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Orfani è una serie a fumetti di genere fantascientifico creata da Roberto Recchioni ed Emiliano Mammucari, pubblicata dal 2013 in Italia dalla Sergio Bonelli Editore in albi mensili a colori. Narra di una guerra fra una razza di extraterrestri e una squadra di ragazzi addestrati per combatterli e nota come "Orfani". Si tratta della prima miniserie a fumetti interamente a colori, gestita in "stagioni" da dodici numeri della casa editrice.

Gli autori hanno dichiarato di essersi ispirati, nel concepire il soggetto e la trama, a opere di fantascienza come Il signore delle mosche di William Golding e Fanteria dello spazio di Robert A. Heinlein; nella serie sono stati inoltre notati riferimenti a numerosi film, come Alien, Il grande uno rosso, Full Metal Jacket e Star Wars, e alla celebre serie di videogiochi Halo. Più in generale, tuttavia, Recchioni ha più volte dichiarato come il lavoro suo e di Mammucari sia più che altro influenzato, sia nella trama che nella resa grafica di personaggi, mezzi e armi, da più generici stereotipi e archetipi letterari e visivi del genere fantascientifico, opportunamente rivisitati. L'autore ha ribadito questa concetto anche sulle pagine del proprio blog personale, scrivendo come quelli presenti nell'opera siano soprattutto «suggestioni, rimandi, immaginario collettivo, archetipi, cose che si affastellano una sulle altre e che si influenzano a vicenda [...] Poi, sia chiaro: mi piace Halo? Eccome».

Storia editoriale

La serie è esordita a ottobre 2013 ed è divisa in stagioni caratterizzate dal cambio della testata che venne rinominata Orfani: Ringo dalla seconda, Orfani: Nuovo Mondo dalla terza, Orfani: Juric dalla quarta, Orfani: Terra dalla quinta e Orfani: Sam dalla sesta.
Orfani, Ringo, Nuovo Mondo e Sam sono composte da dodici numeri, mentre Juric e Terra da tre. dopo la fine della pubblicazione della serie è stato pubblicato uno Speciale che riprende gli avvenimenti di Terra.

La serie venne ideata da Roberto Recchioni, autore del soggetto, della trama e delle sceneggiature, e dal disegnatore Emiliano Mammucari, che ha creato graficamente i personaggi e l'ambientazione e frutto di un laborioso processo durato oltre quattro anni. La Bonelli ha supervisionato la fase di ideazione tramite il curatore editoriale Franco Busatta; gli autori hanno comunque dichiarato di aver avuto massima libertà creativa da parte della casa editrice milanese, sia per quanto riguarda i contenuti che il linguaggio grafico e narrativo, da loro stessi definito "innovativo" rispetto ai canoni bonelliani.

Il lancio della serie è stato preceduto da una robusta campagna promozionale, che ha visto l'utilizzo di social network, la produzione di un "numero zero" realizzato in collaborazione con la casa editrice Multiplayer.it Edizioni incaricata dalla Bonelli per distribuire e apporre il suo marchio sull'albo promozionale distribuito gratuitamente presso i negozi della catena GameStop e successivamente distribuito on line, e di un trailer video curato da Fumettology. Il numero 0 distribuito gratuitamente nei Gamestop attraverso Multiplayer è stato stampato in 60.000 copie. La Bonelli ha fatto sapere di aver investito complessivamente circa 1.300.000 euro nella produzione e nel lancio della prima miniserie di dodici numeri. I primi due numeri hanno venduto circa 50.000 e 40.000 copie rispettivamente su 120.000 copie distribuite.

Orfani è la serie Bonelli più recente a beneficiare di edizioni Deluxe regolari. In primis con l'edizione da libreria proposta da Bao Publishing, che ha riproposto in 4 volumi ciascuna le prime due stagioni (Orfani e Orfani: Ringo), sia in edizione regular che in edizione variant, presentate con cover di artisti differenti. Inoltre nell'ottobre 2016, come allegato al quotidiano La Gazzetta dello Sport , esce Orfani Le origini, che ripropone tutte le stagioni con un formato più grande e una impaginazione totalmente differente, che anziché narrare le due linee temporali in parallelo, presenta la vicenda in ordine cronologico, dividendo ogni albo in due parti.

Roberto Recchioni è lo sceneggiatore dei primi dodici numeri della serie e dalla seconda stagione è stato affiancato alla sceneggiatura da Mauro Uzzeo e Luca Vanzella. Lo staff dei disegnatori è composto, oltre che dal creatore grafico Emiliano Mammucari, da Alessandro Bignamini, Luigi Cavenago, Massimo Dall'Oglio, Luca Maresca, Werther Dell'Edera, Giorgio Santucci, Davide Gianfelice, Matteo Cremona. Il colore è affidato a Annalisa Leoni, Lorenzo De Felici, Arianna Florean, Giovanna Niro e Alessia Pastorello, mentre le copertine sono di Massimo Carnevale.

Trama

Orfani
La storia è articolata su due linee temporali differenti che si alternano durante la narrazione: così nel "passato" vengono mostrate le fasi dell'addestramento a cui gli "Orfani" sono sottoposti, mentre nel "presente" i personaggi sono catapultati nella guerra tra gli esseri umani e gli alieni che hanno portato l'attacco.

Piccoli spaventati guerrieri: Un devastante raggio energetico colpisce la Terra, radendo al suolo gran parte dell'Europa e uccidendo all'istante un sesto della popolazione del pianeta. Causa di tanta distruzione sembra essere un attacco premeditato da parte di alieni di un lontano pianeta. Dopo questo evento, una scienziata serba di nome Jsana Juric e un colonnello dell'esercito giapponese di nome Takeshi Nakamura radunano un gruppo di bambini orfani sopravvissuti alla catastrofe, per sottoporli a un duro addestramento per farne dei letali soldati con l'obiettivo di invadere il pianeta ostile e impedire che l'accaduto possa ripetersi. I militari quindi caricano a bordo di alcuni velivoli i bambini, dividendoli in squadre e facendo scendere a turno alcuni di loro nella natura selvaggia. Il gruppo di protagonisti scende per ultimo e i bambini iniziano a conoscersi. I giovani capiscono subito di essere stati abbandonati in quel territorio perché sottoposti a un test e che l'obiettivo è quello di ritornare alla base di Dorsoduro. Il gruppo si riunisce subito sotto la leadership di Hector, il più grande, che inizia a guidare i ragazzi. Jonas, un altro sopravvissuto, inizia a fare amicizia con Hector, che per lui diventa una figura di riferimento. Dopo alcuni giorni di cammino, la Juric e Nakamura decidono di alzare il tiro dell'esercitazione, rilasciando nell'area dove si trovano i ragazzi alcuni orsi affamati, con il chiaro intento di eliminarli. Uno degli orsi raggiunge il gruppo dei protagonisti, che viene subito messo alle strette, ma Hector si sacrifica per permettere al gruppo di sopravvivere all'attacco e lascia a Jonas l'incarico di prendersi cura di tutti. Dopo una breve fuga, i ragazzi si ritrovano sul ciglio di un precipizio, senza possibilità di fuga. Disperati, iniziano a lanciare sassi contro l'orso, che accecato dalla rabbia, li carica, finendo per precipitare nella scarpata. Dopo alcune ore, i ragazzi riescono a ritornare alla base e vengono subito notati dalla Juric e da Nakamura, essendo l'unico gruppo riuscito a uccidere un orso. La dottoressa ordina al colonnello di seguire personalmente la squadra e si prepara a organizzare l'addestramento. Nel futuro, la forza d'invasione terrestre raggiunge il pianeta alieno. Prima di scendere a terra, ogni soldato riceve un vaccino per contrastare le radiazioni del pianeta, che dovrà essere ripetuto ogni giorno. I soldati scendono sulla sua superficie senza incontrare alcuna resistenza, ma, cosa alquanto strana, senza trovare alcuna traccia degli alieni. Tuttavia, all'improvviso appaiono alcuni alieni dal nulla, che senza alcun'arma da fuoco, iniziano a trucidare i soldati terrestri. La battaglia sembra perduta, quando una squadra composta da cinque soldati, ognuno vestito in maniera diversa dagli altri, fa la sua comparsa. I cinque riescono in pochissimo tempo a eliminare buona parte delle forze nemiche, mettendo in sicurezza la zona e facendo ritirare gli alieni. I soldati, sorpresi, chiedono quale sia il nome dei cinque eroi che hanno salvato la spedizione e dopo che questi ultimi si tolgono gli elmetti si riconoscono Jonas e i suoi compagni, ormai chiamati "Orfani".

Non per odio ma per amore: L'albo inizia con il flashback di Hector e Juno, che al momento dell'esplosione stavano semplicemente giocando in casa. L'addestramento dei ragazzi continua. Gli orfani vengono sottoposti a duri allenamenti fisici e vengono loro insegnate discipline militari. Inoltre, ogni settimana vengono sottoposti ad alcuni trattamenti medici volti al potenziamento delle loro capacità fisiche. Tuttavia, il regime di addestramento è molto duro, e ciò, unito all'invasività dei trattamenti di potenziamento, porta alla morte di numerosi ragazzi. Jonas e gli altri ragazzi legano fra loro, anche grazie a Ringo che si è preso in carico Sam, una bambina rimasta traumatizzata dall'attacco alieno. Tuttavia, nonostante l'affiatamento sia molto alto, Juno, sorella di Hector e confidente di Jonas, inizia a covare odio nei confronti dei militari, secondo lei colpevoli di aver ucciso il fratello e di considerare senza valore le vite di tutti i ragazzi. Una notte, la ragazza riesce a intrufolarsi negli alloggi privati di Nakamura e tenta di ucciderlo per vendicare la morte del fratello, ma fallisce. Il colonnello tuttavia, anziché dare l'allarme, le offre di scappare, promettendole di insegnarle a combattere per darle la possibilità di compiere la sua vendetta. Juno scappa, giurando al militare di ucciderlo. Il giorno dopo, la dottoressa Juric vorrebbe eliminare la ragazza dalla squadra, giudicandola troppo compromessa per poter continuare il programma, ma Nakamura la salva, spiegando che non è "compromessa", ma solo molto motivata, che la storia ha sempre dimostrato come gruppi di civili estremamente motivati siano sempre riusciti a sconfiggere eserciti ben addestrati che non combattevano per un ideale considerato proprio. Nel futuro, dopo aver messo in piedi una base avanzata sul pianeta, Jonas discute con il colonnello Nakamura sul da farsi. Il fatto che gli alieni, chiamati Fantasmi, non fossero stati individuati e fossero apparsi dal nulla porta Jonas a ipotizzare la presenza di un sistema di occultamento tecnologicamente superiore alle forze terrestri, forse applicato anche alle città aliene, dato che nessun satellite riesce a individuarle. Le caratteristiche del nemico lo rendono un avversario formidabile, dato che non si capisce come mai non usino armi da fuoco anche se in possesso di armi capaci di colpire la Terra e soprattutto, una volta uccisi, i cadaveri degli alieni si polverizzano, senza lasciare un corpo da esaminare. Data la situazione, Jonas chiede al colonnello di poter esplorare il territorio nemico insieme a Juno. I due quindi esplorano il territorio, senza trovare nulla, ma all'improvviso, in fondo a una valle appare dal nulla un'intera città. Jonas e Juno vanno in esplorazione, senza trovare alcun abitante, ma appena arrivati al centro della città scoprono una cosa inquietante: tutti gli alieni sono radunati di fronte a un edificio che è l'esatta riproduzione della Sagrada Familia. Jonas grida dalla sorpresa, attirando gli alieni. I due combattano nel tentativo di uscire dalla città e stanno per essere sopraffatti, quando una squadriglia di caccia arriva in loro aiuto, permettendo loro la fuga. Dopo aver fatto rapporto, gli orfani risalgono a bordo della nave ammiraglia in orbita sul pianeta e Juno entra di nascosto nella stanza di Nakamura, brandendo una spada. L'anziano militare gli chiede come mai abbia intenzione di ucciderlo proprio durante la guerra, ma la giovane gli risponde che ha frainteso. Il momento di ucciderlo verrà, ma prima vuole che il colonnello autorizzi il matrimonio fra lei e Jonas. Durante la cerimonia però, alcuni alieni simili a razze si lanciano contro l'astronave in alcuni attacchi suicidi. L'esercito quindi parte a difesa delle navi.

Primo sangue: La storia si incentra su Ringo, il ragazzo più vivace e indisciplinato del gruppo. Il suo flashback mostra la sua occupazione prima dell'apocalisse. Il ragazzino infatti era un torero e il giorno dell'esplosione stava affrontando un toro in uno scontro. Durante una lezione di aeronautica il ragazzo si distrae e sta per essere punito dal suo istruttore, ma grazie ai potenziamenti ricevuti riesce a tenergli testa. Nella classe arriva Nakamura, che fa uscire tutti i ragazzi e intima a Ringo di farsi punire da alcuni soldati di bastoni elettrici. Il ragazzo però reagisce, neutralizzando i soldati, ma prendendo in giro il colonnello che, di tutta risposta, lo gambizza e si prepara a giustiziarlo sul posto per insubordinazione, ma all'ultimo momento interviene la Juric, che ricorda al militare come, per giustiziare un soldato, egli debba prima essere in buona salute. Il ragazzo viene quindi portato in una vasca di rigenerazione per curarlo. La dottoressa e il colonnello discutono sul da farsi. Nakamura vorrebbe giustiziare Ringo come monito per gli altri ragazzi, ma la Juric lo difende, spiegando che è uno dei migliori sul campo e che lei conosce un modo per controllarlo. Nakamura autorizza la dottoressa a provare a trovare una maniera per farlo sottomettere. Usando le informazioni a disposizione di Jonas, la Juric ricatta Ringo: se lui non si sottometterà completamente al colonnello, lei trasformerà la vita di Sam in un inferno. Il giorno dell'esecuzione, il ragazzo chiede a Nakamura di risparmiargli la vita e il colonnello lo umilia di fronte a tutti gli altri ragazzi. Da questo momento, il rapporto fra Ringo e Sam diventa molto più forte, ma allo stesso tempo Rey, uno dei compagni di squadra, inizia a nutrire astio nei confronti di tutti, soprattutto Ringo, considerato da lui uno sbruffone. Nel futuro, gli alieni cercano di distruggere la nave ammiraglia, senza grandi risultati, ma neanche i terrestri riescono ad abbatterli. Per sconfiggerli viene schierata una squadriglia di caccia, alla cui guida si trovano gli Orfani. Purtroppo, durante la battaglia, un alieno colpisce il caccia di Pistolero, che precipita in una giungla del pianeta. Si scopre che Pistolero è Ringo. Sopravvissuto allo schianto tuttavia, l'unità Host, che fungeva da aiutante tattico sull'astronave lo informa che ha poco meno di ventiquattro ore prima che le radiazioni del pianeta lo uccidano. Ringo non si dà per vinto e cerca di raggiungere il più vicino luogo da cui trasmettere una richiesta di soccorso, che sfortunatamente si trova a tre giorni di cammino. Nel tragitto inoltre, un Fantasma animalesco sta seguendo le sue tracce. In breve tempo i due vengono allo scontro e stranamente il Fantasma ha le sembianze di un toro. Lo scontro è concitato, ma alla fine Ringo ha la meglio, anche se viene ferito al torace. Dopo di che, riprende il cammino. Tempo dopo, la nave ammiraglia rintraccia il segnale dell'unità Host. Jonas e Sam scendono sulla superficie del pianeta, ma trovano l'unità gravemente danneggiata, che interrogata sul perché sia in quello stato, risponde che Ringo è impazzito, forse a causa delle radiazioni e che risulta disperso. Nel frattempo arriva un'orda di Fantasmi e i due Orfani sono costretti a battere in ritirata, abbandonando il loro compagno sul pianeta.

Spiriti nell'ombra: Il flashback rivela il passato di Sam: era in vacanza con i suoi genitori a Barcellona quando l'esplosione colpì il pianeta, e la vista dei genitori disintegrarsi davanti a suoi occhi la traumatizzò. L'addestramento continua e questa volta Nakamura inizia a mettere le varie squadre di ragazzi l'una contro l'altra. Sam riesce da sola a neutralizzare un'intera squadra, essendo diventata l'esperta stealth del gruppo. Alla fine della sessione di addestramento, il colonnello decide di organizzare una festa per il suo compleanno, a cui fa partecipare anche i ragazzi delle squadre vincitrici. Durante la festa però, Rey inizia a litigare con Ringo. La situazione sta per degenerare, quando Jonas si frappone fra i due, rimproverando Rey di essere un attaccabrighe. Il ragazzino va via infuriato e casualmente incontra Sam. Pieno di frustrazione e rabbia, e convinto di essere considerato inferiore dai suoi compagni di squadra, tenta di violentare la ragazzina per sfogarsi, ma Sam reagisce e arriva quasi a ucciderlo. Il giorno dopo, la Juric informa che nonostante le ferite gravissime Rey sopravviverà, ma dovrà essere allontanato dalla squadra e inserito in un "programma secondario" riservato a chi fallisce l'addestramento principale. Il problema principale però è Sam, che dall'aggressione è caduta in uno stato semi-catatonico, e in quelle condizioni sarebbe impossibile reintegrarla. Nakamura quindi chiede di poter provare a farla ragionare. Chiede a Ringo di parlare con la ragazzina, essendo l'unico di cui lei si fida. Il ragazzo accetta, ma una volta di fronte a lei, i due vengono subito alle mani. Ringo si lascia picchiare da Sam, e fortunatamente riesce a farle capire che non è lui il nemico, ma i militari che li hanno costretti a quella vita. Calmatasi, la ragazzina abbraccia Ringo.

Altri albi: Dopo l'invasione del pianeta alieno, l'esercito terrestre riesce con facilità ad avere la meglio sul nemico, distruggendo la potente arma che era stata usata per colpire la Terra. Tuttavia Ringo e l'Eremita, due soldati della squadra, iniziano a sospettare che dietro al conflitto vi siano motivazioni ben più complesse, oltre a quelle che sono state date loro. Infatti il vaccino anti-radiazioni, che viene fornito ai soldati, non è altro che una potente droga allucinogena, inoltre tutti i cadaveri dei soldati morti in battaglia presentano ferite da arma da fuoco e gli alieni invece combattono all'arma bianca. Gli Orfani scoprono che l'esplosione che ha devastato la Terra è stata provocata da un esperimento scientifico errato. Tuttavia la verità è stata oscurata e la dottoressa Jsana Juric è stata incaricata di ideare un fittizio conflitto bellico alieno, che permettesse al genere umano di trovare la coesione e l'unità necessarie a superare il terribile periodo di difficoltà. Sebbene comprendano di essere stati manovrati, non tutti i membri della squadra degli Orfani rimangono sdegnati dalle rivelazioni della dottoressa. Attenendosi agli ordini sino all'ultimo, accettano di proseguire la guerra così come gli è stato comandato. Soltanto Ringo e Juno sono profondamente convinti che l'umanità debba essere messa a conoscenza della verità. Per questo motivo, si schierano contro i loro ex-compagni di squadra e cercano di tornare sulla Terra per rivelare al mondo la mistificazione. Da questa loro scelta, segue un combattimento fratricida tra i membri della squadra degli Orfani, al termine della quale il solo Ringo ne esce vivo. A bordo di una delle astronavi, Ringo precipita a Londra e dà inizio alla rivolta contro il governo straordinario di crisi, di cui la Juric è stata eletta da poco presidentessa. Ringo si trasferisce a Napoli, dove conosce Barbara, con la quale inizia una relazione amorosa, e prosegue l'insurrezione armata.

Ringo
Vent'anni dopo i fatti narrati, Ringo si è ormai ritirato a vita privata e la ribellione è stata quasi completamente soffocata dalla Juric e dalla sua terribile guardia personale: i Corvi. Il Pistolero ritorna a combattere su richiesta di Barbara, perché il loro figlio (di cui Ringo non è mai stato a conoscenza) verrà giustiziato per aver attentato alla vita della Juric. Ringo e Barbara riescono a salvarlo assieme ai suoi compagni, ma la donna muore durante l'operazione, senza riuscire a rivelare l'identità del figlio. Ringo è costretto alla fuga con tre ragazzini al seguito di nome Seba, Nuè e Rosa; di uno dei quali è il padre. Il gruppo attraversa un'Italia devastata dall'esplosione nucleare e caduta totalmente nel caos, in cui ogni comunità si è organizzata con proprie regole e propri costumi. A ogni sosta vengono raggiunti dai Corvi che cercano di uccidere Ringo e i ragazzini. Si scopre che i Corvi sono stati creati dalla Juric che è riuscita a inserire all'interno di corpi robotici le coscienze dei vecchi compagni di Ringo, che sono diventati dei perfetti sicari del governo. I fuggitivi riescono sempre a salvarsi dagli attacchi dei Corvi e questo irrita profondamente la Presidente che vorrebbe delle macchine perfette al suo servizio. Per questo obbliga i suoi scienziati ad accedere alle coscienze dei Corvi per ricercare un malfunzionamento. Infatti Angelo, che da viva si era schierata con Ringo, sabota dall'interno le operazioni della squadra, impedendogli di uccidere il suo vecchio alleato. La memoria di Angelo viene completamente cancellata e Sam viene posta a capo dei suoi vecchi amici affinché trovino e uccidano Ringo una volta per tutte. Nel finale di stagione si scopre che Rosa è incinta o di Seba o di Nuè, dopo la morte di questi ultimi due Ringo e Rosa approdano nel campo di Cesar, che si occupa di organizzare partenze clandestine verso il Nuovo Mondo. Tuttavia sulle loro tracce la Juric ha scatenato i nuovi Orfani del campo di Dorsoduro. Ringo decide così di fare un patto con la Juric: si consegnerà a lei solo se lascerà Rosa. La Juric accetta lo scambio e Ringo, dopo un ultimo tentativo di uccidere la nemica, scopre che il Corvo Sam è ancora viva. All'alba, mentre Rosa si mette in salvo verso il Nuovo Mondo, Ringo viene giustiziato.

Nuovo Mondo
Rosa raggiunge il Nuovo Mondo, ma il suo trasporto viene intercettato dalla sicurezza del pianeta e abbattuto. Salvatasi per miracolo allo schianto la protagonista deve nascondersi tra la giungla per non venire identificata ed essere reclusa in un centro di prima identificazione. Nel Nuovo Mondo incontra altri sopravvissuti come lei allo schianto. Rosa partorisce ma suo figlio le viene strappato via dalla Juric grazie alla complicità di un sopravvissuto allo schianto traditore, Rosa viene quindi portata in un carcere di massima sicurezza. Nel frattempo la Juric partorisce una bambina. Rosa si allea con altri ribelli e insieme a loro riesce a fuggire dalla prigione, ma scopre di essere in realtà sulla Luna di Nuovo Mondo. Decide di trattare con la Juric e le promette la libertà dei suoi soldati in cambio di un'astronave che li riporti sulla Terra. La Juric non accetta la proposta della ragazza e manda sulla Luna un messaggero, clone che contiene parti di tutti i 5 Orfani. Intanto Rosa decide di uccidere alcuni soldati della Juric per dimostrarle cosa è disposta a fare. Avviene così l'esecuzione, al termine della quale Vincenzo uccide Rosa. Infatti il messaggero aveva rivelato a Vincenzo che a uccidere sua moglie era stata proprio Rosa. Alla fine Sam uccide la Juric e decide di portare lontano i due bambini per proteggerli.

Juric

La quarta stagione, di soli 3 albi, è un viaggio nel passato della "cattiva" della serie, la dottoressa Juric. Ai testi, su soggetto di Recchioni, troviamo Paola Barbato.

Terra

Annunciata a Lucca Comics&Games 2016, la quinta stagione si intitola Orfani: Terra: e presenta copertine di Gipi e storie scritte da Emiliano Mammucari.

Sam

Ultima stagione della serie, scritta da Roberto Recchioni, torna a essere composta da dodici albi, con le copertine di Carmine Di Giandomenico.

Terra: A proposito del futuro
Primo speciale della serie, composto da un unico albo che riprende le vicende narrate da Orfani: Terra.

Personaggi
Orfani

Sono un gruppo di ragazzi di provenienza iberica sottoposti dalla dottoressa Jsana Juric e dal colonnello Takeshi Nakamura a un particolare programma di addestramento al fine di farne l'élite dell'esercito della Terra per combattere la razza aliena che ha invaso il pianeta.

Nella prima stagione la prima linea temporale ne segue la giovinezza e l'addestramento militare, mentre la seconda linea temporale ne segue le missioni da soldati adulti. Nella seconda stagione invece si sofferma sugli scontri tra Ringo e i suoi vecchi amici.

 Felix: ragazzo di Madrid. Porta i capelli marroni e ha un fisico un po' in sovrappeso. Sembra essere quello a cui mancano di più la famiglia e la sua vita precedente, parla spesso del passato e il suo unico obiettivo sembra essere il cibo. Muore durante un'esercitazione di arrampicata libera in montagna.
 Hector: ragazzo di Lisbona, fratello di Juno. Sembra essere il più freddo e risoluto del gruppo di ragazzi, in grado di pensare e guidare tutti gli altri con intelligenza. Si sacrifica per permettere al gruppo di sopravvivere all'attacco dell'orso scatenato dal colonnello Nakamura per testare il gruppo.
 Jonas: è un ragazzo dai capelli corti proveniente da Barcellona; la sua fronte è segnata da una vistosa cicatrice. Calmo e ragionevole, è un capo nato e il più assennato nel gruppo dei ragazzi, insieme con Hector. Quando quest'ultimo si sacrifica per salvarli, promette di prendersi cura dei suoi compagni. Nella seconda linea temporale Jonas veste i panni di Boyscout, il leader del gruppo di soldati che si sono denominati Orfani. Muore a Londra, ucciso da Ringo. Il suo corpo viene recuperato dagli scienziati della Juric che ne fanno un membro dei Corvi, la sua guardia personale.
 Juno: ragazza di Lisbona e sorella di Hector. Porta lunghi capelli neri. Capirà subito che il fratello non è morto per un incidente, ma per un test voluto da Nakamura. Per questo giurerà di ucciderlo; per parte sua Nakamura le insegnerà a combattere promettendole di darle la possibilità di compiere la sua vendetta. Lei è l'Angelo della squadra. Muore durante il viaggio di ritorno sulla Terra. Il suo corpo viene recuperato dalla Juric che ne fa un membro dei Corvi.
 Raul: ragazzo di nazionalità italiana, unico sopravvissuto della sua squadra, che viene aggiunto al gruppo dopo la morte di Felix. È un ragazzo estremamente chiuso e riservato, profondamente segnato dalla morte di tutti i suoi vecchi compagni. Non si sente parte del gruppo, ma accetta di collaborare. Raul sarà lEremita. Si schianta con il suo caccia contro la fiancata dell'astronave madre e muore, suicida, dopo essere rimasto esposto troppo a lungo nel vuoto cosmico. Il suo corpo viene recuperato dalla Juric che ne fa un membro dei Corvi.
 Rey: ragazzo di discendenza orientale proveniente da Madrid. Porta i capelli neri. Sempre in contrasto con Ringo, viene escluso dal gruppo dopo aver cercato di violentare Sam, che lo ferisce gravemente. Sottoposto a processo potenziato di incremento delle propri abilità psicofisiche rispetto agli altri ragazzini, Rey sviluppa numerose anomalie fisiche, tra cui un braccio potenziato. la Juric decide di tacere il risultato, ponendo Rey al suo servizio e ordinandogli di continuare a seguire occultamente gli Orfani nelle loro prime missioni, intervenendo solo ove necessario per tenerli in vita. Rey le obbedisce non per affetto verso i suoi ex compagni di squadra, ma pregustando i tormenti cui saranno sottoposti in seguito. Viene ucciso in uno scontro diretto da Ringo.
 Ringo: ragazzo biondo proveniente da Siviglia, in passato era un giovane torero. Apparentemente è un personaggio dal carattere rude e aggressivo, in seguito si dimostra invece molto altruista nei confronti di Sam, con la quale sviluppa un rapporto molto intenso. Ringo vestirà i panni di Pistolero. Creduto morto durante la missione contro gli alieni, Ringo scopre che la guerra che stanno combattendo è solo una grande finzione ordita dalla Juric per alimentare la più grande menzogna che sia mai stata raccontata al mondo: è stata l'umanità stessa a distruggere la Terra. Il Pistolero e l'Angelo non accettano di essere diventati degli assassini per niente e vogliono rendere pubblica la notizia, ma vengono affrontati dal resto della squadra. Dallo scontro che ne segue il solo Ringo ne esce sopravvissuto. Tornato sulla Terra il Pistolero guida la rivoluzione contro il Governo Straordinario per numerosi anni, per poi abbandonare la lotta quando la Juric riesce a soffocare il movimento. Tuttavia dovrà ancora tornare in azione per salvare suo figlio e i suoi amici da morte certa.
 Sam: membro più giovane del gruppo, Sam è una ragazza dai capelli biondi americana, ma sua madre era originaria di Barcellona. Inizialmente è il membro più scosso dagli eventi apocalittici che hanno colpito il pianeta Terra, in seguito stringerà un legame molto forte con Ringo. Lei è la Mocciosa. ''Sembra avere due personalità: è una ragazza dolce, affettuosa e indifesa, ma sa essere anche spietata e sanguinaria, arrivando quasi a uccidere Rey. Viene uccisa da Ringo che dopo uno scontro fisico estenuante, in lacrime la colpisce a tradimento dandole anche l'ultimo bacio. Il suo corpo viene recuperato dalla Juric che ne fa il più temibile membro dei Corvi.
 Angelo: pilota della squadra, indossa un'armatura che ricorda molto quella di un samurai orientale e più avanti la si vedrà maneggiare una grossa mitragliatrice pesante e un bazooka. Nel primo albo, alla guida di un velivolo da combattimento, offre protezione aerea ai suoi compagni. Nel secondo numero si scoprirà essere Juno a celarsi sotto il casco di Angelo e che essa intrattiene una relazione con Jonas, che sposerà alla fine dell'albo.
 Boyscout: caposquadra degli Orfani, è un abile combattente nel corpo a corpo, capace di utilizzare sia le armi da fuoco che un letale coltello. Sotto il suo casco si cela Jonas. Nel secondo albo si scoprirà che intrattiene una relazione con Angelo alias Juno a cui chiederà di sposarlo.
 Mocciosa: addetta allo spionaggio e alle infiltrazioni, è dotata di un mantello con tecnologia stealth che la rende invisibile. La sua identità si rivelerà essere quella di Sam, in quanto "mocciosa" era il soprannome dato alla ragazza da Ringo, quando erano ragazzi. Durante la battaglia Boyscout sottolinea quanto la sua personalità sia modellata su quella del Pistolero. Sembra essere la più entusiasta per il matrimonio tra Boyscout e Angelo.
 Pistolero: abilissimo, come vuole il nome, con le pistole, sulla metà inferiore del casco della tuta porta una benda rossa. Pare essere quello che trae maggiore piacere dalla mischia del combattimento e avere sempre una battuta caustica pronta per tutti. Sembra essere il meno entusiasta per il matrimonio tra Boyscout e Angelo. Il suo carattere scontroso e freddo nasconde la sua natura altruista e protettiva. Sotto il suo casco si cela Ringo che, dopo un atterraggio di fortuna, non riesce a tornare in tempo alla base per assumere l'antidoto contro le radiazioni emesse dal pianeta. Viene dato per morto dai compagni, ma in realtà è sopravvissuto nella foresta.
 Eremita: il cecchino del gruppo, e secondo le parole di Pistolero il meno impaziente di gettarsi in battaglia. Indossa un mantello mimetico e, da buon tiratore, in combattimento utilizza un fucile di precisione da lunga distanza. Sotto il casco si nasconde Raul, il ragazzo italiano aggiunto alla squadra dopo la morte di Felix. Il suo stile di combattimento è modellato sul suo stesso carattere: non si sente parte del resto della squadra, preferisce fornire un appoggio da lontano, piuttosto che combattere fianco a fianco coi suoi compagni.Altri personaggi Barbara: conosce Ringo quando fa il suo ritorno sulla Terra e si lega sentimentalmente a lui per molti anni, combattendo per la rivoluzione. Viene uccisa dai Corvi durante l'assalto alla prigione in cui la Juric tiene prigioniero suo figlio.
 Jsana Juric: dottoressa con un occhio coperto da una sofisticata benda hi-tech, è la responsabile della selezione dei ragazzi destinati all'addestramento speciale tenuto dal colonnello Nakamura. Viene presentata come un personaggio freddo e calcolatore per cui il fine giustifica sempre i mezzi, pronta a minacciare Sam pur di far rigar dritto Ringo. Ha addestrato personalmente tutti i ragazzini che furono esclusi dall'addestramento primario, tra cui Rey, per farne il suo esercito personale e inscenare la finta guerra tra alieni e l'umanità. Quando Ringo divulga la notizia che è stata proprio la razza umana a provocare la catastrofe nucleare, la Juric viene nominata Presidente per cercare di arginare la rivoluzione sollevata dal Pistolero. Per far questo recupera i cadaveri degli Orfani per trasformarli nei suoi personali Corvi.
 Takeshi Nakamura: militare responsabile dell'addestramento del gruppo degli Orfani contro cui scatenerà un orso per testarli. Come la dottoressa Juric, sembra essere privo di qualsiasi scrupolo pur di arrivare al proprio fine come quando Ringo tenta di ribellarsi e Nakamura è pronto a giustiziarlo pur di fare in modo di non perdere il controllo degli altri bambini. In realtà negli albi successivi sembra accettare con rassegnazione il ruolo che è costretto a ricoprire, non dimenticandosi mai che ciò che stanno compiendo è aberrante e contro natura. All'inizio veste il grado di colonnello mentre nella seconda linea temporale la dottoressa Juric lo chiama con il grado di generale. Sembra avere un patto con Juno a cui darà alla fine della guerra la possibilità di ucciderlo per vendicare il fratello Hector. Muore ucciso proprio da Juno quando scappa con Ringo per tornare sulla Terra. Il suo corpo, così come quello dei suoi ex-allievi, viene recuperato dalla Juric e trasformato in un Corvo.
 Alieni: la razza di bellicosi extraterrestri apparentemente responsabile della tragedia sulla Terra; per ora sono privi di nome. Hanno dimensioni colossali e un corpo semitrasparente; quando vengono uccisi si trasformano in ammassi di cristalli e cenere. Nel terzo albo viene presentato un tipo di alieno a forma di toro. Si scopriranno poi essere in realtà solo il frutto di allucinazioni provocate da un particolare tipo di droga.

 Personaggi della seconda stagione
 Corvi: ex orfani tramutati in macchine da guerra per uccidere Ringo.
 Ringo: unico Orfano sopravvissuto allo scontro fratricida della prima stagione e unico a non essere diventato un Corvo. Si intuisce che tra la prima e la seconda stagione ha guidato un gruppo di ribelli contro la Juric e che nello stesso periodo ha avuto un figlio. Guiderà Rosa, Seba e Nuè in un'Italia devastata e si farà giustiziare con la morte dalla Juric per permettere a Rosa (personaggio dei tre ragazzini a cui si legherà di più emotivamente) un viaggio verso il Nuovo Mondo, un pianeta non distrutto dall'esplosione dell'inizio della prima stagione e per questo ancora fertile.
 Seba, Nuè e Rosa: i tre ragazzini accompagnati da Ringo. Solo Rosa si salverà e farà parte delle terza stagione, infatti Nuè verrà ucciso dai Corvi e Seba dalla stessa Rosa dopo la scoperta del fatto che di nascosto dava informazioni alla Juric e quindi ai Corvi riguardo alla loro posizione.

 Personaggi della terza stagione
 Rosa: unica superstite del gruppo di Ringo, arriverà sul Nuovo Mondo accompagnata dall'astronave di Cesar.
 Cesar''': scafista illegale senza scrupoli, è lui ad accompagnare Rosa e molte altre persone dalla Terra al Nuovo Mondo.

Altri media
Nel 2014 è stata annunciata una serie televisiva, tratta dal fumetto, in formato motion comic con regia di Armando Traverso e co-prodotta da Rai Com, di cui è prevista, a partire dal 6 dicembre 2014, la messa in onda di 10 episodi da 20 minuti sul canale televisivo Rai 4. È stato annunciato anche uno sceneggiato radiofonico. Nell'aprile 2017 è stata preannunciata l'uscita inoltre di un romanzo totalmente incentrato sulla figura di Ringo, l'Orfano superstite della prima stagione.

Note

Voci correlate
 Fantascienza apocalittica e post apocalittica

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni


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Feza Nursery, Primary and Secondary school was established in January 2005 by Sebil Foundation with Turkish and Zanzibarian trustees. The school first started with only Nursery classes, yet today it holds all classes for Nursery, Primary, Secondary and High School.
The first premises of the school were located in Mbweni, in two separate rented buildings. By the end of the year 2014 the school shifted to its own new building which is located in Kisauni area. Our schools, now in operation for thirteen years, aim to educate outstanding individuals with high moral standards and the best education for students in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Feza Schools Zanzibar is an English Medium School where students also get courses of Turkish and Arabic in an intermediate level. The school academic calendar is arranged in compliance with the local calendar issued by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Persons celebrating an Anniversary in November 2008
This month I have partly to be more brief (due to other demands), so in the following some members will be mentioned only shortly.
The first greetings go to East Europe, our only member from Romania, Marian Stere celebrated his anniversary on November 8th: that day he looked back on half a century. Our Belgian study expert Ward Stoffelen is still active in his special field, he reached the "74" on November 16th. The Russian historian Isaak M. Linder turned 88, he celebrated his special day on November 20th. The only German member this month is Uwe Durst from Bad Pyrmont, he too turned "74" on November 25th.
Wladimir Neistadt from the Russian town of Barnaul makes his debut in our column as a new member, he celebrated his 58th birthday on November 29th. Naturally he is not to confuse with the well-known chess author Jakow Neistadt. We only know about Wladimir that he was (still is?) active as an author as well, though I am lacking further details which I could forward here.
The same day our Italian member Guiseppe Arabito celebrated his 52nd birthday, he too will be introduced here as a new member. As he has told quite a lot about himself, I am able to give a more detailed introduction in this case:
Born in Naples, he lives with his family in Manziana (near Rome). He works professionally at ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Environment) doing chemical research in "renewable energies", his field of interest is solid state physics and silicon solar cells.
In chess he has varied interests, he is active as a player (Elo 1930), organizer, chess teacher as well as a chess bibliophile and collector. Furthermore he is the founder and president of the chess circle of Manziana of 1991 and he is a member of Chess Collectors International (CCI).
As a collector his interest is concentrated on the Italian chess literature, particularly the combination chess and belles lettres appeals to him, in this context he has a preference for science fiction literature – so his web site Scacchibancarella (in Italian) is devoted to the subject chess & fiction, SF and SF collectors' activities.
Some of his articles have been published in Italian chess magazines (Scacco! and Torre&Cavallo), and he has also translated several works from English for the publisher Prisma..
Guiseppe Arabito playing a simul against 30 children
A few contributions from his pen are available via download from the web page http://www.csalvisezichichi..., among them a talk GLI SCACCHI NELLA LETTERATURA DI FANTASCIENZA he gave at the congress "Gli Scacchi tra agonismo e Cultura - da Sissa alle Olimpiadi di Torino 2006" in September, 2005. Guiseppe told us that additional information about him could be found at his club homepage Circolo Scacchistico Alvise Zichichi - for instance you will trace some of his games in the online archives / "Games and Tactics" (database).


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October Stargazer 2016
In Astrology, Insight and Experience by Stella Woods October 11, 2016 2 Comments
US election – celebrity vs responsibility
In the January Stargazer column, I predicted that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would be chosen as official candidates in the US presidential election, with Clinton going on to lead the country. Nine months later, with the US election just weeks away, what, if anything, has changed?
According to recent Gallup polls, Clinton and Trump are the two most unpopular major party nominees in living memory. Democrat Clinton's three decades in politics make her a lacklustre choice for an electorate whose chief desire is change, while Republican Trump, who has built a campaign on voter mistrust of establishment politicians, is accused by critics, and indeed by members of his own party, of narcissism, offensive behaviour, racism, dishonesty and a lack of understanding of policy issues. Opinion polls show that just 17 percent of Americans believe Trump (born 14/6/46 at 10.54 am in New York) has the personality and temperament to be president.
Barbara Res, the woman in charge of building the Trump Tower in New York back in the 1980s, believes the emotional core of Donald Trump's personality is anger. "As far as the anger is concerned, that's real for sure. He's not faking it", she told The Daily Beast in February. "The fact that he gets mad, that's his personality." Hardly surprising for a man born with warrior planet Mars rising in dramatic Leo, sign of royalty. Like many with sun in Gemini, Trump has the gift of the gab, and, being born under a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, we can add foot-in-mouth disease and a love of exaggeration into the mix. Diplomacy is simply not part of Trump's make-up. For him it's all about the chase, the game and fun of winning. He is an actor playing a part on stage – from real-estate mogul to billionaire to reality-TV star to president.
By contrast Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton (born 26/10/47 at 8pm in Chicago), has five planets in Scorpio, moon in Pisces and Gemini rising. Scorpios are known for their ability to keep secrets and work strategically behind the scenes. The Pisces moon brings idealism and compassion, while Uranus conjunct Clinton's Gemini ascendant symbolises her fierce intelligence and original ideas. A lawyer, seasoned politician and wife of former US president Bill Clinton, Hillary also has a Mars-Pluto-Saturn conjunction in regal Leo. The Scorpio-Leo combination makes her ambitious, determined and a force to be reckoned with. Like Trump, she is used to fighting and winning, but with her water-dominant birth chart, Clinton's battle tactics are far more subtle and secretive. Many voters do not trust her and the recent controversy about her private email server and conflict of interest re the Clinton Foundation have further damaged her reputation.
Astrologer Kevin Burk believes that Clinton will win the election because she's earned her stripes and really wants the job. Burk goes on to suggest that Trump's triumph has essentially been to secure the presidential nomination, and that deep down he has never had any real interest in becoming president because of the hard work and sacrifice involved. This is reminiscent of the behaviour of Brexit campaigners Boris Johnston and Nigel Farage, who had no interest in leadership once their Leave Europe campaign had succeeded, leaving the painstaking work of actually extracting Britain from the European Union to others.
The nomination charts
Having ascertained that both presidential candidates are fighters and used to winning, we can look at the horoscope or chart of when each candidate accepted their party's nomination (symbolising the beginning of their fight to be president) and see which chart is stronger. The simplest way of doing this is to look at the planet ruling the chart (representing the candidate) and combine this with the position of the moon, which shows how the campaign is likely to proceed.
When Trump accepted his party's nomination (21/7/16 at 10:19pm in Cleveland, Ohio), Pisces was rising with chart ruler Jupiter in Virgo, a weak placement, as Jupiter was 'in detriment', meaning 'without power'. The moon was also very weakly placed in the 12th house of secrets and hidden enemies, and also 'void of course', meaning nothing new was likely to eventuate. Trump's acceptance speech could literally have marked the beginning and end of his campaign.
When Clinton accepted her party's nomination (28/7/16 at 10.47 pm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Aries was rising with the chart ruler Mars in Scorpio, a strong placement, given that Mars rules Scorpio. The moon in Sagittarius was next door to the Part of Fortune and midway between the ascendant and sun, suggesting a positive outcome to her campaign, albeit with some ups and downs. Potential challenges were represented by three planets in the 12th house (Neptune, south node and Chiron); suggesting Clinton's hidden enemies will conspire to undermine her, forcing her to defend her reputation throughout the campaign, or perhaps symbolising her recent health scare.
Towards the election
Both Trump and Clinton have been favoured by the stars this year. Clinton's natal Mars-Pluto-Saturn conjunction in Leo created a fire grand trine (lucky formation) with Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries and, on 8th November, election day, the sun will transit Clinton's natal Venus, an indicator of popularity and fortune.
Donald Trump has three Jupiter returns in 2016-17 (good fortune/growth); the solar arc sun on his ascendant (moving into the limelight) and solar arc Pluto conjuncting his natal Jupiter, a combination astrologers say means: 'win the lot or lose the lot'. If Kevin Burk is correct in saying Trump craved the glory of the nomination more than the actual hard work of being president, even if Trump loses the election, he could still feel like a winner!
One final note – astrologer Ed Tamplin has been exploring the astrological profile of Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, a senator who successfully passed new gun laws in his home state of Virginia and was once considered as a potential deputy to Barack Obama. Tamplin writes: "On the 20th January 2017, swearing in day, Kaine will be at his second Saturn return. Saturn is his career ruler. There are numerous other supportive aspects coming to roost, all suggesting that sometimes the running mate's chart should be the one to examine, prior to an election."
My money is still on Clinton, but, whatever the result, there's no doubt that the next few weeks will bring more gripping excitement and suspense as the battle heats up!
Saturn-Neptune square – being the best you can be
The very unusual combination of multiple planets in retrograde over the past few months has stopped many of us in our tracks, forcing us to reassess and process almost everything, including long buried issues we'd hoped or prayed had gone away for good.
Last month not only did we experience two life-changing eclipses, we also had the final hit of the Saturn-Neptune square, the most important planetary combination of 2016. Saturn is all about structure, and Neptune is all about dissolving structure in order to create new and better forms. In this time of flux and change, ask yourselves which structures in your life are ready to dissolve completely and be prepared to let them go for good. Understand that true strength and security always come from within and are based on creating authentic and honest relationships with people around you, rather than on money, possessions, relationships, houses and jobs.
If you are true to yourself, honest about your inner motivations and have the courage to shine in your own special way, any difficulties and frustrations faced this year will pave the way to freedom, spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Sun in Libra – discover your inner partner
This year, the sun will travel through air sign Libra from 23rd September until 24th October. Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac with keywords 'I balance' and 'I seek my other half'. Those born under the sign of the scales promote love and harmony and teach us about the importance of give and take. They adore relationships, are often cultured or artistic, and are experts in charm, diplomacy and negotiation. Negatively, Librans can be superficial, indecisive, manipulative or dependent and, because they hate unpleasantness or disagreement, they often avoid conflict and bury their heads in the sand. In medical astrology, Libra rules the kidneys, lumbar region and skin; so when Librans are out of balance they tend to suffer from lower back pain, kidney problems, urinary tract problems and skin diseases such as eczema. The Libra colours are ivory, pink, turquoise and blue. Libra's greatest lesson is to learn to develop their 'inner partner' and become whole rather than seek an outer partner to feel complete.
October new moon
New moons are all about fresh energy and new beginnings and this month we have two new moons, one on the 1st in Libra and the second on the 31st in Scorpio. The Libra new moon has beautiful, bountiful energy with lucky Jupiter in the mix encouraging us to believe in our own creative power and inner wisdom. The Scorpio new moon brings intuitive messages courtesy of Mercury and Neptune. Seek answers through dreamwork, stillness and contemplation.
October full moon
The October full moon falls on the 16th in fire sign Aries with the moon in Aries opposing the sun in Libra. Expect some surprises with erratic Uranus joining the full moon in the heavens. This is not a good time to make long term, serious decisions, but don't be afraid to try something new, fun, daring or inspirational.
October stars
Aries Relationships are blessed this month with a bountiful new moon lighting your house of intimate partnership at the beginning of October. Career prospects also look good with dynamic Mars helping you kick goals.
Taurus October's a great time for a health kick – spring has sprung, the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. So head out into the fresh air and get the blood pumping. Travel is also favoured, as is any activity that expands your horizons or opens your mind.
Gemini October could be the most fun-filled, pleasurable month of the year if you play your cards right Gemini. Those with an artistic or creative bent will find ideas flowing thick and fast. Spend time with children, make babies or rediscover your inner child.
Cancer A perfect month for making changes on the home front – decorate, renovate, spring clean or simply move the furniture around. Intimate partnerships are also important – spend some quality time with your other half or reflect on what sort of relationship would suit you best.
Leo Ideas will flow thick and fast providing new solutions to old problems and giving you a fresh perspective on just about everything. October is the perfect month to visit friends, discuss, debate and get out and about in your local neighbourhood.
Virgo Money, money, money Virgo – earning it, spending it, saving it, investing it – that's the main theme this month. October also offers you the chance to explore your creativity and have some fun instead of working so hard!
Libra Happy birthday Libra – may your year be full of delightful surprises! With lucky planet Jupiter now in Libra for a year-long stay, you're the true star of the zodiac. Dream big and move forward with confidence and high expectations.
Scorpio The Scorpio new moon on the 31st promises clarity, abundance and insight and is a great time to set intentions not only this period, but for the whole year ahead. Intuition and psychic ability are particularly strong; so trust your gut.
Sagittarius Two years of Saturn in your sign has been somewhat exhausting, but you'll soon be on the home strait. Keep calm, keep working hard and don't be afraid to call in the favours from your many friends and contacts. Accept all offers of help graciously.
Capricorn With warrior god Mars in Capricorn for the next six weeks, you should have the power, courage and determination to push forward and achieve goals. Career is particularly favoured with lucky Jupiter blessing you until late next year.
Aquarius Start planning your escape Aquarius. Where, when and how doesn't really matter, but with lucky Jupiter and a new moon pushing you to expand your horizons, you're allowed and indeed encouraged to think and dream big.
Pisces Last month's lunar eclipse could have thrown up a few surprises, particularly in the area of relationships. This month the focus is on friendships. Many of us take friends for granted; so be proactive in getting in touch and letting people know how much you care.
October moon calendar
Launch projects at the new moon, bring them to completion in the period from just before the full moon to the third quarter phase and wind them down and reflect on developments in the week before the next new moon. Important events such as parties, conferences and weddings are best held close to the full moon or when the moon is in the same sign as your sun (or star) sign.
Date Sign Element Moon phase
1st – 3rd
-3rd
Libra Air New moon 1st
3rd-5th Scorpio Water
5th-8th Sagittarius Fire
8th-10th Capricorn Earth First quarter
10th-12th Aquarius Air
12th-15th Pisces Water
15th-17th Aries Fire Full moon 16th
Taurus Earth
19th-21st
Gemini Air
21st-23rd
Cancer Water Third quarter
23rd-25th Leo Fire
25th-27th Virgo Earth
27th-30th Libra Air
30th – 2nd Scorpio Water New moon 31st
Stella Woods is an astrology teacher and consultant.
Ginny Shearer
Perhaps Donald Trump symbolises The Fool from the tarot. Like The Fool he doesn't censor his thoughts and in an era of political correctness and life getting harder for the average person, the populace responds to his refreshing approach. On the negative side, he speaks and acts without consciousness, symbolising The Fool being the start of the souls development. To give such a person so much responsibility would be more than dangerous.
Hillary Clinton on the other hand may resemble the Justice card. More intellectual than emotional, she is insightful and plays an important role in ushering in greater female empowerment. On the negative side she comes off as clinical and somewhat detached for the average person and their struggles.
Cameron Burgess
Hi Ginny – interesting reflection. You might find this article- Namaste Donald Trump – written after the election, to be of further interest.


The ELLIPSOS Sax Quartet are coming to West Penwith for a WEEKEND of SAX on 6th and 7th July as part of the Zennor Music Series. This French Saxophone Quartet are world class and renowned for their youthful,lively interpretation with a crystal sound. Paul-Fathi Lacombe (soprano sax), Julien Brechet (alto sax), Sylvain Jarry (tenor sax) and Nicholas Herrouet (baritone sax) formed the quartet at the Paris Conservatoire and have played together since 2004. They have toured internationally including South America and the USA, and the UK. This is their first visit to Cornwall giving workshops and concerts. A weekend not to be missed.
SAX and YOU is a workshop for sax players taking place in Zennor on Sat 6th July, 1.30pm - 4.30pm. For more see contact details below.
SAX and GOSPEL is a concert that will take place in the newly refurbished Chapel Street, Methodist Church, Penzance at 8pm on Sat 6th July, with pre-concert music from workshop participants at 7.30pm. This programme is an exciting mix of Bach to Amazing Grace and includes the quartet singing a cappella style.
Tremenheere Sculpture Garden will be the venue for the concluding event, SAX and LES DANSES, on Sunday 7th July at 6.30pm. The Lime Tree Cafe will be open from 5pm for drinks and bar food and provides a wonderful setting for the beautiful programme of dance influenced music. The Pale Dancer, a saxophone quartet by the locally based composer, Graham Lynch, will be included alongside, Ravel, Francaix and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
Tickets on sale at Mount's Bay Wine and West Penwith Music, Penzance and Tremenheere Sculpture Garden.


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The Insider Exclusive
Justice In America – Steve Hartman's Story
In this INSIDER EXCLUSIVE Investigative TV Special, our News Team, "Goes Behind The Headlines" in Justice In America – Steve Hartman's Story ….. to examine how John Morgan at John S. Morgan Law Firm, is trying to get justice not only for his client Steve Hartman, but also himself. ….
On the border of Louisiana but thoroughly Texan…. Beaumont, Texas embraces both brisket and crawfish, a mix of Texas swagger and Cajun rhythm. Oil was discovered at nearby Spindletop on 10 January 1901. Spindletop became the first major American oil field and one of the largest in American history.
Beaumont is proud of its vibrant past and is eager to preserve it. From monuments to museums to resplendent historic homes and churches, the area is filled with sites to satisfy the curiosity of history buffs and spark imagination about life in earlier times.
But every town has its past as well as its future…..and the Insider Exclusive is on location right here in Beaumont to investigate Steve Hartman's controversial case and all the speculation and accusations surrounding it.
We'll do that with first hand, in-depth interviews of not only Steve's lawyer, John Morgan, examining his legal strategies in this case, but also with Steve and his wife Tara, whose courage and faith demonstrate the dauntlessness of the human spirit.
This case is one of those David v Goliath stories and about trial lawyers, like John Morgan, who guide clients through the legal maze they face in extreme life-altering adversities, as they promote justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguard victims' rights, and provide the opportunity to help guide the hands of justice – Especially when people's lives have been destroyed, families ruined, dreams lost, or widespread societal change and reform are needed.
John has earned the highest respect from citizens and lawyers alike…. as one of the best Trial lawyers in Beaumont…. In Texas….. and in the nation. His goals….. Not ONLY To get Justice for his clients, but to make sure ALL Americans have the right to a fair trial, honest cops, impartial prosecutors, and fair judges with NO AGENDAs…
Because "Injustice anywhere…..is a threat to justice everywhere" !!!
You can contact John Morgan @ the John S. Morgan Law Firm or call (409) 239-5984
Morgan, John S Law Firm
The Morgan, John S Law Firm Website
info@jsmorganlaw.com
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Justice In America – The Truths & Myths Of Tort Reform – John Morgan
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Ambulance hit by SUV who failed to yield
Alexis Montalbo
By: Site Administrator
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi police are reminding everyone to yield to emergency vehicles after an accident involving an ambulance on Sunday evening.
The accident happened around 7:00 p.m. at the intersection of Staples and Holly. Police say firefighters from Station 14 were responding to another accident when an SUV struck the ambulance.
There was minor damage to the ambulance. The driver of the SUV was treated at the scene for minor injuries and will be cited for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and failure to control their speed.


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Phillies 7, Dodgers 2: Francoeur'd
Dustin Nosler 07/07/2015	Recaps 140 Comments
Jeff Francoeur went 2-for-4 with a 2-run double and a solo home run. I could just end the recap right there — trust me, I almost did — and you'd know the outcome. But, that wouldn't be fair to former Dodger and massively underrated in his time with the team Chad Billingsley. Oh, the Dodgers lost 7-2 to the hapless Phillies.
Billingsley was pretty good, especially considering his previous four starts resulted in a 33 Game Score (for context, each starter begins with a base score of 50). He went six innings, allowed six hits, two runs (both earned), issued a walk and struck out three (54 Game Score). The only runs he allowed came on a 2-run home run by Yasmani Grandal (who is really, really good). I'm not really sure how much Billingsley has left in the tank, but it's good to see him do well — just wish it didn't come against the Dodgers.
The offense was shut down by Billingsley, as it could muster just six hits against him. The Phillies' bullpen held the Dodgers scoreless over the final three innings. Grandal did finish 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.
But the lack of offense didn't matter much (oh yeah, the base running sucked again), as Brett Anderson had his worst start in nearly a month: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 87 pitches, 62 strikes, 8/2 GO/AO. Not as bad when to dive into it a bit, but when Francoeur gets the biggest hit of the game, you deserve to lose. Despite the setback, Anderson has been a pleasant surprise this season. Juan Nicasio was also bad as he allowed four hits, three runs and issued a walk in two innings of work. Ian Thomas IAN THOMAS of all pitchers had a scoreless outing.
While he's always good on Twitter, Eric Stephen is especially good with the snark when there's a dumb game. A couple examples …
You forgot a few cliches there https://t.co/RJKgbyoBD7
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) July 8, 2015
1) to spite you, personally
2) it's 7.09 with OKC (4.81 in AAA in 2015) https://t.co/aga4s55H76
He's also good at the spring training snark.
The Dodgers fall to 47-38 with the loss. Not All-Star (because people are dumb) Clayton Kershaw (5-6, 3.08 ERA) takes the hill in Game 3 of the 4-game series. He is opposed Adam Morgan (1-1, 2.13). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Pacific time.
You know, if Cole Hamels really wanted to be a Dodger, he'd just switch clubhouses right now. Maybe he doesn't have TWTW, like the Dodgers (Dodger Talk callers tonight, probably).
About Dustin Nosler
Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosts a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He is a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.
@DustinNosler
Previous Phillies @ Dodgers July 7, 2015: Chad Billingsley!
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An amazing bright and fun bag made for all Doraemon fans! This tote is lined with plastic to keep your belongings dry on light rainier days and features a large single roomy compartment to carry all your daily needs. It also comes with a smaller zipped pocket to store smaller items. Keep your items safe with a zipped closure which opens up to 28cm.


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Form 1094-B and Form 1095-B Useful Publications
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Publication 1220, Specifications for Filing Forms 1097,1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, 8935,and W2-G Electronically (PDF)
Use this Revenue Procedure to prepare information returns for submission to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using electronic filing.
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This publication provides the information needed to avoid penalties for information return documents that are filed with missing or incorrect taxpayer identification numbers (TINs), describes the actions that must be taken or should have been taken to solicit (request) a TIN, and explains the requirements for establishing reasonable cause.
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This publication outlines the communication procedures, transmission formats, business rules and validation procedures for information returns transmitted electronically through the AIR System.
About Publication 5223, General Rules and Specifications for Affordable Care Act Substitute Forms 1095-A, 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C
Information about Publication 5223, General Rules and Specifications for Affordable Care Act Substitute Forms 1095-A, 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C, including recent updates.
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Linz in Upper Austria, the European Capital of Culture 2009, has a lot to offer. The old town is gorgeous, the Ars Electronica Center is world famous and if you love musicals or orchestra the Brucknerhaus is the place to be.
Besides a lot of great hotels we fell in love with modern architecture and we can definitely recommend the Schlossberg 1a Restaurant. We had the honor to photograph the wedding of Eva and Willi in Linz, take a look at their images here: Eva and Willi - wedding in Linz Upper Austria.
I remember the day Eva called me, it was so great and felt like we knew each other already for a long time. But that wasn`t the case, we just wrote some emails in advance and we have not met each other before. But that changed really fast, a few days after their booking we had an advertising photography job in Linz and we seized the chance to meet in person at their stunning wedding venue the Schlossberg Restaurant in Linz. They are such a wonderful couple and we got along very well right from the beginning. Eva & Willi are so great to work with, they totally trusted us and our work and their style - not just for their wedding also at their new home - is totally ours ;) they love the new, modern and elegant style as we do. They both totally enjoyed their wedding day and the weather played along so well. The day was perfect and we thank you from the bottom our hearts that you chose us to capture your wedding!


Integrating Workplace into your IT systems sets up your organization for long-term success and security. The goal is to make it as seamless as possible to manage accounts as people join and leave the organization. Additionally, we want to ensure that people have the best experience with Workplace, regardless of whether they are working from mobile or desktop.
Use this guide to prepare for a successful integration of Workplace at your organization.


Lately I had a lot of issues with converting three server core systems to a full GUI version of the Windows Server 2012 R2.
The problem is mine windows installation differs from the image I have supplied to the dism. There is no way of me knowing what has been patched on each server and what image i need to supply. It probably needs to be the same patch level of the image and the windows server so the sources from the WIM image work.


The ball Mitre say is the Most Technically Advanced in the World has come in for some early stick ahead of the new Football League season.
Under the impression that mass advertising of football boots is a relatively new phenomenon? Think again. Here are some classic ad's from as far back as the 1950's.


Chop chocolate*. Set aside. Heat heavy whipping cream in a double boiler or heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming (do not boil). Add chocolate; stir to coat, then remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Stir mixture until combined, scraping sides. (Sometimes the mixture will break and the fat starts to separate, Pete warns. But not to fear: If it looks lumpy or oily, an immersion blender quickly and easily makes it really smooth again. A whisk works, too.) If necessary, briefly return to low heat to melt fully. Add a mix-in**, if desired. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread mixture evenly on paper.
Roll each piece between your palms until round, smooth and a bit tacky, but not gooey. Toss each ball immediately in coating of your choice. (Truffles coated with freeze-dried raspberries taste and look best the first day. Other coatings will hold fine for a few days.) Store truffles at a cool, dry room temp.
**Mix-Ins A pure chocolate truffle is pretty perfect, but you can personalize them by mixing in an extra ingredient for texture or flavor. Some ideas: finely chopped toasted nuts; minced dried fruit or crystallized ginger; a liqueur, such as kahlua (1 tablespoon); a baking extract, such as peppermint (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon); a spice, such as cayenne, cinnamon, minced fresh rosemary or sea salt.


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Turners Beach is a small town on the north coast of Tasmania.  Almost equidistant between the cities of Devonport and Ulverstone, it is at the western mouth into Bass Strait of the Forth River, opposite the village of Leith on its eastern mouth. Its population as at 2021 was 1,966 people.

History
A cairn recording the location of the first European settlement of the area in 1840 by James Fenton (1820–1901) is situated 100 metres from Forth Bridge in Turners Beach and was also the site of the pioneer and historian's house.

The Gables an early residential house was built around 1850 and was originally known as The Sailors Return Inn. Although the building only operated as a hotel for a decade (it was delicensed in 1860) it had a short and colourful history. In 1853 it was robbed by the bushrangers Dalton and Kelly (not Ned) who stole the landlord's whale boat and sailed across the Bass Strait to Victoria. They were subsequently caught, brought back to Tasmania and executed in Launceston.

Its post office opened on 15 December 1956.

Turners Beach was originally known as Scott's Beach, named after the Scott family who operated a flour mill on Claytons Rivulet. .

The township of Turners Beach was developed by and renamed in honour of Harry Vincent Glengyle (Glen) Turner on 21 March 1961 who was on the Ulverstone Council and Town Planning Committee at the time.

Business
There used to be two small supermarkets in the town one each end of the Esplanade. The one at the top of the Esplanade closed and the other is now a café providore.

A service station and takeaway exists on Forth Road.

There used to be two caravan parks to cater for the summer holiday makers. One has since closed and was redeveloped for residential buildings.

For many decades there was a garden nursery operating in Forth Road.

A Twilight Market featuring local producers and artisans with a community focus is held the last Sunday of every month.

The Beach
The tide goes out a fair distance and at times there was an annual beach sprint on the hard sand. The rolling waves produce a very fine white sand which is less course than that of Ulverstone.

The mouth of the Forth River is at one end of the beach and has been treacherous to surfers. The Forth River used to be plentiful with Cocky Salmon and mullet. At the other end of the beach is Claytons Rivulet known to contain platypus, eels and brown trout.

Sports

Football
The Turners Beach Football Club compete in the North Western Football Association.

Cricket
The Turners Beach Cricket Club compete in the Mersey Valley Cricket Association.

Bowls
Turners Beach Bowls Club have Men's and Women's Pennants as well as social bowls.

Tennis
Turners Beach Tennis Club is affiliated with Tennis North West.

Community Groups

Cubs and Scouts
The 1st Turners Beach Scouts part of the Leven District Scouting Association operate out of the local hall on the Esplanade.

Volunteer Fire Brigade
Until 2016, there was a Turner Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade, with a base in Turners Avenue that had a siren that could be heard all over town. This brigade has since been amalgamated with the Forth Valley Brigade.

References

External links
Turners Beach Football Club
Turners Beach Cricket Club
Turners Beach Bowls Club
Turners Beach Caravan Park

Localities of Central Coast Council (Tasmania)
Towns in Tasmania
North West Coast of Tasmania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Global Conflicts
Time Regimes
Ethnologisches Museum, Dahlem, stone column, Maya, late classical period (approx. 300-900) Mexico, Yucatán, Campeche Collection Florentino Jimeno, 1881, IV Ca 6135 | © Laura Fiorio/HKW
The Resistance of Objects
22.11.2016 Re-Narrating History Ana Teixeira Pinto
The Ethnological Museum's time in Dahlem is coming to an end, its move into the Humboldt Forum is imminent. A theme evening organized by HKW with lectures and a concluding discussion in the museum addressed one of the core questions of museology: The complexity of the term thing. Museal things are removed from their original context, their "migration history" takes them to different locations, establishing new relationships. The media theorist Arjun Appadurai, the cultural theorist Tony Bennett, and the museologist Sharon MacDonald went in search of alternative ideas of things. They explored the protagonists and circumstances of migration, placing migrating objects in relation to migrating people, juxtaposing the immutability of objects with the mutability of their meaning. Ana Teixeira Pinto listened in and has drawn her own conclusions.
When addressing the stuff the world is composed of, one would typically distinguish between things (that which is), objects (that which is made), and commodities (that which is exchangeable, or monetizable). For German philosopher Martin Heidegger the crucial distinction is to be found between "objects" and "things." "Things," he argues, can exist without subjects but "objects" are specific to a relation between the subject and the world it inhabits: "things" are an uncoded mode of materiality, objects a coded one.
In the lecture evening titled Thing, which took place at the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin-Dahlem, Arjun Appadurai, Tony Bennett, and Sharon Macdonald tried to address the specific modality of being which defines the objects in ethnographic collections.
Opening the event, Appadurai described our object-world as a social and political one. Objects, Appadurai sustains, are mobile and animate, able to express purpose, desire, and telos, their aim. Currently, a plethora of disciplines, ranging from anthropology to robotics, acknowledge the entanglement of human and non-human actors, and attempt to describe their interactions. Referring to Igor Kopytoff's The Cultural Biography of Things, Appadurai proceeded to argue that objects, though they are deliberately crafted for a specific purpose – be it political, utilitarian, religious, aesthetic, or a combination of several of these – tend to escape the social functions they were intended for. Socially speaking, objects live many lives: they may start as icons, and end up as heirlooms, luxury items, or even trash – the opposite route is also possible, howbeit less travelled.
Addressing objects from the vantage point of displacement, Appadurai argued that a vital part of their biography is lost whenever they are moved from their sites of origin to the museums which host them. Like migrants, he sustained, the things that end up in an ethnographic collection went through a journey whose motions impact their being, yet this "middle passage" is consistently bracketed out of the way in which they are characterized: Museums tend to focus on origin and context as markers of authenticity, brushing aside the convoluted entanglements of barter and plunder, or the many hands these objects might pass through in their haphazard odysseys until they reach their final destinies. He illustrated his point by selecting three artefacts from the ethnological collection: a painted bison robe, one of twelve, brought to Germany in the wake of an expedition, circa 1830; a royal throne mandu yenu from Cameroon, which was gifted to the German Emperor Wilhelm II by the King Njoya in 1908; and an engraved stela from Guatemala, whose origin dates somewhere between 500 and 900 AD.
Arjun Appadurai | ©Laura Fiorio/HKW
In all cases, the museum's catalogue fails to engage the circumstances under which these objects were uprooted and transported to Europe: Under which circumstances did a German expedition, comprising a prince and a painter, set sail to Missouri? Were the objects collected for the purpose of resale? What criteria presided over their selection? How ought one to address the entanglements of gift, trade, diplomacy, and empire? What logistics were required for the transport of such massive objects as a stone stela, and how were they harnessed? For Appadurai there would be something to be gained in investigating these journeys, which are tied to the complex dynamics of humanism and empire, making them part of the way these objects are narrated.
Comparing objects and migrants, Appadurai sketched a parallel between the quest for a "new" life and the artefacts' ever-changing cultural biographies. Unlike artefacts however, migrants are seen as "tainted" or "damaged" by their histories – even when their past is seen as worthy of compassion, their future is seen as illegible and problematic. Rather than opposing migrant objects and human migrants, Appadurai proposed describing both as complex and interactive mixtures of stability and dislocation. Changing the way migrants are addressed would entail changing the broader cultural narratives and hierarchies of which ethnographic collections are part. His intentions notwithstanding, the metaphorical equivalence Appadurai sought to establish lends itself to appropriation. Probably unbeknownst to the speaker, French president François Hollande already announced plans to grant "asylum" to art and archeological treasures at risk of being destroyed, in an address at a UNESCO conference in Paris. Here, the equivalence between threatened heritage and threatened life is recuperated as a justification for the hoarding of riches, rather than a means to address the plight of their people.
Tony Bennett, who began by addressing the political issues surrounding ethnographic artifacts in Australian institutions, centered his talk around the interplay between the (immutable) material properties of things, and their (mutable) fluctuating, or context-related, meanings. How are we to capture that mobility, within the immobility of an institutional setting? If we are to interpret museum things as mutable immutable mobiles, Bennett argued, borrowing Bruno Latour's concept of "immutable mobiles," we must address their immutability as a function of an institutional discourse, its display policies, and their affiliated networks. Individual objects, once collected, ordered, and assembled together into the arrangement of relations, which is displayed inside museums, bring into being a plethora of rather more abstract entities: art, history and prehistory, national heritage, ethnography. In Bennett's view, we ought to focus on the operations of cultural institutions, rather than on the objects under their custody, if we are to understand the modalities of objecthood, and by extension, of subjecthood, they engender.
Using the Encounters project of the National Museum of Australia as an example, Bennett argued that any attempt to restore an object's "true meaning" simply adds another layer to the institutional mise en scène, via the staging of a re-socialization, rather than enabling a "clean break" from colonial history. A paradigmatic object, the Gweagal shield, points to the way contestation produces a re-ordering or re-assemblage of these objects, rather than a restoration of their original meaning: the shield, pierced by a bullet or spear, marks the first act of colonial aggression. It is, at once, the object-zero of imperial rule and the token for indigenous life "before contact."
Museums as cultural agents, rather than cultural custodians: Dr. Maria Gaida, Tony Bennett, Sharon Macdonald (left to right) in the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin. | ©Laura Fiorio
Reiterating Bennett's view of museums as cultural agents, rather than simply cultural custodians, Sharon Macdonald recounted an anecdote: she was once rebuffed for calling "objects" the things curators typically refer to as "case-dressing," the non-objects used as props in display cases.
An object, in the museum display context, is not just anything, but something which has an inventory number. The Museum of Things in Berlin, would, in Macdonald's view, play a subversive role vis-à-vis these hierarchies by museumizing ordinary things, particularly, tasteless ones, and thereby highlighting the contingency pervading all forms of classification. Macdonald also pointed to the continuities (accumulation of riches) and discontinuities (absence of redistribution) between Potlatch ceremonies and museum ones, via the curious curatorial project in which the Museum of Things invited an artist to destroy the objects of his choosing. This event, she sustained, addresses the temporality of the museum and its secular staging of immortality, which, however artificious, remains antithetical to the fast pace of capitalist consumption. Museum storages could be described as cryogenic crypts, filled with dormant objects, whose plurivalence, however unsettling, is the curator's task to wake up.
But curatorial approaches, however diverse they may be, must conform to the institutional congruity of the museum-form. And it is this congruity of form that regulates, and ultimately negates, cultural difference. Rather than focus on "thingness" as the locus of resistance, one should perhaps focus on the specific form of mediality, which constitutes an "artefact." As Adorno put it in Negative Dialectics (1973), "the thingness of the world is illusory, it tempts the subject to ascribe to the things themselves the social conditions of their production": the so-called resistance of the object – to refer back to Tony Bennett in the guise of a conclusion – is in fact the resistance one narrative opposes to another one.
The event Thing, part of the series Dictionary of Now, was held on October 10, 2016 at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin Dahlem. A video recording of the event can be found here.
In January 2019 the Dictionary of Now will appear in three volumes as part of the publication series Bibliothek 100 Jahre Gegenwart.
Dictionary of Now ∙	Thing ∙	Refugees ∙	Colonialism ∙	Migration ∙	Museum ∙	Object ∙	Objecthood
Project 100 Years of Now at hkw.de


text:
Martin Barakov
Published in Dialogue & Discourse
Cooperation With Venezuela Amid "Collective Punishment"
COVID-19 and sanctions have created dire conditions for the Venezuelan people, despite the further development of South-South cooperation.
The coronavirus pandemic — while rather old at this point — has persisted throughout much of the world. While countries like China, New Zealand, and Vietnam handled the highly precarious situation with very high degrees of effectiveness, countries like the United Kingdom and the United States continue to struggle with government mismanagement and new strains. Keeping this in mind, economic warfare is consistently at play against countries such as Iran and Venezuela, hindering their ability to combat the virus.
John Bolton and Steven Mnuchin introducing sanctions against PDVSA in 2019. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The initial spreading phase of COVID-19 has long been over, with preventative measures being taken by most people in one way or another. Talk of vaccines being produced and transported are positive developments amidst a global pandemic. That being said, the greatest effort at preventing the acquisition of the virus can still be in vain and result in a positive test result — or even getting hospitalized. …
Read more in Dialogue & Discourse · 6 min read
Published in An Injustice!
This Year Will Not Be Better
The deterioration of capitalism takes a major toll on ordinary working class civilians, even when the new year rolls around.
Photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash
Every late December, the holiday season largely comes to a close. This is then prompted by the desire for a prosperous new year, especially when it feels as though the year that has ended was, for lack of a better term, just dreadful. It is plastered on advertisements across concrete jungles, on the Facebook feeds of anyone aged 20 or older, as well as through countless blog posts talking about how a new year means a "new me".
Of course, 2020 has certainly been different than other years, given the presence and persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The inability for most capitalist governments to effectively regulate industry and production has resulted in the already poor circumstances of the working class only being exacerbated even more. In the United States, the infamous one-time $1,200 check was not nearly enough to cover the losses and destitute conditions of many working class Americans. …
Read more in An Injustice! · 6 min read
Western Journalism as Stenography
Many articles published in most mainstream sources tend to be perceived as impartial, but this a false reality.
It goes without saying that in the era of news being available at the tip of your finger, misinformation is abundant. When scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, copious amounts of information is being processed by your mind, even if that information is fake. Usually, misinformation is understood as the manufacturing of content that appears to be real, but is false (or, at the very least, misleading) in actuality. Perhaps the idea of a troll farm comes to mind, or maybe news being pumped out of 'biased' state-funded news outlets.
However, some of the biggest perpetrators of producing fake news are, at least in appearance, the most 'trustworthy' outlets in the world. …
On Flexible Anti-Socialism
First, the bourgeoisie said it would be impossible. Then they moved to other tactics.
Before the October Revolution in the Russian Empire, many bourgeois scholars stated that socialism would be impossible to implement, going as far as exclaiming that it would be undesirable for the economic system to exist in any capacity regardless. This would lead to liberals embarking on the belief that capital and labour both need each other, when this is most definitely not the case.
Right before one of the last May Day celebrations in the USSR. (Photo by Steve Harvey on Unsplash)
However, following the success of the revolution and the subsequent establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the bourgeoisie throughout the world feared an educated and united proletarian mass pitted against them. …
Immigration and Inherent 'Goodness'
As the right-wing emphasizes their reactionary opposition to immigration, we should seek to offer a socialist critique.
Many self-proclaimed 'leftists' and 'socialists' in the Western world choose to support immigration, largely as a reaction against the anti-immigration narratives espoused by conservatives and fascists alike. This is an incorrect approach to comprehending the way in which immigration works, the interests that it appeals to, and more.
A photograph of a Syrian refugee camp in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash)
To fully understand how immigration functions and its perceived inherent 'goodness', it is imperative to analyze the questions of why immigration happens in the first place as well as why they choose to go to countries like Canada or the United States. …
Terminology and the "Developing World"
The question of 'what to call' the over-exploited world should not even be a question in the first place.
As socialists, the question of what to call the developing world has been one that has been given much prominence over the course of history, especially following the end of World War II (WWII). The world that is depicted as colonial (and 'post-colonial') has been referenced in countless ways, ranging from 'dependent states' to the 'over-exploited world'. This article will examine the majority of the terms used, as well as why it does not necessarily matter, outside of particular contexts.
The following terms are, arguably, the most common ways of describing the portions of the world that have had their peoples historically subjugated, resources stolen, markets overtaken, and…
Revolution and Democracy: Inherently Connected
The two concepts are directly intertwined, not separate from each other, as some might argue.
In mainstream political discourse, the concept of a political revolution that overthrows a government — namely a pro-Western one — tends to be associated with the creation of a very scary image. For instance, the themes of terrorism, military dictatorship, unnecessary blood being shed, and the destruction of existing so-called "democracy" comes to mind.
People may point to countries like France, where the creation of a liberal republic turned into the infamous Reign of Terror, despite the fact that the French Revolution itself was a bourgeois revolution. They may also point to coup d'etats that have occurred throughout various countries and then incorrectly frame them as popular uprisings or justified rebellions against 'authoritarian' leadership. …
COVID-19 and Building Movements
The global pandemic is infringing on the progression of developing a conscious working class.
When one becomes an ideological proponent of Marxism, the desire to build a working class movement becomes more apparent, largely due to the fact that the individual in question has become more class conscious than they previously were. This is, for the most part, a universal phenomenon and can be attributed to the fact that the necessity for revolution and the proclamation of a proletarian republic becomes glaringly clear.
Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash
The first steps towards developing a working class that is fundamentally ready for an uprising is to organize locally within your community or alongside a revolutionary organization. In many cases, this tends to be the largest communist party that is available within your city, state, province, or country overall. The desire to get involved is most definitely there, and this is why people will gravitate towards such organizations, chiefly because the foundation for a working class movement has historically been laid out through these groupings. …
Bolivia's Departure from Destitution
A new chapter in Bolivia's history is being written while also fiercely departing from a long and grueling year of suffering.
Following the landslide electoral victory of the Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP) party in Bolivia on October 18, 2020, alongside the inauguration of President Luis Arce and the return of former President Evo Morales, a revived political energy and force has emerged out of the country. Nearly 365 days of illegal governance, political repression, heightened ethnic tension, and economic catastrophe has finally come to a close.
An image of La Paz, Bolivia, at night. (Photo by Geziel Esteban on Unsplash)
A couple of days prior to the inauguration of Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca on November 8, 2020, foreign delegations from Iran and Venezuela arrived to celebrate the victory of the MAS-IPSP and the removal of the coup-based government in Bolivia. Foreign ministers of both aforementioned countries, Javad Zarif and Jorge Arreaza, were present at the ceremony. …
The Poppy and Symbolic Destruction
A major symbol of "remembrance" fails to incorporate the sheer devastation of imperialism and its consequences.
With November 11, 2020 approaching rather quickly, talk of remembering those who have fallen in the line of battle is becoming prevalent once again, particularly in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In fact, controversy has risen over Whole Foods Market banning the symbol being worn, and then reversing the decision due to backlash in Canada. Usually, most civilians wear a red poppy as a symbol of respect for the individuals who have served in war and have lost their lives in times of war.
Photo by Evgeniy Gorbenko on Unsplash
But what does the poppy mean to people who live outside of those countries? What about anti-war activists? What does the poppy represent to people vehemently opposed to the imperialist practices of these nations throughout history? What would the poppy mean to someone who has actively fought against British conquest in an anti-colonial struggle? …
South Slavic student, writer, and researcher with an intense focus on anti-imperialism, Marxism, and the international working class.


"I am passionate about the individual and helping them reach their full potential. Over the many years I have spent involved in martial arts, strength and conditioning training, teaching self defence and generally helping people grow. I have worked on, and pride myself in the knowledge that I trully believe I can teach (and help) anyone, regardless of age, gender or ability. Everyone recieves, processes and acts on information differently. It is this that drives my teaching style to be wholly specific to the individual. Whether it is learning traditional kung fu, self defence, personal training to assist in weight loss, fitness training.. everyone has within them the ability to achieve. It is my job to help them unlock thier potential and grow".
Kung Fu in its entirity, has many life enhancing properties. From stregthening you body and mind, to easing pain and releasing stress. Kung Fu is an all encomapsing life afirming skill.
Kung Fu, literally tranlates to "a skill aquired through dedication" and it is that dedication that enhances life itself.
I can offer through workshops and private tuition a variety of sessions that can be tailored to suit an individual or groups specific requirements.
Self protection is a generic term for a way of thinking about personal safety. It differs from self defence in that it has a greater focus on understanding how you react under duress, and identifying potential threats before they develop.
Using an understanding of the human condition we teach you how best to diffuse a potential conflict. Through role playing and scenario work we will look into the aspects of arrising conflict and work with the tools we all posess to diffuse the situation.
Taking the self protection module and applying it in a full street combat mode. This course works with pressure testing and takes the tools you already have (everyone has them) to develop your own street survival kit.
Chinese boxing is a generic term for sport fighting using a Chinese art as its base. With us this is obviously Wing Chun, but we adapt to make it effective in a sport fight context.


This is my review of Signals of Distress by Jim Crace.
Original, imaginative and quirky, well-written with sharp irony and some striking descriptions – the storm of silvery pilchards making "the sea drenched in fish….as if the water had lost its liquidness and was turning to solder" – Jim Crace transports us to a remote Cornish fishing town in the winter of 1836.
The routine of life in Wherrytown is upset when "The Belle of Wilmington" with its American crew and unfortunate slave Otto shackled to the orlop deck runs aground on a sand bar, with much of its cargo washed ashore, including a herd of cattle which offer the locals the prospect of some illicit beef. This dramatic event coincides with the arrival of Aymer Smith: full of good intentions but pedantic, unworldly, socially inept with a gift only for causing trouble without meaning to and irritating everyone he meets. Aymer's mission is to apologise in person to those dependent for their livelihoods on the collection of kelp from the beaches, who will suffer from his brother's decision to switch from the use of kelp ash to sodium carbonate in the soap-making progress. Aymer is determined to compensate them – with bars of soap, coins, perhaps even a rash proposal of marriage.
This is a confined, prejudiced, harsh, every-man-for-himself world, typified by the ruthless local agent, wheeler-dealer Walter Howells. Yet in a varied cast of characters, some show flashes of kindness against the odds, and even Aymer eventually becomes an object of sympathy – a foolish yet essentially decent man.
The story may seem to meander along, at times too absorbed in minor detail, yet the author is forging a chain of cause and effect, working towards an end which, even if you guess it, is quite powerful and haunting. There is a vein of unremitting honesty, even visceral cruelty, a sense of fate, in Jim Crace's writing which also gives it authenticity, and embeds an unusual tale in one's memory.