LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 15, 2022

Heather Cox Richardson

Today, what appears to have been a Russian-made missile fell into eastern Poland near Ukraine, killing two civilians. Poland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an organization formed in 1949 to stand against the expansion of the Soviet Union and now standing against the expansion of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. According to Article 5 of NATO’s founding document, an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all of them. But exactly what happened today remains uncertain: it is not clear if the missile was an intentional attack, an error, or an intercepted weapon that went off course. Poland could invoke Article 5 but doesn’t have to and indeed would have a hard time getting the necessary support for that escalation without absolute proof the attack was deliberate. So far, Poland appears to have activated Article 4, which brings NATO leaders together for consultation “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.” A joint consultation shows the world that NATO is still unified and warns against further escalation (if indeed any was intended). Biden spoke by phone with Polish president Andrzej Duda to express his condolences and reiterate the U.S. commitment to NATO while the investigation into what actually happened is ongoing. He also spoke with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. Russian missile attacks on Ukraine have increased as world leaders are meeting at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. The G20 is a forum of the European Union and 19 countries that include most of the world’s largest economies. Meetings of the G20 focus on cooperation for development, financial stability, and addressing climate change. After filing the paperwork earlier today, former president Donald Trump announced a run for the 2024 presidency tonight in a speech from Mar-a-Lago before an audience that included a number of far-right social media influencers, his wife Melania, and family members Eric, Lara, and Barron Trump and Jared Kushner, but, so far as I can tell, no members of the Republican Party leadership. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who was a key advisor in the Trump White House, was not there, and said tonight she does “not plan to be involved in politics.” The speech was a subdued version of his rallies, claiming he is a victim and offering a replay of his inaugural address, which focused on what he called “American carnage.” Tonight he warned “our country is in a horrible state, we’re in grave trouble” and said he was leading “a great movement” to take the country back. Compared with the midterms crowds yelling for their candidate, the lack of enthusiasm in the room seemed marked, and after about an hour, while Trump was ranting about former German chancellor Angela Merkel, the Fox News Channel cut the live feed. Domenico Montanaro of NPR indicated that Trump might not enjoy the same uncritical coverage he received in 2016 when he began his story on the announcement: “Donald Trump, who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and inspired a deadly riot at the Capitol in a desperate attempt to keep himself in power, announced he is running again for president in 2024.” According to Mark Sweney of The Guardian, after the Republicans’ poor showing on Tuesday, in which the high-profile candidates Trump backed lost, media mogul Rupert Murdoch has told Trump that he will not support Trump’s 2024 candidacy and will instead back Florida governor Ron DeSantis should he decide to run. If Murdoch follows through, this means Trump will lose the backing of the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Fox News Channel. The party’s losses in the midterms appear to have opened the door for Trump's opponents to toss him under the bus. According to Jonathan Swan at Axios, at this morning’s annual meeting of the Republican governors, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie got “huge applause” from the room full of hundreds of politicians, consultants, and wealthy donors when he blamed Trump for three cycles of losses for the Republican Party. Christie said voters “rejected crazy.” Trump has likely announced his candidacy so early either to try to stop DeSantis from announcing and attracting Trump’s voters, or to try to avoid indictments, or both. There is no doubt the former president’s legal troubles are heating up. On Saturday, a legal filing from the Department of Justice to Special Master Judge Raymond Dearie, in charge of reviewing the documents the FBI seized on August 8 from Mar-a-Lago, revealed that Trump kept a document marked “SECRET” and another marked “CONFIDENTIAL” in a drawer together with personal documents from after his time in office. This suggests that he deliberately mishandled the documents at a time after he left office. Meanwhile, Trump has told the special master that the president has the authority simply to declare which records are personal records, and that he declared all the seized documents to be personal records while in office. He suggests his careless handling of the classified documents proves he considered them personal records. The Department of Justice has responded with incredulity (that’s the gist of it, anyway). Two days ago, Trump’s second chief of staff, 72-year-old former Marine Corps general John F. Kelly, told Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times that Trump wanted to use the Department of Justice and other government agencies against those he perceived to be his political enemies. Repeatedly, he told Kelly he wanted to use the Internal Revenue Service in that way; last summer the New York Times revealed that after Kelly had left the White House, the IRS selected former FBI director James Comey and his deputy Andrew McCabe, whom Trump blamed for the investigation into the ties of his 2016 campaign to Russian operatives, for rare and extensive audits. Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington dismissed Kelly’s account, although others have made similar statements, saying: “It’s total fiction created by a psycho, John Kelly, who never said this before, and made it up just because he’s become so irrelevant.” New documents from Trump’s former accounting firm, Mazars USA, released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, showed that foreign governments including those of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and China “spent more money than previously known at the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., and did so at sensitive times for those countries’ relations with the United States.” The leader of Malaysia, for example, spent more than $250,000 over 9 days at the hotel, and Trump praised him highly while the leader was “publicly under investigation by the Department of Justice…for looting a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund and laundering the money through U.S. financial institutions.” The House Committee on Oversight and Reform yesterday wrote to the acting archivist of the United States, Debra Steidel Wall, asking her for presidential records to determine whether Trump distorted foreign policy to serve his own financial interests. In a statement, the committee’s chair, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) said of the information from Trump’s accountants: “These documents, which the Committee continues to obtain from Mazars, will inform our legislative efforts to ensure that future presidents do not abuse their position of power for personal gain.”

—

Notes:

https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/committee-releases-financial-records-showing-extensive-foreign-government

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/11/after-moscow-blamed-for-explosions-in-poland-all-eyes-on-nato/

Right Wing Watch @RightWingWatchGonna put together a thread on the various MAGA cultists who have been invited to Mar-a-Lago for Trump's announcement on Tuesday. (If you see others, send us a DM with a link and we'll add them.)

8:42 PM ∙ Nov 14, 20222,913Likes512Retweets

https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00828541/1661550/

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/15/1044234232/trump-announces-run-president-2024

Acyn @AcynFox cuts coverage while Trump is ranting about Angela Merkel

2:43 AM ∙ Nov 16, 20222,833Likes368Retweets

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/15/murdoch-press-turns-on-donald-trump-in-favour-of-defuture-ron-desantis

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763.176.1.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/14/donald-trump-handled-records-marked-classified-after-presidency-court-filing-alleges

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763.171.0_2.pdf

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/politics/trump-justice-department-white-house-personal/index.html

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763.173.0.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/14/trump-hotel-foreign-government-spending/

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3737592-ivanka-trump-says-she-wont-be-involved-in-politics-as-father-announces-2024-run/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/13/us/politics/trump-irs-investigations.html

https://www.axios.com/2022/11/15/chris-christie-trump-governors

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

* * * *

[from comments]

Michael Bales

Journalistically speaking, this is a save-it-for-posterity opening for a story: “Donald Trump, who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and inspired a deadly riot at the Capitol in a desperate attempt to keep himself in power, announced he is running again for president in 2024.”

Nothing but the facts. Hats off to Domenico Montanaro of NPR.

Wow sono nel 2022 ma ho appena sentito delle frasi direttamente dal secondo dopoguerra

We've known Brian Montanaro for a few years and enjoyed his local performances. He gets such crystal clear guitar sounds combined with such a rich voice. We're reminded of Jeff Buckley here but Brian has his own unique vision and point of view. Check him out!

Domenico Montanaro on Twitter.

Dom could easily have kept going but he was running out of characters.

Yeah, Trump once claimed Lincoln didn’t suffer as much as him. Lincoln, of course, was assassinated.

It’s bizarre how narcissistic billionaires feel that they are the most persecuted people in the world. The worst Donald Trump had to suffer was from his fake bone spur.

There is probably still a lot to be revealed about what a self-preoccupied spoiled brat Trump has been.

EVIL Ted Bundy is "The Black Mass" reviewed! (Cleopatra Entertainment / Blu-ray)

“The Black Mass” on Blu-ray Can Be Ordered Here! Based off a slice of Ted Bundy’s murderous impulse-driven life, the notorious American serial killer’s escapes from the upper West Coast and lands him residence in Tallahassee, Florida in the moderately warm winter of 1978.  As he picks the pockets of those around him, scrounging up what little cash he needs to survive on, Bundy urges grow to kill…

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[Come una sirena][Giovanni Montanaro]

Raccontando la storia di Hans Christian Andersen, il suo rapporto irrisolto e – oggi diremmo – fluido con il proprio corpo e la propria sessualità, è amore lungo tutta la vita per il suo migliore amico, ci svela l’estrema attualità di una fiaba immortale.

Tutti crediamo di conoscere la Sirenetta di Andersen, ma pochi conoscono la sua vera storia. Come una sirena è l’avventurosa vita del giovane Hans Christian Andersen, figlio di un’alcolizzata e nipote di una prostituta, cresciuto quasi analfabeta e partito a quindici anni da Odense alla volta di Copenaghen, sognando un futuro da ballerino. La carriera al Teatro Reale viene stroncata sul nascere,…

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PREPARANT TOSCA: ELS CAVARADOSSI DE FABIANO I GRIGOLO

PREPARANT TOSCA: ELS CAVARADOSSI DE FABIANO I GRIGOLO

A manca d’àudios o vídeos que ens puguin donar una idea de com pot ser el Cavaradossi del jove Antonio Corianò sí que us puc oferir com són els Cavaradossi de Michael Fabiano, que substitueix com ja se sap de fa temps a l’inicialment previst Roberto Alagna, i el de Vittorio Grigolo que substitueix a Joseph Calleja, aquest un canvi d’última hora. Per fer-vos una idea us proposo escoltar la part…

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Kristen Montanaro’s Singular Life

Identical twins aren't identical. Sure, they begin with the same genetics. But life unfolds differently even for those who shared a womb.  Kristen Montanaro displayed a unique character just like her closest sister even though they were born minutes apart.  She spent her lifetime establishing herself independently.

Watch for behavioral cues.  Kristen was more wild than her twin Karen despite their matching appearance.  It was easy to tell them apart once they started talking.  As the more impulsive one, Kristen was apt to regularly treat herself to items like new clothes.  Being nice to herself was a surefire way to establish her own path.

The closest siblings possible form distinct personalities that reflect how choices impact what's next.  Yet the twins maintained a large overlap despite their divergent temperaments.  Many of Kristen’s obituaries mention how they would go to the mall together, shop separately, and end up buying the same outfits.  Complementing each other was a way to compliment each other.

Employees can't get work done without desks in place.  Kristen’s job involved making it possible for others to do theirs.  She spent work hours as facilities administrator at insurance broker and risk advisor Marsh & McLennan.  The job involved attending to matters such as supply ordering and arranging the office, which was situated on the 93rd floor of 1 World Trade Center.

Time in between work took her home across New York Harbor.  The lifelong Staten Island resident took advantage of the borough’s educational opportunities.  A Curtis High School graduate who had previously studied at the College of Staten Island for a year and a half, Kristen had been pursuing an associate's degree in business at Kingsborough Community College.  She had three classes left.

It goes without saying that every part of the city endured horrific devastation on its worst day.  Kristen was one of 274 Staten Island September 11 victims.   Her neighborhood base is both literally in the metropolis and close to traditional Gotham landmarks.  Its proximity to Manhattan’s skyline can sadly be noted by the scale of bereavement.

Many World Trade Center workers found living in the least-populated borough attractive.  It’s just a ferry ride away from southern Manhattan, where the Twin Towers stood as a navigational and inspirational beacon.  Richmond County’s residential character makes it appealing to those who want to live in New York City while enjoying relatively more space in multiple senses.

The multiple groups to which each victim belonged are the most painful way of illustrating how much so many lost.  The darkest day saw an unbearable loss inflicted within one company, as well.  Marsh & McLennan alone lost 295 employees along with 63 contractors.  The attack killed everyone in the office that day.

How is it possible to move forward after losing so much irreplaceable human capital?  All those still with us can do is try to persevere through sadness while keeping those no longer with us in mind.  The company does so by recognizing those murdered: you may see hers listed along with every other lost staffer at their memorial in front of their relocated headquarters on Sixth Avenue. 

The marker in front of the business is one of several different places where those seeking to remember Kristen can commemorate her.  Her name can be found on Panel N-3 of the National September 11 Memorial.  Kristen also appears on her native island's Postcards Memorial where all victims who resided there have individual granite plaques that approximate the shape of the mailed souvenir.  Each features a silhouette of the honored person facing where the World Trade Center stood.

You can additionally visit Kristen’s corner.  There’s a street sign bearing her name at Hill Terrace and Maryland Avenue. The signpost for Kristen L. Montanaro Way stands on the southeast pole if you find yourself on Staten Island and would like to take a moment to reflect on her time with us.  Those walking by or waiting at a stop sign hopefully realize they are in the vicinity of a spot for recognition.

A prototypical Knickerbocker also enjoyed seeing the world outside of New York City.  Kristen had just gone to Madrid with Karen and her other sister Jamie along with some friends.  Her next scheduled domestic excursion was to a place renowned for imitations of global landmarks: she had a Las Vegas trip planned for October 2001.  A pending fun time in the desert was only the start of confiscated potential.

Kristen Leigh Montanaro’s shared birthday was August 26.  She enjoyed 34 of them.  Her productive career was just the start of an admirable personal legacy.  A true New Yorker who balanced her life fully, she’s remembered as a twin who forged her own identity.  Kristen was one of a kind.

http://project2996.wordpress.com

every time up first is even a minute late I worry something unspeakable has happened to noel king or ayesha rascoe

@ Jean Paul Montanaro

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La Liga 2023/2024 champions!

Campeones, campeones oe, oe, oe!

After FC Barcelona's loss against Girona CF, Real Madrid is officially La Liga champions! It's Real Madrid's 36th title!

The team who won the La Liga title 2023/2024:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin,

Defenders: Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho Fernandez, Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Daniel Ceballos, Arda Guler, Mario Martin

Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Joselu Mato, Brahim Diaz

Canteranos: Nico Paz, Gonzalo Garcia

Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

Coaching staff: Davide Ancelotti, Francesco Mauri, Antonio Pintus, Beniamino Fulco, Luis Llopis, Simone Montanaro, Jose Carlos Garcia Parrales

you've ruined my life by not being mine, there's nothing i hate more than what i can't have. 

                                                 ·⠀⠀pinterest⠀⠀·��⠀headcannons⠀⠀·

♡⠀⠀⠀ quando você passa pelos corredores da academia, todos se atentam aos seus passos, afinal é a grande THEODOSIA WREN MONTANARO DI SANCTIS, a princesa da ALEMANHA, tendo nascido em MUNIQUE, em 07 DE OUTUBRO DE 1998. mesmo sendo EGOCÊNTRICA e ARROGANTE, você conseguiu chegar ao 6º ANO, porque também é bastante CONFIANTE e COMPETITIVA mesmo com a tenra idade de VINTE E TRÊS. dizem que se parece com ABIGAIL COWEN, mas são apenas boatos!

general.

nome completo: theodosia wren montanaro di sanctis

título real: princesa e herdeira da alemanha

apelidos: theo, thea, dodo (somente a sua mãe)

data de nascimento: 07/10/1998 (vinte e três anos)

zodíaco: sol em libra, lua em touro e ascendente em leão

gênero: cis-feminino

sexualidade: heterossexual (bissexual)

aesthetics: hematomas, anotações e post-it, velas de canela e abóbora, cardigans, estrelas cadentes. 

clubes e extracurriculares: pratica muay thai, participa dos clubes de debate e comitê de eventos e faz hipismo.

família: anelise wren di sanctis (mãe, rainha regente), wolfgang wren montarano (pai, rei consorte, falecido). 

skeleton

appearance.

altura: 158cm

estilo do cabelo: quase sempre theodosia está com o cabelo preso em um rabo de cavalo, ou um coque, para os fios não atrapalharem o rosto - somente a franja cortininha para não atrapalhar a visão. se ela está de cabelo solto, é porque tem algo que precise mais seriedade.  

cor do cabelo: castanho médio quase escuro

cor dos olhos: é um castanho médio

cicatrizes: ela tem a cicatriz na no ombro, vinda de uma queda de cavalo, onde arrancou um pedaço de pele.

marcas de nascença: não possuí

tatuagens: tem uma tatuagem de borboleta, na nuca, que é escondida quase sempre pelo cabelo - e que a matriarca sequer imagina que ela tem.

piercings: não são bem piercings, mas ambas as orelhas tem mais de um furo, além do tragus e helix serem furados, sempre com jóias de ouro.

mental.

traços positivos: confiante, competitiva, idealista, charmosa, independente, determinada, corajosa, 

traços negativos: teimosa, egocêntrica, arrogante, ambiciosa, impaciente, impulsiva, e instável

hobbies: cavalgar, fotografia, cerâmica, ioga

hábitos: coçar a cabeça quando está anisosa (até machucar ou sangrar), morder o interior da bochecha para controlar a raiva, cantarolar cantigas infantis para não brigar.

vícios: não possuí.

gostos: dias de sol, roupas exclusivas, conjunto de colares, rolinhos de canela, nascer do sol, argila com água. 

desgostos: comida fria, gritos e bagunça, cheiros florais (lavanda, rosas e etc), luzes altas.

about germany.

após o fim da primeira guerra, o império de kaiser wilhelm ii se viu obrigado a perder força, dando espaço a nova onda libertária, conhecida como democracia. apesar de todos crerem que aquilo seria uma nova onda de esperança para o país, fora completamente ao contrário. a segunda guerra veio, com ela, uma crise política e financeira se instaurou e fora necessário recorrer aqueles que tinham preservado suas riquezas porém aberto mão do poder político, conforme o povo havia pedido. para a família di sanctis, segunda na linha de sucessão, devido ao antigo rei não ter deixado herdeiros para o trono, a sua irmã, viktoria o abdicou, alegando ter herdeiros para que pudessem perpetuar o sangue real. viktoria dera a luz à três meninas: anelise, frieda e berta, mas somente a primogênita fora sortuda o suficiente para vencer a gripe e assumir seu lugar por direito. 

como uma boa marionete dos tios e temendo inflamar uma guerra (desnecessária), anelise acabou se casando com um primo nobre, wolfgang, e juntos eles pareciam um casal perfeito - apesar da pouca idade da mulher e consideravelmente avançada de seu esposo. apesar do que muitos diziam, anelise era graciosa e reinava com pulso firme, suas decisões eram altruístas e sempre pensando em seu povo. aprendeu a gostar, amar, wolfgang e não fora por falta de tentativas que tentaram dar um herdeiro ao povo. os anos iam passando e as coisas não pareciam estar bem entre o casal, que a cada nova perda se degradava ainda mais. a esperança renasceu quando anelise ficou grávida, mas wolfgang estava doente demais, deixando uma rainha regente e sua filha sem um esposo e pai. 

biography.

choros e sorrisos. foi a primeira coisa que se ouviu após o grito estridente de theodosia quando a rainha anelise lhe deu a luz, em uma das noites frias de outono. era um choro alto, como se estivesse reivindicando a atenção da mãe desde seu nascimento - ela vai ser para sempre minha! e fora assim. anelise, nos primeiros anos, não tirava os olhos de sua filha, sempre a levando para todos os cantos, acompanhando seu desenvolvimento pleno e participando ativamente. mesmo que ficasse cansada com facilidade, a regente jamais negou nenhum pedido da filha de brincar de casinha, ir até a casa da árvore, uma tarde de chás; era até mesmo capaz de desmarcar qualquer compromisso, mesmo relevante, se fosse para atender aos pedidos da sua criança. o que por muito tempo, fora bom. theodosia não sentia falta de um pai, mesmo que visse as pessoas com aquela figura, não fazia falta pois sua mãe sempre fizera questão de estar presente. 

aos poucos, aquilo fora mudando. o cenário, mesmo que favorável para a pequena, quase minúscula, família real, era um pouco delicado. era somente as duas dentro de um castelo enorme, com muitos guardas, seguranças, criadas e tudo para atendê-las. a rainha começou a se ausentar para com theodosia e ser mais ativa perante seu reino. em alguns momentos a filha não entendia, até porque ficou acostumada a ter a presença da mãe em todos momentos que a requisitava. e foi naquele momento que compreendeu - a coroa vinha antes de qualquer coisa.

o tempo passou a ser seu melhor e pior amigo. enquanto utilizava as horas disponíveis para aprender línguas, geografia, política, matemática, também usufruía para artes, como cerâmica e momentos que podia se desprender de sua casca de princesa herdeira e ser apenas uma jovem. crochê parecia algo que chamava a sua atenção e após implorar muito para sua mãe, começou a frequentar as aulas para jovens. nos primeiros dias era legal, todos pareciam animados em ter a princesa como colega. até os comentários maldosos começarem a surgir. “ ela não parece nada a rainha ”, “ muito menos o antigo rei ” e as mais diversas crueldades que uma criança de onze anos não deveria escutar sobre seu falecido pai. os cochichos começaram a ficar mais altos, virando conversas claras e altas, para quem quisesse ouvir. em um momento de descontrole, theodosia enfiou uma das agulhas na mão de uma das colegas. 

começou a ficar reclusa, porque seus ouvidos agora captavam facilmente as coisas que os outros diziam sobre si e a veracidade de sua paternidade. nunca expressou nada para a rainha, ela já havia mais coisas a se preocupar. os rumores eram apenas aquilo, rumores. haviam outras coisas mais importantes para serem resolvidas - como a figura da próxima regente perante ao seu povo. e antes mesmo de entrar na adolescência, já havia papéis importantes para exercer. cada vez mais assumia responsabilidades, que conseguia descontar somente dentro de um tatame de treino, escolhendo muay thai como seu foco. foram incontáveis as horas que despendeu apenas socando algo fingindo que eram aqueles que a queriam apunhalar pelas costas. 

e em pouco tempo, anelise estava irreconhecível. mesmo que os problemas sempre existissem, agora pareciam consumir a matriarca como nunca antes. theodosia se viu posta na linha de frente para assumir assim que fizesse dezoito anos, uma das mais jovens a assumir, quando fora chamada para a academia. apesar de dizer que queria ficar em terras alemãs, sua mãe fora a primeira a incentivar a ter outros contatos, além daqueles diplomatas que exercera por anos. talvez precisasse mesmo de novos ares, um golpe republicano era tudo o que não queriam e sabia que sua mãe não aguentaria caso algo acontecesse. 

Sto cercando di inserire gli spallacci alla borsa Patagonia: eppure il commesso napoletano a Courmayeur l'avevo fatto così velocemente.

Un napoletano montanaro, che non si è mai visto, mi batte: a ME che salgo ai 3000 mt