confederados

During the US Civil War (1861-1865), the Confederate States of America ran a side campaign to realise colonial expansion into Central and South America. Southern imperialists called filibusters or freebooters raised militias in order to destabalise the Mexican government and foment revolt so piecemeal the country might be more easily taken.
When Emperor Napoleon III seized Mexico in 1863, the Confederacy seemed to have the perfect pretence for liberating the country, which would be indebted to those who freed them from the yoke of the French. Prosecuting the war with the Union took up all their resources, however. After the Confederacy was defeated, some Southerners realised their imperial ambitions after a fashion when having lost significant portions of their land-holdings they fled as refugees across the border and established settlements in many Latin American countries and in Brazil—where enslavement was still legal at the time before being outlawed in 1888, that still bear the name Americana and New Texas (parts of São Paulo, by leave of Emperor Dom Pedro II), New Virginia (located between Mexico City and Veracruz and tolerated by Emperor Maximillian II until he was executed by revolutionaries in 1867) and several outposts in British Honduras (modern-day Belize) that retain to varying degrees their exported heritage.

noforn or eyes-only

Not only has Dear Leader exhibited to the world his gross incompetence when it comes to diplomatic discretion and his inability to let an opportunity to humble-brag (or outright brag) pass by in showing off in front of a Russian delegation and then publically confirming the source of that intelligence or by disclosing top-secret submarine manœuvres in Korean waters to the Filipino dictator for no apparent reason, the distrust and toxicity that his regime has engendered all the way down the hierarchy has repositioned leaks and whistleblowing to the fore, whereas this had formerly been the option of last resort once all other avenues were exhausted. How easy would it be to trick Dear Leader?  There are rumours that his staffers in the White House feed him news articles of questionable provenance throughout the day.  The regime has done nothing outside of threats and intimidation to instil confidence or loyalty but these leaks also materially damage the reputation and trust of partner states—including the UK’s politically independent interior ministry. After US security services leaked the name of the perpetrator of Monday night’s horrific attack on a concert venue in Manchester to the press, potentially compromising other leads, before the UK was prepared to do so, authorities behind the investigation have suspended intelligence sharing with America. With the credibility of the US already suffering, it cannot afford to lose the faith of its allies as well.

virtuosi

Author and polymath Robert Twigger has recently completed his latest work which seeks to dislodge and disabuse from some of our assumptions about the innate or inchoate nature of talent and how it might be fostered by encouraging us to pursue micro-mastery.
Rather than positing some natural or nurtured advantage, other cultures take the approach that a skill-set can be learned to perfection—informed by the Japanese method of imparting martial arts, calligraphy and other ceremonies, we should challenge ourselves to make that prize omelette or mix the perfect martini. What are some master-classes you would be happy to proctor? We have access to the whole of human wisdom at our finger tips, essentially, but we’re probably not made exactly to learn from staring at screens and ought to be willing to throw our whole lumbering bodies into the task of honing up on some new core-competencies.

special dispensation

Of all the pitiful, cruel, arbitrary and tacky things that Dear Leader has done reports that seem quite believable that he denied his press secretary the chance to tag along on their visit to the Vatican and audience with the Pope.
Embattled and deservedly so for defending his boss the dissembler and sophist-in-chief, meeting the Pope was the one thing the press secretary, a Catholic, was looking forward to, expecting to be dismissed from the Cabinet and replaced any moment now. Apparently his performance is not living up to Dear Leader’s expectations and Dear Leader, who can only perceive high office as a series of praise-lavishing and executive perks and privileges, can only correct or punish by exclusion.

mancunians united

Though the poem was commissioned a few years ago to celebrate the unique character of the city in a wholly different context, poet Tony Walsh’s recitation of his This is the Place hit some very resonate notes that helped those attending this vigil find some solace in not losing the strength of what connects them.

This is the place
In the north-west of England. It’s ace; it’s the best
And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands
Set the whole planet shaking.

Our inventions are legends. There’s nowt we can’t make, and so we make brilliant music
We make brilliant bands
We make goals that make souls leap from seats in the stands.

And we make things from steel
And we make things from cotton
And we make people laugh—take the mick summat rotten
And we make you at home
And we make you feel welcome and we make summat happen
And we can’t seem to help it
And if you’re looking from history, then yea we’ve a wealth