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dabistits · 4 years

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To talk about Twice and villainy is to talk about class and criminality (III)

Masterpost

Class in BNHA

Returning to my earlier point that BNHA should be read alongside the social concerns of real-world Japan, I want to note that these events almost surely affected and remained within Horikoshi’s awareness. Horikoshi was born in 1986, and thus lived through the economic downturns of the 90′s and 2000′s as a child and young adult. In 2010 when Sugimoto’s article was published—not in the least the first of its kind—Horikoshi was 24 years-old, more than old enough to remember the public discourses about Japan’s kakusa shakai. In 2008, only two years earlier, an award-winning film dealing with the financial struggles of a Tokyo family, Tokyo Sonata, was released, and 2012 saw an infamous starvation case involving a family that made international headlines. In 2014, BNHA began serialization. Without speculating on the political leanings of the author himself, it seems remiss not to posit the likelihood that these events and the atmosphere they engendered can be connected to Horikoshi’s writing and the kind of story he intends to tell. While BNHA isn’t what I’d necessarily call class-conscious, the ways it delves into class is noticeable even outside of Jin’s backstory and are worth a discussion.

If not exactly class-conscious, there nevertheless seems to be an awareness of class in BNHA. Not even our heroes are able to fully escape it, and in 1-A, there are small distinctions drawn between the experiences of more wealthy students and ones that are less well-off. For example, Yaoyorozu Momo wows classmates with her stately house, brings expensive furniture into the dorms, and exhibits naïve joy at shopping at an outlet store; Todoroki Shouto’s family home was shown to be a large, traditional residence, and a secondary house has since been built on the income of his formerly abusive, currently estranged father. Both students come from established hero families, and both were admitted to U.A. based on recommendation. On the other hand, Uraraka Ochako comes from a working-class family, and explains that a big part of her decision to become a hero is to support her parents’ business. She’s also been shown to be amazed at U.A.’s dorm facilities, and has frequent jokes made about her thriftiness in bonus material. When it comes to villains, these issues manifest with much more distinctiveness. Aside from Jin, a couple members of the Shie Hassaikai also bring up issues of class and exploitation when they explain their decision to join Overhaul: one was indebted, and the other had his Quirk exploited by an unethical boss. When Overhaul found them, they were “rotting away on the streets.”

On another level, BNHA is certainly hierarchy-conscious. As I’ve brought up before, many of the antagonist groups we see are strictly hierarchal, and more importantly, the lower-ranking members are often commanded to live and die according to their leader’s desires. From the members of the Shie Hassaikai to the Meta Liberation Army, we continuously see them lending their bodies and Quirks to the causes of their superiors, only to be discarded at the most opportune moments: Overhaul directly uses one of his followers as a meat shield, and the Meta Liberation Army decides to put their members in the path of danger, just to steal some glory from the LOV. Geten, from the MLA, has no qualms about enacting such wide-scale destruction that the members of his own organization get caught in the crossfire.

It seems relevant to mention that Yotsubashi Rikiya “Redestro,” the wealthy CEO of Detnerat and successor to the revolutionary Destro, makes his official appearance in the series through an advertisement, a medium tied to the capitalist drive for production and consumerism. Advertisements can also be understood as a medium for misrepresentation, an idealized image created to maximize sales, and sure enough, Redestro’s friendly façade gives way when he kills his assistant, Miyashita, for a mildly disparaging comment about Destro’s ideals. Before the murder, Redestro asks Miyashita whether he has a family or a significant other, making sure that his absence will not be missed, but the pointed question also seems to work as a stand-in for the invisibility of those who “serve” the rich, who can be discarded without hardly a blink of an eye. Miyashita, despite his proximity to wealth and to the wealthy, despite being on all counts a hardworking, model employee, remains expendable in the eyes of his boss. Furthermore, this act of violence occurs not in the supposedly crime-ridden streets—it happens in a swanky office building, where both killer and victim are supposedly working in civilian capacities. It suggests that hierarchies are not something that only belong in the villain world, but that these cycles of exploitation and expendability proliferate throughout society down to our offices and homes.

Quirks as determiners of worth.

In fact, home is where we bear witness to one of the greatest feats of exploitation: in the marriage between Rei and her abuser. Of course, the greatest foundation in this dynamic is patriarchy, wherein the woman is treated like the property of her husband, but there’s a subtle twist in this arrangement thanks to the introduction of Quirks. Rei’s marriage was not simply considered an “arranged marriage,” but specifically a “Quirk marriage” meant to strengthen the Quirks of the following generation by choosing a suitable partner. The Quirk marriage between Rei and her abuser was facilitated by his wealth and fame—acquired through his work in the line of pro heroes—therefore placing a price tag on her Quirk and on her person. I consider this to be an indication of the commodification of Quirks—“commodity” meaning roughly, in the Marxist sense, something that can be “bought or sold” or “exchanged in the market.”

Of course, the horrific thing about purchasing Quirks is they are attached to humans. Quirks are genetic mutations, and are stated in-text to specifically be biological attributes; without a human with the appropriate genetic mutation, a specific Quirk doesn’t exist. If the past serves as any lesson, it’s likely that as Quirks (and the humans who wield them) began to be seen as increasingly valuable, the ruling class soon caught on to the fact that Quirks needed to be controlled, regulated, and diverted to serve the interests of capital. Thus, Quirk regulations were born to prevent a potentially cataclysmic disruption to the means of production, as were pro heroes—a superpowered arm of law enforcement to deal with superpowered criminals. Contemporarily, heroes are largely those whose Quirks are considered the most valuable, and they’re paid for wielding said Quirks in defense of the rule of law; in other words, they sell their Quirk-wielding expertise. While Quirks themselves can’t yet be bought and sold (at least not on a wide scale), the humans attached to them can be.

This leads to yet another societal dysfunction. Because some Quirks are considered more valuable than others, and because Quirks are attached to persons, some people are considered more valuable than others. This comes through even more clearly in the original Japanese word for Quirk: 個性 (kosei). Kosei can be translated as “individuality” but also as “personality” or “character,” e.g. she has a strong personality (kosei), [source] a meaning that inevitably implicates the human behind the personality. But in the world of BNHA, a strong kosei no longer simply means a strong personality—it can also mean a strong Quirk. In the linguistic realm, personality and Quirk have become indistinguishable, and this has two effects: one, Quirks are presumed to influence personality (as in the cases of Toga and Shinsou), and two, that which makes us individual, our personalities, has become entangled with Quirks-as-commodity. That is to say, one’s kosei determines one’s worth under capitalism.

Of course, people with “good” or “valuable” Quirks (and thus presumably “good” and “valuable” personalities) are funneled into law enforcement and encouraged to uphold the status quo—the very status quo which increases their chances of gaining wealth, fame, and prestige that they can then pass down to subsequent generations. However, the policing class must justify its existence—if there is no crime, then there’s no need for policing. In one respect, this “need” is manufactured by criminalizing poverty (as discussed above), and other harmless acts (such as drug possession), and by creating the adverse, alienated conditions in which violence is not considered only necessary, but normal for both the policing class and those who are policed. Under the classification of value, however, there’s another easy scapegoat: people with “bad” or “worthless” Quirks.

While no Quirk is explicitly criminalized, there are many Quirks that carry a stigma, including the likes of Transform and Brainwash (whose wielders are regarded with suspicion for fear of “bad” personalities); some Quirks walk the line between “criminalized” and “stigmatized” altogether. Consider the Quirk wielded by the indebted member of the Shie Hassaikai, which allows him to transfer any object on another’s person into his hands: the Quirk is called “Larceny.” The naming is telling; it draws a direct link between indebtedness/need, and theft as a crime and as a kosei. With some people presumed “destined” for crime, and those presumptions becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy as they’re shut off from opportunities for advancement, law enforcement is endowed with legitimacy. Heroes and villains become two sides of the same coin—one unable to exist without the other, both socially-constructed categories to perpetuate the ruling class.

#bubaigawara jin #jin bubaigawara #bnha meta #the exhaustive meta about i love twice

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fauxcreche · 3 years

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The Introverted salesman: The Commodification of Nessie

An Investigation

In Jeff Noon's Solace, the commodification of the protagonist is a gradual process. The question of ethics and morality around the circumstances of their commodification is what a reader is left to dissect by the end of the story. There are economic factors that favour his commodification but at the cost of his autonomy. When he creates intrigue by sharing the taste of Solace, Nesbit's commercial purpose is fulfilled. But at what cost to his humanity? The question of a human being as an advertising tool is uncomfortable to consider, but in Solace, it explores the ontological split between the product, its genesis and its forthcoming reality. To put this another way, Nesbit gradually loses his humanity in order to sell a product to those in his environment and it does work, until it does not. It is at this point that Nesbit becomes both the commodity and the target audience.

To better illustrate my position, a brief explanation of commodification in relation to a generalised ontological system is needed. Sandlin and Callahan identify that the rise of consumerist ideology has been linked in sociological and consumer behaviour to emotion (2015:83). When considering Nesbit as a commodity, his friendships are his emotional foray into selling ‘Spook’ to his peers. It is evident that these friendships are somewhat motivated by Nesbit’s economic status.

The narrator describes him as “that scrawny little brainbox with the rich parents,” and goes on to detail how Nesbit was the one who first introduced his peers to ‘Spook’, as it was not advertised; one had to already know about it in order to buy it. Within his ontological system, Nesbit is not capable of autonomy as his purpose is to sell ‘Spook’ and he does do this successfully by means of enticing his peers with the different flavour combinations that they then pay him to make for them, as they can’t achieve these combinations of their own.

There is the moral dilemma of where does Nesbit, the non-commodity begin and where does Nesbit the ‘Spook’ advertisement end? In other words, is there an autonomous Nesbit who does not need to sell or buy ‘Spook’ and what are the moral and ethical implications of the answer to this question, as far as his commodification is concerned?

Within his ontological system, Nesbit can only exist if he is preoccupied with ‘Spook’, whether that be the sale or his own purchase of it.

As Eagleton (2003:143) notes in his chapter on Morality, he says:

“Moralism believes that there is a set of questions known as moral questions which are quite distinct from social or political ones. It does not see that ‘moral’ means exploring the texture and quality of human behaviour as richly and sensitively as you can, and that you cannot do this by abstracting men and women from their social surroundings.”

Putting this quotation in context with Solace, it is clear that Nesbit cannot be separated from his ontological system when considering the questionable morality behind his commodification. I’d like to jump ahead in the story to further expand upon this point.

The narrator notes on page 22 (Noon, 2001) that it was not the taste of the flavour combinations that drove Nesbit, it was merely finding the flavours. It begins to consume him, becoming his lifeblood in many ways. As the narrator notes, there came a point where Nesbit was the only person concerned with ‘Spook’ and its different flavour combinations:

“You’d think he’d be happy to just mess with the bottles, but no, he had to drink every single bottle, even the ones that were failed experiments.

By this time the rest of us were growing up, you know. Moving on to the more sophisticated pleasures” (Noon, 2001:21-22).

It is at this point that the commodity becomes the target audience. What critically influences the gradual disinterest in ‘Spook’ in not only the growing up of Nesbit’s peers but his own spiralling, which results in not only a physical deterioration but a moral one within his ontology- it is at this point that a distinct helplessness settles not only over the reader. Nesbit’s commodification not only erodes his own autonomy but goes on to reveal the lack of ethical decisions that preceded his birth and subsequently, his adolescent and adult life. Returning to Eagleton, in order to better explain this conclusion, he explains that ethics are about excelling at being human, and this does not happen in isolation (2005:142).

It deserves mention that Nesbit’s design as a commodification falls in line with the traditional of advertisement and consumerism. The ideology of consumerism correlates with emotion management and relies on both advertising and mass media to elicit specific emotions in consumers that attract them to buy products and experiences (Sandlin & Callahan, 2015:83).

While it may have been preferable for better ethical decisions to have been taken on behalf of Nesbit, his ontological system favoured his commodification rather than his autonomy due to his parent’s poverty and their want to improve their economic position, rather naively believing that the premature sale of their child would not be detrimental to its future.

Furthermore, in becoming the target audience, his search of Solace falls in line with the emotive experience sold to him by the makers of ‘Spook’, as Nesbit knows that such a combination is possible from his previous experimentations- the narrator cites the following as evidence,

“Instead, in this really clear voice, he told me that has was searching for the solace. […] Solace. He said it might take him years to find the right way to twist the bottle cap, but he was determined to get there, even if he died doing it” (Noon, 2001:23).

His compensation is also bittersweet, as he does not have to work but he spends a lot of that compensation money on buying ‘Spook’.

In the absence of morality and ethical direction within this ontological system (although it can be argued that there is some morality within this system), by dedicating his life to finding Solace, despite how bleak his existence may seem to the reader, the experience of this search is how Nesbit finds a meagre sense of autonomy.

However by the end of the story, a new want for ‘Spook’ is subtly planted. The narrator’s interaction with Nesbit at a pub, he tells his listener about the experience of seeing Nesbit combine the six flavours and tasting Solace: He describes the scene:

“It was like watching an expert at play, like a magician or something. I tell you, I was frozen in space, as these six streams of colour[…] all started to appear in the clear liquid,”

By the end of the story, the narrator speaks of the taste of Solace with fondness. And thus, Nesbit fulfils the original purpose of his design. He is born a human commodified from an unfortunate absence of the ethics and the morality that were not possible due to an unequal distribution of power and an opportunity to further consumerism in a more insidious fashion.

Reference List

Eagleton, T. 2003. Morality (in After Theory). Penguin Books Ltd. London; England.

Noon, J. 2000. Solace (in Pixel Juice: Stories from the Avant Pulp). Anchor. Lansig; MI.

Sandlin, J.A. Callahan, J.L. 2009. Deviance, dissonance, and détournement: culture jammers use of emotion in consumer resistance. Journal of consumer culture, 9 (1):79-115.

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kingedwardvi · 3 years

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Calendar of State Papers Foreign: Edward VI 1547-1553

1549.

May 29. Antwerp. Same to same. Lazarus Tucker has had letters from Bruno to the effect that the Lord Protector and Council would bargain with him for money to be had at Frankfort, and to repay the same with tin, lead, and bell metal here.

Tucker is willing to lend his Majesty 22,500l. or thereabouts at 12 per cent. Desires to know as to the money due in September. If tin can be had for 50 shillings, it might not be amiss to send some, as it sells for 52 here. The price for kerseys cannot be stated, as people will not purchase unless they see them, the qualities varying. [Two pages.]

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[May 30 or 31.] [Greenwich.] [Sir Thomas Smith] to William Dansell. His Grace had asked why, if Dansell could supply goods cheaper than Cooke, had he not offered to do so before ? His Grace was scarcely pleased at the evil handling of the bullion by him and Thomas Gresham, so that the rumour of the great price was current before his Grace knew what was done.

Urges careful management for his Majesty's interest, so that it may seem he is merely a factor lending. Knows that his credit is better than that of any other, and dares say his practice and acquaintance is as good as that of any other, so that Smith can make no excuse for him when objections are made. [One page Draft.]

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[May?] (De Thou. i. 199.) Last page of some foreign intelligence, sine nota. Ludovico L'Armi moreover writes that the Siennese will not receive within their walls 500 Spanish infantry sent for their protection. Didacus de Mendoza, formerly the Emperor's Ambassador at Venice, has set out for Rome to exercise his functions as envoy.

He will stay some days in Sienna in order to settle affairs there by the Emperor's authority. The Emperor is endeavouring to send 5,000 foot from Spain to Italy, either designing or fearing war, or deeming Germany not yet sufficiently subdued. [Latin. Quarter of a page.]

--- [May?] [Denmark.] Sir John Borthwick to Sir Thomas Smith. Sends him a book called Saxo Grammaticus, who, considering his time, precels all his contemporaneans and conteraneans in Latin tongue; and because he mentions England and Denmark as two prosperous realms, and has their origin, he had intended to have presented to the Lord Protector for his Majesty.

Seeing the time requires greater matters, he will not perturb his Grace, but if Smith thinks it worthy to be presented to his Lord's grace, desires him heartily to present the same.

"For I have one quotidian fever which is clepit in French tongue faut d'argent, and remains in my living as testudo in concha, in prayers calling to our Master Christ, Da nobis, Domine, infunde nobis, Domine. But it is known that Christ is verity and was ever poor, and so shall sui sequaces be poor. Now I am come to presta quæsumus, and more in his danger nor ever I was; an my good Lord's grace supply me not, my sickness will encrease and come to the critical day." [One page.]

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[May?] [Denmark.] Same to same. Has inquired at James Stewart's servant when his master was with Bertiewile [Berteville], but can learn nothing except that they dined together at Mr. Comptroller's table one Sunday. Knows nothing of his life since he came into England, but no man knows better what he is than his kinsman the Earl of Lennox.

Must inform him that the King of Denmark's pursuivant has received one letter to the King his sovereign, but he laments and says he has brought letters twice to his Majesty and received nothing to help his expenses.

Has given him to understand that neither the Lord Protector nor Smith knows thereof. Has inquired as to the two brothers Robert and Alexander Lockhart; they are honest gentlemen, and, as he believes, irreprehensible. His informant was the King's servant. [One page.]

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June 2. Instructions for Sir William Paget sent to the Emperor Charles V. With reference to continued amity, the marriage of the Lady Mary with the Infanta of Portugal, the proceedings with France, the Scottish war, &c. [Twelve pages. Draft.]

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June 3. Greenwich. The Council to William Dansell. In reply to his letter of 29th May, touching the offer of Lazarus Tucker for money to be delivered at Frankfort, their meaning was not to pay him interest for the same, but to give him bell-metal or lead for it, if he would send word at what price he would take it.

If he will not advance except upon interest, they are not minded so to bargain with him. Censure him at considerable length in reference to the bullion transaction, there seeming to be discrepancies between his statement and that of Gresham. Again press, that in his negotiations for silver he will endeavour to get it in exchange for lead or bell-metal. [Two pages.]

-- June 3. Antwerp. William Dansell to Sir Thomas Smith. Had on the 29th ult. communicated the offer of Lazarus Tucker, who will not deliver the money except here, or be repaid but in this town, and in ready money only, refusing all kinds of merchandise, as lead, tin, or such like. Desires to have a full answer thereon. Has this instant received a letter from his Grace, and another from Smith containing a cipher.

His letter of the 2d of May relating to the bullion was delivered to his Grace on the 6th, and he learns that it is in the hands of Mr. Honyngs. To that letter, of which he had forwarded to him a copy, he refers for vindication of himself. Desires to know his Grace's pleasure as to the payment of Cooke for the saltpetre and harquebuses, which will amount to about 1,700l., whether by exchange or otherwise; also what order is to be taken for payment of the money due in September.

Hears that two Cardinals are coming hither from Rome to the Emperor, and that two or three have gone, or will shortly go, to Rome from the French King. [Two pages.]

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June 3. Antwerp. Same to the Lord Protector. Acknowledges his Grace's letter as to payment of Cooke for the saltpetre and harquebuses, and begs to be informed in what mode payment is to be made.

He has lately received for the King's use by order of his Grace and the Council of the account of Sharrington 1,050l., and will receive more between this and August.

Of this he has already made payments to Guevara, Schetz, &c., so that he has not above 200l. remaining; wherefore the more reason to know as to the payment of Cooke, and of the money due in September. [One page.]

--- June 11. Richmond. The Council to William Dansell. The greater part of his letter of the 3d has been answered in letters presumed by this time to have been received. If Lazarus Tucker will not let the King have money except upon interest, leave it alone.

If he can repay the money due in September with the commodities of England, so that the King may save the interest, he will do right good service; but if he cannot, let him endeavour to prevail that the amount may remain for another year at the same interest.

Should they refuse, let him borrow the amount required at as low a rate as he can against the time, that he may be able to repay the same to save his Majesty's credit.

Cooke is content to receive his money in London, so that need not be cared for. Are surprised that he should now offer to supply at a lower price than Cooke; ought to have seen to this in the first instance; beg him henceforward to espy where the King can be best and most cheaply served, as he knows his Majesty has need. [One page. Draft.]

--- June 13. Strasburg. Christopher Mount to the Lord Protector. Since he wrote on the 16th of May has been informed by letters from Wittenberg, that, at a meeting of his own and his brother Augustus' subjects, Duke Maurice harangued the preachers, urging them to increased zeal in religion.

His opinion of Maurice. Great anxiety in these parts as to the Emperor's movements. The Council of Mentz is ended, but its decisions are not yet published. Recently heard that the French King was pressing Count Christopher of Oldenburg for the transmission thither of 10,000 foot in defence of Scotland, on account of the facilities afforded by the Weser.

The Count is a brave and veteran soldier, much hated by the Emperor, because in the war he led 20 companies of foot and 1,000 horse on the Protestant side. Does not think he would forfeit his reputation by any act against England; nevertheless, as that class of men are for the most part mercenary and greedy, he will, should the Protector wish it, visit the Count, accompanied by Bernard de Mela, who is the Count's most intimate friend, and do his utmost to dissuade him from such a step.

The general opinion is that a league will be effected between the Swiss and the French, but the people of Zurich and Berne will not consent unless those who profess the same religion with them are protected against persecution.

The French King will doubtless promise everything, but will perform according to the Pope's pleasure and discretion. The aforesaid people of Zurich and Berne openly declare that they will not fight against the English. Many Spaniards go to Italy through Switzerland, discharged, as they say, by the Emperor for eight months. [Two pages. Latin.]

--- June 15. Antwerp. William Dansell to Sir Thomas Smith. Having received no answer to his letters touching the offer by Lazarus Tucker and the payment of the money in September, is desirous of knowing the Lord Protector's pleasure thereon, especially as the time draweth on. The troops raised by Captain Hugford [Hackford] and Guevara have four days since been arrested at Bruges by command of the Emperor and the Queen.

Those of Hugford are released, or shortly will be; but doubts as to those of Guevara, the matter being taken very grievously, because as he is informed, Guevara, who is presently in prison at Bruges, had allured some of the Emperor's retinue here, as well as five or six of the guard of the Duke of Saxony and other such, without licence, whereat the Emperor and Queen are much offended.

Mr. Hoby has probably already advised more fully of this matter. Desires to know the Lord Protector's pleasure whether he shall forthwith call upon Guevara's securities for the 800 crowns advanced to him, or wait to see how they intend to proceed with him. [Two pages.]

--- June 23. Brussels. Sir William Paget to the Lord Protector. Acknowledges the letters from his Grace and the Council, and, as instructed, will set forth that the French King reserves the greatest part of his forces at home in expectation of the Emperor's death, and will attend to the matter of the Count Rangone. [One page.]

--- June 24. Brussels. Same to Sir William Petre, and in his absence to Sir Thomas Smith, the King's Majesty's two principal Secretaries. Requests minute and explicit directions on several points of the instructions given to him in regard of the confirmation of treaties with the States. Desires to have "a quick despatch for these folks here; as they use no delays, so they look for speedy answers." [Two pages.] Copy of the preceding in modern hand.

--- June 24. Brussels. Same and Sir Philip Hoby to the Lord Protector. The Comptroller (Paget) arrived on Wednesday the 19th. His agree able reception by the officers of state. Had with Hoby audience of the Emperor on Saturday the 22d, being escorted to Court by Mons. de Bossut, le Grand Ecuyer, with a large retinue. Details their conference with the Emperor, and that of the following day with Granvelle, at both of which many professions of continued amity; and gives very ample particulars of the conversation between Granvelle and Paget as to the suggested marriage between the Princess Mary and the Infanta of Portugal. Had also been with the Queen of Hungary and been equally well received. [Sixteen pages. Autograph of Paget.]

--- June 30. Brussels. Same to the Lord Protector. Desires to know his Grace's pleasure as to his manner of proceeding in his mission to the Emperor, which is divisible into two branches; the first to have the former treaty confirmed, the second to engage him with them in war with France.

If the Emperor agrees to the former, his friendship may be relied upon; and if he will accept Boulogne into defence, as offered on terms of reasonable reciprocity, then, considering its present doubtful position in regard to an attack, and as he is apparently determined to fall out with the French in regard of his own affairs, he is sure to do so though England should not move therein.

According to his conduct his Grace will know how to act. It is enough if he agrees to defend Boulogne; there will be no need for moving a mutual invasion; but if he will not except upon condition of mutual invasion, rather consent than let slip the anchor hold. Desires to know his Grace's pleasure as to the matter of the marriage, since he notes "that hitherto they have given us leave to make all overtures in all points, and they only give never."

As the Emperor is advancing now in age and desires to ride easily, suggests that his Grace should, by the Lord Cobham, present him on his coming to Gravelines with six hackneys of mean stature going safely, four in the King's name and four in that of his Grace, which will be very kindly taken. "Sometimes such trifles stir more occasions of friendships than greater matters or practices do." [Three pages. Partly cipher, deciphered.]

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June 30. Brussels. Sir William Paget and Sir Philip Hoby to the Lord Protector. Give an account of their conference on the 26th with Mons. d'Arras and S. Maurice and Viglius, the two Presidents of the Council, when they partly considered the former treaty and had animated discussion on several of the Articles, particularly in relation to the jurisdiction of the Privy Council and the Admiralty, and the ratification of treaties by Parliaments. [Seven pages and a half.] Copy of the preceding in modern hand. [Seven pages.] Another copy in the same hand. [Six pages.]

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July 1. Louvain. "The tryumphante and joyffoull income given and granted unto the Dukedome off Brabandt by the Lordes off the lande and confyrmed by thempereur Charles the ffyfthe, and by hys sonne Philippe Kynge off Spayne solempnellye sworne." A translation of the deed of formal recognition by the States of Philip as their future sovereign. [Fifty-two pages.]

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July 4. Richmond. The Council to Sir William Paget. Had received his letters of the 24th and 30th ult. Commend him for having laid a good foundation and well entered the matter with the Emperor and his Council. Touching a joint invasion, they had only yesterday heard from France of the appointment of the Commissioners on the boundary question, and as although for all the fine words used, they think nothing will come out of it, they think he should forbear to move in the matter; but if the Emperor's Council should speak therein let him give ear thereto, and talk by such means and after such sort as he shall think best to feel and suck out their disposition.

For sundry causes also he will forbear pressing the comprehension of Boulogne. Could wish the covenant as to joint invasion reduced from 8,000 to 500 (sic) men. As the treaty on the King's part must be ratified by Parliament, which cannot be assembled before All Hallowtide at soonest, let him agree to Candlemas as the time for mutual confirmation of the treaties.

In the matter of the marriage, he must regulate his offers by those made on the part of the Infanta of Portugal, but in no way to exceed 100,000 crowns; if they speak no more of it, let him pass it likewise over in silence. Instruct him closely to fish out their views in regard to a bargain of Boulogne.

The late stirs in Essex, Kent, Hampshire, and Devonshire have been renewed, but are nearly suppressed; as the French are accustomed slanderously to divulge and spread these small tumults, think it right he should know the facts.

During the absence of their ships and many of the men appointed to attend on Mr. Cotton on another exploit, the island of Inchkeith which he had captured has been retaken by the Scots, with all the ordnance planted thereon. Think good to signify this also to him, because the French will (after their accustomed manner) blow much abroad. [Twelve pages. Draft.] ---

July 5. Louvain. "Coppie of the othe made by the Emperour Charles and King Philip at the investing and accepting of him in the Low Countries, contayned in the booke of theyr privileges, intituled Den Blyen incompst, which is to saye, The Joyfull Entrie, cap. 58."

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July 8. Brussels. Sir William Paget to Sir William Petre. Received his letter by Francisco last night. Is like to have here but a cold journey, for although he has sent five times for a reply to the late conferences, he is put off with fair words, and the Emperor has gone to Louvain, whence he will return to-morrow, proceeding in a day or two to Ghent.

Thinks to return shortly for any great matter he has to do here, but such as is likely to be soon concluded, namely the confirmation of the treaty, the other points of his instructions being defalked. Regrets being restrained from proceeding farther in the matter of Boulogne. Is much distressed by the rumour of things at home, which he hears in every man's mouth, and to which he knows not what to say, because he knows them to be true, and they are much better known here, he fears, than they are at the Court, "and that not by Frenchmen, but by these countrymen and our own good nation."

Wishes to know whether he shall speak farther of Boulogne, and whether he shall, "on the conclusion of the confirmation return home if they speak nothing more, or else remain here still like a cipher in algorism." Requests a reply by the bearer his servant, or else by Fletcher, whom he has desired to return to him within two or three days.

As to the appointment of judges for determining marine causes, he will follow the instructions already received, unless directed to the contrary in the next letter. Requests the Chancellor of the Duchy to be good to his servant Palmer, ranger of the chase for the maintenance of the King's game within his charge under that department. [Two pages.]

--- July 10. Copenhagen. Christian King of Denmark to King Edward VI. The complaints of his subjects, in regard to the treatment which they experience from the English, increase daily more and more. Regrets to find that both by letter and legation he has brought these before his Majesty in vain. Incloses the representation of some of his subjects, and requests that satisfaction may be given and orders issued by proclamation or otherwise, to prevent similar outrages. The Scots have also been warned. Points out the consequences should such piratical acts be persisted in. [Latin. Two pages and a half.]

--- July 12. Aloste. Sir William Paget and Sir Philip Hoby to the Lord Protector. Fifteen days having elapsed since their last conference with D'Arras, Paget sent last night to Granvelle intimating his intended departure, and desiring to know if he could be of any service to him in England.

Granvelle being confined to bed, tormented with pains in his legs, requested him to visit him at eight o'clock this morning, at which interview he sought to explain the delay by the Emperor's having been much letted by matters of importance in settling his son in those countries, disclaiming all unkindness or indifference towards the King of England, and stating that the Emperor wished Paget to meet him at Ghent, whither he would be on Sunday night at farthest.

Details at much length their conversation, in the course of which Granvelle emphatically assured him of the Emperor's regard for his Majesty, of the warning which he had given to the French, and sundry times recommended England to look to their affairs this year, and thereafter to doubt not to have assistance of friends. His talk was marvellously frank, but words cannot please except some deeds follow. The rumours of doings in England are more and more. [Nine pages.]Copies of the preceding and of the letters to the Protector of 24th and 30th June. [Twelve pages.]

---

July 12. Lubeck.188. The Deputies of the Hanse Towns and Magistrates of Lubeck to King Edward VI. Acknowledge his Majesty's letter relative to complaints made by some of his subjects against those of Dantzic, to the Council of which city they had referred the whole subject. Joint commissioners will be sent to inquire into the matters. [Latin. Broadside on vellum.]

----

July 16. Copenhagen. Christian King of Denmark to King Edward VI. Acknowledges his Majesty's letter of the 6th instant, wherein, professing amity, he complains that the Danish merchants supply his enemies with warlike subsidies. Refers to the treatment of his own subjects, who can obtain no redress: their charges are all duly and distinctly specified, those of the English are vague and indefinite. He has always maintained and desires to observe a strict neutrality, his merchants dealing alike with the Scots and the English.

It is unreasonable to require that they should have no commercial dealings with the Scots, as the Scots might with equal propriety demand of them to have no dealings with the English. His Majesty refers to the difficulty of restraining the passions of soldiers in time of war; trusts that military discipline is not so relaxed in England, but if it is, his Majesty may consider how much more difficult it is to restrain those of the Danish subjects, who can get no legitimate compensation for the atrocities committed.

Requires that preventive measures shall be adopted. The complaint of the English merchants as to impositions is unfounded: each country has a right to levy its own dues; but while his subjects are charged three or four times more, those of Denmark cannot be found fault with. [Latin. Six pages and a quarter.] Duplicate of the preceding. [Seven pages.]

--- Aug. 15. Strasburg. Christopher Mount to same. On the 16th of May had notified to his Grace that he had been shown a letter addressed to one in the French interest, wherein the possibility of peace between the French and the English was mooted; which letter appeared not to emanate from any person of eminence, but, as he believed, from Basse Fontaine or de Fresse.

Had recommended the recipient to write to the Chancellor himself, by the person who brought the letter, that he should plainly show that the French sincerely desired and resolved firmly to maintain peace, when the King of England might accede to such, provided the French King assented to the marriage of his Majesty with the young Queen of Scots, the surrender of Boulogne on certain stipulated payments, &c.

During all this period the messenger had remained at the French Court without receiving any reply, and had only sent the inclosed letter (to the effect that he could receive no answer either from the Chancellor or the Constable, as the King has another enterprise on hand, wishing to make vigorous war with England, and is bringing 20,000 men from Champagne).

If his Grace desires to ascertain the real sentiments of the French, he will by means of this individual, and as if proceeding from him, continue to convey these conditions to those Frenchmen who desire a peace. [Latin. Two pages.]

---

Sept. 7. Westminster. Same to Sir Philip Hoby. While the French King was before Newhaven, the English light horsemen slew a person bearing letters to the French Court, which declared the doings of Dragut Rey with the French and others. Thinking these of importance to the Emperor, they had first shown the originals to his Ambassador, and now send copies of them to be given by Hoby to the Emperor, should he desire to have them.

The tumults at home are nearly suppressed in all parts. The French King having by treachery obtained the fort on the hill called the Almaine Camp, and consequently the main fort of Newhaven and Blackness, intended then to lay siege to Boulogne; but before he reached that town the Captain of Boulognebourg rased his fort, and with all his ordnance, stores, and men repaired thither, which is even now menaced by the French King.

In consequence of the position of affairs at home his Majesty is unable to render the necessary aid and supplies; therefore beseeches the Emperor to keep secret this information, known only to a few of the Council, and to give him his fatherly counsel and advice.

Francisco the courier, who arrived yesterday, has brought intelligence of the French King's dishonourable doings towards them; all of which are detailed in full. Desire him, as from himself, to urge the Emperor to stay the French galleys, by reason of the damages done in Italy and Spain by the pirates; and to endeavour to defer the adjudication of a cause relating to the capture of two French ships on the coast of Flanders, until Mons. Bieux goes to the frontiers. [Nine pages. Draft.]

---

Sept. 11. Note relating to the King's bond to Anthony Fugger and his nephews, 11th September 1549. [Half a page.]

Sept. 11. Westminster. Bond by King Edward VI. to Anthony Fugger and his nephews of Augsburg, for repayment of 328,000 Caroline florins, on 15th August 1551. [Six pages. Draft.]

--- Sept. Declaration of War with France. [Ten pages. Draft.] Fair copy of the same. [Thirteen pages.]

---

Oct. 11. "M. of the whole discourse of the Duke of Somerset's doings, to the Ambassadors." (Copy of circular sent to each of the Ambassadors informing them of the arrest of the Protector.) [Six pages.]

--- Oct. 22. [Westminster.] Instructions by the Council to Sir Thomas Cheyne and Sir Philip Hoby, sent to acquaint the Emperor with the proceedings taken against the Duke of Somerset, and to renew their request for the loan of troops in aid of Boulogne. Chastillon had made some overtures for settling matters, but these have been so meagre and dishonourable that Lord Clinton, the deputy for his Majesty, could not entertain them. [Sixteen pages. Draft.]

---

Nov. Brussels. Pragmatic by the Emperor Charles V., with the consent of the States, decreeing that thenceforth the succession shall be open to females as well as to males, so that no part of the Low Countries should at any time be severed from the rest. [Four pages. Copy.]

---

Dec. 23. Reply of Marquis Albert of Brandenburg to the proposals submitted to him by Doctor Bruno on behalf of the King of England, as to the terms on which he would supply cavalry for defence of Boulogne. Refers to marriage with the Princess Mary. States the numbers, names of principal officers, wages, &c. [French. Fourteen pages.]

---- Dec. 24. Westminster. Grant under the Privy Seal of 375l. annual pension to Otho Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg. [One page. Copy.]

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maraudererasmut · 4 years

Text

Black and White (Part IX)

(This is a long one! I'm sorry!)

Remus spent ten minutes in the washroom.

He didn’t want to spend ten minutes there, standing around by the sink, eying himself awkwardly in the mirror, nodding uncomfortably at the man who stood in the corner giving out mints. At first, Remus considered returning to the table, but then he pictured Sirius’ face, dark and cold, his glare as sharp as his cheekbones.

A few minutes in, Remus noticed the bathroom attendant— Is that what he was called? — eyeing him suspiciously. He gave the man a guilty smile and tried to save face.

“I’m uh… just waiting on some friends… they’re… uh… having a conversation at the table? A… A private one… I just…”

Remus cut himself off after he realized how little the other man cared about his predicament and how awkward his explanation sounded.

After ten minutes in the restroom, Remus eventually returned to the table, praying to whoever would listen that his friends' discussion was over; the last thing Remus needed was to walk in on them talking about him. When he arrived, Lily and James both offered genuine smiles. Sirius was staring intently at the menu, making a point of not glancing up as Remus sat down beside him.

“Remus! Hey… Sorry about that,” Lily began, before Remus shook his head in response.

“It’s no problem, really. Gave me a chance to… get some fresh air…” Remus didn’t know why he lied; perhaps he didn’t want his companions to know that he had spent the entire time staring at the mirror above the sinks.

Just as Remus lifted up the menu to begin looking at it— Lily was right, there were no prices! — a server came by to take their orders.

“Sir? What can I get you?”

“Oh…” Remus glanced down at the menu again, then back up at the server. “Can you… come back to me? At the end?”

“Of course, sir.”

Remus searched through the menu for the least expensive-sounding option as the rest of the party gave their orders. By the time the waiter circled back to Remus, he had settled on something.

“I’ll have the salad, please.”

“Very good, Sir. And for your main course?”

“Oh, uh… that… that was for my main course.”

The waiter cocked an eyebrow and Remus could feel the back of his neck burning.

“Sir, this is a prix fix menu. It’s all included. The appetizer, the main course, the dessert, all one price.”

Oh.

That explained why the menu didn't have any prices on it. It also posed a problem for Remus, who wanted to spend as little as possible at this exceedingly expensive establishment.

He glanced down at the menu again, feeling the eyes of his companions all settling on him, waiting for his response. Remus swallowed, trying to steady his nerves. He needed to keep his voice from shaking.

"Wh— what do you recommend?"

"The steak is our most popular dish. A very fine cut. Exceptional."

"O-okay… I'll have that."

"Very good, sir. How would you like your steak?"

Remus glanced over to Lily, hoping that she could help save him from embarrassment. He had never ordered steak at a restaurant; what was he supposed to tell the server? Lily smiled kindly at him, in that way she always seemed to smile. It was as if nothing about her could ever be unkind.

"It's usually best medium-rare," she said softly.

"Okay, uh… medium-rare then…"

The server nodded before leaving the table.

"Thanks," Remus mumbled under his breath, earning himself a gentle squeeze on the arm from Lily.

Conversation at the table picked up, and Remus noticed his nerves settle slightly as James and Lily chatted away. Lily began talking about art, a conversation that Remus could participate in, resulting in a vibrant debate about the merits of the hand-made and the decline of technique in the contemporary art world.

"I think that's the biggest flaw with performance art," Remus was saying as the sommelier filled his second glass of wine. "There's no skill involved. Sure, your idea can be strong, but there's a definite lack of artistic prowess, and it's a sincere pity. It really is detrimental to overall artistic growth in terms of sheer ability."

"You're wrong," Sirius said suddenly, speaking up for the first time since Remus arrived back at the table. Remus looked over to Sirius, expecting him to look upset. Instead, the gallerist had a smug grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with passion. "And if every artist thought like you, we would be stuck looking at the same thing in every gallery."

"Sirius," Lily said threateningly, before Remus cut her off.

"No, no, I want to hear this. Go on, Si— Mr. Black. I'd love to hear your explanation."

"Well," Sirius began, pausing to nod at the server who brought him a plate of food. "Performance art, readymade, the types of works that, as you say, don't require talent… those artists push the boundaries of what is defined as art. They move the contemporary world in a new direction, challenging the ideals of the time, bringing forth new concepts and making statements "

Remus smiled at Sirius, shaking his head.

"There's a time and a place, Mr. Black." He took a bite of his food and paused for a moment to savour the variety of flavours. Despite being a salad, it was so different than anything he had ever tried before; sweetness paired with bitter, the tang of citrus crossed with the bite from spiced pecans. He closed his eyes, relishing in the sheer sensation of eating.

"You were saying, Mister Lupin?"

"Oh, yes, sorry. This is delicious. Yes, a time and a place. At the time that Duchamp first introduced the concept of readymade, there was a genuine need for it in the art world. Nowadays, if somebody presented a urinal in an art gallery, they would be laughed at! What the contemporary art world needs these days is a return to craftsmanship. We need to go back to our roots, to explore techniques, to learn how to paint and draw and sculpt the way we used to."

"And what of Abromovic, who challenges what it means to be an artist?" Sirius asked, his grin growing wider, a hint of colour spreading across his cheeks.

"What about her?" Remus retorted, taking another bite and picking out the individual flavours of the dish.

"Well, Mr. Lupin, she changes the way we view art. Art is no longer something that is inaccessible to the lower class, the uneducated. Art is something that anyone can do, or be, or have, or create. Art is no longer reserved for the elite. People can no longer purchase art the same way they used to. I cannot own an Abromovic masterpiece. I can enjoy it and witness it, I can be a part of it, but it's not something that I can have and keep to myself behind closed doors. Art is no longer a commodity."

Remus nodded to the server who cleared his plate before giving Sirius a slightly skeptical look.

"You don't need to tell me about commodification of art and the inability to access it," Remus said with a grin. "If anything, I should be the one arguing for art accessibility for the lower class, not you."

Sirius' eyes flashed with something that Remus couldn't decipher, and for the briefest moment, the gallerist looked taken aback. Sirius' composure quickly resumed, however, covering up any sense of doubt, his lips twisted smugly.

"Well then, Mr. Lupin, my point shouldn't be lost on you."

"It's not," Remus said with a casual shrug, glancing over to James and Lily who were merely observers of the conversation rather than participants. "I understand what you mean. I just don't think people should become so wealthy on such minimal talent…"

Sirius didn't respond.

Remus noticed the silence that settled over the table and his smile faded. He sat up straight, fiddling with the corner of his napkin, realizing his error.

"I… I mean… like Abromovic. She's so wealthy and she… well… she hasn't produced anything… and galleries keep bringing her in and, well, she… uh…"

Two servers arrived at their table, placing a plate in front of each person, and Remus had never been more grateful for a distraction.

"Ah! Wonderful!" James exclaimed, drawing the table's attention to himself. He smiled across at Remus, as if to say that all was well, but Remus could tell that something was off with Sirius. The artist glanced over to his right, where the gallerist was digging into his dinner.

With a shrug, Remus focused his attention on his steak, and the moment he took a bite, all of his worries faded away.

Remus had never tasted meat like this before. It was soft and tender, dripping with juices and a punch of flavour. His knife slid through the meat so easily, so effortlessly, revealing a perfectly pink interior. This was the most delicious meal Remus had ever eaten in his entire life.

No wonder rich people are always so happy. I'd be happy too, if I could eat this whenever I wanted.

Remus knew he'd never be able to properly enjoy a steak again, it would always be compared to the perfect dish before him.

"So Remus," Lily began, once their plates were beginning to empty. "If you don't like Abromovic or Koons, which artists do you like?"

Remus grinned at his friend as he set his fork and knife down.

"And I'm assuming I can't just say myself?"

Lily and James both laughed at his joke, but Sirius' face twisted into a scowl.

"A little proud of yourself, are we?"

Remus' gaze returned to Sirius, trying to read the man; he couldn't tell if his joke was lost on Sirius or if the man simply lacked a sense of humour.

"I mean, I didn't name a gallery after myself…"

Another pause. The table seemed to hold its collective breath as Remus' taunt landed.

Sirius' lips parted in a grin, and he let out a sharp laugh. Remus felt his body release the tension he didn't realize the was holding, his shoulders relaxing and a breath escaping his lungs.

Thank god.

Sirius laughing meant that Remus didn't put the rest of his life at risk. He was, however, beginning to despise the minefield that was this dinner, waiting for his next slip up, waiting for his world to explode.

"That's funny, Mr. Lupin." Sirius said, after a good chuckle. "Very funny. Especially considering the fact that up until very recently, it was your desire to show in that gallery."

Shit.

"Oh shush," James butted in, before anyone else could say anything. "Learn to take a joke, Sirius. Don't be so—"

"Don't say it, James!" Lily warned, barely containing her grin.

"I was merely playing along!" Sirius teased, his cheeks rosy from the alcohol and laughter, his eyes sparkling with mirth. His gaze flickered toward Remus, and the artist felt his heart skip a beat. Sirius was a very handsome man, and laughter looked particularly good on him. He was attractive no matter what he did, any way that he held himself. When he smiled, though…

Remus quickly looked away, directing his attention to the remnants on his plate. When Sirius smiled, his eyes lit up, as blinding as the sun kissing the sky on a perfect winter day. They were the very shade of snow beneath a tree, the lightest of blues, perfectly undisturbed. Sirius' cheeks bore the morning blush of a sunrise, the colour of the sky just as it threatened to turn blue. Next to the creamy glow of his face, it took on an almost ethereal quality.

Remus loved the colours of Sirius.

And he hated how much he loved it.

"Any coffee with your dessert, sir?"

Remus thought his heart might have exploded with the shock of being wrenched from his thoughts. He looked up at the server with a look of panic, having completely forgotten where he was.

"Um… no, no thank you. I'm fine," he mumbled, tearing his eyes from the server and keeping them focused on the chocolate torte that had been placed in front of him.

Thank god.

Nothing could redirect Remus' imagination quite like chocolate, and he was thoroughly grateful for the distraction.

Dessert passed with minimal conversation as everyone savoured their delicacies. As discussion resumed, it veered away from art, and Remus found himself listening more than talking. Eventually, the server came by the table, and Remus realized that his perfect meal and fantasy evening was about to come to an abrupt and painful close.

"Will there be anything else you need?"

"No, just the bill, please," James said politely.

"Together or separate?"

"Together."

Together?

Remus opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it; he waited for the server to leave before he rounded on James.

"You really don't have to do that, James. Honestly, I can't let you—"

"Nonsense!" James said with an enthusiastic flap of his hand. "Of course I'm paying! This dinner is my treat!"

"But it really—"

"Remus, I invited you to join us! It's my pleasure!"

Remus knew he should be happy, he should feel relieved; his whole night had been laced with anxiety as he thought about the ludicrous cheque that was waiting for him. Instead, Remus felt guilty. He felt like he was in debt to James, like he owed the man. There was no way he could accept a gift this generous without repaying the favour.

"You don't have to," Remus mumbled, feeling the weight of his words press down on his shoulders. He was damned either way, but at least if he paid for his meal, he wouldn't be indebted to anyone.

"I know," James said, his smile never faltering. "I don't have to do anything. I want to. Now, back to the real matter at hand…" James turned to Sirius. He was clearly finished with the discussion about the bill, and Remus knew better than to push.

"Yes, James?" Sirius said, quirking a brow playfully.

"Now that you've had a proper opportunity to get to know Remus, have you come to any important decisions?"

Remus' heart was suddenly in his throat, beating more rapidly than he thought possible. How could he have forgotten about Sirius' decision to have him in the gallery?

"As a matter of fact," Sirius purred, his smile crooked and sly. He turned to Remus, his chin tilted slightly upwards, a flash of pearly white teeth enclosed between tender lips that Remus wanted to forget about. "I have."

Remus' grip tightened on his napkin and he sank into his chair as the silence and anticipation steadily grew worse.

"Well?!" James was on the edge of his seat, clearly not a patient man. Lily had her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him at bay.

"Remus, I require no less than five pieces in order to begin displaying your work. I would like to have them by our next show, which will be towards the beginning of November. Do you think you can accomplish that for me?"

Remus was at a loss for words. He nodded fervently, unable to get his voice out.

"Good. I'll have my lawyers work up a contract. You can come by the gallery on Monday to sign it and discuss details."

Remus couldn't believe what was happening. He pinched himself on his forearm, trying to ensure that this was not some kind of vivid dream. As a jolt of pain shot through his arm, a smile spread across his face.

As far as he could tell, it was all real...

176 notes · View notes

things2mustdo · 3 years

Link

The Ascent Of Money by Niall Ferguson is an introduction to modern finance and the rise of money lending, presenting a favorable view of their effects upon the world.

…financial innovation has been an indispensable factor in man’s advance from wretched subsistence to the giddy heights of material prosperity that so many people know today.

…poverty is not the result of rapacious financiers exploiting the poor. It has much more to do with the lack of financial institutions, with the absence of banks, not their presence. Only when borrowers have access to efficient credit networks can they escape from the clutches of loan sharks, and only when savers can deposit their money in reliable banks can it be channeled from the idle rich to the industrious poor.

…approximately $1 of every $14 paid to employees in the United States now goes to people working in finance. Finance is even more important in Britain, where it accounted for 9.4% of GDP in 2006.

The book gives an interesting history of some of the world’s most famous bankers and the power they accumulated, particularly the Medicis and Rothchilds, who brought value by facilitating trade and commerce while reducing transaction prices. It also described the role of European bankers during the American Civil War.

Though others had tried before them, the Medici were the first bankers to make the transition from financial success to hereditary status and power They achieved this by learning a crucial lesson: in finance small is seldom beautiful. By making their bank bigger and more diversified than any previous financial institution, they found a way of spreading their risk.

One of the biggest financial innovations was fractional reserve banking, pioneered by the Swedes. Other European countries improved finance while the Spaniards, still obsessed with silver and gold in their American colonies, kept defaulting time and time again, not understanding that the true nature of money lay in debt and not mineral reserves. One of the more interesting parts of the book was its description of the bond market and its powerful stranglehold on world governments.

…the bond market is powerful partly because it passes a daily judgement on the credibility of every government’s fiscal and monetary policies. But its real power lies in its ability to punish a government with higher borrowing costs. Even an upward move of half a percentage point can hurt a government that is running a deficit, adding higher debt service to its already high expenditures.

…countries that defaulted on their debts risk economic sanctions, the imposition of foreign control over their finances and even, in at least five cases, military intervention.

While the book paints a rosy view of finance, it also highlights cases where the abuse of it through hook and crook caused problems for entire economies, particularly through price inflation. A recent example of that was Goldman Sachs’ commodity manipulation that caused the price of common foodstuffs to rise. On the other hand, ignoring finance and having inflexible monetary policy can turn recessions into depressions. He suggests that Helicopter Ben Bernanke actually did the right thing in showering Wall Street with money to prevent a depression. He also thinks Alan Greenspan is a great man for admitting he shouldn’t have kept interest rates so low.

Economies that combined all these institutional innovations—banks, bond markets, stock markets, insurance and property-owning democracy—performed better over the long run than those that did not, because financial intermediation generally permits a more efficient allocation of resources then, say, feudalism or central planning. For this reason, it is not wholly surprising that the Western financial model tended to spread around the world, first in the guise of imperialism, and then in the guise of globalization.

You’ll also read about:

The abysmal effects of Britain’s weflare system on their economy

Argentina’s failed destiny to become an economic superpower due to bad economic decisions and poor leadership

How the “risk free” LTCM fund imploded and almost took the world economy with it

My problem with the book is that his explanations were too light. He glossed over tough concepts like sovereign bonds and other financial instruments without providing much in the way of examples, unlike a writer such as Matt Taibbi who explains the most complex concept in a way that laymen can understand. I felt like I had to read this book in front of Google so that I could look up things he mentioned only in passing.

The book also seemed hurried with its historical research, especially towards the end when it become a jumbled mess. Overall it’s an okay book but I don’t recommend it for the neophyte.

…it’s not owning property that gives you security; it just gives your creditors security. Real security comes from having a steady income.

Read More: “The Ascent Of Money” on Amazon

https://www.returnofkings.com/10595/there-is-no-hedge-against-inflation

You’ve seen him: an older man sitting next to a roaring fire or maybe walking the grounds of his ranch or he might be in a suit facing the camera. The messages are all the same: something about “troubling times” and “safety and security” —maybe they mention the federal reserve or money printing. Times are bad and could get worse, but they can help you. They have the answer. What is this company selling? GOLD.

Why would you want a gold coin or bar? It doesn’t earn interest and it doesn’t grow or produce anything. It is vulnerable to theft. The price can move down with astonishing speed as we saw last April (as of the time of this writing it has retraced over 50% of that selloff). But could it go up in value, could it “skyrocket” as the gold shills say?

Keep in mind that gold has already gone up a lot recently, about fivefold in the past ten years. And to simply say that gold is a hedge against inflation is misleading. If you compare the price today, let’s say $1500 per oz, to the average price in 1974, about $150/oz, it actually exceeded inflation. Using CPI over this period gold’s value increased at about double the rate of inflation. However, if you bought gold in 1980, average price that year about $600/oz, you’d have to wait until 2006 for the price to come back to that level and not inflation adjusted dollars either (inflation destroyed about 65% of the purchasing power in that timeframe – and this is using CPI which notoriously understates real world prices). Gold prices and inflation are not as closely correlated as the gold sellers would have you think.

But what about “these troubling times”? It’s different now, right? It might be. This is basically what they’re talking about: the federal government and the federal reserve have been acting in tandem to recapitalize the U.S. economy after the 2008 crisis. The government has been spending like crazy and running huge deficits (and buying lots of votes, funny how that works out for them). These deficits are financed by the issuing of bonds of which the federal reserve bank has been the main buyer under the guise of Quantitative Easing and the Zero Interest Rate Policy. This what they mean by printing money – the fed can buy whatever it wants and it has been buying these bonds that are loans to the government.

The Fed doesn’t need money, rather, it creates it. It is the central bank and it can just put the bonds on its balance sheet. A lot of people, this author included, think the government and the Fed are nuts to think that this course would enable economic growth and it will probably only lead to inflation which could become severe and maybe uncontrollable. Without turning this into a financial doomer article, let’s just say both sides make their case and we won’t know which one is right until this QE and ZIRP experiment is over.

This is what it comes down to: if the price of gold in dollars goes exponential in a hyperinflationary situation everything else priced in dollars is going to do the same. You can’t expect that your gold coin will buy the same goods that it would buy now if this happens. The actual purchasing power of your gold will surely decline as day-to-day essentials become prioritized. Put another way, if 1500 this week buys you one gold coin or 250 basic meals, in a hyperinflationary situation that gold coin might exchange for the equivalent of 100 meals or maybe not even twenty. Of course, 1500 in a bank account or your mattress would be worth much less – maybe not even one meal. The possible hyperinflation scenario is the most compelling reason to hold gold now. It’s not about getting rich. It’s about retaining some savings in the face of a massive financial collapse.

In reality, nothing keeps up with inflation like you will want. Agriculture futures are seasonal and your position has to be rolled over every so often costing you fees and changing your cost basis. Your inflation hedge could get destroyed by a good harvest or weak global demand. Stocks are typically seen as an inflation hedge but in a real collapse your brokerage company or even your local bank might not even exist anymore. You may eventually be made whole on the companies you own but this will take years.

Outside of a financial crisis the case for gold is weak. If you’re holding gold the best case scenario is unclear. Perhaps the price rises faster than inflation but that’s probably a longshot. Consider that if interest rates start to rise, if the Fed sees the light on the harm ZIRP is doing, and if inflation is mild then those holding gold are going to be screwed as many decide to sell, preferring actual cash. Expect gold to lose at least 30% from today’s prices and it could happen in a day or two. Don’t expect your dealer to give you a good price or even answer your call or email if everyone comes in selling.

The risk of gold losing value in the face of an improving economy is something you need to be aware of and in a crisis it won’t provide the kind of financial safety that the gold bugs allege. If you still need a place to park your savings you might consider silver. It’s incrementally cheaper to get into and has more industrial value than gold though it is historically more volatile. Or what about booze? A case of good whiskey or rum is highly barterable, doesn’t spoil, tracks inflation as well as anything, and if times get better (or worse), you can always drink it.

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asymptotichigh5 · 4 years

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Energy, the economy, and everything else.

I’ve been meaning to address this subject somewhere for a while. For the longest time, I hesitated on what the best medium to achieve this would be : on one hand, a Facebook status needs to be short and concise, which is not necessarily my forte and of course, there is also the fact that it would quickly be washed away in the storm of social media posts that has become 2020. A YouTube video then occurred to me to be most appropriate, but it would be long, my camera sucks and I hate video editing. So, I finally turned to this blog, which I had abandoned for quite some time. Surprisingly, there was an article in my drafts I had started writing almost 5 years ago about exactly this topic titled “A physics crash-course for politicians: a recipe not to kill us all”, but it was a bit too dramatic and I might get called off for taking political stances, when in reality there will be none in this post (which is surprising, for any of those reading this who know me). Anyway, this article will be the first in a series, which I might or might not continue, depending on interest, even though I did promise a friend of mine to carry through the entire message the whole way through, hopefully I’ll be able to do this with some of you actually reading all the way through, though that might be too optimistic.

Energy is a concept which is as important (if not more) as it is misunderstood by the general public. Most people don’t consider energy to be a considerable issue in their daily lives, but hopefully by the end of this post you will understand that energy is what allows you to live your 21st century carefree lifestyle. It turns out that most of us consider energy to be a bill to pay at the end of the month, or an annoyance to pay for when we fill our cars with gasoline at the pump, but energy — before being a bill to pay, or a commodity — is a physical quantity. A quick look at Wikipedia will give you a definition of energy which appears to be rather circular. Perhaps a more appropriate definition of energy for the sake of this post is the following:

Energy [/ˈɛnədʒi/, noun] : a physical quantity quantifying the ability to change the environment, or the ability to do work.

By “change the environment” we refer to the ability to perform any kind of change at all. Letting a ball fall involves energy, heating up water to make a cup of tea involves energy, me typing on this keyboard at this very moment also involves energy, etc. The SI unit for energy is the Joule, which at the human scale represents a tiny bit of energy (roughly speaking, it is the energy required to lift a medium-sized tomato (300 grams) by 1 metre. This unit has the annoying nuisance of being too small, so for the rest of this post we will talk about energy in terms of MWh (megawatt-hours), which corresponds to 3 600 000 000 Joules, which is a hell of a lot more medium-sized tomatoes lifted, or in terms of kWh (kilowatt-hours), which corresponds to 3 600 000 Joules. It is a good exercise to try to understand the MWh in terms of human work to put everything into perspective. To this effect, the BBC actually had a great documentary which appeared in 2009 about electrical energy consumption in the UK which performed an experiment in which a tiny army of people were forced to pedal to provide electricity to an average-sized house with an average-sized family having an average-sized consumption of electricity. While the documentary has great shock value, we need not hire an army of 80 cyclist to get the right orders of magnitude. An 80 kg man carrying 10 kg of supplies with him and climbing 2000 m up a mountain spends roughly 0.5 kWh to go up the mountain. Similarly, digging up 6 m${}^3$ of dirt to make a hole 1 m deep takes roughly 0,05 kWh of energy. By comparison, 1L of oil provides 2~4 kWh of (usable) mechanical energy.

Of course, using the oil to drive up the mountain, or to fuel an excavator to dig up the holes is a no brainer. Oil, or more precisely the machines it feeds, are not constrained by fatigue, do not form unions, do not complain that the ruble is too heavy, or that their legs are tired. It is also incredibly cheap by comparison, even if the human workers going up the mountain or digging up the hole are not getting paid at all. Assuming the cost of a slave to simply be the sustainance cost of a human being (i.e. minimal clothing, food and shelter) it is still a couple of hundred times cheaper to use a machine instead of a person to perform tasks, whenever possible. The reason why slavery ended is not because all of a sudden people grew a conscience out of thin air, or because we are so much better or educated than our ancestors ; it is simply stupid to have slaves in a world where you have access to a dense source of energy, because using this energy for mechanical work is many times more efficient and cheaper than owning slaves. This heuristic argument is also what ultimately explains the correlation between the abolition of slavery and the first industrial revolution (although the latter was mostly fed by coal as opposed to oil). In other words, the huge disparity in the efficiency of dense energy sources is what explains that mankind has historically always transitioned to sources of energy which monotonically increase in energy density.

But just what makes energy so important? Well, the answer lies in the definition. Since energy is ultimately the driver for any transformation of the environment, energy is by definition the main driver of the economy, too. In fact, the availability of a large supply of energy is what has allowed the development of modern society as we know it: paid holidays, retirement benefits, social security, social programs, your trip to Thailand last year, the variety of food you find at the supermarket, the fact that you even have disposable income to spend however you wish, free time, your ability to pursue long years of study, etc. Without the access to a cheap, reliable source of energy, this would all be impossible. Without realizing it, on average, we can calculate an equivalent amount of slaves used by any human on Earth today, given our estimates on the output of energy a human being is capable of delivering above and the total energy consumption of the planet. Doing the math, we find that an average human lives as if he/she had ~200 slaves working for him/her constantly. If we look at developed nations, this number jumps to 600 to 1500 equivalent slaves. This is an outstanding standard of living compared to what any of our ancestors ever knew. And so, it’s not that our generation is 200 times more productive than previous generations of humans, what has been driving the economy for the past 220 years is not humans, so much as it is the increasing access to a park of machines which has driven GDP growth since the industrial revolution. In fact, this can also be seen in developing countries, where an increase in development is immediately accompanied by a rural exodus driven by the introduction of machines to perform the heavy work in the fields. This allows for a widening of the pool of workers, which can then be free to use more machines and increase GDP.

So what sources of energy have we been exploiting in the last 220 years? Worldwide, the mix looks a little bit like this:

Notice that most of this mix (oil, gas and coal) are sources which are fossil fuels. In essence, what this chart is saying is that we owe all of the societal progress of the past 220 years to fossil fuels. Of course, the use of these fuels has the annoying consequence of releasing CO${}_2$ into the atmosphere which — as we know — has some rather undesirable consequences for the future of humanity. This chart also tells a story about how people have completely misrepresented and misunderstood the problem. Most people think that the energy crisis will ultimately be solved by replacing the carbonated sources of energy by “renewables”, even though the later are basically invisible in the above chart. Luckily, a world where we live only with renewable energy is entirely possible: it’s called the Middle Ages. The impossibility of replacing these carbonated sources with “renewables” is an important point to treat, and deserves an article of its own, but in the end its cause is the same as what has driven this discussion so far: energy density. We shall come back to this important point in a subsequent post. For now, let us finish driving the point home in establishing the unequivocal link between energy, specifically oil, and GDP. Energy availability is the main driver of the economy, this is simply because the economy is nothing other but the collective transformation of stuff into other stuff by humans. This, and the fact that 50% of the world-wide oil consumption is used to transport goods or people from point A to B is what explains the following correlation between oil and GDP:

In light of global warming, the question becomes one in which we are forced to arbitrate between real GDP growth and carbon emissions. It is literally that simple, yet it is difficult to grasp what this means. GDP growth is an abstract concept most of us don’t really understand, and most people advocating for giving up growth don’t fully grasp the consequences of what it will mean for all of us. Very really, what it means is diminishing real wages and purchasing power by a factor varying between 3 or 10 over the next 30 years (we will come back to these figures eventually in another article, too). Now, most people will point out that we can and should just take all this wealth from the oligarchs and the billionaires out there, and this is true and should definitely be done, but it will unfortunately still not be anywhere near enough to solve the problem. Orders of magnitude are a bitch and maths sucks, especially when they contradict your political opinions. In real terms, giving up growth means to take your current salary, and divide it by 10, and ask yourself whether you are really ready to live with that. The questions on left and right are at this point so irrelevant that it is stupid to even ask them. Both of these models of thinking completely rely on a pie which is ever increasing and in which the living standards of everyone eventually rise. For the right, this is obvious, but this holds true even in a leftist society, in which the social programs and everything that goes with it relies heavily on economic growth and an increase of the economic pie. This view is flawed, as in very real terms in order to protect ourselves from climate change, the only way is to considerably decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, in other words, considerably decrease global GDP.

(Un)fortunately, whether the politicians decide to take global warming seriously or not, the problem will auto-regulate eventually. You see, there is a tiny and obnoxious problem regarding our addiction to fossil fuels: we are running out of them. We should point out that not all fossil fuels are equal: this is not only true from a carbon emission perspective, but also from a transportation point of view. Indeed, only about 10% of the coal produced yearly is actually exported, because it is inconvenient to transport. Gas presents a similar problem, given its physical form, which is not sufficiently energetically dense to be easily shipped without compression (which itself involves energy). This leaves oil as the main source of energy which is actually exportable and tradable. And so, not only is oil vital due to the fact that it is the only source of energy which can reliably be used to for transportation, it is also the only option when looking at trading energy internationally. However, oil production has been already past its peak in most countries with considerable oil reserves. From a European point of view, the problem is actually worse as the energy consumption in Europe has been stagnating and in fact decreasing since 2005, when we reached peak consumption.

Incidentally, this explains why there has been no -- and there will be no -- economic long term real growth in Europe in the future, and it this has indeed been the case ever since 2008. In fact, most of the economic growth which has happened in Europe ever since is due to the trade of goods which increase in value over time (such as housing), which gets further gets inflated as there is a surplus of liquidity which has been continuously injected into the system since the introduction of quantitative easing. We will come to this problematic in a latte post. Similarly, we observe analogous curves of decrease in variation of energy consumption in the countries of the OECD (source of data: BP Statistical Review 2017), which means that this halting of real economic growth is not to be expected anywhere else in the OECD either.

During a recent discussion with a close friend of mine, he pointed out that the decrease in consumption in energy could be explained by the fact that the economy in developed countries had essentially become an economy of services, and that thus, this correlation between GDP and energy consumption and production was flawed, but this reasoning is wrong. First, because many of these services introduced involve or depend strongly on developments in e-commerce and industries attached to the development of the Internet and computers. However, the digitalization of the economy has not led to a decrease in energy demand, but in fact quite the opposite, if anything it has considerably increased our energy dependence. Second, the data simply states otherwise across the board. For instance, the chart below depicts an evolution of the percentage of people working in services and the amount of tons of CO${}_2$ released in the environment per capita in the World (data is from the World Bank).

Of course, the fact that these are positively correlated in the world and these countries is expected. In the world, because supporting the increasing living standards of the people working in the service sector necessarily comes out of an increase of the economic pie, which can only mean that the energy consumption (thus, at first order, the tons of CO${}_2$ in the atmosphere) increased. In European countries, the CO${}_2$ per capita has been reduced, partly to a negligible population growth, but also due to the delocalization of the most polluting elements of the economy to developing countries. Nonetheless, the general worldwide trend is clear: more service sector employment correlates with higher output of CO${}_2$, which implies higher energy consumption. But of course, by the reasoning above, this is hardly surprising.

Most of the time, the decline in the rate of growth of oil production is dismissed by saying that we will always find alternative forms of petroleum which will remain exploitable and will secure us with more oil. However, these alternative sources, such as bituminous sands and are problematic to exploit, require more energy input to be exploitable and are of lesser energetic quality. Similar decreasing curves of consumption and production have been appreciated for gas as well. Coal remains an exception to this, but it is not easily tradable, which implies that only 8 countries (including the US, China and Australia) really can consider exploiting coal for long term energy consumption, but given the climate consequences this poses, this is hardly a desirable outcome.

And so ultimately, it is not even a question of deciding whether or not we want to transition out of fossil fuels or not. The decrease in fossil fuel consumption will happen whether we like it or not — and by extension, so will the inevitable shrinking of the economy. The problem is that it might not happen fast enough to avoid catastrophe, which might already be unavoidable. What this also means is that the questions we should be asking ourselves as a society are not so much whether we should adopt liberal or leftist policies, but rather how we optimize the distribution of resources in a world where the economic pie decreases year by year, but no one seems to be wanting to have this discussion seriously.

#energy #energy crisis #renewables #renewable power #oil #environment #environmetalists #economy #economic crisis

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msclaritea · 5 years

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~Mr Azira Phale, Angel~

It struck me during the church scene that perhaps the Germans were calling him Mr. Fell because they thought Phale was his last name. So, I took a closer look at the two halves that made the whole.

~Azira

...Arabic in origin, it means A Rising Star. Interestingly, Pre-Islamic Arabia practiced Vedic religion, and in Vedic Astrology, Azira is a common name for babies born within Krittika Nakshatra, the older name of the Pleides Constellation.

Krittika..."literally means a "sharp flame" or "sword of fire." Alternatively, the word "Krittika" may be derived from the Sanskrit root krit, which means "to twist threads" or "to wind as a snake." This clearly is related to the symbology of the Caduceus and the May Pole. The root 'krit' also means "to separate, cut asunder, or divide." This secondary meaning refers to the division of souls into two groups that occurs on the Day of Illumination. The subtle energy associated with the Pleiades constellation is considered a Sword of Fire because it cuts asunder or separates knowledge from ignorance. It separates light from darkness."

~Phale

The name is actually of what is known as Pictish-Scottish origin. "The Picts were a confederation of Celtic language speaking peoples who lived in what is today eastern and northern Scotland during the Late British Iron Age and Early Medieval periods. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from early medieval texts and Pictish stones. Their Latin name, Picti, appears in written records from Late Antiquity to the 10th century."

"This interesting surname is of Scottish and Irish origin, and it is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic "MacPhail", and the Irish Gaelic "MacPhoil", both patronymics from the Gaelic forms of the given name Paul, derived from the Latin "Paulus, meaning "small", and is has always been popular in Christendom."

Now of special note is Paul, the Saint, originally Saul of Tarsus, considered by many to be the actual founder of early Christianity, who very much believed in Angels, spoke of them appearing to him, and who at first, was bent on persecuting Jesus, only to become an Apostle after he appeared to him in the famous story of his travels on the road To Damascus. I came across an eye-opening article, theorizing that not only were Paul's writings edited and twisted, making him a patriarchal misogynist, but that he in fact believed in equality, was hugely inspired by Plato, and may very well have been Gay.

From: The (Possibly) Gay, Elite Apostle Who Believed in Radical Equality for All by Jay Parini

"I tend to agree with Bishop John Shelby Spong, a brilliant theologian and church leader, who argues that Paul was “a rigidly controlled gay male,” as he writes in Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (1991). Be this as it may, Paul was clearly at war with his own body, tormented by the idea if not the reality of sexual desire, and eager to withdraw into the company of his male companions: Luke, Timothy, Silas, and others. His conflicted feelings about his own sexual nature may account for the “thorn in his flesh” that he wrote about in his second letter to the church at Corinth. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)"

Galatians 3:28: “In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female. In Christ, all of these are one.” ~Saint Paul~

Saint Paul was later decapitated by Nero! Oh, and one last thing...

Azira is actually a girl's name.

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE.

For those who have looked closer, you may have discovered that Petronius worked for Nero.

Petronius was chief advisor to Nero and helped with the planning of all debauchery, orgies, feasts and crimes. He was known as Arbiter of Taste.

And Petronius wrote the infamous Satyricon.

Influence Of The Satyricon Upon The Literature Of The World.

"...It is to the author's recognition of the importance of environment, of the vital role of inanimate surroundings as a means for bringing out character and imbuing his episodes and the actions of his characters with an air of reality and with those impulses and actions which are common to human experience, that his influence is due...This class of literature, though modified essentially from age to age, in keeping with the dictates of moral purity or bigotry, innocent or otherwise, has come to be the very stuff of which literary success in fiction is made. One may write a successful book without a thread of romance; one cannot write a successful romance without some knowledge of realism; the more intimate the knowledge the better the book.."

"Petronius writes cynically and satirically about Roman decadence, about a society that’s corrupt and materialistic. Paul, to a certain extent, is writing about the same thing. He is certainly not humorous most of the time; he’s expressing his straightforward outrage about what he is seeing around him."

Petronius, set up for a treason charge by a rival, was threatened with death but chose to take his own life in quite a dramatic fashion, which is described in the notes to Satyricon. He died a year before Paul.

*Satyricon is compared often in style to Au Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans, and one translation published in Paris,1902 has been attributed to Sebastian Melmoth aka Oscar Wilde.

Now, was St. Paul an influence in any way on Shakespeare? The Bard of course wrote about Religion and Politics in his plays but due to his enormous influence, St. Paul managed to touch Shakespeare's place in a much different way. This has led to the discovery of a place I had never heard of from this time period...and a new head canon.

During Shakespeare’s lifetime, the area around old St Paul’s Cathedral was a hive of activity and industry...the main gathering place for acquiring (and spreading) news and gossip, purchasing the latest fashions and commodities, and, of course, for being seen. Under its Nave, as known as Paul's Walk, while the people who went there and into the churchyard were known as Paul's Walkers.

Complaint of Thomas Dekker in 1608:

‘What swearing is there; yea, what swaggering, what facing and out-facing? What shuffling, what shouldering, what jostling, what jeering, what biting of thumbs to beget quarrels, what holding up of fingers to remember drunken meetings, what braving with feathers, what bearding with mustachios, what casting open of cloaks to publish new clothes.’

Indeed, with its dozens of booksellers, Paul’s Churchyard was the centre of the London book trade, and was popular throughout the entire country.

"Booksellers on Paternoster Row became a source of competition in the latter half of the century, eventually winning the prominent position in London bookselling, but Paul’s maintained its supremacy well into the seventeenth century." This link has a beautiful rendering that can be expanded to show the individual publishers."

I imagine Aziraphale would have spent hours here, likely with Crowley beside him, eagerly pouring over the thousands of books available, excitedly meeting other writers, getting lost among a mixture of saints and sinners, just enjoying humanity. And I head canon that THIS is what gave Aziraphale his idea to open a bookshop.

What kept bringing me back to St. Paul?

It's imposing presence caught my eye during the WW2 sequence. Turns out, it was bombed during the last days of December 1940, but survived due to the hard work of British firefighters.

“There are a lot of secrets in the design—a lot of buried subliminal stuff,” he reveals, noting that he hopes an eagle-eyed fan will find all the Easter eggs in Good Omens." Michael Ralph, Production designer, who also says that he based Azira's bookshop on the design of a compass.

Purposeful or no, using St. Paul as a guide through Good Omens has been a fun history lesson.

@consulting-nerd-of-many-things @ineffable-janthony @feifeicuttie @sarahthecoat @honeybeelullaby @echosilverwolf @englandwouldfalljohn@thegoodomensdumpster @fuckyeahgoodomens @artfulkindoforder @iamjohnlocked4life @artemisastarte @fellshish @brilliantorinsane

The Satyricon

https://www.uscatholic.org/church/scripture-and-theology/2012/04/putting-paul-his-place

The Influence of St. Paul on Shakespeare

An awesome podcast That Shakespeare Life on St. Paul's Bookshops

x x x x x x

#Aziraphale #Name Origin Meta #St. Paul #Founder of Christianity #Bible Studies #Arabic Origin #Vedic Astrology #Good Omens #1st GO Meta #aka DymphnaSaints #TRMOJAS #shakespeare #Old St Paul's Churchyard #Paul's Walkers #WW2 #I wish someone would include the churchyard in a film or documentary

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voyager-into-the-unknown · 4 years

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This is Part 4 of my Plance fic series. You can read Part 3 here:

https://toocool2btrue.tumblr.com/post/188737473073/yes-of-course-you-should-continue-writing-this

Breakfast with Hunk

Lance woke up on Saturday morning hugging his pillow. He had dreamed of Pidge that night—dancing with her, kissing her, embracing her, and finally, falling asleep with her in his arms. He slid the pillow back beneath his head and then rubbed his eyes. Early morning light was just visible through his blinds, and he could hear the sound of the shower running. Hunk was up.

He checked his phone, and sadly, there were no new messages. He decided to text Pidge. He felt a little nervous about contacting her so early in the morning, but didn’t girls like it when the guy got in touch with them again, right after a date? He didn’t want to seem desperate, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

Lance: Good morning, pretty lady. Did you sleep well?

There was no reply. Maybe she was still asleep. Or maybe she was in the shower. No, he shouldn’t think about that. Well, just because he told himself not to think about that, he thought about it.

Rather than let his mind wander into some rather naughty places, he got up. The shower was separated from the sink and commode, so he could relieve himself, wash his hands, brush his teeth, wash his face, and shave without disturbing Hunk. He then went back to his room, knowing that Hunk would be done with his shower soon enough. His phone pinged. Nervously, he picked it up. It was Pidge!

Pidge: Good morning, Loverboy. 😉 I slept very well, indeed. Thanks for asking.

Loverboy? Lance blushed, remembering all of the times that they kissed yesterday. He was spending the day with her and her parents, but surely he could get her alone at some point and steal a few more kisses, right? He wanted to kiss her again right now.

Lance: I had the best night’s sleep ever. All of my dreams were about you, Pidgey.

Pidge: 😊 Pidgey? That’s cute. You must have had some really great dreams then, if you dreamed about me....I dreamed about you, too.

Lance: Oh, really? ✨😎✨Tell me more.

Pidge: No. That’s private. Of course, yesterday’s reality was like a dream come true.

Lance: Yes. It was the best day ever! I can’t wait to see you again.

Pidge: 😊 I am looking forward to seeing you, too.

Lance: You know that I love you, right? 💙💚

Pidge: I love you, too. 💚💙 I have loved you since arriving at the Garrison.

Lance: You mean, when we returned from space?

Pidge: No, since before we ever left. Before we were Paladins.

Lance: OMG! Pidge!!! 🥰 I had no idea. I am so sorry I didn’t notice. I mean, we were friends even back then, but...

Pidge: I was disguised as a boy. I didn’t want you to notice.

Lance: But after we became Paladins and you revealed that you are a girl, why did you keep your feelings a secret?

There was a long pause, and then she answered him.

Pidge: Allura. Nyma. Plaxum. And so many other girls. I didn’t think I had a chance with you. 😢

Lance: I am so sorry, Pidge. I was such an idiot. You mean so much more to me than any of those other girls, even Allura. I love you.

Pidge: I know.

Lance: Did you just “Han Solo” me?

Pidge: 😂 Yup.

Lance: I have been waiting for Hunk to get out of the bathroom so I can take a shower. I think he’s getting out now...

“Morning, Lance. Who are you texting this early? Is it your girlfriend?”

“Ugh, go put some clothes on, man. It’s too early in the morning to see that. My eyes!”

“I am decently covered by this towel. Tell Pidge I said hello.”

Lance: Hunk says hello. I just told him to put some clothes on.

Pidge: 😂 Tell him I said hello, too. He’s going to ask a million questions about us, but don’t tell him everything.

Lance: You know how nosy our best friend is. Anyway, no worries. A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell. 😉

Pidge: Thanks, Loverboy. Now go take your shower. We can talk later. ily. 😘

Lance: ily2. 😘

“Pidge says hello too. And also says that she loves me!” Lance called to Hunk through the open door.

“Ha! I knew it! She’s had a crush on you since forever.”

“We can talk about that later. I’m gonna hit the shower.”

“Well, in the meantime, I am going to make us a breakfast fit for kings, so don’t take all day in there.”

Lance went to his bureau, and selected clean socks and underwear. Then he went to his closet, choosing a light blue button down shirt, grey trousers, and a darker blue sweater. She would like these colors on him, he thought. They would bring out the color of his eyes.

Lance went into the bathroom and stripped off his pajamas, then turned the hot water on. Naked, he climbed into the stall and let the spray of hot water relax him. He lathered up with his favorite body wash and sang to himself a song he had been working on for the past week, even before he asked Pidge to go the ball with him. It was a love song, and he had the guitar chords and the melody that he wanted. It was the lyrics that needed work. Maybe she could help him with that. Right then, it occurred to him that girls really loved sappy romantic stuff like that. He should definitely bring his guitar over to the Holts, along with dessert, which he hadn’t actually thought much about yet.

When he was done showering, Lance dried off, combed his hair, and put on some extra strength deodorant and a bit of his favorite cologne. He wanted to smell nice for her, especially since he intended to spend the afternoon dancing with her in her parents living room. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he left the bathroom and went back to his room to get dressed.

He shut the door and dropped his towel. He put on his shorts first, having selected a pair of white boxer briefs for support and freedom of movement that were nearly as comfortable as Paladin underwear, and then a white T-shirt made of a stretchy, absorbent material, which, like his shorts, was meant to wick perspiration from his body. (He hoped he didn’t sweat too much. He didn’t want to reek of nervous perspiration around Pidge.) The socks were chosen to coordinate with dress shoes, rather than his usual sneakers or uniform boots. Next, he buttoned up the light blue dress shirt, which was a bit more formal than the long sleeved T-shirts he usually wore. Grey trousers were next, and a belt, followed by the darker blue sweater. Lastly, his shoes, which were formal, but comfortable, and perfect for dancing. He put his wallet and his phone in his pockets.

“You about done in there, Loverboy? Admiring yourself in the mirror, right now, am I right?”

“No!” Lance said unconvincingly. In truth, he had been admiring his reflection and wondering if Pidge would like his attire. “Breakfast smells great. I’ll be there in a second.”

Hunk had indeed made a breakfast fit for kings: ham and cheese omelettes, crispy bacon, hot buttery biscuits, and hash browns with cold milk and hot coffee. Everything looked and smelled delicious.

“What did I ever do to deserve all of this? Hunk, you’re the best!”

“I know. Now give me details.”

Lance sat down to eat breakfast with Hunk and told him briefly about what had happened between himself and Pidge yesterday, saying nothing too personal, just a general summary of their day. He told him how nervous he was when he asked her out, and how she kissed him in the hydroponics garden. He told him about their trip to the mall and what they purchased there. “We even ate at Vrepit Sal’s! The food was great, but not as great as this breakfast, made by the master chef himself.”

“Aw, Thanks, man.” Hunk ate another forkful of omelette. “So what happened when you got back home? Did you kiss her goodnight?”

“Of course! But she asked me to keep our private stuff private.”

“It was pretty hot, though, wasn’t it?”

Lance’s face was all the answer Hunk needed. He was blushing like a desert sunset and grinning shyly. “Let’s just say for a girl who has never had a boyfriend before, she’s really good at kissing. I am not going to give a detailed description, just a statement of fact: Pidge is a genius in everything that she does.” Lance sighed, and grinned goofily.

Hunk laughed at him. “Well, I hope that you know how happy I am for both of you. Just be careful with her heart, Lance.” He sipped his coffee.

Lance put his fork down. “What do you mean? I just told her that I love her, like, three times just this morning!”

“She’s had a crush on you since she was fifteen. She’s watched you flirt with every attractive girl that has crossed your path since then. She’s had to endure your unrequited love for Allura, and she’s had to watch you ogle any humanoid female with curves in the right places. Dude, she’s cried herself to sleep over you a thousand times. You can’t do stuff like that anymore.”

Lance became very quiet, his expression serious. He was hurt by the truth of Hunk’s words, and angry at himself for being so blind and self-centered for so long. “I know,” he said softly. “I won’t. There were quite a few attractive single ladies around the base dropping hints that if I needed a date to the Garrison Ball, they were interested. I didn’t even consider asking any of them. All I could think of was how to summon up enough courage to ask Pidge to go with me. And at the mall there were lots of cute girls checking me out. I used to be flattered by stuff like that, but now I just ignore them. Pidge is the only girl for me, Hunk.”

“I’m glad to hear that, buddy.” Hunk looked apologetic. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings just now.”

“Don’t be. It’s the truth, and I needed to hear it.” Lance began to enjoy his meal again. They talked about the new engineering project Hunk was working on, and Lance’s work with the new pilots, Paladin training, and the rest of the team. Keith wanted everyone on the Paladins’ training deck at oh-eight-hundred on Monday morning.

“He thinks we’re getting out of shape,” said Hunk.

“Well, I will be if you keep feeding me like this. Not that I’m complaining. This is the best breakfast I have had in ages, Hunk. Thank you.”

Hunk grinned. “You’re welcome, but you know that I had an ulterior motive.”

“Of course. You just wanted to hear about my love life.”

“Ew! No, not really. I just wanted you to know that Pidge is my best friend, too, Lance. She told me that she was bullied all through school for being so smart. The boys were the worst—they called her names and stole her stuff. None of the girls would talk to her either. She was a very lonely kid whose only friend was her older brother, mainly because because Matt was the only one smart enough to really understand and appreciate her, besides her parents. When he and Sam disappeared, she was devastated.”

“I know. She was desperate enough to hack into the Garrison computer network to find out what happened to them. Iverson banned her from the Garrison for life. That’s why she cut off her hair and pretended to be a boy named Pidge Gunderson.”

“And then she was assigned to our cadet training group. We became the first real friends she’s ever had outside of the Holt family. Lance, we are two of the first guys she’s ever been able to trust. Be gentle with her. No matter how much you want her, the female should be the one to determine how far things go and how fast, not the male. And if she wants to wait—“

“I already intend to wait for her, Hunk. He family is very conservative and very protective of her, especially Sam. She’s the girl I want to marry. I want to wait for her. I want her family to like me, too.”

“Well, from what you told me of your little romantic adventures yesterday, Colleen already likes you.”

“Yeah. It’s Sam that I worry about. He’s brilliant, and kind of intimidating.”

“Intimidating? Sam?” Hunk smiled. “He’s an old softie.”

“That’s because he likes you, Hunk. You’re a genius. I’m not, and I can’t help wondering if Sam thinks that I am just not smart enough for his daughter. He probably wonders what she sees in me.”

“We all wonder about that, dude.”

“Thanks,” Lance said sarcastically. “That does wonders for my anxiety.”

“I was just joking! Seriously, you have got to go in with an action plan. Play to your strengths. Impress them with your talents.”

“Sarcasm, puns, and general goofiness?”

“Well, your sense of humor is one. Um, you have good manners, and there’s your skills as a Paladin...”

“I don’t think sharpshooting and flying are going to be enough.”

“You were singing in the shower again this morning. You have a great voice, Lance. Maybe you should bring your guitar and sing for them.”

“I was actually just thinking about that just now. I’ve been working on a new song lately, but I am having a bit of trouble with the lyrics. I was thinking that maybe Pidge could help me with that.”

“Is it a love song?”

“Of course. And it’s about her, well, both of us really.”

“That’s brilliant! You should definitely sing it for her.”

“Do you think that will be enough?”

Hunk got up from the table. “Well, if it isn’t, there’s this secret weapon.” He held up a white paper bag that was on the counter.

“Are those—?”

“Peanut butter cookies, baked especially for her. They are so good, she will definitely want to marry you, whether her father likes you or not.”

Lance laughed. “Hunk, you are the best!”

They cleared the table and Lance insisted on cleaning the kitchen, since Hunk had done all the cooking. Lance sang to himself while he worked, and Hunk watched from a distance, smiling at his friend’s happiness.

#plance #plance fic #lance #hunk garrett #lance mcclain #pidge #katie holt #sam holt #matt holt #colleen holt

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sirjustice340-blog · 4 years

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Foods and what they entails

Eating carrot means u hate adulating lands like Ukraine, Kansas, SA etc as well as hot lands but considering Russia and its known that way, maybe problem 4 ya indifference with people, if u knew not dude, With pineapple u wanna get to Britain, Lemon, love South America, Roasted maize Romania or Western Europe, Boiled maize, Bulgaria,Ghana, Mango u love Vietnam. Carrots u consider weak bone people as kids u can be with them, drawing women to ya if u eat such and means u hate food bro as consider plain food as rise and good in bed with few women as opposes to many and u can go partly to Canada. Think its a hoax then think twice dude

Canadian wheat good 4 large population country as if feeds ya faster, Kenyan 1 makes u wants to vomit, as nauseates you, while Ethiopian 1 makes u wanna relax alone near kids or just in a walking manner and many i have not eaten to find out their side effects. Kansas 1 as i hear spoil the eye and Texas and Mexico as kikuyu got the excuse has no purchasing power, PP, as them alone think they got the same yet we got options to flowers finished products and tea as coffee can be made in boom process. Kikuyu stop dude, u aint important, send, delegation to find which land in hectors can grow such crops instead of saying what is googled is exaggerated.

Break fluid when samples on coins placed of any nation make such coins when pumpkin water even made much in boom process by inserting sweet potato pieces, is placed as explained in tumblr sirjustice50 a/c.

Buy cars made out of ripe mango as it eases the mind, 1 out of pineapple draws kids to you as appealing as many think u love much kids as well as with apple or mfenesi as well as coconut and 1 made of lemon makes people think u have gone far, though they leave ya get wild to come later back to ya to inquire bro

People get to colleges with Guaranteed jobs like Medical as they meet u to get u into groups like10-20 people, where after like 1 year, u can qualify 4 a loan, where u marshal up the loan amount give as per the stipulated people above and u venture into the road industry as buying a van or a bus and placing in major big cities like Nairobi or Mombasa. Get to know the payslip of the mentioned above jobs to calculate how much loan they qualify 4, again and again after every top up till u resign and with other benefiting phrases i know not yet. Even with getting a banking job and many u got to submit to the above plan and more which if banking removed as online cash replaces paper cash, cities as those mentioned above collapses dramatically.

Water bill and electric bill or any govt bill of any country should be paid online or if via receipt, displayed on a website like in the link below to avoid theft that they allot those cash to please their hidden hooligan agendas like MP now forcing even poor people with such jobs and even siren gas made the same way coins are made but, the break fluid solution placed in an airtight gas cylinder mixed with pumpkin water b4 pissing of saliva is done and boom ya gas and even with cooking gas as u can buy a big cylinder and refill 4 people, cutting the refill price with up-to like 60% with the normal set price to make life even more cheap as those things involves no hard work but as explained above so no reason whatsoever to charge exorbitantly, Me Kevinelson insinuating such even if i die the legacy stills climbs up. Seen by every1 to terminate corruption once and 4 good/better bro

https://22bet.co.ke/?tag=d_571555m_7669c_EAIaIQobChMIiOfd9YzZ6gIVCYjVCh39bw1mEAAYASAAEgJ78vD_BwE.&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiOfd9YzZ6gIVCYjVCh39bw1mEAAYASAAEgJ78vD_BwE

USA/Japan turf not to join the USA in times futurity as now, when they want to attack Canada but in pretense liaising with china and more dude, so they be enemies as Japan usually wants to revenge and the lovers of japan gadgets nations as allies.

In the Guinness beer advertisement, they claim like in that selected advert, that now they are grown up and somehow defeated, so their kids can take the mantle as can come up with the innovation as making an airplane or auto-mobile, as they lived in suffering was the shortcoming and still they are in that quagmire, so locating 1 who is rich to live with their kid to bridge the gulf or create a new twist as difference. Dem lazy people, take your kid a way or we fight, carry ya own luggage as burden/kid. Worker parable to cement the truth of Christ saying. Still the kid young, no schooling 4 him as primary school fee, take care of him, when finished junior school, still having no cash let him leave school and join crafts to pave way 4 others to get job easily as if many do the same elevates competition in jobs. Jero abronegi tu-whonega, okan mandi, kikimul wiya, Konkodi tell him, now we know well how those machines are made as stipulated above bro period. Am a man of my words and of action, same to Magdaline of NIC bank, wants to connect me with lazy men who ought to die of same conduct above. Am not a van any1 to get into got, me woman, i will slain u, or a missile sent to ya house to be a world lessons to such women. Think we cant make 1 yet us writing how such are made, same to city policeman, we aint in a joke with ya. Saka maisha chako dude, me aint ya mama, to feed ya, get back to countryside if u r aiming 4 that to locate ya parents not me dude or ya govt. If it means going to hell let me go bwana.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=list+of+guinness+beer+adverticement

Holes on earth in every nation, to bar land locked countries from making salt using sea water, blessing in disguise as can use the dredger to make holes to sea bed from below to get that water or use drones flying up high to get to sea lands and draw that water to make ya salt dude. If coast people were 4 MRC, then rethink dude, u poor with latest technologies in E-cargo drone and Newly built Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Congo electric train opening much business along the rail as synonymous with KENYAN ones along the way. Now sing MRC phrases as in the link below

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mrc+mombasa+protest

https://www.vulture.com/article/best-action-movies-netflix.html

Minnesota sugar to be sold much as pineapple makes the sweetest sugar as much as apple when juice extracted mixed with pumpkin water then the boom process done as above, makes Such countries producing the same happy if they knew not and sad as MN where they were to sold such much more expensive than the sugar cane produced 1.

U wanna fuck irresponsibly and disturb us with ya kids as u do to alcohol as transfer the shit to ya manhood as u abuse others whom u disturb with ya kids as weak. With explanations got to stop bro and that's how life is situated, u aint Kingdom primates but human beings!!!! Asewerone parapanda 4 along time, so the time 4 action is due, tho, die if u wanna die we bury u, let Mr Nissan knocks ya down dude, shift not ya blunder to me, me i got my own shit bro!!!

Made in Tanzania E-motor bike in the link below

https://www.tanzaniamade.com/Electronic_Bike_-_1700000_Tsh/p6668509_20484493.aspx

https://www.tanzaniamade.com/

The same technology in the link below can be used to hit siren gas cylinder from inside a airplane 1.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fsolarcooking%2Fimages%2F3%2F3f%2FSCA_retail_outlet_Kampala%252C_2-12-13.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%2Fscale-to-width-down%2F340%3Fcb%3D20130212202955&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsolarcooking.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FUganda&tbnid=QGGC6DDVc4-A0M&vet=12ahUKEwi21Y_8ldnqAhWFRBQKHUZTAQAQMygoegUIARDkAQ..i&docid=2zYbdK7pOrhVEM&w=340&h=267&q=home%20appliances%20%22made%22%20in%20uganda%20images&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwi21Y_8ldnqAhWFRBQKHUZTAQAQMygoegUIARDkAQ

Like on the shinny metallic bars as u stand u hold unto them in the train or light rail is the same technology used with E-cargo drone to be fixed inside the airplane so to avoid running 1st on the ground b4 take off or due to landing. The same not done from outside but inside the airplane with made tiny holes to ventilate the drone mechanism to work cause it has its own AC. Not rocket science dude, easy magics bro, as in the link below

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=images+of+inside+of+a+subway+train&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwje5amP0dbqAhVF6uAKHRtjDxUQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1280&bih=910

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+inside+a+police+van&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwia8NaQ0dbqAhXFweAKHRIqARUQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=images+of+inside+a+police+van&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoCCAA6BggAEAgQHjoECAAQGFCuqAtYz9wLYPbgC2gAcAB4AIAB6QGIAYoTkgEFMC40LjiYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=cNQSX5r4LsWDgweS1ISoAQ&bih=910&biw=1280&client=firefox-b-d

Baby pampers and women sanitary pads are made using cotton soaked in cold water then the boom process done as spit saliva etc and their your pads or pamper or cloth pieces.

Coco butter made using black, kinda, going bad avocado where cold cocoa solution is added in the boom process and their is ya applying oil

https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Puebla_Avocados_10594.php

We thought Kenya tea Forex income as tabulated comes from overseas yet only 40% of that tabulation comes from abroad, which means like close o 60% consumed locally, where disrespects en-crops as we find that tea is charged much on fellow citizens to achieve the above. It would be lucrative if the locally sold 1 was not added as many thinks, same to with any cash crop of any country. U see them in TPF like with Kenya, walking as if they are about to own or control the world with just mere $ 50,000. Nations should tabulated not the domestically sold 1 to imbue people with accurate confidence as 4 local are your own cash, as in the links below

https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2020/01/kenya-tea-export-earnings-down-by-16-4pc/

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/markets/commodities/Kenya-tea-exports-fall-31pc-in-June/3815530-5244164-s8k0rcz/index.html

http://www.worldstopexports.com/kenyas-top-10-exports/

The reason 4 the above is artificial tea made in boom process by just buying few KG in leaves and making much by either adding sieved charcoal water or grinned paw paw or pumpkin water b4 buying ya own mini-tea processing unit than buying finished products like from Kenya or China etc as many knows not dude and even with flowers.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/24/425890188/carnations-coffee-and-denim-how-kenya-makes-its-economy-hum

http://www.worldstopexports.com/ugandas-top-10-exports/

http://www.worldstopexports.com/tanzanias-top-10-exports/

Banks profits and their extension to other nations like Kenyan 1 to Uganda and Tanzania contributes a lot to the development of major city structures like in Nairobi or Mombasa, which if removed such countries face the fear of recession and even with Britain, which is the turmoil when cash placed online if u did not know dude as in the link below

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/markets/marketnews/Listed-banks-profit-up-9pc-in-last-cap-results/3815534-5376114-a2902n/index.html

Compare Uganda and Tanzania top exports, and see the not common 1 as tea then think of the boom process as above as well as with what flowers are used to make and their options and the related jobs due to shipping created by containerization as ports which Tanzania now wants to connect to 4 countries at once which the port of Mombasa used to serve as Uganda serve the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi which now tz wants to serve all. Dude even on that line Uganda crying foul as the Burundi or Rwanda exports via them will be abolished as Rail is much faster and cheap compared to Kenyan road system. Importers will pot 4 the E-rail system lest Kenya builds their to share the profits dude. Get it straight stop being turf on ya dubious ways bro as in the links above

Still u understand not link, u r jew who did not got Moses, then a plan devised 4 ya in ya darkness, u will be killed or silenced still not knowing a link and aint a hoot to us bro.

If people stuck to their family, u see the vegetation drying up as brown not green but when the reverse done the earth opens on that side synonymous with Eu or America where people leave their parents to be decisive alone in life dude, Try that bro and many want it not out of the above if u know not girl. Who will tell ya this if not me. Monitoring my life that am about to eat much, which if not so few yards away they start giving ya names as begging yet is them who wants from u with their kids now that we know how machines made, not have to live in 1 house to come out with the same, that they have good things in store, which aint even theirs as they don’t own it but planning to hack what cant be hacked, bad Character Kikuyu blooded but blessing in disguise as the world have known u now that it has gone sour with ya and even tourist.

When working in town and leaving job late, fear and sense on the other hand engulfs ya, that they can give ya bad name or can say u r concerned about the city to start loading ya with burden as people who knows how the world goes so can monitor the nation and that’s it dude, so desist from the above if u want not so loaded burden as can be forced as other people left are of good life not concerned with such above and reason why big bodied people even if population less so people enjoy good life on security they are dull and not short or tall people like the Japanese can invade them and that’s why women r trained to dislike tall and huge people as short people also got the same disadvantage as cheeky, giving in to much play creating room 4 invasion as Germany with Poland during WW2 as now Kenyan people needs the same. In this world people of medium heights are the best protagonists and are feared as the Japanese as their land is an island and with the water or air telescope mounted on a drone, it can be calculated with the fastest submarine and jet of the enemy and placed all that distance from their shore so at night they don’t reach the land to invade synonymous with USA-Hiroshima/nagsaki bombings as in the link below as we have such machines above with night vision bro.

https://phys.org/news/2020-01-china-meter-fast-radio-telescope.html

1 km telescope 4 ya house security in the link below to detect any foreign thing like intruders on drones from sides or directly above synonymous with SA

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.made-in-china.com%2F43f34j00OBEQyflKLNoe%2FLong-Distance-1km-Digital-Telescope-Video-Camera-With-MP4-Function.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fnei-china.en.made-in-china.com%2Fproduct%2FeMqnhVoUZKkT%2FChina-Lang-afstand-1km-de-Digitale-Videocamera-van-de-Telescoop-met-MP4-Functie.html&tbnid=SWiK1rjMc_4JjM&vet=12ahUKEwiu5ZXd29bqAhXVw4UKHYvKBIEQMygBegUIARCLAQ..i&docid=kyTbXeCwAKipYM&w=300&h=213&itg=1&q=digital%20%20telescope%20images%20from%20china&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwiu5ZXd29bqAhXVw4UKHYvKBIEQMygBegUIARCLAQ

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftimg.china.cn%2F0%2F1_126_46108_800_801.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fdetail.en.china.cn%2Fprovide%2Fp132585175.html&tbnid=cemjc03XtmMoLM&vet=12ahUKEwiu5ZXd29bqAhXVw4UKHYvKBIEQMygEegUIARCRAQ..i&docid=nJ2EtXsCByVlDM&w=800&h=801&q=digital%20%20telescope%20images%20from%20china&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwiu5ZXd29bqAhXVw4UKHYvKBIEQMygEegUIARCRAQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=long+distance+digital++telescope+images+from+china+Alibaba&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiDiK2S3NbqAhUM-4UKHQ5BCTUQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=long+distance+digital++telescope+images+from+china+Alibaba&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1DG_AFY05ECYLqfAmgAcAB4AIABjwKIAY8YkgEGMC4xLjEzmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=_d8SX8OVBIz2lwSOgqWoAw&bih=910&biw=1280&client=firefox-b-d

Armored tanker on the wheel side still got shortcoming, where if a covering which is armored from the wheel rim is done to cover the tire to like only some few cm from the ground can reduce the index/surface area exposed 4 shooting and to avoid shooting the area that rotates on the ground, a mechanism can be incorporated that overlaps as well a bullet proof metal to like get to the ground to as well reduce the surface area of shooting as with the window in the link below

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=images+of+container+shops+doors+in+kenya&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKr4Cf3dbqAhUeAWMBHW7eATwQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1280&bih=910

https://unsplash.com/s/photos/classic-car

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=canadian+military+vehicel+images&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjoguTA3dbqAhWK2BQKHfIKBxcQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1280&bih=910

And telescope and digital Binoculars technology can be placed as well in military vehicle to reduce the rate of attacks or increase their vigilance.

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syarahweb-blog · 4 years

Text

10 Steps to Selling Your Car

Here are 10 simple steps which will assist you turn your used car into cash. Everything from pricing to advertising and negotiating is roofed during this short, easy-to-follow process.

Buy New Car حراج سيارات جدة

Steps to Selling Your Car Know the Market Price Your Car Competitively Give Your Car "Curb Appeal" Where to Advertise Your Car Create Ads That Sell Showing Your Car Negotiate for Your Best Price Handling Complications Finalize the Sale After the Sale Step 1: Know the Market Is your car getting to be easy to sell? Is it a hot commodity? Or will you've got to drop your price and obtain additional avenues to sell it?

Buy New Car حراج كامري

Here are a couple of general rules to answer these questions:

Family sedans, while unexciting to several , are in constant demand by people needing basic, inexpensive transportation. The sale of convertibles and sports cars is seasonal. Sunny weather brings out the buyers. Fall and winter months are going to be slow. Trucks and vans, used for work, are steady sellers and command competitive prices. Don't underestimate their value. Collector cars will take longer to sell and are often difficult to cost . However, these cars can have unexpected value if you discover the proper buyer. Your initiative is to ascertain on-line advertisements to see what proportion other sellers are posing for your sort of car. confine mind that dealers will have different prices than private party listings. The eBay.com classifieds and other websites allow you to look with specific criteria. for instance , select the year and trim level of your car and see what percentage similar cars are currently on the market. note of their condition, mileage, geographi location and asking price so you'll list your car at a price which will sell it quickly

Step 2: Price Your Car Competitively Once you've got surveyed the on-line advertisements , use the Edmunds Appraisal tool to work out the fair value of your car. Edmunds.com adjusts its TMV prices for mileage, color, region, options and condition.

There are always some exceptions to the principles of pricing, so you ought to follow your intuition. And make certain to go away a touch flexibility in your selling price . invite slightly extra money than you're actually willing to simply accept . If you would like to urge $12,000 for the car, you ought to list the car at $13,500. People tend to barter in big chunks ($500-$1,000) instead of small increments ($100-$200). That way, when an individual causes you to a lower offer, it'll be closer to your actual price, instead of below it.

You may have noticed how creative used-car dealers get in pricing cars. Their prices usually end in "995," as in $12,995. Are we not alleged to notice that the car basically costs $13,000? there's tons of psychology in setting prices. A product that does not sell well at $20 might get down the shelf at $19.95.

On the opposite hand, as a personal party seller, you do not want to seem sort of a dealer . Therefore, you would possibly want to require an easy approach and set your price at a round figure like $14,000 or $13,500.

Step 3: Give Your Car "Curb Appeal" When people come to seem at your car, they're going to probably structure their minds to shop for it or not within the primary few seconds. this is often supported their first check out the car. So you would like this first look to be positive. you would like your car to possess "curb appeal."

Before you advertise your car purchasable , confirm it's clean and attractive. This goes beyond just taking it to the car wash. Here may be a to-do list to assist you switch your heap into a cream puff:

Wash and vacuum the car and consider having it detailed. Make sure your car is both mechanically sound and free from dents, dings and scrapes. Consider making low-cost repairs yourself instead of selling it "as is." Shovel out all the junk from the within of the car. That way, when a prospective buyer goes for a test-drive, they will visualize the car as theirs. Wipe the brake dust off the wheel covers and treat the tires with a tire gloss product. Thoroughly clean the windows (inside and out) and every one the mirrored surfaces. Wipe down the dashboard and empty the ashtrays. Have all of your maintenance records able to show prospective buyers. If the car needs servicing or maybe a routine car care , lookout of that before putting it up purchasable . Have your mechanic inspect the car and issue a report about its condition. you'll use this to motivate a buyer who is on the fence. Order a vehicle history report and show it to the customer to prove the car's title is clean and therefore the odometer reading is accurate.

Step 4: Where to Advertise Your Car Now that your car is looking great and running well, it is time to advertise it purchasable . within the past, people advertised in expensive newspaper advertisements . But now, on-line advertisements are the well-liked method, not just for convenience, but also because they need a wider geographical reach.

Here are the most markets for advertising used cars:

Web sites: AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, Craigslist.com and eBay Classifieds are the foremost popular. Craigslist and eBay classifieds are free. The others aren't . Social media: Use Facebook and Twitter to let your circle know you're selling your car. Ask your contacts to spread the word. Peer-to-peer sites: Companies like Carvana, Tred and Zipflip connect buyer and sellers and are a growing presence within the used-car marketplace online. Each operates a touch differently, so check the sites for details of their services. These can include car inspections, warranties and return policies for buyers. Message boards: Many online car forums have classified sections during which you'll list your car. Word of mouth: Tell your friends, co-workers and family. The car itself: It's old-fashioned, but putting a "For Sale" check in the window are often an efficient thanks to sell it. One last word of recommendation about advertising: if you run a classified advertisement , make certain you're available to require phone calls — and texts — from possible buyers. many of us won't leave a message for a return call. So answer the phone or reply quickly to a text — and be polite. Creating an honest first impression is that the initiative in getting buyers to ascertain the car face to face .

Step 5: Create Ads That Sell Think about what you're telling people once you write your ad. Little words convey tons . Besides the worth , your ad should also include the year, make, model and trim level of the car you're selling along side the mileage, color, condition and popular options.

When creating "For Sale" signs or putting a billboard online, you've got a chance to point out how eager you're to sell the car. do that with the subsequent abbreviations and phrases:

Must Sell!: This often means the vendor is leaving town and wishes to dump the car at a fireplace sale price.

OBO: This stands for "or best offer" and it indicates that you simply are willing to entertain offers below the stated price. This usually means you're wanting to sell the car.

Asking price: This also communicates the sensation that you simply will negotiate, but it's one notch below OBO on the eagerness scale.

Firm: This word is employed to rebuff attempts to barter . It indicates that you simply aren't during a hurry to sell the car — you're most curious about getting your price.

Step 6: Showing Your Car There are many unexpected bumps within the road which will arise while selling a second hand car. These are going to be handled easily if you're handling an inexpensive person. So, as you're contacted by prospective buyers, use your intuition to guage them. If they appear difficult, pushy or maybe shady, await another buyer. With the proper person, selling a second hand car should be simple.

Some sellers feel uncomfortable about having buyers come to their house to ascertain the car. However, you'll generally screen buyers on the phone. If they sound suspicious, don't do business with them. If you do not want people knowing where you reside , plan to show the car at a park or shopping mall near your home. However, confine mind that folks will eventually see your address once you sign the title over to them.

Keep in mind that once you sell your car, people also will be evaluating you. they're going to be thinking, "Here's the person who's owned this car for the past few years. Do I trust him or her?" Buyers will probably be uneasy about making an enormous decision and pocket money . Put them comfortable and answer their questions openly.

Potential buyers will want to test-drive the car. If unsure , check to form sure they need a driver license. Ride along side them so you'll answer any questions on the car's history and performance. Also, they'll not know the world , so you would possibly need to guide them.

Some buyers will want to require the car to a mechanic to possess it inspected. If you've got an inspection report from your mechanic, this might put their doubts to rest. However, if they still want to require the car to their mechanic, this is often an inexpensive request. By now, you ought to have a sense for the person's trustworthiness. If you are feeling uncomfortable or have reason to think they're going to steal the car, decline the offer or go along side them.

Be ready for trick questions like , "So, what's really wrong with the car?" If you get this, refer them to the mechanic's report or invite them to seem over the car more carefully.

Step 7: Negotiate for Your Best Price If an individual involves check out the car and it passes their approval after a test-drive, you'll expect them to form a suggestion . most of the people are uncomfortable negotiating, so their opening offer might take several forms.

"I just like the car, but..." this is often the softest thanks to negotiate on the worth . they'll not even state that the worth seems too high. If they assert , "I just like the car, but..." then lapse into uncomfortable silence, you would possibly consider an appropriate response. If you actually want to maneuver the car, you'll say, "How much would you be willing to pay?"

"What's your best price?" this is often a more direct thanks to probe the vendor to seek out out what proportion he or she is going to come down. If you get this from a prospective buyer, don't seem too wanting to reduce your price.

"Would you accept...?" Now we're getting somewhere. This buyer has thought it over and is making a suggestion . But the offer is being presented during a polite manner designed to permit for a counter offer.

"Take it or leave it." This buyer is making a suggestion that supposedly leaves no room for a counter offer. actually , this buyer could be bluffing. Still, they're sending a message that they're on the brink of their final price. the sole thanks to know needless to say whether it really may be a "take it or leave it" offer is to go away it — and allow them to leave. they'll return tomorrow able to pay your price.

The above are just a couple of of the openers you would possibly encounter. consider your responses before time so you will not be caught unprepared. generally , it is a good idea to carry to your price when your car first goes up purchasable . If you do not get any buyers directly , you'll know you've got to be flexible about the worth .

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beneaththetangles · 4 years

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12 Days of Christmas Anime: After School Dice Club

Day 2: Bloom

Episode 10 of After School Dice Club, appropriately titled, “”Happy Holy Night,” is a clever episode, using two board games, Ladies and Gentleman and Blokus, to explain the true meaning of Christmas: family and shopping.

Wait. Okay, maybe it doesn’t go into anything particularly deep (and we do hope that you’ll find time this year to really consider what Christmas is really all about and celebrate it in a meaningful way), but light and fluffy isn’t necessarily bad, and it’s at the better end of what we can expect out of anime. This episode is quite nice, actually, and you can go into it without having to know much about the series. I’d only seen one episode of After School Dice Club previously and armed with that light context, I was able to get about 95% of what was going on, while my wife filled me in on the rest.

The episode is split into two halves:

Blokus and Family

Aya Takayashiki and her father are the focus of the first part. In typical anime fashion, Aya apparently lives without either of her parents; she and her sister make it quite fine on their own, thank you very much, with mother MIA (someone can perhaps fill me in on this) and her father traveling the world as a wildlife photographer, and especially absent since divorcing Aya’s mom. But after being away on assignment for two years, Aya’s father finally makes it home for a visit right around the holidays. She’s of course super excited and wants to invites him to a holiday party hosted by another of the club members so that he can meet her friends. However, in the worst Clueless Dad fashion, Aya’s father spends about one full day with his daughters before taking another assignment, totally forgetting about the Christmas party. Aya, ever the tsundere, is furious (BAKA!).

The game store owner is able to imbibe some wisdom into the situation, however, by having Aya and her father play Blokus along with Miki and Midori. This part of the episode was why I tuned in originally. We love playing Blokus around my own home. If you’ve never played, the objective is to use block pieces that look like they’re out of Tetris and fill in as many blanks as possible on a large square board. Up to four players can play, each taking one side, and whomever uses the most total blocks wins. It’s simple yet strategic, as the owner notes: At first, you’re trying to extend into others’ territory, but you win by letting others into yours. He’s absolutely right with his explanation, as you need their pieces so that you can curl around them and into whatever spaces you can find. The analogy is heartfelt and eventually taken, as daughter and father reconcile.

I should note that there’s actually some authenticity in the relationship here. Aya’s father really feels like a genuine, clueless Dad, and one that is also parenting like an absent father, one without experience. It’s awkward and bad. Aya also doesn’t know how to react—she has all this emotion pent up, both in bitterness and a need for affection. Troubles should arise, as they do, even if the conclusion is wrapped up a little too cleanly with a bow on top.

By the way, I highly encourage you to purchase Blokus for yourself. Think of broken relationships as you play.

Ladies & Gentleman (Boys and Girls)

At the actual Christmas party, Emilia (Who doesn’t have a last name? What is she, a secret gaming agent?) whips out Ladies and Gentleman, the most sexist game this side of the U.K. (or so some will claim I’m sure). Players pair up, boy and girl, with the guys having the objective of making money by flipping these coins representing commodities and selling them with cards that give values, and the girls shop, determining which dresses and accessories they want to wear. It’s kind of cool because the guys are playing on one side of the table at the same time as the girls play on the other, and then they come together to see what each pair is able (and willing) to purchase.

The purpose here, at least in terms of the Christmas episode, is to bring some romance in. I think we already knew that the extremely loud Shouta likes the extremely loud Aya, but there’s a revelation here that shy Ryuuji likes quiet Miki. The pairs line up just right, so it’s very cute—and this being anime, Emilia plays the very forceful mate to Midori’s male moneymaker. The scenes provides a bit of kawaii romance of the holidays, topped off by a couple of cute bookend scenes between the potential couples, including one where Shouta gifts Aya a pair of mittens.

In true anime tradition, I’m secure in my prediction that any advance made by the guys in this episode will be lost and they’ll start back at square zero whenever the series decides to bring the romance angle back in again. At least the boys got a little thrill for the holidays, though, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

No, it’s not—but that’s okay. This episode was a cute way to spend half an hour during the holiday season anyway (and is definitely worth a watch).

=====

Again, you can purchase Blokus and Ladies and Gentleman on Amazon, and After School Dice Club is available for streaming on Hulu. Tomorrow’s episode isn’t an episode at all—it’s from the An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride light novel.

#Anime #Christmas #After School Dice Club #Houkago Saikoro Club #12 Days of Christmas Anime #Family #Romance #Articles #Author: TWWK

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ronaldbryson1 · 5 years

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Get 15% Returns + Shares in My Top Businesses (like MentorBox)

Most by a wide edge DON'T KNOW THIS BUT…

"SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER" IS THE HOLDING COMPANY FOR MY TOP BRANDS (MENTORBOX, FARMER'S BOX, KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY, GLOBAL LAND HOLDINGS, ETC.).

IT'S ORGANIZED LIKE WARREN BUFFET'S COMPANY: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY.

Budgetary stars GET:

• 7-12% GUARANTEED MONTHLY CASH-FLOW PAYOUTS

• OWNERSHIP IN A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO OF TOP BRANDS

• SIGN UP CASH BONUSES

• UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ALL OUR BUSINESS EVENTS

• WHATSAPP ACCESS TO ME AND MY BUSINESS PARTNER ALEX MEHR PH.D.

• ACCESS TO OUR INVESTOR-ONLY PARTIES AND NETWORKING MEETUPS.

Up until this point, WE'VE ONLY LET IN "Assistants and FAMILY" THOUGH FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS WE'RE OPENING A ROUND FOR NEW INVESTORS.

In case THAT SOUNDS INTERESTING AND YOU'RE AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR…

YOU SHOULD JUMP ON A ZOOM CALL WITH MY BUSINESS PARTNER ALEX MEHR TO DISCUSS DETAILS:

Out of the blue…

If YOU'RE AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR…

By then YOU'RE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO KNOW IF YOU'RE BEING "PITCHED," RIGHT?

RIGHT.

WHICH IS WHY I'M NOT GOING TO BEAT AROUND THE BUSH HERE.

I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY…

I'M BUSY TOO.

SO INSTEAD OF "PITCHING" YOU ON SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER…

LET'S MAKE IT SIMPLE…

In the occasion that INVESTING IN MY HOLDING COMPANY SOUNDS INTERESTING…

Additionally, YOU'RE AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR (THIS IS IMPORTANT)…

In a general sense JUMP ON A ZOOM CALL WITH MY BUSINESS PARTNER ALEX MEHR AND HE'LL CHAT YOU WITH ABOUT DETAILS.

LIKE I SAID…

Direct.

Regardless of the way where that IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS (MEANING: YOU HAVEN'T SCHEDULED A CALL YET)…

By then THAT MEANS ONLY ONE OF TWO THINGS…

1. It is conceivable that YOU'RE A BIT CONSERVATIVE WITH YOUR INVESTMENTS AND THEREFORE WANT MORE DETAILS…

Or then again...

2. YOU'RE MORE OF A "GUT" INVESTOR THAT NEEDS MORE BACKSTORY.

BOTH ARE FINE.

I UNDERSTAND.

Possibly YOU JUST WANT MORE INFORMATION BEFORE CHATTING WITH ALEX?

Sensible ENOUGH.

By then LET'S GET GRANULAR…

Partner with ME to uncover to YOU EXACTLY WHY I CREATED SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER…

Similarly, MORE IMPORTANTLY… WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF JOINING OUR SHAREHOLDERS CLUB?

(Fabulously… JUST TO MAKE THIS CLEAR…

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT EVEN IF YOU DO WANT TO INVEST WITH US THAT WE'LL LET YOU IN…

So similarly, HERE'S WHY…

I THINK OF INVESTORS LIKE BUSINESS PARTNERS…

Similarly, OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT GOING TO JUST GO INTO BUSINESS WITH ANYONE.

SO TRUST ME…

THAT'S NOT FALSE SCARCITY.

THAT'S JUST SMART BUSINESS.

CAPITAL, REMEMBER, IS JUST A COMMODITY…

People LIKE US DON'T REALLY NEED MORE CAPITAL.

WE NEED MORE DEAL FLOW AND PARTNERSHIPS.

WHICH IS WHERE YOU COME IN…

In spite of the way where that WE'LL GET TO THAT LATER...)

At any rate…

THE REASON I CREATED SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER WITH MY BUSINESS PARTNER ALEX MEHR PHD…

(WHO, BY THE WAY, IS A NASA SCIENTIST, HAS GROSSED OVER $1 BILLION IN ONLINE SALES, AND JUST SOLD HIS LAST COMPANY FOR $255 MILLION… )

(Sign: THERE'S A REASON I PARTNERED WITH HIM… )

… THE REASON WE CREATED SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER IS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO COMBINE THE TWO MOST POWERFUL FORCES IN BUSINESS INTO ONE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE…

In such a case, that WE'RE HONEST…

THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION THAT INVESTORS LIKE US ASK OURSELVES…

"HOW DO I PLAY THE LONG GAME OF COMPOUND INTEREST…

In like way, SIMULTANEOUSLY INVEST IN THE NEXT UBER?"

Since BOTH WORK BY THE WAY…

FOR EXAMPLE… IF YOU HAD INVESTED 10K IN BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY IN 1964…

TODAY YOU'D HAVE OVER $240 MILLION DOLLARS.

Regardless of the way that ALSO…

If YOU HAD INVESTED 10K IN UBER JUST TEN YEARS AGO… ?

THAT'S AN EASY $100 MILLION.

WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY INVESTORS LIKE US ARE OFTEN HEDGING OUR BETS…

Continually MANAGING RISK-REWARD...

10% HERE…

40% THERE…

$500K IN THIS COMPANY…

$1 MILLION IN THAT INDUSTRY…

$2 MILLION IN REAL ESTATE…

$750K IN THAT NEW STARTUP…

ETCETERA.

ETCETERA…

In a general sense, WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS THAT WE WANT TO PLAY THE LONG AND THE SHORT GAME… .

WE WANT SAFE RETURNS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR BIG WINS.

WHICH MAKES SENSE.

IT'S HUMAN NATURE.

WE WANT OUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.

We when all is said in done in everything considered WANT THAT.

Disregarding the way that IN ALL MY CAREFUL THE STUDY…

THE ONLY PERSON THAT REALLY DOES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME… ?

...THAT'S OUR FRIEND WARREN BUFFET…

(WHO IS ONE OF MY "VIRTUAL" MENTORS BY THE WAY)

(I MODELED SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER AFTER BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY… ALMOST DOWN TO THE SYLLABLE)

… BECAUSE HERE'S THE THING…

THE REASON WHY BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY IS SUCH A MONSTER IS STRANGELY QUITE SIMPLE WHEN YOU BREAK IT DOWN…

WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY DO?

1. THEY INVEST IN (ALREADY HEALTHY) COMPANIES WHEN THEY'RE CHEAP...

2. THEY INVEST IN MANY OF THESE COMPANIES TO DIVERSIFY...

3. By then THEY RIDE THE MARKET UP OVER TIME (COMPOUNDING THEIR RETURNS), THOUGH...

4. WHILE ALSO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF "Gigantic EXITS" AS THEY COME.

SEE…

THEY'RE "Truly" INVESTORS…

SURE.

Regardless…

...THEY'RE BUSINESSMEN.

Additionally, THAT'S THE TRICK.

THAT'S THE SECRET FOR HOW TO PLAY BOTH THE SHORT "Preservationist" GAME AND THE LONG GAME AT THE SAME TIME.

IT'S SIMPLE....

Rather than INVESTING IN A STOCK (WHICH IS RISKY)…

Or on the other hand obviously A FUND (WHICH HAS NO MASSIVE UPSIDE)…

… YOU INSTEAD INVEST IN A "HOLDING COMPANY" THAT DOES ALL THE WORK FOR YOU…

A FUND LIKE THIS (LIKE SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER), AS AN EXAMPLE…

THEY PICK PROVEN COMPANIES.

THEY HELP GROW THOSE COMPANIES.

THEY PAY YOU OUT INTEREST EVERY YEAR.

Also, IF ONE OF THEIR COMPANIES BECOMES A UNICORN… LO AND BEHOLD…

(LIKE MENTORBOX FOR EXAMPLE)…

WELL…

AS THEY SAY… TO THE WINNER GOES THE SPOILS.

Everything considered… SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER'S INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO…

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS…

Stage ONE: ALEX AND I BUILD BUSINESSES USING OUR OWN CAPITAL TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE PROPER PRODUCT MARKET FIT… (READ: LESS RISK)...

Or then again obviously WE PURCHASE HEALTHY COMPANIES THAT ARE UNDERVALUED… (ALSO LESS RISK)...

By then STEP TWO:

WE USE OUR BUSINESS ACUMEN TO…

(Additionally, REMEMBER… BY THE WAY...

WE'VE ALREADY PROFITABLY SPENT OVER $500 MILLION IN DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING

In like manner,

Amassed OVER $1 BILLION IN SALES AND…

HAVE MORE THAN 12 MILLION SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AND…

WE HAVE DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE SILICON VALLEY PIPELINE OF HOT STARTUPS.)

SO…

… AFTER WE DECIDE TO SCALE AN ALREADY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS…

WE STEP TWO: USE OUR BUSINESS ACUMEN AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL TO BUILD MASSIVE BRANDS.

IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY AN EASY ONE-TWO PROCESS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT THAT WAY.

Besides, WE ALREADY HAVE EASY PROOF OF CONCEPT...

IN ONLY THE PAST FEW YEARS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE GREW A FEW MASSIVE BRANDS AND ALREADY PUT THEM UNDER THE SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER BANNER…

FOR THE 10 TRILLION-DOLLAR EDUCATION MARKET…

MENTORBOX ALREADY HAS 75,000 PAYING SUBSCRIBERS…

In like manner, KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY GOT TO 7-FIGURES IN JUST A FEW MONTHS.

FOR THE 5 TRILLION-DOLLAR FOOD MARKET…

WE HAVE GRASSLAND FARMS, WHERE WE'VE CREATED A BEEF JERKY COMPANY…

In like manner, FARMER'S BOX (A "FARMER'S MARKET DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR") WHICH SOLD OUT IN JUST A FEW WEEKS…

By then FOR FASHION… .

WE HAVE OUR OWN SUCCESSFUL CLOTHING LINE: "A BETTER MAN."

WE ALSO INVEST IN REAL ESTATE UNDER GLOBAL LAND HOLDINGS (GLH).

WE HAVE A FINTECH PLAY WE'RE WORKING ON ("FOUNDERSBANK")…

...In addition, OBVIOUSLY MANY MORE.

THESE ARE ALREADY OR WILL BE UNDER SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER…

...In addition, MORE WILL BE ADDED EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

…

WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION…

WILL EVERY SINGLE ONE BE THE NEXT UNICORN?

NO. OF COURSE NOT.

Regardless, ONE OF THEM PROBABLY WILL…

In like manner, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THIS MODEL…

Remember WHAT SHAREHOLDERS GET… ?

Screens GET:

• 7-12% GUARANTEED MONTHLY CASH-FLOW PAYOUTS

• OWNERSHIP IN A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO OF TOP BRANDS

• SIGN UP CASH BONUSES

• UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ALL OUR BUSINESS EVENTS*

• WHATSAPP ACCESS TO ME AND MY BUSINESS PARTNER ALEX MEHR PH.D.

• ACCESS TO OUR INVESTOR-ONLY PARTIES AND NETWORKING MEETUPS.

WITH SCHWEITZER ALEXANDER WE'LL PAY YOU OUT A MONTHLY INTEREST PAYMENT…

WHICH IS THE CONSERVATIVE LONG PLAY…

Regardless of how YOU ARE ALSO ABLE TO CONVERT SOME OF YOUR INVESTMENT INTO OWNERSHIP SHARES…

WHICH IS THEN DIVERSIFIED…

INTO HEALTHY BUSINESSES…

ALL OF WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE NEXT UNICORN.

Thusly… YOU'RE ABLE TO PLAY THE LONG AND SHORT GAME AT THE SAME TIME.

WHICH…

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING…

THIS ALL BEGS THE QUESTION…

For what reason DO ALEX AND I NEED YOU THEN?

…

Awesome QUESTION.

…

THE TRUTH IS THAT WE DON'T.

WE DON'T TECHNICALLY "NEED" MORE CAPITAL.

ALEX AND I COULD HAVE RETIRED ALREADY A LONG TIME AGO.

YOU'RE PROBABLY IN THE SAME BOAT....

Regardless, JUST LIKE WARREN BUFFET DOESN'T "NEED" TO READ 500 PAGES A DAY TO FIND THE NEXT COMPANY HE WANTS TO PURCHASE BECAUSE HE NEEDS THE MONEY...

NEITHER DO WE DO IT FOR THE MONEY…

TRUTH IS THAT WE JUST HONESTLY ENJOY BUSINESS.

WE THINK IT'S GOOD FOR THE WORLD.

WE LIKE GIVING MORE AND MORE VALUE TO MORE AND MORE PEOPLE.

WE LIKE THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXCHANGE.

Other than IT MAKES THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

Truly IT DOES.

In like manner, SURE, IF WE HAVE NICE LIFESTYLE

Website: http://www.schweitzeralexander.com/A3086930

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