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wisterialagoon · 3 years

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For you, I'll stay : pt1

Dabi is one of the top soldiers of the League of Villains. He does the dirty work and feels the stain of crime on his hands. You're an Assistant Inspector at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, resigned to records-keeping instead of doing actual fieldwork. What happens when these two become intertwined in the most prominent political event that changed the era of 1990's Tokyo Japan?

Warnings: Violence (a girl gets beat up in this chapter), gangs, eventual smut(not in this chapter tho)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency, Kantō Region, Japan.

January 9th, 1990, Tuesday.

22:30 hrs.

"It's going to be a long night," she thought, while fixing her desk for the fifth time. There was a haphazard pile of file folders, an unboxed diskette pack, and coffee cup stains all over her table calendar. She quickly reorganises the file folders, placing them in chronological order, then according to crime. Then, she matches the diskettes, which contain additional data such as interrogation footage, with each pile. Lastly, she makes her way to the pantry to refill her mug with coffee, humming along to a tune that was receiving more airplay recently.

It was an uneventful night, to say the least. As usual, she worked overtime, working on organising the paperwork and records of each case-from instigation to case management. She loved it initially, but now that she's six months into this new assignment, she could feel herself wearing down with how emotionally, physically and mentally taxing everything is. It wasn't so much the quantity or frequency of the load, but the content itself.

Seeing death, rape, theft and disappearances on a daily basis was starting to take a toll on her mental health, and even if she learned how to compartmentalise, there was something about seeing all the details that made her sleep less and less these days. The photos of dead bodies or visages of crying relatives would disturb her to no end, and having to type out each case report even if it meant tagging it as a cold case, was something that never really sat well with her.

Her direct senior, the only female Inspector in the agency-the only one who was actually nice, unlike the rest of the police force who talk about her during lunch breaks and agency dinners-tell her that the feeling of being "uninvolved" and "useless" will soon pass. "Besides," she tells her during one of the rare nights that they're both doing overtime, "You've got potential."

She sighs, wary of the compliment. "I just... I wish I could be doing more."

"You'll have your fair share of fieldwork and interrogations, Y/N" she says, patting the younger girl's shoulder. "Just keep working well, and the Chief will soon see your potential."

That last line resonated with her the most. She knew that the Chief was a firm leader-he did routine inspections, called people in his office to ask for status reports and he'd set all sorts of deadlines. But he was also known for being experienced in reading people just with one look.

So the question was, what was his assessment of her?

Did the Chief view her just like how the rest of the agency did-an Assistant Inspector who was only fit for clerical work even if she had graduated at the top of her class? Did he even notice her presence in the building-or was she too conscious of all the judgemental stares thrown her way because she was the first female recruit in a long while?

That was it, she thought, not noticing that her cup had overflowed.

With a sharp curse, she flung her hand away from the scalding beverage, and moved to grab some tissues-her mind thoroughly forgetting the questions that had darted in her mind not a minute ago.

As she dabbled the tissue on her hands and shirt, the police hotline rang, disturbing the silence of the otherwise empty floor. Alarmed at the prospect of a crime or report coming in at this hour, she runs towards the desk of the patrol and public safety unit.

"SMPA, what is your concern?" she asks, voice surprisingly level. When there wasn't a response, she asks again, this time a notch louder.

"Kidnapping," the voice cuts through the radio silence, its texture a rich timbre with a raspy undertone. Caught off guard at the mention of a kidnapping, she scrambles for a notepad and a pen. "23:00, 6 Chome-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-6108, Japan. Takahashi Yua." In hastily written script, she takes note of the details, not once interrupting the man on the line.

"Who is this? Where is your intel from?" she finally asks, after she hears mere breathing sounds. "Hello?"

The person on the line doesn't respond, instead opting to breathe heavily before the line dies.

"Wha-" she exhales, overwhelmed with the situation. It wasn't unheard of for random tips to come in the station, that much was true. But a tip at this time? And with that much detail? She was wary enough that there wasn't any crime traffic recently but this is proving to be the suspicious exception.

Shaking off her doubts, she dials the home number of Inspector Sato, the head of the patrol and public safety unit. She knows he'll definitely give her an earful for calling at such a late hour-and to his house no less, but if what the man said was true, and if her gut was right, someone was after the daughter of the Minister of National Defense.

At the sixth ring, he picks up and greets her with a litany of questions. "Who is this? Do you have any idea what time it is? Whoever you are, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up!" he rattles off, temper flaring.

"This is Miyasaki Y/N, sir." she says, surprised at how stable her voice was. "Assistant Inspec-"

"Ah, the personal assistant." his tongue clicks, and even if she didn't see, she knew he was shaking his head. "What is it? Here to ask help again in records-keeping?"

At that, she presses her mouth in a thin line, stopping herself from giving him a piece of her mind. She knew that they would always find fault in whatever she does but sometimes she wants to just put them in their place and prove herself.

But now wasn't the time to do that.

"No, sir." she starts, fisting her hand. "There's been an emergency call to the patrol and public service hotline. A tip was given about a kidnapping at apartment 6 Chome-10-1 in Roppongi -"

"Let me stop you right there." he expels a deep breath, clearly uninterested with her report. "You do know what that area is like, right? Or do you not even know where it is?"

"It's in Minato city. The residence listed houses many important political figures, it has national defence" she says, foregoing the other details and taking the opportunity to transition to the most important part. "Sir, you see, this could actually mean that-"

"This means that there is no kidnapping. I mean, if you're trying to pull a joke, it's a terrible one. Hell, there's hardly any crime in that area!" he gives a dry laugh. "it's an executive residential area, guarded and all that. As you said, National Defence is there and so are diplomats and expats. No one in their right mind would attempt a prank call, let alone a kidnapping."

"But the caller gave a name, possibly that of the victim. We should send a team, I have the address. I could lead the-" again, he cuts her off. At this point, a vein was threatening to pop at how unprofessional he was being, but she'd rather not break out into an argument with a direct senior-especially when he was clearly already annoyed at her.

"So this is why you really called, huh?" he chuckles. "Look, no one knows how you got in, or what strings you pulled to pass the Academy, but at the rate you're going, you'll never lead a team-much less my team." the certainty in his voice washed over her, causing her to remain silent at his blatant jibe. "So go back to whatever you're doing and don't even attempt to call me or anyone from the agency to waste their time with your tall tales." the other line clicks, ending their phone call.

Exasperated, she puts down the receiver with a little too much force than was necessary. "Fine, I'll do it myself." she mutters, putting on her coat, muffler and grabbing her car keys.

30 minutes. She'll have to pray that she makes it. After all, she doesn't have much time.

6 Chome-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-6108, Japan.

The Takahashi Residence.

23:00 hrs.

The gate to the apartment building alone rendered her speechless. Pure brass balusters and a towering guardhouse greeted her, complete with intimidating security personnel who wasted no time in asking for her identification.

"Assistant Inspector Lee, from the SMPA. We received a tip about criminal activity taking place in the vicinity of this residence," she starts, not giving any specific details. "This won't take long." she adds, as a last ditch effort to convince them that she means business.

"Alright," one of the guards lets her through. As she rolled up her window, she catches a muffled dialogue between the two. "Isn't she a little too young to be an Inspector? And criminal activity? Talk about absurd."

Scoffing, she speeds up to the address the caller gave and in a few minutes, found herself outside the apartment building. But she was too late. There, standing by the of the main entrance, was the defence Minister himself, with blood on his hands and a shell-shocked expression.

"My daughter..." she hears him mutter. From just behind the door, she hears distant voices screaming for someone to call the police. "Dial the police! Or call the National Defense for all I care! Someone do something!" the voice got louder as she linked it with a face-Takahashi Riku, the Minister's wife. As if seeing the police lights flashing atop her car, The ministers knees gave out.

She makes haste to catch him before he falls, and as she does, she gets her shirt stained with blood, and scrapes her elbow with the force of his weight. Not minding the sting of the wind blowing by her scraped skin, she pulls out her walkie-talkie, and radios the police patrolling Roppongi that night.

"This is Assistant Inspector Miyasaki Y/N, does anyone copy?" she starts, practically shouting. For some reason, she felt an adrenaline rush at the development of events. "Repeat, this is Assistant Inspector Miyasaki, does anyone copy?"

After a few beats, a voice breaks through the white noise. "This is Inspector Takami, copy. What's your 10-13?"

"I've got a two zero seven." she says, forgetting that she hadn't even scouted the area for verification that a kidnapping actually took place. "6 Chome-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City. Send a medic for shock treatment." she rattles off, surprised at herself for actually being able to focus and act given the situation.

Then again, this was her job. Her first fieldwork-albeit unwarranted and unapproved.

"Copy that, 10-4. I'll run code. ETA twenty minutes." he affirms his direct response before ending the dispatch call.

6 Chome-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-6108, Japan.

The Takahashi Residence.

23:20 hrs.

After twenty minutes, two police cars pull up the driveway. One belonged to Inspector Takami, the other was the patrol for back-up. He closes the gap between them in five, quick strides, hands in his coat's pockets.

"What happened?" he asks, ready for a briefing.

"There's nothing definitive yet..." she trails off, mentally berating herself for not even scouting the interior to study the scene. "But I've spoken to the family."

"You mean you've spoken to the Minister of National Defense." he supplies, his breath fogging up in front of him. "What did he say?"

"The family heard the door slam shut, and when he went to check his daughter was gone," hesitant, she clears her throat as a stalling method. "He found her in the marking lot, the girl was bruised and bloodied, unconscious. Looks like she was forced to inhale somthing, and her hands were tied."

"Attempted kidnapping?" he asks, stealing a glance at the apartment buildings façade.

"High chance for it." she answers, clearing her throat again. "Listen, Inspector, I received a tip in the agency around an hour ago-saying something about a kidnapping taking place at this time, at this exact address."

He raises his eyebrows, evidently taken aback at this new piece of information. "And?" he asks, expectant.

"And I think this is a set-up." she declares, sure of something for the first time that night. "Whoever is behind this, wanted us to come, thinking it was a kidnapping when it was an assault and break-and-entry."

"What are you getting at, Miyasaki?"

"There's a reason why Miss. Takahashi was assaulted and not kidnapped. They're telling us something." she says, handing out her notepad which contained the details of the emergency call a while back.

"What do you think this could possibly be then?"

"I don't know... yet." fuelled with conviction, she fists her hands at her sides, no longer feeling that sensation of helplessness or uselessness back in the agency when she was working on records-keeping. "But I'll find out."

9-chome, Kitakarasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

Assistant Inspector Miyasaki Y/N's Residence.

02:00 hrs.

Finally back at her apartment after filing the case and sending off the Minister's family with words of certainty about exhausting their whole force on the job, she slumps on the sofa, feeling her body become dead weight.

"God..." she sighs, fatigued. "That was a long night."

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longitudinalwaveme · 3 years

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Longitduinalwaveme Reviews Old Comics

Today, I will be looking at Detective Comics #353 from 1966, “The Weather Wizard’s Triple-Treasure Theft”. It was written by Gardner Fox and drawn by the inimitable Carmine Infantino.

-The cover of the issue is quite visually striking, with the Weather Wizard stepping out of Flash comics and into Detective Comics.

-”Rain and wind and falling hail! Sleet, lightning, and whipping gale! These are the calling cards of the Weather Wizard--Master of the Monsoon, Tyrant of the Typhoon, Emir of the Elements!” I love the way Silver Age comics introduce characters.

-The comic opens with the revelation that Gotham City has had a drought that’s lasted for four straight years. In case you needed any proof that Gotham has always been a terrible place to live....

-The drought problem is solved by the Weather Wizard breaking the drought and filling all six of the city’s reservoirs. He even writes a huge note in the sky about it! “It was I who filled your reservoirs!” In the note, he claims that he did this as thanks for getting to steal three of the city’s most priceless artifacts.

-In reality, the message was a catfish scheme Mark used to figure out what the three most valuable items in the city were...and it works. “Millionare collector” Felix Bayard becomes concerned that the Weather Wizard has stolen his solid gold drinking cup and replaced it with a fake. To see if this is what happened, he calls in “the foremost art inspector in the city--Haverford Mimms!” (Unrelated side note, but Gotham City has an enormous number of millionaires. It seems like every fifth person in the city is one.)

-Weather Wizard, who had tapped Mimms’ phone, waylays him and gets into Bayard’s mansion by posing has him. He then reveals his trickery and steals the ruby. (He also does one of the quickest clothing changes of all time. He goes from his Mimms disguise to his full Weather Wizard garb in the space of one panel.) Bayard tries to stop him, but the attempt is futile. “Only the Flash has ever been able to stop me--and you aren’t the Flash--not by a long shot!” Also, Weather Wizard makes his getaway via “a rainbow of solid hues”.

-Batman and Robin (the latter of whom broke his wrists playing basketball and cannot go out on patrol) are pondering what the Weather Wizard might have stolen when Commissioner Gordon calls Batman to report the Bayard theft. As Batman leaves, Robin expresses his dismay that he won’t be able to “whip up a storm of my own against that Sultan of Storms”.

-Batman, in the hopes of luring Weather Wizard out of hiding, decides to steal his own Rajah Ruby. It’s the largest and most perfect ruby in the world, and his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, bought it on a trip to India. His plan works. The next day, the “theft” attracts the police, and the police activity alerts the Weather Wizard, who follows the trail left by Batman to the cave where the ruby is hidden.

-Batman trails him, but Mark isn’t impressed. “You haven’t a chance of stopping me from getting away with the Rajah Ruby! If you were the Flash, I might be more concerned!....See how easily I handle you? You just aren’t Flash-y enough to catch me!” We get it, Mark. Batman isn’t nearly as cool as your archenemy.

-Unfortunately for him, Batman is a much better hand-to-hand combatant than he is, and gives the Wizard a few solid punches. The Wizard doesn’t handle them very well, both because the Flash of this era rarely threw punches and because Mark is a skinny beanpole.

-However, the Wizard manages to regain the upper hand by using his Weather Stick (this was what the Weather Wand was called back in the 60s) to create a thick ice wall in front of Batman, which knocks the Caped Crusader unconscious. “Ha! Ha! See what I mean, Batsy Boy? You can never overcome me! Only the Flash is an expert at that, as I’ve said all along!” WE GET IT, MARK. The Flash is more challenging to fight than Batman. Also, Batsy Boy? Really?

-When Batman comes to, he finds himself in a block of ice. Wizard tells him that the ice is made of special chemicals that will melt in two hours. (This seems like it shouldn’t be something he can do, but whatever.) If Batman doesn’t try to escape, he will survive the experience. “This tussle with you is good practice for me! It keeps me keyed up for my next meeting with the Flash!” SERIOUSLY, MARDON. WE DO GET IT. YOU CAN STOP MENTIONING THE FLASH NOW. Also, Weather Wizard somehow knows that Batman can read lips.

-Weather Wizard goes to commit his third crime, but then becomes suspicious of how easily he defeated Batman. “Batman is noted for using his wits--and being a tricky guy”. As a result, he examines the ruby (with his Weather Stick) and discovers it’s been coated with chemicals that will allow it to be traced with the use of infrared light. “Neat, neat!” Somehow Mark knows how to solve this problem, though. “Yessiree--this session with Batman is really sharpening my wits for a future encounter with the Flash, all right!” I think Mark talks more about the Flash in this issue than he does in the issues where he actually fights the Flash.

-Batman manages to escape the block of ice ahead of schedule by using the heel of his boot to create friction. The chemical in the ice absorbs the friction and causes the ice to melt faster than normally, allowing him to escape just before the oxygen runs out.

-Batman follows the infrared trail, thinking he’ll find the ruby and the Weather Wizard, but finds a note from the Weather Wizard instead (written entirely in cursive, incidentally). He says that he put the chemical from the ruby onto the note and boasts that Batman won’t be able to stop his third crime because he doesn’t know where it will happen.

-Batman uses his radio to call someone (the comic doesn’t reveal who at this point, but it’s Robin), and then we cut to the Mayan wing of one of Gotham’s museums, where the Wizard is stealing a small figurine. Batman arrives at the museum, stating that “a little bird” told him where the Wizard would be, and the two fight. The Wizard shoots a blizzard at him, but Batman slides into him, knocking him off his feet. Wizard then whips up a flash flood (somehow), but Batman uses his Bat-Rope to lasso a statue. The Weather Wizard is about to knock the statue over with lightning...but before he can, it gets knocked over on him, allowing Batman to punch the Wizard out and capture him.

-The issue ends with the reveal that Batman had arranged for Robin to “follow you (the Wizard) in the car from the sea cave and stay on your trail no matter what happened to me! When I found the note you doctored, I contacted him on my two-way radio transmitter and he told me where you were!” It’s just too bad that the issue didn’t set this up particularly well. Robin’s involvement kind of feels like it came out of nowhere.

-Robin was also the one who caused the statue to fall over on Weather Wizard by kicking it over. “It was the kick in time that saved Batman!”

-This comic seems to establish that, when armed with the Weather Stick (Wand), the Weather Wizard will defeat Batman in a fight. While he really, really can’t take a punch, his ability to manipulate the weather gives him a distinct upper hand. He won their first fight and only lost the second because Robin got involved without his knowledge. It’s nice to see, as it lends credence to the idea that Flash’s villains are more powerful than Batman can handle without planning ahead and bringing backup. This only makes sense, considering the fact that they fight the Flash on a regular basis.

-Also, since the stolen goods were presumably returned, the only thing Mark succeeding in doing in this issue was ending a drought. I’m not sure he’s as good at this whole supervillain thing as he thinks he is. “IT WAS I WHO FILLED YOUR RESERVOIRS!” Actually, Mark’s dialogue in general is easily the best part of this comic. He manages to come across as simultaneously a competent villain and a total doofus.

This issue is a really fun Silver Age romp. It’s definitely worth a read.

#flash rogues #detective comics #batman #robin #weather wizard #dc comics

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newstfionline · 2 years

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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Across the World, Covid Anxiety and Depression Take Hold (NYT) A recent cartoon in the French daily Le Monde featured a bedraggled man arriving at a doctor’s office for a Covid-19 vaccine. “I am here for the fifth shot because of the third wave,” he says. “Or vice versa.” His bewilderment as France suffers its fifth wave of the pandemic, with cases of the Delta variant rising sharply along with Omicron anxiety, captured a mood of exhaustion and simmering anger across the world two years after the deadly virus began to spread in China. Uncertainty bedevils plans. Panic spreads in an instant even if, as with the Omicron variant, the extent of the threat is not yet known. Vaccines look like deliverance until they seem a little less than that. National responses diverge with no discernible logic. Anxiety and depression spread. So do loneliness and screen fatigue. The feeling grows that the Covid era will go on for years, like plagues of old.

Military planners face multiple crises (Financial Times) For decades, American military planning was based on the idea that the US should be able to fight two wars, in different parts of the world, simultaneously. But even the gloomiest strategists did not plan for three wars at the same time. The administration of Joe Biden, however, is currently facing militarised crises in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Collectively, they amount to the biggest challenge to America’s global power since the end of the cold war. American officials have briefed that Russia is planning an invasion of Ukraine “as soon as early 2022.” Meanwhile, Lloyd Austin, America’s defence secretary, has warned that China’s military maneuvers near Taiwan look like rehearsals for a full-scale invasion. Iran may also be weeks away from creating enough fissile material to manufacture a nuclear weapon—an outcome the US has spent decades trying to stop.

AP seeks answers from US gov’t on tracking of journalists (AP) The Associated Press sought answers Monday from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter. In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace urged the agency to explain why the name of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Martha Mendoza was run through the databases and identified as a potential confidential informant during the Trump administration, as detailed in a report by Homeland Security’s inspector general. “This is a flagrant example of a federal agency using its power to examine the contacts of journalists,” Pace wrote. “While the actions detailed in the inspector general’s report occurred under a previous administration, the practices were described as routine.” The DHS investigation of U.S. journalists, as well as congressional staff and perhaps members of Congress, represents the latest apparent example of an agency created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks using its vast capabilities to target American citizens.

Conflicts of interest (Insider) A new analysis of 9,000 financial disclosure forms submitted by members of Congress and their staff found 48 members and 182 senior-level staff who violated a federal conflict-of-interest law. It further found 75 members who owned stocks in vaccine makers—many of whom bought and sold them in the early days of the pandemic—as well as 15 members who directly oversee defense policy who also invest directly in military contractors.

Big California storm dumps snow, drenches parched regions (AP) Motorists spun out on whitened mountain passes and residents wielded umbrellas that flopped in the face of fierce winds as Northern California absorbed even more rain and snow on Monday, bringing the possibility of rockslides and mudslides to areas scarred by wildfires following an especially warm and dry fall across the U.S. West. The multiday storm, a powerful “atmospheric river” weather system that is sucking up moisture from the Pacific Ocean, raised the threat of flooding and was expected to dump more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snow on the highest peaks in California and Nevada and drench other parts of the two states before it moves on midweek, forecasters said.

Gasoline truck explodes in northern Haiti; dozens killed (AP) A truck carrying gasoline overturned and exploded in a fireball in northern Haiti, engulfing cars and homes in flames as it killed more than 50 people and injured dozens of others in the latest disaster to hit a country whose troubles deepened greatly this year. The explosion occurred as Haiti struggles with a severe shortage of fuel and spiraling gas prices that recently forced hospitals to turn away patients, temporarily shut down gas stations, schools and businesses and prompted the government of U.S. and Canada to urge its citizens to leave while they still could.

Colombian police responsible for ‘massacre’ of 11 people in 2020 protests, U.N.-backed investigators conclude (Washington Post) Colombia’s national police were responsible for the deaths of 11 people during two days of protests of police brutality last year, according to an independent investigation requested by the mayor of Bogotá and supported by the United Nations. The killings amounted to a “massacre,” former national ombudsman Carlos Negret wrote in a scathing 177-page report released Monday. Negret and a team of researchers blamed the deaths on an institutional failure to instruct officers not to use firearms against the crowds, and on a response that prioritized the protection of police stations over the lives of officers and protesters. They described the violence as “one of the most serious episodes of violations against human rights in the history of the city of Bogotá.”

Chile sees migrant crossings rise ahead of presidential vote (AP) A merciless sun seared the migrants as they walked through one of the driest places in the world, trying to illegally cross the border from Bolivia into Chile fearing it might soon be closed. It has become common in recent months to see migrants trudging across the Atacama Desert but the flow appears to have increased in recent days ahead of Chile’s presidential runoff Sunday. The migrants fear that if far-right candidate José Antonio Kast wins he will close the border as he promised during his campaign. Immigration has been a recurring topic in Chile’s presidential campaign as the country sees an increasing flow of migrants, mainly from Venezuela, but also from nations like Haiti and Colombia. It’s a divisive issue and recently there was a widely publicized case of Chileans attacking Venezuelan migrants in Iquique, near the border with Bolivia and Peru.

India’s Latest Religious and Cultural Flashpoint: Eggs (NYT) The raid came just after sunset. Plainclothes municipal workers swarmed into the busy neighborhood, seizing contraband. The dealers ran or watched helplessly as the authorities took their illicit goods. And with that, the government had conducted a successful crackdown on eggs. The place of the humble egg in the street food culture of Gujarat, a state in western India where people take their snacks seriously, has become the latest flash point in the growing role of religion in everyday life. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a Hindu nationalist base, the national government has taken steps in recent years to promote the religion and to sideline Muslims and other groups. Many Hindus are vegetarian, particularly among the elite within India’s traditional caste system, and some of them consider eggs to be meat products. Citing complaints from Hindus as well as health concerns, local officials in Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city, and at least four other cities in mid-November banned the sale and display of meat, fish and eggs on the street. As the mayor of one city, Rajkot, told the local news media: “Carts with nonvegetarian food can be seen everywhere in the city. The religious sentiments of the people are hurt by this.”

Philippines' Duterte withdraws from 2022 Senate race (AFP) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy for the 2022 Senate race, the government elections monitor said, a month after he made a last-minute entry into the contest. Duterte, 76, is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election, and his decision to run for the Senate had been seen as a way of staying in politics while facing an international probe into his deadly drug war. No official reason was immediately provided for Duterte's sudden withdrawal from the elections in May.

Taliban seek ties with US, other ex-foes (AP) Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers are committed in principle to education and jobs for girls and women, a marked departure from their previous time in power, and they seek the world’s “mercy and compassion” to help millions of Afghans in desperate need, a top Taliban leader said in a rare interview. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also told The Associated Press that the Taliban government wants good relations with all countries and has no issue with the United States. He urged Washington and other nations to release upward of $10 billion in funds that were frozen when the Taliban took power Aug. 15, following a rapid military sweep across Afghanistan and the sudden, secret flight of U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani. “Sanctions against Afghanistan would ... not have any benefit,” Muttaqi said Sunday, speaking in his native Pashto during the interview in the sprawling pale brick Foreign Ministry building in the heart of the capital of Kabul. “Making Afghanistan unstable or having a weak Afghan government is not in the interest of anyone,” said Muttaqi, whose aides include employees of the previous government.

Iran bans foreign sunglasses and musical instruments (Worldcrunch) Iran's customs are clamping down on imports of musical instruments and sunglasses, which are on a list of foreign "luxury goods" the country has banned. Reports were not entirely clear whether the ban relates more to religious or economic concerns. The country is currently under Western sanctions and short of foreign exchange. Beyond the financial crisis, Iran's clerical regime also has fraught relations with music and the arts, and broadly opposes modern, Western or "vulgar" music that leads to "indecency." It has likewise never hidden its disdain for Western clothing or styles, which can include sunglasses, T-shirts and neckties, discouraging youngsters from attempting to look fashionable. A deputy head of parliament's Economic Committee, Kazem Musavi, said that "Importing musical instruments is not in the country's interests, because we are an Islamic Republic. Why should anyone import musical instruments into the country when we have so many martyrs and theologians?" By martyrs, he was referring to hundreds of thousands of Iranians who died in the 1980-88 war against Iraq.

Libya’s Presidential Election in Doubt (Foreign Policy) The internationally-backed plan for Libya’s presidential election is in danger of falling apart after electoral officials announced a delay in publishing the final candidate list amid legal disputes, making a planned vote on Dec. 24 increasingly unlikely. The near-collapse of Libya’s political transition was foreshadowed on Nov. 23, when Jan Kubis, the United Nations special envoy for Libya, abruptly resigned his post less than a year into the job. His position was itself only filled after nine months of negotiations following the resignation of his predecessor. Legal challenges over eligibility still hang over several candidates with militia leader Khalifa Haftar and Saif al-Islam Qaddafi—the son of former dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi—both accused of war crimes. Whether the election goes ahead on time or not is mostly a moot point, Jason Pack, the author of Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder told Foreign Policy, with global powers still divided on how to approach the country. “The election is a sideshow. The only reason the election exists is an international attempt to punt the problem and create someone to deal with.”

Protests in Sudan continue (Washington Post) Security forces fired tear gas Monday to disperse protesters in Sudan’s capital in the latest street demonstrations against the October military coup and subsequent deal that reinstated deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Thousands of people took to the streets in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities, embracing the pro-democracy movement’s slogan: “No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing” with the military. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

#headlines #news

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inspectorspacetimerevisited · 7 months

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During Lynda Bellingham’s run as the Inspector,

the programme turned more into a soap opera, even being broadcast twice a week.

#Inspector Spacetime #Space Opera (trope)#Space Opera #Soap Opera (trope)#Soap Opera #Retool (trope)#Retool #during Lynda Bellingham's run as #the Inspector (character)#Fifth Inspector #Fifth Inspector era #the programme #turned into a soap opera #bring broadcast twice a week #twice weekly

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fuyonggu · 4 years

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Biography of Sima Jiong (Book of Jin 59)

齊武閔王冏，字景治，獻王攸之子也。少稱仁惠，好振施，有父風。初，攸有疾，武帝不信，遣太醫診候，皆言無病。及攸薨，帝往臨喪，冏號踴訴父病為醫所誣，詔即誅醫。由是見稱，遂得為嗣。元康中，拜散騎常侍，領左軍將軍、翊軍校尉。趙王倫密與相結，廢賈后，以功轉遊擊將軍。冏以位不滿意，有恨色。孫秀微覺之，且憚其在內，出為平東將軍、假節，鎮許昌。倫篡，遷鎮東大將軍、開府儀同三司，欲以寵安之。

Sima Jiong was styled Jingzhi; his posthumous title was Prince Wumin ("the Martial and Pitied") of Qi. He was the son of Prince Xian ("the Presented") of Qi, Sima You. Even as a child, Sima Jiong won acclaim for his kind and benevolent attitude and enjoyed being generous; he had the same spirit as his father.

Before Sima You's death, although he had become ill, Emperor Wu did not really believe that he was sick. So he sent the imperial doctors to examine and diagnose Sima You, and they declared that he was not ill. When Sima You then passed away and Emperor Wu went to attend the mourning service, Sima Jiong was in a fit of grief, declaring that the doctors had given false reports about Sima You's illness. Emperor Wu ordered the doctors put to death, and Sima Jiong won renown for this act and was permitted to inherit his father's title as Prince of Qi (although he was not the eldest son).

During the Yuankang reign era (291-300), Sima Jiong was appointed as a Cavalier In Regular Attendance, as acting General of the Left Army, and as Colonel Who Supports The Army. The Prince of Zhao, Sima Lun, secretly formed ties with him.

For his role in helping to depose Jia Nanfeng (in 300), Sima Jiong was appointed as General of Roaming Assault. But Sima Jiong was not satisfied by this position, and he often looked resentful. When Sun Xiu realized this, he was afraid to keep Sima Jiong too close at hand, so he had him sent away as General Who Pacifies The East and Credential Holder and had him garrison Xuchang.

When Sima Lun usurped the throne (in 301), he appointed Sima Jiong as Grand General Who Guards The East and granted him the privilege of a Separate Office with equal ceremonial to the Three Excellencies, in order to mollify and appease him.

冏因眾心怨望，潛與離狐王盛、潁川王處穆謀起兵誅倫。倫遣腹心張烏覘之，烏反，曰：「齊無異志。」冏既有成謀未發，恐或泄，乃與軍司管襲殺處穆，送首於倫，以安其意。謀定，乃收襲殺之。遂與豫州刺史何勖、龍驤將軍董艾等起軍，遣使告成都、河間、常山、新野四王，移檄天下征鎮、州郡縣國，咸使聞知。揚州刺史郗隆承檄，猶豫未決，參軍王邃斬之，送首於冏。冏屯軍陽翟，倫遣其將閭和、張泓、孫輔出堮阪，與冏交戰。冏軍失利，堅壘自守。會成都軍破倫眾于黃橋，冏乃出軍攻和等，大破之。及王輿廢倫，惠帝反正，冏誅討賊党既畢，率眾入洛，頓軍通章署，甲士數十萬，旌旗器械之盛，震於京都。天子就拜大司馬，加九錫之命，備物典策，如宣、景、文、武輔魏故事。

Sima Jiong was planning to take advantage of the anger and resentment of the people against Sima Lun, and he secretly plotted with Wang Sheng of Lihu and Wang Chumu of Yingchuan to rise up with soldiers to overthrow Sima Lun. But at the same time, Sima Lun had sent one of his confidantes, Zhang Wu, to keep a close eye on Sima Jiong. When Zhang Wu returned to the capital, he reported, "The Prince of Qi has no ulterior motives against you." And since Sima Jiong's plans were not yet complete, he was afraid that the plot might leak out. So he joined with his Army-Marshal, Guan Xi, to kill Wang Chumu, then sent Wang Chumu head to Sima Lun in order to allay his concerns. However, once Sima Jiong's plan was complete, he arrested Guan Xi and killed him.

Then Sima Jiong raised an army, together with the Inspector of Yuzhou, He Xu, the Dragon-Soaring General, Dong Ai, and others. He sent word around to inform others of his plot: the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong, the Prince of Changshan, Sima Ai, and the Prince of Xinye, Sima Xin.

Sima Jiong sent out a proclamation of his intentions to every general or minister, to all the Generals Who Conquer, Generals Who Guard, Inspectors, Administrators, Prefects, and Interior Ministers, so that everyone might know what his designs were.

When the Inspector of Yanzhou, Chi Long, received Sima Jiong's proclamation, he was hesitant and could not decide whether to support him or not. But one of his Army Advisors, Wang Sui, beheaded Chi Long and sent his head to Sima Jiong.

Sima Jiong camped his army at Yangdi. Sima Lun sent his generals Zhang Hong, Lü He, and Sun Fu to march out through Eban, where they met Sima Jiong in battle. Sima Jiong had the worst of the fighting, so he withdrew into his defenses and fortified his ramparts. But in the meantime, Sima Ying's army routed Sima Lun's forces at Huangqiao. So Sima Jiong led his army out again and attacked Lü He and the others, this time greatly routing them.

Once the Princes had finished deposing Sima Lun and restoring Emperor Hui to the throne and Sima Jiong had completed his executions of Sima Lun's partisans in villainy, Sima Jiong led his troops into Luoyang, where he made arrangements for accommodating his troops. He had hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers, with a full panoply of flags and banners and military gear, and the capital region trembled.

Emperor Hui appointed Sima Jiong as Grand Marshal and granted him the Nine Bestowments. He was granted regent authority to handle all canons and policies, just as Sima Yi, Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Emperor Wu had once wielded such power on behalf of the government of Wei.

冏於是輔政，居攸故宮，置掾屬四十人。大築第館，北取五穀市，南開諸署，毀壞廬舍以百數，使大匠營制，與西宮等。鑿千秋門牆以通西閣，後房施鐘懸，前庭舞八佾，沈於酒色，不入朝見。坐拜百官，符敕三臺，選舉不均，惟寵親昵。以車騎將軍何勖領中領軍。封葛<方與>為牟平公，路秀小黃公，衛毅陰平公，劉真安鄉公，韓泰封丘公，號曰「五公」，委以心膂。殿中御史桓豹奏事，不先經冏府，即考竟之。於是朝廷側目，海內失��矣。南陽處士鄭方露版極諫，主簿王豹屢有箴規，冏並不能用，遂奏豹殺之。有白頭公入大司馬府大呼，言有兵起，不出甲子旬。即收殺之。

Sima Jiong thus acted as regent over the government. He lived in Sima You's old palace, and selected forty assistants and subordinates for himself. He greatly expanded the rooms and buildings of his palace, extending the estate north to reach the Five Grains Market and south to connect with the various government offices. He demolished hundreds of homes and buildings in the process. He ordered the Grand Architect to lay out his palace to be on the same scale as Emperor Hui's residence at the Western Palace. He bored a hole through the Qianqiu Gate to make a direct path to the Western Pavilion, and he hung up bells in his rear chambers and arrayed dancers in eight rows (an imperial privilege) in his front hall. He indulged himself in wine and sensual pleasures, not bothering to attend court.

Sima Jiong appointed various ministers without any ceremony, just granting the appointments from where he sat, and he issued commands to the Three Bureaus of the government simply by a mark. And in his selections and promotions, he was not impartial, but only favored those who were close to him and familiar. He appointed the General of Chariots and Cavalry, He Xu, as General Who Leads The Army of the Center. He also appointed Ge Yu as Duke of Mouping, Lu Xiu as Duke of Xiaohuang, Wei Yi as Duke of Yinping, Liu Zhen as Duke of Anxiang, and Han Tai as Duke of Fengqiu; they came to be known as the "Five Dukes", and all of them were Sima Jiong's close companions.

The Secretary of the Central Hall, Huan Bao, submitted a petition without first sending it to Sima Jiong's office for review, for which he was submitted to interrogation. From then on, the court ministers all glanced about in fear, and everyone within the Seas lost hope in Sima Jiong.

A recluse of Nanyang, Zheng Fang, submitted an essay harshly remonstrating with Sima Jiong (his essay is listed below). And one of the Registrars, Wang Bao, often warned Sima Jiong against what he was doing (his essays and biography are in the Biographies of Loyal Ministers). But Sima Jiong did not follow either of their advice, and he even arranged to have Wang Bao killed.

A white-haired gentleman ran into the office of the Grand Marshal, exclaiming that there would be an uprising soon, before the next Jiazi year (in 304). He was arrested and killed.

冏驕恣日甚，終無悛志。前賊曹屬孫惠復上諫曰：惠聞天下五難，四不可，而明公皆以居之矣。捐宗廟之主，忽千乘之重，躬貫甲胄，犯冒鋒刃，此一難也。奮三百之卒，決全勝之策，集四方之眾，致英豪之士，此二難也。舍殿堂之尊，居單幕之陋，安囂塵之慘，同將士之勞，此三難也。驅烏合之眾，當凶強之敵，任神武之略，無疑阻之懼，此四難也。檄六合之內，著盟信之誓，升幽宮之帝，復皇祚之業，此五難也。大名不可久荷，大功不可久任，大權不可久執，大威不可久居。未有行其五難而不以為難，遺其不可而謂之為可。惠竊所不安也。自永熙以來，十有一載，人不見德，惟戮是聞。公族構篡奪之禍，骨肉遭梟夷之刑，群王被囚檻之困，妃主有離絕之哀。曆觀前代，國家之禍，至親之亂，未有今日之甚者也。良史書過，後嗣何觀！天下所以不去于晉，符命長存於世者，主無嚴虐之暴，朝無酷烈之政，武帝餘恩，獻王遺愛，聖慈惠和，尚經人心。四海所系，實在於茲。今明公建不世之義，而未為不世之讓，天下惑之，思求所悟。長沙、成都，魯、衛之密，國之親親，與明公計功受賞，尚不自先。今公宜放桓、文之勳，邁臧、劄之風，芻狗萬物，不仁其化，崇親推近，功遂身退，委萬機于二王，命方岳於群後，燿義讓之旗，鳴思歸之鑾，宅大齊之墟，振泱泱之風，垂拱青、徐之域，高枕營丘之籓。金石不足以銘高，八音不足以讚美，姬文不得專聖於前，太伯不得獨賢於後。今明公忘亢極之悔，忽窮高之凶，棄五嶽之安，居累卵之危，外以權勢受疑，內以百揆損神。雖處高臺之上，逍遙重仞之墉，及其危亡之憂，過於潁、翟之慮。群下竦戰，莫之敢言。惠以衰亡之余，遭陽九之運，甘矢石之禍，赴大王之義，脫褐冠胄，從戎于許。契闊戰陣，功無可記，當隨風塵，待罪初服。屈原放斥，心存南郢；樂毅適趙，志戀北燕。況惠受恩，偏蒙識養，雖復暫違，情隆二臣，是以披露血誠，冒昧幹迕。言入身戮，義讓功舉，退就鈇鑕，此惠之死賢於生也。冏不納，亦不加罪。

Sima Jiong only grew more arrogant by the day, and he never did reform his desires.

A former official from the office of Bandit Management, Sun Hui, also wrote a letter to Sima Jiong remonstrating with him. He wrote,

"I have heard that Your Highness has faced five hardships to reach your current position, and I am familiar with four truths about the impermanence of power. Yet Your Highness remains unconcerned about any of these things.

"To set aside your gravity as keeper of your family’s ancestral temple and lay down your majesty of being lord of a domain of a thousand chariots in favor of personally donning armor and helmet and braving risks and facing dangers was the first hardship Your Highness undertook. To muster a band of three hundred fellows, devise plans for decisive and total victory, assemble soldiers from every corner, and gather together brave heroes was the second. To abandon the hallowed halls of your palace and dwell in the wretched conditions of a soldier's tent, peacefully enduring the noise and filth of the camp and sharing the labor and toil of the generals and soldiers was the third. To organize a flock of conscripts, prepare them to resist the fearsome might of the enemy, devise for them genius plans of martial prowess, and temper them with courage and resolve was the fourth. And to send out proclamations in every direction, gain the trust of sworn allies, restore the deposed Emperor to the throne, and revive the imperial fortunes was the fifth.

"At the same time, I observe these truths: even a great reputation cannot ensure one's position, even great merits cannot secure one in office, even great influence cannot be wielded forever, and even great authority cannot be counted to last.

"Yet Your Highness does not recognize the extent of these five hardships you faced to get where you are, nor do you acknowledge these four truths. I cannot help but be concerned for you.

"In the eleven years since the start of the Yongxi era (in 290), there have been no instances of public virtue, but only reports of slaughter. The imperial clan has suffered the disasters of usurpations and struggles for power, and imperial relatives have inflicted punishments and executions against their own flesh and blood; princes have endured the indignities of jail cells and prison carts, and consorts have lamented their fates of being cut off and set aside. Indeed, in all of history, though we read of states that suffered disasters and close relatives that warred among themselves, never has there been a situation as dire as this one. If the historians be honest about our faults, how will our descendants ever bear to read about them?

"Why then has the realm not abandoned Jin, and why has the Mandate not passed from our dynasty? Only because the ruler has not exhibited tyranny and severity and the court has not governed with violence and cruelty, because of the enduring grace of Emperor Wu and the lasting love of Prince Xian (Sima You). It was their sage benevolence and their kindly magnanimity which bound the hearts of the people toward Jin. And these are the things which secure the support of all those within the Four Seas.

"Now although Your Highness displayed an unparalleled sense of righteousness when you led your uprising against the usurper, still you have failed to show an equivalent sense of peerless virtue by yielding your position afterwards. The realm wonders at the reasons for this, and they seek an answer. Furthermore, the Princes of Changsha (Sima Ai) and Chengdu (Sima Ying) have the same close bond to one another as the ancient lords of Lu and Wey, they are the immediate family members of the Emperor (as his younger brothers), and when one considers whom among the three of you accomplished the most during the recent campaign and deserved the greatest rewards, it is difficult to be certain that Your Highness has an undisputed claim to supremacy. By continuing what you are currently doing, Your Highness will be giving up the good achievements of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin when they selflessly rescued the royal family of Zhou from peril, and treading the same path as Zang and Zha instead. Straw dogs and all the beings of creation are not treated any differently out of any consideration of benevolence.

"Your Highness should honor your relatives and yield in favor of those near in stature to you, considering that your work is complete and withdrawing from the center. Entrust affairs to the two Princes, while you supervise the heirs of the various feudal lords. Display the banner of your righteous intention to yield power and sound the call of your wish to return to your noble fief, dwell within your domain as lord of the great Qi region, catch the spirit of the billowing wind, take the areas of Qingzhou and Xuzhou into your hands, and stand proud at your post at Yingqiu. If you do these things, then even gold will not be a good enough medium to record the greatness of your achievements and even the Eight Sounds will not be sufficient tunes to sing your praises; Ji Wen (King Wen of Zhou) would no longer have the sole claim for sagacity, nor Taibo for worthiness.

"But if you forget the dangers of the great precipice you are standing upon and heedlessly ascend towards the summit, you would be abandoning the security of the Five Peaks and making your position as precarious as a stack of eggs. Without, your power and authority would invite suspicion, and within, your reputation among the officials would suffer. Even if you were to venture to the top of a high terrace or seclude yourself behind rows of walls, I would still presume to fear for your safety, even more now than at the time of Yingchuan and Yangdi (during the uprising). Your subordinates quiver with fear for you, but none dare say a word.

"Now who am I, Sun Hui, to tell you these things? Nothing but a sad remnant in fact. But inviting the onset of calamity and welcoming the perils of the slings and arrows, I once rushed to Your Highness's righteous call; casting aside my common clothes and putting on my helmet, I followed your army to Xu (Xuchang). Of great and glorious deeds in the line of battle, I have none to claim. Yet I followed you through the wind and dust of those days, and I am prepared to receive punishment in addressing you now. Though Qu Yuan was exiled, his heart was always with Ying in the south; though Yue Yi fled to Zhao, his thoughts were always with Yan in the north. Can it be any different with me, who has received your grace and was blessed with your recognition and your care? Though it may seem that I go against your wishes, I am your man through and through; I am baring my flesh to show the sincerity of my blood, and it is thus that I offer you such unpalatable advice. Having presented my words, I am prepared for my punishment. If by writing these things I can convince you to righteously yield power and to secure your achievements, I go to the chopping block willingly, for it would be a worthy end to my life."

Though Sima Jiong did not accept Sun Hui's advice, neither did he punish him.

翊軍校尉李含奔于長安，詐云受密詔，使河間王顒誅冏，因導以利謀。顒從之，上表曰：王室多故，禍難罔已。大司馬冏雖唱義有興復皇位之功，而定都邑，克寧社稷，實成都王勳力也。而冏不能固守臣節，實協異望。在許昌營有東西掖門，官置治書侍御史，長史、司馬直立左右，如侍臣之儀。京城大清，篡逆誅夷，而率百萬之眾來繞洛城。阻兵經年，不一朝覲，百官拜伏，晏然南面。壞樂官市署，用自增廣。輒取武庫秘杖，嚴列不解。故東萊王蕤知其逆節，表陳事狀，而見誣陷，加罪黜徙。以樹私黨，僭立官屬。幸妻嬖妾，名號比之中宮。沈湎酒色，不恤群黎。董艾放縱，無所畏忌，中丞按奏，而取退免。張偉惚恫，擁停詔可，葛旟小豎，維持國命。操弄王爵，貨賂公行。群奸聚黨，擅斷殺生。密署腹心，實為貨謀。斥罪忠良，伺窺神器。臣受重任，蕃衛方嶽，見冏所行，實懷激憤。即日翊軍校尉李含乘驛密至，宣騰詔旨。臣伏讀感切，五情若灼。《春秋》之義，君親無將。冏擁強兵，樹置私黨，權官要職，莫非腹心。雖復重責之誅，恐不義服。今輒勒兵，精卒十萬，與州征並協忠義，共會洛陽。驃騎將軍長沙王乂，同奮忠誠，廢冏還第。有不順命，軍法從事。成都王穎明德茂親，功高勳重，往歲去就，允合眾望，宜為宰輔，代冏阿衡之任。

The Colonel of 翊軍, Li Han, fled from the capital to Chang'an, the base of the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong. He lied and said he had received a secret edict from Emperor Hui, calling on Sima Yong to punish Sima Jiong, and that Li Han had been sent to Sima Yong to help facilitate the plot.

Sima Yong believed Li Han. He submitted a petition to the court: "The imperial family has suffered from many incidents of late, and disasters and difficulties continue to plague us. Although the Grand Marshal, Sima Jiong, may claim the credit of having called an uprising and restoring the Emperor to the throne, in truth it was thanks to the Prince of Chengdu's efforts that the capital region was pacified and the altars of state were secured. Yet Sima Jiong, not content to observe his proper duties as a minister and subject, has begun to harbor nefarious intentions.

"At Sima Jiong's army camp at Xuchang, he set up eastern and western Ye Gates like one sees at the Emperor's palace, and on his staff there, those whom he appointed as Secretaries of Recordskeeping, as Chief Clerks, or as Marshals all hovered about him with the same ceremony that residents of the palace would show towards the Son of Heaven. During the campaign, although the capital had already been entirely purged and the usurpers and traitors punished before his arrival, Sima Jiong still led an army of a million soldiers to infest the walls of Luoyang. He has kept his troops garrisoned there for an entire year by now. He never attends court, but makes the government ministers bow and perform obeisance before him, while he sits serenely facing south (in imitation of the Emperor). He has torn down buildings of the Music Bureau and the marketplace purely to expand and broaden his own estate. He has helped himself to the stored equipment of the Arsenal, and he has imposed martial law on the city without any sign of lifting restrictions. The former Prince of Donglai, Sima Ruí (Sima Jiong’s elder brother), recognized that Sima Jiong had betrayed his duties, and he presented a petition to the court listing Sima Jiong's offenses, but he was only met with slander and infamy, until he was charged with a crime and suffered demotion and exile. Sima Jiong has presumed to fill the government ministries with his own partisans and minions, and he grants his favored lovers and floozies titles comparable to those used in the Emperor's harem. He freely indulges himself in wine and in sensual pleasures, showing no regard for the common people. He allows his henchman Zong Ai to do whatever he pleases without any hesitation or suspicion, for though the government receives complaints about Zong Ai's behavior, he always gets let off from any charge. He permits a nobody like Zhang Wei to determine whether imperial edicts shall be allowed to go out or not, and he entrusts a miscreant like Ge Yu with control of the state. He hands out noble titles as he pleases, and bribes change hands freely and openly. He surrounds himself with a rogues' gallery, and he makes the call on who will live or who will die. His closest confidantes think only of how to enrich themselves. And he has slandered and punished good and worthy people, while gazing with longing towards the sacred instruments of power.

"I was assigned a serious charge and am responsible for protecting and defending a strategic area of the realm. But as I have witnessed Sima Jiong's actions, I have nursed a sense of righteous indignation. Then this very day, the Colonel of 翊軍, Li Han, secretly came to me by courier horse to present to me the imperial will and decree. When I bowed before him to hear the reading of this edict, which called upon me to raise my banners and turn against my own flesh and blood, my feelings were assailed and all my senses were aflame. And is it not a principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals that one may never war against their liege or their kinfolk? Yet Sima Jiong has a powerful army at his beck and call, he has placed his favorites into positions of power, and not a one of the important offices of state exists but is filled by one of his cronies. So though in turning my sword against Sima Jiong I would be committing a serious crime which deserved death, still I am afraid I could no longer in good conscience accept what he has done.

"Thus I am now marching at the head of a hundred thousand elite soldiers. May the provincial commanders join me in this loyal and righteous cause and combine their forces with mine at Luoyang. I ask that the General of Agile Cavalry and Prince of Changsha, Sima Ai, likewise prove his loyalty and sincerity by removing Sima Jiong from power and sending him back to his estate. Anyone who refuses to heed the imperial order shall be dealt with by military law.

"The Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, is wise, virtuous, luxuriant, and friendly; his achievements are lofty and his deeds profound. When he departed the capital last year and yielded his power, he gained the hopes and admiration of all. He is suited to serve as regent over the government. Let him take up the role of A-Heng (Yi Yin) in Sima Jiong's stead."

顒表既至，冏大懼，會百僚曰：「昔孫秀作逆，篡逼帝王，社稷傾覆，莫能禦難。孤糾合義眾，掃除元惡，臣子之節，信著神明。二王今日聽信讒言，造構大難，當賴忠謀以和不協耳。」

When Sima Yong's petition arrived at Luoyang, Sima Jiong was terrified. He summoned the ministers and said to them, "When Sun Xiu plotted his treason before and usurped and oppressed the Emperor and the Princes, the very altar of state was nearly toppled, and no one else was able to stand against such difficulties. I was the one who gathered together soldiers to begin an uprising, and I was the one who swept away and purged the chief evil. I have maintained my duty as a subject and as a son, and the spirits can attest to my trustworthiness. Yet now these two Princes have returned my trust with slander and are causing great trouble. Gentlemen, I shall depend on your loyal advice for how to reconcile with these wayward foes."

司徒王戎、司空東海王越說冏委權崇讓。冏從事中郎葛旟怒曰：「趙庶人聽任孫秀，移天易日，當時喋喋，莫敢先唱。公蒙犯矢石，躬貫甲胄，攻圍陷陣，得濟今日。計功行封，事殷未遍。三臺納言，不恤王事，賞報稽緩，責不在府。讒言僭逆，當共誅討，虛承偽書，令公就第。漢、魏以來，王侯就第甯有得保妻子者乎！議者可斬。」於是百官震悚，無不失色。

The Minister Over The Masses, Wang Rong, and the Minister of Works and Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, advised Sima Jiong to resign his authority and honor the others by yielding his position.

But Sima Jiong's Attendant Officer of the Palace Gentlemen, Ge Yu, angrily told them, "The commoner of Zhao (Sima Lun) heeded and employed Sun Xiu, and he abused his authority; Heaven and Earth themselves changed based purely on his whims. Everyone talked and talked about doing something back then, but no one else dared to speak up first. It was our lord who braved the slings and arrows, personally wearing armor and helmet and attacking the enemy lines and breaking their formations, and who brought us to this happy day. Considering the rewards he has received for all that he has done on behalf of the state, one could argue that he has still not gotten all that he deserves.

"For members of the Three Bureaus to say such things shows how much you disregard the Prince's affairs. It is no fault of his that rewards for others have been slow in coming. Besides, those who speak slander and stir up chaos should all be put to death. How can you heed the empty orders of this presumptuous letter and command our lord to retire to his estate? And through all the time of Han and Wei, what prince or noble that retired to his estate has ever been able to protect his wife and children? Anyone who suggests such a thing out to be beheaded."

The ministers were greatly disturbed and trembling, and all of them turned pale.

長沙王乂徑入宮，發兵攻冏府。冏遣董艾陳兵宮西。乂又遣宋洪等放火燒諸觀閣及千秋、神武門。冏令黃門令王湖悉盜騶虞幡，唱云：「長沙王矯詔。」乂又稱：「大司馬謀反，助者誅五族。」是夕，城內大戰，飛矢雨集，火光屬天。帝幸上東門，矢集御前。群臣救火，死者相枕。明日，冏敗，乂擒冏至殿前，帝惻然，欲活之。乂叱左右促牽出，冏猶再顧，遂斬於閶闔門外，徇首六軍。諸黨屬皆夷三族。幽其子淮陵王超、樂安王冰、濟陽王英于金墉。暴冏屍於西明亭，三日而莫敢收斂。冏故掾屬荀闓等表乞殯葬，許之。

The Prince of Changsha, Sima Ai, rushed into the palace, then raised troops to attack Sima Jiong's office. Sima Jiong sent Zong Ai to array troops west of the palace. Sima Ai also sent Song Hong and others to set fire to and burn down the various pavilions and the Qianqiu and Shenwu Gates.

Sima Jiong ordered the Prefect of the Yellow Gate, Wang Hu, to steal all the Zouyu Banners and display them (thus compelling all soldiers to cease fighting) while announcing, "The Prince of Changsha has forged an imperial decree."

But Sima Ai also spread the message, "The Grand Marshal has plotted rebellion, and anyone who helps him will have their families executed to the fifth degree."

That night, there was great fighting within the city; flying arrows poured down like rain, and the glow of the fires outshone the heavens. Emperor Hui was at the Shangdong Gate when a flurry of arrows came his way. His ministers were trying to put out the fires, and they fell down dead in heaps.

By the next day, Sima Jiong had been defeated. Sima Ai brought Sima Jiong to the Front Hall. Emperor Hui, feeling sad for him, wished to let him live, but Sima Ai ordered those around him to lead Sima Jiong away, even as Sima Jiong kept looking back. Sima Ai beheaded Sima Jiong outside the Changhe Gate, and displayed his head to the six armies (of the capital soldiers).

Those who were in league with Sima Jiong were executed with their families to the third degree. The Princes of Huailing, Le'an, and Qiyang, Sima Jiong's sons Sima Chao, Sima Bing, and Sima Yīng, were imprisoned at the Jinyong fortress.

Sima Jiong's body was left publicly exposed at Ximing Terrace, and for three days no one dared to claim the body for burial. Then Sima Jiong's former subordinates, Xun Kai and others, petitioned to be allowed to hold a mourning for Sima Jiong and to bury him, and their request was granted.

初，冏之盛也，有一婦人詣大司馬府求寄產。吏詰之，婦人曰：「我截齊便去耳。」識者聞而惡之。時又謠曰：「著布袙腹，為齊持服。」俄而冏誅。

Earlier, when Sima Jiong had been at his zenith, a woman had visited the Grand Marshal's office to ask for some supplies. When the officials had scolded her, she had said, "I'll just make things nice and tidy and then go." This disturbed some people, for they recognized that the term she had used, 截齊, could be interpreted as "cut down (the Prince of) Qi".

And there had also been a ditty going around: "Wrap the cloth 'round the middle bit, to make it all (or, Qi) nice and fit (or, to submit)." And indeed, it wasn't long before Sima Jiong was executed.

永興初，詔以冏輕陷重刑，前勳不宜堙沒，乃赦其三子超、冰、英還第，封超為縣王，以繼冏祀，曆員外散騎常侍。光熙初，追冊冏曰：「咨故大司馬、齊王冏：王昔以宗籓穆胤紹世，緒于東國，作翰許京，允鎮靜我王室。涎率義徒，同盟觸澤，克成元勳，大濟潁東。朕用應嘉茂績，謂篤爾勞，俾式先典，以疇茲顯懿。廓士殊分，跨兼吳楚，崇禮備物，寵侔蕭、霍，庶憑翼戴之重，永隆邦家之望。而恭德不建，取侮二方，有司過舉，致王於戮。古人有言曰：'用其法，猶思其人。'況王功濟朕身，勳存社稷，追惟既往，有悼於厥心哉！今復王本封，命嗣子還紹厥緒，禮秩典度，一如舊制。使使持節、大鴻臚即墓賜策，祠乙太牢。魂而有靈，祗服朕命，肆寧爾心，嘉茲寵榮。」子超嗣爵。

At the beginning of the Yongxing reign era (305), an edict was issued declaring that Sima Jiong's offenses had not been serious enough to merit the harsh punishment that he had received, and that due to his earlier good deeds, his lineage should not be snuffed out. Thus his three sons Sima Chao, Sima Bing, and Sima Yīng were all pardoned and allowed to return to their estates, and Sima Chao was appointed as Prince of a county in order to continue Sima Jiong's lineage. Sima Chao eventually served as a Cavalier In Regular Attendance Without Assignment.

At the beginning of the Guangxi reign era (306), Sima Jiong was posthumously honored with a decree by Emperor Hui.

"I declare the following regarding the late Grand Marshal and Prince of Qi, Sima Jiong:

"The late Prince might have quietly and meekly inherited the fief which he was due. Yet rather than sequester himself in his eastern domain (at Qi), he sent forth his proclamation from Xujing (Xu or Xuchang), and fully acted to protect our royal family and quell the disturbance of the imperial household. Zealously leading forth his followers for a righteous cause and forging an alliance at Lake Chu, he achieved successes and performed the greatest of deeds, and was very accomplished at Yingdong (eastern Yingchuan?). I ought to have responded to these things with congratulations for his exceptional performance, thanking him for his loyal and faithful service, and honoring him according to the ancient standards, thereby ensuring and glorifying his legacy. He ought to have been granted a fief even grander than those once held by Han's Princes of Wu and Chu, and he ought to have been honored with such exceptional courtesy and respect that he would have rivaled the favor enjoyed by Xiao He or Huo Guang. The great assistance and protection which he provided us entitled him to the everlasting admiration of the royal clan and the state.

"Yet the Prince failed to practice virtue, he incurred the enmity of two of his peers, the officials pressed him for his faults, and in the end he was executed. The ancients had a saying: 'Enforce the law, but think of the accused.' How much less can I ignore this sentiment when it was thanks to the Prince's deeds that I remained safe and the fortunes of state were preserved? And how tragic, how heart-rending it seems that only posthumously may his achievements be recognized!

"I hereby restore the Prince to his former title as Prince of Qi, and command that his son and heir be permitted to return and to inherit this title. The salary and privileges, canons and systems associated with the title shall all be as they once were. And I hereby send the Commissioner Bearing Credentials and Grand Diplomat to convey my words to the tomb of the late Prince and to offer a Grand Sacrifice to his spirit. If the dead are still aware of what takes place in this world, then may they take note of my command; may the spirit of the late Prince feel peace in his heart and be joyful of this favor and honor."

Sima Jiong's son Sima Chao thus inherited his title as Prince of Qi.

永嘉中，懷帝下詔，重述冏唱義元勳，還贈大司馬，加侍中、假節，追諡。及洛陽傾覆，超兄弟皆沒于劉聰，冏遂無後。太元中，詔以故南頓王宗子柔之襲封齊王，紹攸、冏之祀，曆散騎常侍。元興初，會稽王道子將討桓玄，詔柔之兼侍中，以騶虞幡宣告江、荊二州，至姑孰，為玄前鋒所害。贈光祿勳。子建之立。宋受禪，國除。

During the Yongjia reign era (307-311), Emperor Huai also issued an edict which again praised Sima Jiong for having the chief accomplishment of having sounded the call to rise up against Sima Lun. Emperor Huai posthumously restored Sima Jiong's rank as Grand Marshal, and he also appointed him as a Palace Attendant and a Credential Bearer and gave him his posthumous name (Wumin).

When Luoyang fell (to Han-Zhao, in 311), Sima Chao and his brothers were all lost to Liu Cong, leaving Sima Jiong without any descendants.

During the Taiyuan reign era (376-396), Emperor Xiaowu issued an edict appointing Sima Rouzhi, the son of the late Prince of Nandun, Sima Zong, as Prince of Qi in order to continue Sima You's and Sima Jiong's lineage. Sima Rouzhi rose in office as high as Cavalier In Regular Attendance. At the beginning of the Yuanxing reign era (402), when the Prince of Kuaiji, Sima Daozi, was about to campaign against the rebel general Huan Xuan, an edict was issued appointing Sima Rouzhi as a Palace Attendant, and he was sent out with the Zouyu Banners to command the soldiers of Jiangzhou and Jingzhou (under Huan Xuan's command) to stand down. But when Sima Rouzhi came to Gushu, he was killed by Huan Xuan's vanguard. He was posthumously appointed as Superintendent of the Crown Prince's Household.

Sima Rouzhi's son Sima Jianzhi inherited the title Prince of Qi. But after Liu Yu accepted the abdication of the Jin dynasty and established the Song dynasty (in 420), Sima Jianzhi's fief was abolished.

鄭方者，字子回，慷慨有志節，博涉史傳，卓犖不常，鄉閭有識者歎其奇，而未能薦達。及冏輔政專恣，方發憤步詣洛陽，自稱荊楚逸民，獻書於冏曰：「方聞聖明輔世，夙夜祗懼，泰而不驕，所以長守貴也。今大王安不慮危，耽于酒色，燕樂過度，其失一也。大王檄命，當使天下穆如清風，宗室骨肉永無纖介，今則不然，其失二也。四夷交侵，邊境不靜，大王自以功業興隆，不以為念，其失三也。大王興義，群庶競赴，天下雖甯，人勞窮苦，不聞大王振救之令，其失四也。又與義兵歃血而盟，事定之後，賞不逾時，自清泰已來，論功未分，此則食言，其失五也。大王建非常之功，居宰相之任，謗聲盈塗，人懷忿怨，方以狂愚，冒死陳誠。」冏含忍答之云：「孤不能致五闕，若無子，則不聞其過矣。」未幾而敗焉。

Zheng Fang was styled Zihui. He was a passionate man with a sense of duty and ambition, and he waded through and absorbed all the Histories and Annals. He was exceptionally talented and zealous, and those in his district who knew him all sighed in admiration of how much he stood out. Yet he never held office, because there was no one able to recommend him.

When Sima Jiong held power over the government and abused his authority, Zheng Fang was so moved with indignation that he set out by foot to visit Luoyang. Styling himself a wanderer from Jing and Chu, he presented a letter to Sima Jiong.

"I have heard that when the sage and wise steer the affairs of the age, day and night they are always careful and cautious, nor do they get carried away in their joy. Thus do they preserve and defend their honor. Yet you, Great Prince, are currently relaxed and not thinking of any danger, sinking into the depravity of wine and sensual pleasures and overindulging yourself in feasting and music; this is your first fault. You ought to be as respectful to the realm as the pure wind, and there should not be the slightest distance between yourself and your kinfolk and your flesh and blood, yet there currently is; this is your second fault. The barbarians are pressing in from every side and the borders are unstable, yet you consider that you have already accomplished enough and you take no notice of these things; this is your third fault. When you launched your uprising, all the people rushed to your banner, yet although there is now peace in the realm, the people continue to suffer endlessly, and I have heard nothing of any orders from you on how their burdens might be lifted; this is your fourth fault. And you made a covenant with blood-smeared lips and pledged to those that supported you in your uprising that after things had been completed, rewards would not be slow in coming, yet although the evil has already been purged, there have been no discussions of merit or distributions of rewards; you have eaten your words, and this is your fifth fault.

"Great Prince, you have achieved uncommon deeds, and you now occupy the role of chief minister of the state. Yet you allow slander and rumor to swirl around you and you do nothing while people bear anger and hatred against you. Though it be rash and foolish of me, still I would risk death to demonstrate my sincerity to you."

Sima Jiong bit his tongue and only responded, "I had no idea of my five shortcomings. If not for you, Sir, I would never have heard of them."

It was not long before Sima Jiong was destroyed.

史臣曰：冏名父之子，唱義勤王，摧偽業于既成，拯皇輿於已墜，策勳考績，良足可稱。然而臨禍忘憂，逞心縱欲，曾不知樂不可極，盈難久持，笑古人之未工，忘己事之已拙。向若采王豹之奇策，納孫惠之嘉謀，高謝袞章，永表東海，雖古之伊、霍，何以加焉！

The Historian's Appraisal: Sima Jiong was the son of a famous father, he sounded the call to rise up and rallied the Princes to his banner, he smashed Sima Lun's false designs and kept them from fruition, and he rescued Emperor Hui from falling into oblivion. Truly his actions and deeds were excellent and worthy of praise. Yet afterwards, when he himself stood at the brink of destruction, he failed to heed the danger, but only indulged his heart's desires and did whatever he wished. Did he not know that pleasure cannot go unbridled, or a host of difficulties left unchecked? Was it not ironic that he mocked the ancients who never finished their work, not realizing that his own achievements had been undone? If only he had plucked out the fine plan offered by Wang Bao or accepted the good advice provided by Sun Hui, by magnanimously yielding his imperial splendor at the capital and going out to his fief on the Eastern Sea, where his lineage might have endured! If he had done that, could even Yi Yin or Huo Guang have surpassed him?

贊曰：偉哉武閔！首創宏謨。德之不建，良可悲夫！

Crown Prince Li Xian of Tang's Appraisal:

Pity the magnificent Prince Wumin!

His deeds were bold, his plans so keen!

Alas, his virtues he did not keep

And thus for this good man we weep.

#Sima Jiong #Eight Princes #War of the Eight Princes #Book of Jin #Jinshu #Jin Dynasty #Western Jin #Chinese History #China

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bookcatofny · 4 years

Text

Portrait of Peril

Author: Laura Joh Rowland

Publisher: @crookedlanebooks

Review: In this fifth book in the late Victorian era, crime photographer Sarah Bain has just married Thomas Barrett, DS at the Met police. Literally just after they say their vows, a body is found at the church. The victim, Charles Firth, sold Sarah her first camera do she feels obligated to look into his murder. Sarah discovers that the murder victim has been taking spirit photography and when a second member of London’s spiritualist society is murdered, it appears the two are connected. Hugh and Mick are back to help Sarah investigate in this one, and when Mick gets arrested for the murders, Sarah finds it even more important to solve the cases.

I’ve liked this series from the beginning, mostly because I like Sarah’s character; she’s an independent woman who often acts on instinct, even if it gets her into trouble more often than not. I like her friendships with Mick and Hugh (and I really hope all the next book starts with Hugh in a better place than we left him in this one!). I liked seeing Sarah and Barrett settle into marriage and the difficulties Sarah had in particular feeling like she’s lost some of her independence.

The continued clash between Sarah and Inspector Reid rears its ugly head in this and while Sarah got some answers regarding the murder that her father was accused of years ago, the epilogue makes it seem like that’s the focus of the next book and I’m looking forward to it!

5/5

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

#book review #historical mystery #victorian #netgalley #laura joh rowland

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blueiskewl · 3 years

Photo

A 2,000-Year-Old Figurine of Cupid Found in England

Archaeologists say the petite statue, discovered ahead of construction of highway, may have been a religious offering

Archaeologists in southwestern England have discovered a nearly 2,000-year-old figurine of the god Cupid along the route of a former Roman road.

As Matty Airey reports for the Gloucestershire Gazette, a Highways England team surveying the area ahead of construction discovered the statuette, as well as a bow-shaped brooch and a human skeleton, outside the town of Birdlip in Gloucestershire County.

“It is a rare and exciting find,” says Mel Barge, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, in a statement. “It will tell us about the lives and beliefs of the small Roman community that lived alongside this road.”

Per BBC News, fewer than 50 Roman Cupid figurines have been found in the United Kingdom to date. This one is made of solid bronze and shows the winged god of love holding a flaming torch. The statue was unearthed in a charcoal deposit, suggesting it may have been an offering to the gods.

In a separate statement, Highways England notes that worshippers may have left the petite deity in a roadside temple—a common feature in Roman-era England.

Cupid, the Roman version of the Greek god Eros, is known for shooting arrows that cause their targets to fall in love (or lust). Today’s Valentine’s Day cards depict him as a chubby-cheeked winged baby, but as Alice Abler wrote for Vision in 2010, the god was often shown in ancient times as an older boy or young man. He, and his mother, Venus, were associated with Lupercalia, the ancient Roman festival of purification, health and fertility.

Given its ornate crafting, the brooch found at the Gloucestershire site was likely worn by a wealthy owner. It would have been used to fasten a cloak against the wind.

The skeleton buried alongside the artifacts proved to be more enigmatic. Though Christian tradition dictates that burials should face east to west, this grave was oriented north to south. The researchers theorize that the individual may have been a Roman buried before the fourth century or an early Saxon from between the fifth and seventh centuries.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that the body was buried facedown, which might have been a sign of disrespect for a criminal or someone otherwise disliked by their local community. The skeleton will be reinterred rather than removed for further research.

The archaeological work is part of the A417 “missing link” project, a planned 3.4-mile connection between the A417 highway and a bypass road. The existing highway is built along the path of a former Roman road; researchers have previously found the remains of villas and temples from the Roman period in the area, as well as settlements dating back to the Neolithic period.

According to Claire Hayhurst of PA Media, the team studied historical records and conducted geophysical surveys to identify likely places for excavations. The archaeologists are not disclosing the precise location of the new finds, but Highways England tells PA that it was on privately owned land close to the planned construction route.

The excavation is one of a number of archaeological projects organized by Highways England in conjunction with its road-building work. Elsewhere in England, the government-owned company has uncovered evidence of early Roman settlements, mammoth tusks, ancient breweries and pothole repairs from the Roman period. Some of its archaeological work has come ahead of construction of a controversial tunnel near Stonehenge, as Gwyn Topham and Steve Morris reported for the Guardian last November.

“It has been fascinating to reveal more about the area and the people who once lived here,” says Jim Keyte, the project’s archaeology lead, in the statement. “Our investigations will continue as the project progresses, and we expect more interesting discoveries to come.”

By Livia Gershon.

#A 2000-Year-Old Figurine of Cupid Found in England #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeologst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #roman history #roman empire #roman art

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spirallingshape · 4 years

Link

I don’t often toot my own horn on here, but..... The Globe and Mail just published a glowing profile on my dad’s press! I’ve been doing editing and design work for him for almost 10 years, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of the family business.

This article is available in the print edition for today (February 29 2020). The above link is behind a paywall, but I’ve copied the article below the cut.

By Naben Ruthnum

The Shirley Jackson Award is one of the most prestigious prizes in horror, with recipients ranging from genre legends Stephen King and Neil Gaiman to literary crossover writers such as Emma Cline. In 2018, a Canadian publisher of horror fiction claimed their second Jackson. But you may never have heard of Undertow Publications, which is based in the small Ontario city of Pickering.

There are as many types of horror fiction as there are ways to be scared. The particular subgenre of horror that Undertow specializes in is “weird fiction”: a style that tends toward the high literary, enfolding the supernatural, tales of malaise in urban, rural and wild settings, and a sense of discomfort and eeriness that has more to do with atmosphere than reddened fangs.

While Undertow isn’t purely a one-man show, publisher Michael Kelly is the guiding acquiring and editorial eye on all books. “I always liked the literary sort of horror, weird fiction, and I wasn’t seeing it published.” As his inspirations, he cites the writers he was reading in 2009, around the time he started the press, "things like Arthur Machen, Oliver Onions, Walter De la Mare, Violet Paget.” Kelly was also reading Britain-based magazines such as Black Static and Supernatural Tales, pages that would introduce him to the authors he would eventually publish.

The press’s business operations began in his basement, and remain there, although the initial one-book-a-year output has grown to seven scheduled for 2020 and six planned for 2021. The prestigious small publishers of supernatural fiction that dot Britain and Ireland quickly recognized a peer in Kelly. Brian J. Showers, who runs Dublin’s Swan River Press, points to Kelly’s specific vision as a defining strength: “Michael Kelly guides Undertow with both taste and style, and with a dedication characteristic of only the very best small presses.”

Kelly, who is now focusing on Undertow full-time after his recent retirement from a 30-year career at the Toronto Star that ranged from the darkroom to syndicated sales, knew that keeping an eye on scale would be a crucial part of Undertow’s continued existence.

“I was reading stuff that really intrigued me in the small press, niche stuff, but there were only a couple of venues. I did my first anthology in 2009, and it was called Apparitions. Really – copies of the book were terrible. It was on very white, photocopy paper, done at one of those Espresso Book Machines – I knew a guy at McMaster who ran one. It was a bound book, but poorly bound.”

Despite the humble appearance of this first offering from a press that would soon be known for their beautifully designed and printed trade paperbacks, overseen by art director Vince Haig, Apparitions was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. The prestigious American award is well known to genre fans, and Undertow was quickly noticed by both readers and writers eager for a new venue for their weird fiction interests. But Kelly continued to grow the press slowly, guided by his own tastes and reading. Short-story collections – anthologies or single-author collections – form almost the entirety of Undertow’s output. One anthology series, Shadows and Tall Trees, has been going since the second year of the press’s existence, with the latest edition garnering awards recognition and the eighth volume appearing as Undertow’s first 2020 publication.

For years, Kelly has been finding authors in small magazines, online and in print – and while Undertow is a Canadian small-press success story, Kelly isn’t willing to let borders dictate what he’s going to publish. “I have published Canadian authors – Simon Strantzas, and Helen Marshall, and this year I’m publishing Richard Gavin. But I don’t do enough to get grant money, and I sort of want to publish what I want to publish.” Strantzas is a Canadian weird-fiction fixture, and his contribution to Shadows and Tall Trees 8 is definitively weird: “The Somnambulists” is the story of a hotel constructed from collaborative dreams. It’s a fantastical concept anchored by banality – a Ministry hotel inspector is being taken on a tour of the hotel – but even the dullness of the inspector’s official function doesn’t protect him from the creeping atmosphere of the place, and the possibility that his own family may be deeply involved in the dream that he is touring.

In selecting individual stories and collections, Kelly lets excitement guide him, as it did in the case of Kay Chronister, a young American writer whose first collection emerges from Undertow in March.

“Kay published a story I read online in a magazine called Shimmer that’s not around anymore. It was called ‘The Fifth Gable,’ and it knocked me flat. Last year, she had a story appear in Black Static, called ‘Roiling and Without Form.’ So I reached out to her, and asked her if she had any others, and she did.” Chronister’s stories, wide-ranging as they are, often seat horror in patriarchal traps of marriage and domestic expectations, while other elements in the same stories draw on horror mainstays such as witchcraft and or hereditary curses. As with other Undertow books, it’s the prose – in Chronister’s case, rich, descriptive, clean and never-purple prose – that melds horror elements that could work in a Hammer film with thematic content that would be at home in a New Yorker short story.

Kelly’s patience in growing his publishing list from year to year has also helped him wait on authors he particularly wanted. Priya Sharma, a UK-based writer who also works as a doctor, had been publishing stories for almost a decade before Undertow Press put out her first collection, All the Fabulous Beasts. “I was bugging her for years, then I gave up,” Kelly says. “Then, eventually, she emailed me. That book did very well.” Sharma’s collection won both the British Fantasy Award and Shirley Jackson Award, and the book is Undertow’s best-selling single-author collection.Unable to offer the large advances of a trade publisher, Kelly is also emphatic about leaving all ancillary rights with his authors. “We don’t take any audio rights, film rights – some of these presses grab everything they can.” In an era where industries from podcasts to film are hungry for intellectual property, keeping these rights author-exclusive matters, and Undertow’s books have attracted the interest of scouts from Netflix, among other companies.

“I’ve never put any commercial thinking into the press. I don’t look at a writer and think I want to publish them because they’ll sell a lot of books. I publish books that I want to read.” In addition to Haig, the Undertow team is rounded out by two family members – Courtney Kelly, Michael’s publishing-program graduate daughter, who works on typesetting, interior layout and design, and Carolyn Macdonell-Kelly, Michael’s wife, who takes on proofreading and bookkeeping duties, in addition to joining him in the ever-important sales efforts of the press. Kelly is currently trying to buck the enforced reliance that many small presses have on a particular online behemoth.

“I have to sort of play ball with Amazon, which drives me crazy, but otherwise the books don’t get any distribution. As a small press, I’m sending out stuff to independent bookstores all the time, trying to get them to stock the books … percentage-wise, probably about 70 per cent of my sales are Amazon. I do have quite a few loyal customers – my e-mail list is close to 1,000 – and I have loyal readers who will buy all of my stuff directly.”

Kelly is excited to expand the range of horror subgenres Undertow publishes, moving beyond the subtle, literary weird that they are known for. Kelly describes a forthcoming collection by Steve Topes as “visceral, straight-out horror. Not really what I usually publish, but he does it so well. The writing is so descriptive, I liked it.” And Undertow is contributing to a longstanding horror subgenre with a coming collection of ghost stories from A.C. Wise, a Canadian who lives in the United States. Wise was excited at the chance to have a book with a press she’d long admired. “Simply put, Undertow publishes gorgeous books. When Michael approached me about doing a collection, I jumped at the chance, knowing the care that goes into everything he produces.”

Coinciding with Kelly’s full-time commitment to Undertow is a change in how the press sources its publications: They recently opened to submissions for the first time, and received hundreds of manuscripts. But Kelly’s efforts to move toward publishing novels instead of the short fiction that the press established itself with have not been altogether successful, yet. “We got hundreds of submissions, and only three of them were novels. We’re known for our short-story collections [and our anthologies], so that’s what we got. We were surprised, because we specifically asked for novels and novellas. Three novels, two novellas … and the rest were short-story collections.”

What hasn’t changed is Undertow’s selection process, as Kelly admits. “We ended up taking one novella and three short-story collections. We didn’t like any of the novels … and by ‘we,’ I mean me.”

#self promo

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notimetoblog · 5 years

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Thank you all so much for joining the World Book Day celebration! It was a pleasure getting to hear about your favorite books! I am a fervent believer that reading is so powerful. It expands your minds, takes you to places you had never even imagined, and can teach you so much about the world and ourselves.

I have compiled the list (in alphabetical order by title) of all the books that were recommended during this celebration. Each book links to the original recommendation, states the genre of the book, and has a brief synopsis of the book :D

If you would like to recommend more PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO!! We could always use more books in our lives!! Thank you all again and I hope you’re able to read some books on the list that you haven't read before!

BOOK RECS

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Young Adult / Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fiction / Adventure / Classics

Synopsis: One ill-fated evening at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg rashly bets his companions £20,000 that he can travel around the entire globe in just eighty days - and he is determined not to lose. Breaking the well-establised routine of his daily life, the reserved Englishman immediately sets off for Dover, accompanied by his hot-blooded French manservant Passepartout. Travelling by train, steamship, sailing boat, sledge and even elephant, they must overcome storms, kidnappings, natural disasters, Sioux attacks and the dogged Inspector Fix of Scotland Yard - who believes that Fogg has robbed the Bank of England - to win the extraordinary wager.

Burn for Burn Series by Jenny Han

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible. With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

Code Name Verity By Elizabeth Wein

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Oct. 11th, 1943 - A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South by Anne Moody

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Memoir / History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was...the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.

Crazy Rich Asians Series by Kevin Kwan

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis (of first book): the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: It begins in a cold and shabby tower room, where young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill prepared, a war that threatens the homes and lives of the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, when the bloody fighting is done and a fragile peace is at hand. Although she wants to turn her back on politics and the crown, Meliara is summoned to the royal palace. There, she soon discovers, friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting--with wit and words and secret alliances. In war, at least, she knew whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Recommended by @rosegoldlilacs here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world.How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Classics / Fiction / Fantasy

Synopsis: Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Recommended by @softhairbarnes here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Thriller

Synopsis: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Harry Potter Saga by J.K Rowling

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here / First book recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. Generation after generation, Yaa Gyasi's magisterial first novel sets the fate of the individual against the obliterating movements of time

How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City by Joan DeJean

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into the modern and mythic city we know today.Though most people associate the signature characteristics of Paris with the public works of the nineteenth century, Joan DeJean demonstrates that the Parisian model for urban space was in fact invented two centuries earlier, when the first complete design for the French capital was drawn up and implemented.

Love Style Life by Garance Doré

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Fashion

Synopsis: Garance Doré, the voice and vision behind her eponymous blog, has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her fresh and appealing approach to style through storytelling. This gorgeously illustrated book takes readers on a unique narrative journey that blends Garance’s inimitable photography and illustrations with the candid, hard-won wisdom drawn from her life and her travels. Infused with her Left Bank sensibility, the eclecticism of her adopted city of New York, and the wild, passionate spirit of her native Corsica, Love Style Life is a backstage pass behind fashion’s frontlines, peppered with French-girl-next-door wit and advice on everything from mixing J.Crew with Chanel, to falling in love, to pursuing a life and career that is the perfect reflection of you.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Cultural

Synopsis: This leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by @chocochipcookieyum here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: A story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it -- from garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Recommended by @gamorazenn here / by @agentpegcxrter here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Romance / Classics

Synopsis: The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis: Tsukiko is drinking alone in her local sake bar when by chance she meets one of her old high school teachers and, unable to remember his name, she falls back into her old habit of calling him 'Sensei'. After this first encounter, Tsukiko and Sensei continue to meet. Together, they share edamame beans, bottles of cold beer, and a trip to the mountains to eat wild mushrooms. As their friendship deepens, Tsukiko comes to realise that the solace she has found with Sensei might be something more.

Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle

Recommended by @thesaltyduchess here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Science Fiction

Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry shouts out an ancient rune meant to ward off the dark in desperation, a radiant creature appears. It is Gaudior, unicorn and time traveler. Charles Wallace and Gaudior must travel into the past on the winds of time to try to find a Might-Have-Been - a moment in the past when the entire course of events leading to the present can be changed, and the future of Earth - this small, swiftly tilting planet - saved.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Recommended by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Crime / Classics / Short Stories

Synopsis: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It was first published on 14 October 1892; the individual stories had been serialized in The Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892. The stories are not in chronological order, and the only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.

The Bean Trees by Barbara King

Recommended by @nerdgirljen in a comment here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Classics

Synopsis: Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Recommended by @notimetoblog here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

Recommended by @lunardanvers here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Fiction / Mythology / Fantasy

Synopsis: The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr

The Immortal Rules Series by Julie Kagawa

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Paranormal

Synopsis: Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Recommended by @redandpurpleskies here

Genre: Science Fiction / Classic

Synopsis: The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.

The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Classics

Synopsis: The story is told through the eyes of Kazuko, the unmarried daughter of a widowed aristocrat. Her search for self meaning in a society devoid of use for her forms the crux of the novel. It is a sad story, and structurally is a novel very much within the confines of the Japanese take on the novel in a way reminiscent of authors such as Nobel Prize winner Yasunori Kawabata – the social interactions are peripheral and understated, nuances must be drawn, and for readers more used to Western novelistic forms this comes across as being rather wishy-washy. Kazuko’s mother falls ill, and due to their financial circumstances they are forced to take a cottage in the countryside. Her brother, who became addicted to opium during the war is missing. When he returns, Kazuko attempts to form a liaison with the novelist Uehara. This romantic displacement only furthers to deepen her alienation from society.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Recommended by @consttantina here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Fantasy / LGBT / Romance

Synopsis: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis: The Song of the Lioness quartet is the adventurous story of one girl's journey to overcome the obstacles facing her, become a valiant knight, and save Tortall from conquest. Alanna douses her female identity to begin her training in Alanna: The First Adventure, and when she gains squire status in In the Hand of the Goddess, her growing abilities make her a few friends -- and many enemies. Books 3 and 4 complete Alanna's adventure and secure her legend, with the new knight errant taking on desert tribesmen in The Woman Who Rides like a Man and seeking out the powerful Dominion Jewel in Lioness Rampant.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

#our world book day celebration

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nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany · 5 years

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How the Government Can Steal Your Stuff: 6 Questions About Civil Asset Forfeiture Answered

Digital Elixir How the Government Can Steal Your Stuff: 6 Questions About Civil Asset Forfeiture Answered

By Nora V. Demleitner, Professor of Criminal and Comparative Law, Washington and Lee University. Originally published at The Conversation

1. What Is Civil Asset Forfeiture?

Civil asset forfeiture laws let authorities, such as federal marshals or local sheriffs, seize property – cash, a house, a car, a cellphone – that they suspect is involved in criminal activity. Seizures run the gamut from 12 cans of peas to multi-million-dollar yachts.

The federal government confiscated assets worth a total of about US$28 billion during the decade ending in 2016, Justice Department data indicate.

In contrast to criminal forfeiture, which requires that the property owner be convicted of a crime beforehand, the civil variety doesn’t require that the suspect be charged with breaking the law.

Three Justice Department agencies – the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – do most of this confiscating. Most states also permit local prosecutors to take personal property from people who haven’t been charged with a crime. However, some states have begun to limit that practice.

Even when there are restrictions on when and how local and state authorities can seize property, they can circumvent those limits if the federal government “adopts” the impounded assets.

For a federal agency to do so requires the alleged misconduct to violate federal law. Local agencies get up to 80% of the shared proceeds back, with the federal agency keeping the rest. The divvying-up is known officially as “equitable sharing.” Crime victims may also get a cut from the proceeds of civil forfeiture.

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John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ segment on civil asset forfeiture in 2014 used humor to help viewers understand the practice.

2. Can People Get Their Stuff Back?

Technically, the government must demonstrate that the property has something to do with a crime. In reality, property owners in most statesmust prove that they legally acquired their confiscated belongings to get them returned. This means the burden is on the owners to dispute these seizures in court. Court challenges tend to arise only when something of great value, like a house, is at stake.

Unless an owner challenges a seizure and effectively proves his innocence in court, the agency that took the property is free to keep the proceeds once the assets are liquidated.

Many low-income people don’t use bank accounts or credit cards. They carry cash instead. If they lose their life savings at a traffic stop, they can’t afford to hire a lawyer to dispute the seizure, the Center for American Progress – a liberal think tank – has observed.

And disputing civil forfeitures is hard everywhere. Some states require a cash bond; others add a penalty payment should the owner lose. The process is expensive, time-consuming and lengthy, deterring even innocent owners.

There’s no comprehensive data regarding how many people get their stuff back. But over the 10 years ending in September 2016, about 8% of all property owners who had cash seized from them by the DEA had it returned, according to a report from the Justice Department’s inspector general.

3. Who Opposes the Practice?

Many conservatives and progressives dislike civil asset forfeiture. Politicians on the left and right have voiced concerns about the incentives this practice gives law enforcement to abuse its authority.

Critics across the political spectrum also question whether different aspects of civil asset forfeiture violate the Fifth Amendment, which says the government can’t deprive anyone of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” or is unconstitutional for other reasons.

Until now, the Supreme Court and lower courts, however, have consistently upheld civil asset forfeitures when ruling on challenges launched under the Fifth Amendment. The same goes for challengesunder the Eighth Amendment, which bars “excessive fines” and “cruel and unusual punishments,” and the 14th Amendment, which forbids depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

In 2019, the Supreme Court unanimously found for the first time that these constitutional protections against excessive fines apply not just to the federal authorities but to the states as well.

Some concerns resonate more strongly for different ideological camps. Conservatives object mostly about how this impounding undermines property rights.

Liberals are outraged that the poor and communities of color tend to be disproportionately targeted, often causing great hardship to people accused of minor wrongdoing.

Another common critique: The practice encourages overpolicing intended to pad police budgets or accommodate tax cuts. Revenue from civil asset forfeitures can amount to a substantial percentage of local police budgets, according to a Drug Policy Alliance study of this practice in California. This kind of policing can undermine police-community relations.

The Justice Department’s guidelines state that forfeitures “punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities.”

However, the Inspector General’s office noted “without evaluating data more systemically, it is impossible for the Department to determine … whether seizures benefit law enforcement efforts, such as advancing criminal investigations and deterring future criminal activity.”

4. What Is the Scale of This Confiscation?

The federal revenue raised through this practice, which emerged in the 1970s, mushroomed from $94 million in 1986 to a high of $4.5 billion in 2014, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department says it returned more than $4 billion in forfeited funds to crime victims between 2000 and 2016, while handing state and local law enforcement entities at least $6 billion through “equitable sharing.”

The scale of seizures on the state and local level is less clear.

5. What Happened During the Obama and Trump Administrations?

Under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, the Obama-era Justice Department determined that civil asset forfeiture was more about making money than public safety. It then changed the guidelines for asset adoption.

Beginning in 2015, joint state-federal task forces could continue to share forfeiture proceeds but state agencies were no longer permitted to ask the federal government to forfeit property they had taken on their own.

“I love that program,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in 2017. “We had so much fun doing that, taking drug dealers’ money and passing it out to people trying to put drug dealers in jail. What’s wrong with that?”

Attorney General William Barr, Sessions’ successor in the Trump administration, has also defended this policy.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions has expressed astonishment regarding the unpopularity of civil asset forfeiture.

6. Congress and the States

When Sessions changed the policy, legislative changes seemed possible. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sent Sessions a memo about how the federal funds obtained from seizures were wasted and misused. In some cases, Grassley wrote, the government provided “misleading details about some of these expenditures.”

The House of Representatives voted in 2017 for an amendment that would restrict civil asset forfeiture adoption.

The House also approved a bipartisan measure restricting civil forfeiture on June 20, 2019. This one goes further though and would substantially curtail the federal government’s powers.

State governments have also tried to discourage this kind of confiscation. New Mexico, Nebraska and North Carolina have banned civil forfeiture. Michigan has made it easier to challenge these seizures. Californialimited equitable sharing, and other states have increased the burden of proof the government must meet. But in many states, investigative reporting has shown that innocent owners continue to lose their property.

In a Georgia Law Review article, I gave examples of other ways to keep police departments and municipalities funded, such as increasing fines and fees.

Unless the police pursue some alternatives, funding woes will continue to contribute to abusive policing practices that fall most heavily on those who can the least afford them: the poor and communities of color.

How the Government Can Steal Your Stuff: 6 Questions About Civil Asset Forfeiture Answered

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the-archlich · 5 years

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The Hanzhong Campaign

One of the most storied campaigns of the Three Kingdoms era, the Hanzhong Campaign is also one of the ones most obscured by fictionalization and misrepresentation. It was the high point of Liu Bei’s career, and it ended with Shu at its maximal extent. Although the state would soon be reduced dramatically by the loss of Jing province, it would continue to hold Hanzhong until its conquest by Wei in 263.

The struggle for Hanzhong began in 217. Fa Zheng discussed matters with Liu Bei and noted that while Cao Cao subjugated Zhang Lu quickly (in 215), he didn't follow up on this momentum. Instead, he left Xiahou Yuan to defend the region and returned home. Fa Zheng believed that rather than this being evidence that Cao Cao's army lacked strength, it meant that Cao Cao was concerned elsewhere. On that assumption, Fa Zheng believed it would be possible to defeat Xiahou Yuan and claim Hanzhong, which would greatly strengthen Liu Bei's power. From there, they could slowly claim parts of Yong and Liang to expand, or at least hold a firm position in Hanzhong to preserve their state.[1] Previously, the official Huang Quan offered a similar suggestion.[2]

Two mystics named Zhou Qun and Zhang Yu predicted that the campaign would be, at most, halfway successful.[3] Liu Bei disregarded their warnings and accepted Fa Zheng's argument. Fa Zheng accompanied the army as Liu Bei's chief adviser.[4]

The army mobilized in 218, with Liu Bei sending two generals named Wu Lan and Lei Tong to capture Wudu. Liu Bei himself camped at Yangping with his main army.[5] Zhang Fei and Ma Chao were sent to support this force. In response, Cao Cao dispatched an army under Cao Hong to deal with them.[6] With Cao Hong were Cao Zhen[7] and Xin Pi,[8] with Cao Xiu serving as Cao Hong’s lead adviser. Zhang Fei camped at Gushan and made it known that he intended to cut off Cao Hong's army from the rear. However, Cao Xiu reasoned that if Zhang Fei was actually going to do that, he would advance in secret. He surmised that Zhang Fei's actions were a feint and that Wu Lan should be dealt with quickly. Cao Hong followed Cao Xiu's advice and attacked Wu Lan at Xiaban. Wu Lan was soundly defeated. Zhang Fei and Ma Chao retreated.[9] In the battle at Xiaban, Wu Lan’s general Ren Kai was killed. Wu Lan himself fled to the local tribes, where a leader called Qiangduan executed him. He then sent the head to Cao Cao as a token of submission. Zhang Fei and Ma Chao rejoined Liu Bei in Hanzhong.[10]

During the operations in Wudu, the battle in Hanzhong continued. Liu Bei and Xiahou Yuan fought repeatedly throughout the year.[11] One of the most important of these clashes was between Xu Huang and Liu Bei’s general Chen Shi. Chen Shi was dispatched with a large division to cut off Mamingge Road, but Xu Huang intercepted him and easily defeated him. Chen Shi’s soldiers were so thoroughly beaten that many attempted to escape by throwing themselves into the valleys, resulting in many deaths.[12] Another clash took place between Liu Bei and Zhang He, who was camped at Guangshi. Liu Bei attempted a night raid on Zhang He’s position, but Zhang He fended him off.[13]

Meanwhile, Cao Cao gathered a large army and slowly made his way towards Hanzhong. He began mobilizing in early autumn. By the end of the season, he reached Chang’an, where he halted.[14]

As the year turned, the campaign started to go in Liu Bei’s favor. He began by advancing from Yangping, across the Mian River, and taking up a position at Mount Dingjun. Xiahou Yuan brought his soldiers to nearby Zouma Valley to oppose him.[15] Zhang He appears to have joined him there. In the night, Liu Bei dispatched men to set fire to Xiahou Yuan’s camp. Xiahou Yuan sent Zhang He to defend the eastern side, while he personally commanded the southern defenses. Zhang He found himself struggling against Liu Bei’s attack, so Xiahou Yuan sent half of his soldiers to reinforce Zhang He, defending the south with a limited force.[16] Fa Zheng observed the army’s movements and determined that Liu Bei could strike a decisive blow against Xiahou Yuan.[17] Huang Zhong led the advance and struck Xiahou Yuan from the high ground. Xiahou Yuan was killed in the attack, along with one Zhao Yu, who Cao Cao had appointed as nominal Inspector of Yi.[18] Xiahou Yuan’s 13-year-old son Xiahou Rong was with him. He refused to abandon his father when the attack came and was also killed in battle.[19]

At that time, Xiahou Yuan’s major was Guo Huai. He was ill at the time of the battle, so he did not participate. As a result, he was not killed along with Xiahou Yuan. He collected the remnants of Xiahou Yuan’s army and led them to Zhang He, who became their commander.[20] Zhang He rallied the troops and set their defenses in order, soothing the panic that had set in at Xiahou Yuan’s death.[21]

Liu Bei sought to follow up on his victory the very next day by forcing a crossing of the Han river. The assorted generals wanted to meet Liu Bei at the river itself, but Guo Huai believed that would show their weakness and would not be sufficient to halt Liu Bei’s advance. Instead, he suggested taking a position some distance from the river so that Liu Bei would have to cross to fight them. They could then strike while the river divided his army. Zhang He followed this advice. Liu Bei observed the situation and, perceiving Guo Huai’s plan, did not advance.[22]

The situation remained at a stalemate for the next several months. Cao Cao sent Cao Zhen ahead of his main army to reinforce the defenders. He joined with Xu Huang, and together they defeated one of Liu Bei’s divisions under Gao Xiang.[23] Cao Cao himself mobilized in the third month of the year, marching from Chang’an to Xie valley, following the border of Hanzhong before entering it near Yangping. Rather than march forth to meet Cao Cao, Liu Bei simply maintained his defensive position.[24]

Appended to the SGZ biography of Fa Zheng is an account of his heroism in one particular skirmish. However, the source of this story is unclear so its authenticity cannot be verified. Accordingly: One of these defensive battles went poorly for Liu Bei. He found himself in a bad position and needed to retreat, but Liu Bei stubbornly refused to do so. His attendants dared not insist upon it even though their position was sustaining heavy fire from arrows. Fa Zheng came forward and stood in front of Liu Bei. Liu Bei warned him to avoid the arrows, and Fa Zheng responded by pointing out that Liu Bei himself wasn’t doing so. Liu Bei was thus persuaded to retreat.[25]

Another dubious account of the battles during this time comes from the Zhao Yun Biezhuan. The author of this work is unknown and it contains a number of factual errors and contradictions, so the accuracy of any given passage is subject to doubt. Nevertheless: Huang Zhong led a detachment to intercept a supply convoy bound for Cao Cao’s camp. Zhao Yun became concerned when Huang Zhong did not return when expected, so he took a small force to locate him. He soon came upon Cao Cao’s main army. Zhao Yun did battle with Cao Cao’s vanguard, who quickly received a large influx of reinforcements, forcing Zhao Yun to retreat. Though surrounded, Zhao Yun broke through the encirclement. However, his subordinate Zhang Zhu was injured and left behind, so Zhao Yun fought his way back through to rescue him. They then returned to Zhao Yun’s camp, pursued by Cao Cao’s main army. Realizing that he could not win such a battle, Zhao Yun attempted a deception. He ordered that the gates be opened, the flags be removed, and the drums quieted. When Cao Cao arrived at the camp, he suspected an ambush and retreated instead of attacking. As Cao Cao was retreating, Zhao Yun attacked, killing many of Cao Cao’s soldiers.[26]

The ZYBZ passage says that Zhao Yun’s camp was also defended by Zhang Yi 张翼 and incorrectly names him as the sheriff 长 of Mianyang 沔阳. Zhang Yi’s biography[27] says that he was made sheriff of Jiangyang around 219. 江阳. There can be no doubt that Mianyang is an error for Jiangyang.

Aside from these two suspect accounts, little is recorded of the fighting between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. During this time, Cao Cao sent Cao Zhen to Wudu, where he recalled Cao Hong and had him take up a fallback position at Chencang.[28] During the next two months, many soldiers defected from Cao Cao’s army. Ultimately, he was unable to dislodge Liu Bei and decided to retreat.[29] He began leading the army back to Chang’an in the fifth month of the year.[30]

Cao Cao worried that Liu Bei would join with the Di tribes in Wudu and threaten the west. His inspector of Yong, Zhang Ji, advised him to relocate the tribes of the region. He suggested encouraging the tribes to move north to help harvest that year’s crop, offering generous rewards to those who arrived first. Cao Cao approved of this plan and sent Zhang Ji to Wudu. He subsequently relocated fifty thousand people.[31] Around this time, Cao Cao sent Zhang He to join Cao Hong at Chencang, fortifying his defenses there.[32]

When Cao Cao initially took Hanzhong in 215, he made some rearrangements. The eastern counties of Anyang and Xicheng became a new commandery called Xicheng. Xi county became the new commandery of Shangyong.[33] At some time, Cao Cao also established the commandery of Fangling in the area.[34] After Liu Bei conquered Yi in 214, Fa Zheng’s friend Meng Da was made executor of Yidu, with his headquarters at Zigui.[35]

Following Cao Cao’s retreat from Hanzhong, Liu Bei sought to secure the eastern portion of the region. He sent Li Yan, Liu feng, and Meng Da to attack Shangyong.[36] Meng Da advanced north from Zigui and attacked Fangling, where he killed the local administrator Kuai Qi. Liu Bei worried that he couldn’t trust Meng Da, so he ordered Liu Feng to join him in attacking Shangyong. As the two armies converged on the city, the local administrator Shen Dan surrendered, sending his family to Liu Bei as hostages. Shen Dan was allowed to keep his position and his brother Shen Yi was made executor of Xicheng.[37]

With this, Liu Bei was in complete control of the entire Hanzhong region. The end of the campaign was followed with rewards and promotions all around, with Liu Bei himself taking the title King of Hanzhong. Shu was never more powerful than it was in that moment.

This success was short-lived. Only months later, Guan Yu would begin a disastrous campaign that would end with Shu losing control of Jing province entirely. Efforts to retake portions of Jing in 221 and 222 were unsuccessful, and Shu would never again hold territory beyond the traditional borders of Yi province. In 220, Meng Da would defect to Wei, taking eastern Hanzhong with him. The western half of the region, however, would remain in Shu’s hands for the rest of its existence, serving as a defensive bulwark that would turn back Wei in 230 and 244. On those occasions, the state owed its existence to the success of this campaign.

1. SGZ 37.2 2. SGZ 43.1 3. SGZ 42.2 4. SGZ 37.2 5. SGZ 32 6. SGZ 1 7. SGZ 9.6 8. SGZ 25.1 9. SGZ 9.5 10. SGZ 1 11. SGZ 9.2 12. SGZ 17.5 13. SGZ 17.4 14. SGZ 1 15. SGZ 32 16. SGZ 9.2 17. SGZ 37.2 18. SGZ 32 19. Wèi Jìn Shìyù 魏晋世语; SGZ 9.2 20. SGZ 26.4 21. SGZ 17.4 22. SGZ 26.4 23. SGZ 9.6 24. SGZ 1 25. Pei Songzhi; SGZ 37.2 26. Zhào Yún Biézhuàn 赵云别传; SGZ 36.5 27. SGZ 45.2 28. SGZ 9.6 29. SGZ 32 30. SGZ 1 31. SGZ 15.4 32. SGZ 17.4 33. SGZ 1 34. SGZ 40.1, where it is referred to as such. 35. SGZ 40.1 36. SGZ 32 37. SGZ 40.1

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