kaplan ‘21, Emma Connors ‘21, Ryan Villano ‘22, Vincent Atienza ‘22, Heather Gaydowen ‘22, Jacob Shook ‘22, Julie Rochniak ‘22. Marissa Capozzo ‘22, Travis Karosi ‘23, Emily Conte ‘23, Hailey dela Chevrotiere ‘23, Julian Bingham ‘23, Ava Kaplan ‘23, Ava Lewellyn ‘23, 

Ronan Liu ‘24, Jesse Heinrich ‘24, Trinity Duffey ‘24, and our hosts for the event Shane Kaplan ‘21 and Shannon McKenna ‘22. 

Commitment - Conviction - Consideration

Here are this week’s shot outs!  Thank you again to everyone for their commitment and hard work.

Chrisy Rich, Dag Health Teacher, has truly embraced our request to first and foremost address student mental health. She begins each class with a mindfulness activity which allows her to check-in on students and more importantly provides students time to learn and practice a powerful life skill. A variety of mindfulness strategies are utilized so students can figure out what is most effective for them. She even encourages students to participate in a fun activity with their parents/guardians to reinforce the importance of connectedness not just in school but at home. 

If I could stand on the roof tops and sing the praises of Lauren Young, our dynamically dedicated School Nurse, I would! 

Lauren has been a ROCK STAR this year, not only continuing her regular responsibilities, but buzzing around the school with her stand up cart, now desk, with her portable phone attached to her at all times and keeping a calm smile on her face always! She's amazing with our students AND staff and she is the QUEEN of contact tracing (even on the weekends!)  and is constantly following up with parents whether it's related to an active case or just that she notices a student was out and she's checking in! She even has a bulletin board that she updates for the season with inspirational tips for students! 

Lauren is soooo deserving of a shout out! I am so grateful everyday that she's on MY team! 

Gina Cabrera-paraprofessional

Ms. Cabrera goes above and beyond to connect with our students and families.  She calls and texts parents before, during and after school. She drops materials off to families and will certainly do whatever it takes to keep our students engaged and connected.  Rock Hill is so lucky to have her on our team!

Chris Vece-instrumental teacher

Mr. Vece is amazingly talented and has worked so hard with his team to develop an instrumental program that meets our needs during this pandemic. Students can be seen carrying their keyboards up to Mr. Vece's room with a bounce in their step ready for a fun time.  Additionally, Mr. Vece has been an all-hands-on-deck staff member helping out in a myriad of ways.  He is certainly a valued community member.

Danielle Marcellino-third grade VDL teacher

Mrs. Marcellino has taken virtual learning to new levels.  Whether she is operating from her multiple screens, creating interactive presentations with technology, or differentiating work for each of her learners, Mrs. Marcellino is an outstanding educator who has embraced the world of virtual learning.  Her students love to go to school through their computers and we are so appreciative of all of her time and effort.  

I wanted to let you know that I have been discussing with my son about his experiences with his advanced math curriculum at Sheehan and more specifically his current AP Calculus professor Kevin Ainsworth.  In the environment we are in now it is more important than ever to have engagement between teachers and students.  Keeping the interest and being available for assistance is so critical.

Kevin Ainsworth has been all of this and more as he has engaged with students, I know from my own example witnessing my son's math interactions, and taking the extra time to ensure that they understand the material.  This is more challenging now with distance learning and certainly can require more time and patience but I can say from what I have seen Kevin Ainsworth has been exceptional.

My son is a very good math student but there are times when he needs a better understanding of a specific concept.  As a college bound engineering major that is trying to transfer his AP Calculus I & II credits he needs to have this understanding to support his engineering curriculum next year.  Kevin Ainsworth has always been there there for him and as a parent I couldn't be any more happier to have him help build my son's core skills.  I am confident that he will succeed going forward and Kevin Ainsworth has played a large role.  My son has even been tutoring students in Wallingford that are struggling with distance learning and has been working with Wendy Eaton-Soto in this effort.  I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin's efforts have rubbed off on him.

I just wanted to send you this note to let you know how impressed we are with the type of teachers you have on your team.  Your leadership during these fluid times is paying off for students like mine that are willing to push to ensure that their learning isn't reduced, and teachers like Kevin Ainsworth are certainly making this happen.

Make it a great week!

Sal

Dr. Salvatore F. Menzo

Superintendent

Email - smenzo@wallingfordschools.org

Twitter - @SalMenzo

Wallingford Public School District

 Wallingford Public School System Mission

To inspire through innovative and engaging experiences that lead all learners to pursue and discover their personal best.

 THE INFORMATION IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL AND INTENDED ONLY FOR THE RECIPIENT LISTED ABOVE.  If you have received this transmission in error, please NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY BY E-MAIL AND DELETE THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE. Responses provided by this E-Mail are SIMILAR to ordinary telephone or face-to-face conversations.

[mattginnow]

JFK

Matt Ginnow Matthew Ginnow

President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.

I am delighted to be here, and I’m particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power.

Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America’s new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward–and so will space.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it–we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation.

We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say the we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

In the last 24 hours we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man’s history. We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn, generating power equivalent to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerators on the floor. We have seen the site where the F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined, will be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile, assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral as tall as a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field.

Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were “made in the United States of America” and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.

The Mariner spacecraft now on its way to Venus is the most intricate instrument in the history of space science. The accuracy of that shot is comparable to firing a missile from Cape Canaveral and dropping it in this stadium between the the 40-yard lines.

Transit satellites are helping our ships at sea to steer a safer course. Tiros satellites have given us unprecedented warnings of hurricanes and storms, and will do the same for forest fires and icebergs.

We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.

To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.

The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.

And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this State, and this region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, your City of Houston, with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion from this Center in this City.

To be sure, all this costs us all a good deal of money. This year¹s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space budget of the previous eight years combined. That budget now stands at $5,400 million a year–a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year. Space expenditures will soon rise some more, from 40 cents per person per week to more than 50 cents a week for every man, woman and child in the United Stated, for we have given this program a high national priority–even though I realize that this is in some measure an act of faith and vision, for we do not now know what benefits await us.

But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun–almost as hot as it is here today–and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out–then we must be bold.

I’m the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute. [laughter]

However, I think we’re going to do it, and I think that we must pay what needs to be paid. I don’t think we ought to waste any money, but I think we ought to do the job. And this will be done in the decade of the sixties. It may be done while some of you are still here at school at this college and university. It will be done during the term of office of some of the people who sit here on this platform. But it will be done. And it will be done before the end of this decade.

I am delighted that this university is playing a part in putting a man on the moon as part of a great national effort of the United States of America.

Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, “Because it is there.”

Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.

Thank you.

Matt Ginnow, Matthew Ginnow

[anneapocalypse]

Chorus Rewatch: Season 13: Because You Deserve To Win

Crossposted from dreamwidth. Back in the spring, I did a full rewatch of the Chorus Trilogy with the purpose of studying its worldbuilding more closely. This series of posts is from that rewatch.

It is really no secret nor ever has been that I am Team Kimball and Team New Republic all the way. I do not hate Doyle by any stretch but you put two characters in front of me, "competent woman doing her best in terrible circumstances" wins over "incompetent man who fails into success" every time; you put a revolution story in front of me and unless you give me a damn good reason not to side with the rebels trying to overthrow a corrupt government—well.

That being said, I appreciate more and more that in this story, the two sides absolutely need each other to win.

Kimball is objectively better at tactics than Doyle, and it is definitely frustrating at times to see fans ignoring this— Doyle’s insistence that automatic weapons offer a “statistical advantage” is meant to make it obvious to us how little he understands about combat, in addition to his terror of guns in general as seen in season 12. Doyle isn't a good leader or a good soldier. I'm not saying that to be mean. I'm not saying he's a bad person. I'm saying he is objectively less knowledgeable and less experienced with these things than Kimball.

Kimball also needs him.

The New Republic cannot win against Charon without the Feds at their side. This is a theme throughout season 13. It is stated fairly explicitly by Price in his conversation with Locus: what the Reds and Blues had in their fight against the Meta, and what is needed for victory now, is teamwork and faith in one another.

The entire plot of season 13 bears this out. Every time someone splits the party in season 13, they fail.

If they'd thrown all of their combined forces at Crash Site Alpha, they might have succeeded in taking it despite Charon's reinforcements. If they'd sent a larger party to the Temple of Trials, they might not have gotten pinned down by Sharkface. If Doyle hadn't tried to go after the Key alone, it might not have ended up in Felix's hands. And if Carolina hadn't pursued Sharkface by herself, she and Church probably wouldn't have ended up going off a cliff.

And the thing is, Doyle's "divide and conquer" idea wasn't inherently bad, anymore than Kimball wanting to take Crash Site Alpha was inherently bad. Both strategies were based on incomplete intel. If the mercs hadn't jacked the Tartarus and brought in reinforcements, the whole plan might have worked.

Doyle going after the Key by himself was a pretty bad call, but it's easy to see why he made it because deep down, Doyle is terrified of the responsibility of leadership. It's why all of his strategies involve what he feels are safer plays. Lock down in the city and wait it out. Divide and conquer; hedge our bets. It's easy to call Doyle a coward, and he certainly does act out of fear, but he's not just afraid for himself. He's afraid for his people too, and of what will come of making the wrong decision. Not unlike Tucker's struggle with leadership in season 12.

So when the time comes for Doyle to make a tough call—where to send backup, to Carolina or to Kimball—he just… doesn't choose. He splits the backup between them, and goes for the Key himself, despite Carolina explicitly telling him to send troops straight for the Key, and not to her team. Doyle sent them backup anyway. Probably because he didn't want Carolina and Tucker, two of their strongest assets, to die because he failed to send them help.

It was a bad call, but it's not difficult to see why he made it.

In the end, even with the Reds and Blues, even with the Freelancers on their side, Chorus doesn't stand a chance against Charon until they are united. The Freelancers are instrumental, yes. Without Carolina and Wash to hold off Locus and Felix at the Temple of the Purge, all would probably have been lost. But even with the Temple destroyed, Hargrove has a lot of resources at his disposal, and he is more than willing to keep throwing firepower at Chorus until the job is done—hence the mantises. I'm pretty sure that even if the mercs had been killed at the Purge Temple, Hargrove would've stopped at nothing to finish the job. That's also why getting to the Communication Temple is so critical. Nothing short of exposing Hargrove and drawing outside intervention will stop him.

And Chorus has to unite to win.

I was less than impressed with Kimball’s speech the first time around, because it seemed to lack her characteristic grace. I feel differently about it now. I think Kimball speaks the way she does because she knows what both the Feds and the rebels need to hear. “Fight because you deserve to fucking win” means, You have fought too hard to lose it all now because we can’t work together.

And it works.