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millingroundireland · 5 months

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Wasting away in Massachusetts: Dora Mills and the scourge of tuberculosis [Part 1]

In the past I've written about my great-great grandmother Dora Mills, one of the key ancestors I have focused on as part of this blog, part of the general family story. As a refresher, she was born in Glens Falls, a small town in upstate New York on June 1, 1849, a date derived from my calculations through various records, the daughter of a huge family headed by John Rand Mills and Margaret Ann Bibby. She lived in Warren County, staying in the same town, but also living in nearby municipalities like Bolton and Chester. She later moved to Western Massachusetts after she married Cyrus Winfield "Winnie" Packard sometime after their marriage on November 21, 1881 at the Glens Falls Methodist Episcopalian Church. She would live in Cummington and Plainfield, especially in the latter, until her death in 1895, and would be the mother of Robert "Bert" Barnabas Packard, along with many other children, whose last name was later changed to Mills, becoming Robert Byron Packard (RBM II) after Dora's brother, a hotel proprietor named Robert "Uncle Rob" Byron Mills (RBM I), with Uncle Rob adopting Bert and bringing him to Cincinnati with his wife, Hattie Stanley. As I've written in the past, when Dora died, she did not have a will or administration, and this is because the "attitude of romantic paternalism," prevailed in U.S. law, with men seen as "protectors" of women. Even though Massachusetts (as did New York) had a law which allowed married women to have property at the time, the Massachusetts Supreme Court said this only applied to property a woman "had as separate property” while that she could not own property with her husband jointly. Even if Cyrus believed in this notion, thinking that women should have a "domestic" housework goal, Dora clearly worked outside the home before her marriage, as I have noted that she worked as a shirtwaist worker in the 1880s, and a teacher in the 1870s.

Putting aside the aftermath of Dora's death, as I wrote on my Packed with Packards! blog, Dora died on February 5, 1895 of tuberculosis (TB) in the town of Plainfield, then buried in the Pottersville New Cemetery within Pottersville, a town in Warren County, 35 miles away from her birthplace of Glens Falls, likely because it was near her "surviving family members." I also noted that in West Cummington on May 11, 1895, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Mountain Miller Women’s Relief Corps hosted a memorial service for her, meaning that she had ties to both of these organizations. In the documents I looked at which are part of the Packard family file at the Cummington Historical Museum (which I wish I had taken a photograph of), there are documents noting that Joseph Beals, Dora’s brother-in-law (through marriage to Dora's sister Hattie) described Dora as “kind to everybody” and said that he knew Dora through her “sickness," visiting her 2-3 times a week. I speculated that that this indicated she was sick from 1889, when Hattie and Joseph married, to 1895, but that is probably too long of a time frame to be honest.

"Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch: 6 April 2020), Dora A. Mills Packard, 05 Feb 1895; citing Plainfield, Massachusetts, v 455 p 45, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 961,516.

To get some more information, I looked back at her death record in the death registry and it says that her parents were both born in Great Britain, which is technically correct as Great Britain controlled Ireland at the time, and that she died at home. It also misstated her age, but that's whole other discussion I'm not getting into right now, as that deserves its own post.

This post was originally published on WordPress in May 2020.

Unfortunately, we don't have any further information about her death than the above record and what I have previously mentioned. We know that the complex illness known as TB was called by many names back then, whether "decline" or phthisis, among other names. [1] The latter means a wasting disease and it refers to pulmonary TB. It can also refer to "any debilitating lung or throat affections," a severe cough or asthma as noted by Paul Smith's list of Archaic Medical Terms. As you can see above, her cause of death was listed as "pulmonary phthisis." Phthisis itself is the Greek word for consumption, and is a term formerly used to refer to pulmonary tuberculosis. [2] This form of TB is a "contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs" and can spread to other organs. This disease is contagious, as the bacteria can spread easily from someone infected to another person. The National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus site also says the following:

You can get TB by breathing in air droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person. The resulting lung infection is called primary TB. Most people recover from primary TB infection without further evidence of the disease. The infection may stay inactive (dormant) for years. In some people, it becomes active again (reactivates). Most people who develop symptoms of a TB infection first became infected in the past. In some cases, the disease becomes active within weeks after the primary infection. The following people are at higher risk of active TB or reactivation of TB: Older adults, [,] Infants [, and] People with weakened immune systems...Your risk of catching TB increases if you...Live in crowded or unclean living conditions...[or] have poor nutrition....The primary stage of TB does not cause symptoms. When symptoms of pulmonary TB occur, they can include breathing difficulty [,] chest pain [,] cough (usually with mucus) [,] coughing up blood [and much more]...You may need to stay at home or be admitted to a hospital for 2 to 4 weeks to avoid spreading the disease to others until you are no longer contagious...Pulmonary TB can cause permanent lung damage if not treated early. It can also spread to other parts of the body.

continued in part 2

Notes

[1] As noted by WiseGeek, TB has been referred to as "consumption, scrofula, wasting disease, white plague, and king’s evil," among other diseases throughout history.

[2] The Chambers Dictionary. New Delhi: Allied Chambers India Ltd. 1998. p. 352. ISBN 978-81-86062-25-8. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.

#tuberculosis #mills #mills family #disease #death #family history #genealogy #ancestry #cummington #massachusetts #beals #beals family #packards #packard family #packard #temperance movement #1890s

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historyhermann · 7 months

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Disenchantment Part 5 Spoiler-Filled Review

Disenchantment is a mature animated adventure fantasy. Well-known animation producer Matt Groening created the series and co-developed it with Josh Weinstein, who had also worked on The Simpsons. Groening and Weinstein are executive producers, along with Rough Draft Studios Vice President Claudia Katz, writer Eric Horstead, writer and producer Bill Oakley, and former Writers Guild of America West…

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muppet-facts · 4 months

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Muppet Fact #940

The Muppets have reenacted O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" eight times. A majority of these portrayals involved characters from Sesame Street.

Sources:

Merry Christmas from Sesame Street. Sesame Street Records. LP. 1975.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. 1977.

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. December 3, 1978.

"A Sesame Street Holiday Story: Grover's Gift." Emily Perl Kingsley. Illustrated by Tom Cooke. In Family Circle. December 23, 1986.

The Gift of the Magi Story Book Set & Advent Calendar. Mary Packard. Workman Publishing. 1996.

A Very Muppet Christmas. Ellen Weiss, Kiki Thorpe, Craig Shemin, Ben Eastman. Running Press. 1999.

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. 2002.

Thanks & Giving All Year Long. Marlo Thomas and Friends. Kid Rhino. CD. 2004.

#muppet facts oc #jim henson #the muppets #muppets #muppet facts #fun facts #sesame street #childrens tv #The Gift of the Magi

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2023himbotournament · 2 months

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CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND A CEASEFIRE FOR PALESTINE

For Eu look up:

Voices in Europe for peace

For Usa look up:

US campaign for Palestinian rights

BOYCOTT FOR PALESTINE

FOA (Friends of Al-Aqsa) have organized a boycott in support of palestine. Here are the key companies to boycott:

HP (Hewlett Packard)

Coca-Cola

Israeli produce

We will be ending our call to boycott

PUMA once the contract with IFA officially dissolves in 2024. Until then, we encourage you to continue boycotting PUMA products.

Please help to spread the word by sending this copypasta to as many blogs as you can and/or going to FOAs website where you can find posters to download and print out

Ok I'm not a copypasta person unless it's memes but like. Look I'm not Palestinian but I'm also a Southwest Asian and my mental health has definitely deteriorated seeing just. Everything. Especially the increase in racism and islamophobia (I'm also muslim) and seeing all the hate crimes and knowing that someone could probably shoot me in the head while I'm writing gay fanfiction in public and justify it by saying that I could've been a dangerous terrorist and therefore my entire family tree must be eradicated-

basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm hoping that making this post on the himbo tourney blog will get some eyes on this. Like. I've been feeling really powerless about this and kinda just like shriveling up and dying lately. Tbh. The world is fxcked right now. In the year of our lord 2024 /ref, here we are post undertale we are being pro-genocide how funny is that haha. It's not funny. It's. It's not. It's not funny . I can't. I've seen too many videos of children dying and crying and I just. I saw the one thing about the kid with cerebral palsy whose parents got shot right in front of them for literally no reason and then they got yelled at by soldiers and like. People literally will look at this and call these people animals?? I saw that term get thrown around a lot. It's just disgusting and like.

have people seen the bingo the literal genocide bingo. People are treating this like a joke like. Do people not realize that Southwest Asian people are like... people??? We're people you know. Like this is mainly targeting Arabs but I've seen stuff about people discriminating against the rest of us too (mainly because they can't tell the difference. Because the idea of not treating Asian cultures as interchangeable applies until you get to Southwest Asia I guess even in progressive circles everyone just says Arab for everything even here I've seen people like-). I'm Persian and I'm still scared someone will cut my life off. I'm 16. Nowruz is next week and I just want to live to it with my family. My mind is inundated wit the tears of the families that had never gotten to have their celebrations. Because of one group on one day.

one group on one day. One group on one day. it's always that. it's always that for people like us.I feel like I'm going insane. It's just 9/11 in America all over again. I wasn't even born for that. But you can just feel it all around you. And now we have the sequel, across the world. But it's used the same way. 7/23. Can't wait for the memes /s. This one thing happens therefore we can dedicate multiple months to killing all of you just making you suffer stripping your dignity you don't deserve anything and we'll make the world hate you because fxck you and then the world goes along with it because nothing good ever happens and I just want to escape from this but every time I go on tumblr it's just this and I know if I ever stop seeing this it means that the worst has happened anyway

and then people try to act like YOU'RE the bigot because you're trying to hold a country's government and military force responsible for war crimes just because the country has its branding in minority groups. How about I make this crystal clear: I don't give a flying fxck about what Israel is, it's what it's doing that matters. I'd be saying nearly the same shzt if they were PERSIAN, and that is MY ETHNICITY. I literally do not care. It doesn't matter. Because killing people is wrong and that should not be a controversial statement but I guess some people like the sound of screams in the morning. The Palestinian death toll has surpassed the 7/23 death toll. And it's still going. And not all the deaths have even been accounted for because bodies are still buried under rubble. Because they're still bombing people and they won't stop. And no one will make them stop.

like I don't give a fxck about Hamas either, I heard some of the members did genuinely say some like directly quoted antisemitic shzt and also they like condoned a racist caricature of a black woman in a magazine I think but I'm not sure about the second one (I know the magazine thing definitely happened but I'm not sure of their like involvement at all-) like. I don't need to suck there dzcks like some people do it's one group of fxcks like I don't. They're just the excuse being used for this. You're bombing the entire population of a country where the majority population is fzcking tater tots. You're attacking children. You are killing children. Paint yourself purple. Dammit. Just. Again it's 9/11 all over again but in another country.

even then like it's like. You know that trope in cartoons that shows up more often than you'd think that was in like Avatar and Korra and RWBY I think where there's like a fictional minority that is oppressed and wants rights and then active protest is represented by an evil terrorist group who attacks people and is the villains of the media and passive protest is always portrayed as good and active protest is evil and there's no nuance and also they just frame the group as just like evil spawned out of nowhere not addressing that they literally would not exist if not for the truly evil system of oppression that basically created them. Like.

You know Hamas only exists because Palestinians were already treated like shzt right? Like they were already displaced and didn't consent to the whole Israel thing and like look up Nakba it's fzcking awful like. Hamas is just a symptom of the disease and there will just be another Hamas if you try to knock it down without actually like. Doing anything about. the fact that Palestinians are oppressed. but people will just act like you can keep punching at Hamas like that'll result in anything like they're the flowers not the roots y'know-

also I'm calling it here, this entire thing is gonna definitely be used down the line by Neo-nazis I mean it kinda already is being used to justify antisemitism but like I saw the stuff of people trying to redefine antisemitism to be synonymous with antizionism and make isrseli and jewish synonymous and to basically gatekeep jewishness from anti-zionist jews (I'm not kidding I actually saw shzt like that) and it's like. Y'all they're gonna turn around in a year or two like "ohhh look at the big bad scary jews- I mean Israelis their identity is literally tied to the genocide of Palestinians they are inherently evil there is no denying it!" (Ignoring the fact that the USA and other bastards of colonization did the same shzt as Israel literally the same story history is repeating itself but we have social media brands this time-). And then like what the fxck do you do about it when the word antisemitic now means anticolonialist so no one takes it seriously anymore. What the fxck are you supposed to do about that. And when they probably made themselves right because they probably contributed to Palestinian Genocide themselves they don't care they're just using them as props in their fxcking jew hatred. But like. Yeah you are now tied to this nationality that is tied to fxcking genocide what do you do? It's like perfect to use for fearmongering around Jewish people since the shzt they used before somehow worked despite literally being pulled out of their xss istg like where the fxck did any of the bank stuff come from like. The fzck?-

im tired. I'm so tired. Both in the literal "It's past 1am" sense and the less literal "make the stop" sense.

I just don't want people to die. I just want people to be happy. I just want people to not suffer but every day it feels like it's getting worse and I just want something to change for the better and I'm scared. Why do people act like it's a bad thing to not want people to suffer? I don't understand. I just. I just don't understand. I. am I naive? For this?

does this wish make me naive?

#I can't take it anymore #I want to cry

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eyebaus · 2 months

Note

CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND A CEASEFIRE FOR PALESTINE

For Eu look up:

Voices in Europe for peace

For Usa look up:

US campaign for Palestinian rights

BOYCOTT FOR PALESTINE

FOA (Friends of Al-Aqsa) have organized a boycott in support of palestine. Here are the key companies to boycott:

HP (Hewlett Packard)

Coca-Cola

Israeli produce

We will be ending our call to boycott

PUMA once the contract with IFA officially dissolves in 2024. Until then, we encourage you to continue boycotting PUMA products.

Please help to spread the word by sending this copypasta to as many blogs as you can and/or going to FOAs website where you can find posters to download and print out

https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/ daily click too ^_^

#asks

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vintageslideshow · 5 months

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1972: Here's what was in my family's familyroom.

Bookshelf with two rows of great authors of history, and two rows of the World Book Encyclopedia (the encyclopedias are facing you, and the row behind the candle on the side shelf are the How & Why Library and the yearly addendums).

Several vases and candy dishes.

A horse drawing a sleigh.

Boston pencil sharpener with a suction cup base.

A pretty neat red candle (on the shelf) that looks great when lit.

Shell No-Pest Strip (banned nowadays).

Painting by my father of Zulu dancers.

Packard-Bell hi-fi.

Of all of these things from 50 years ago, only the painting remains in their possession. A few years ago they got rid of the great authors series (Half Price Books has it for an obscene sum) and I have my own copy of the World Book Encyclopedias. When I visit my folks this weekend I'll see if they still have the candle and the pencil sharpener.

#126 negative #photograph #1972

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pxlvrxs · 3 months

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CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND A CEASEFIRE FOR PALESTINE

For Eu look up:

Voices in Europe for peace

For Usa look up:

US campaign for Palestinian rights

BOYCOTT FOR PALESTINE

FOA (Friends of Al-Aqsa) have organized a boycott in support of palestine. Here are the key companies to boycott:

HP (Hewlett Packard)

Coca-Cola

Israeli produce

We will be ending our call to boycott PUMA once the contract with IFA officially dissolves in 2024. Until then, we encourage you to continue boycotting PUMA products.

(Please help to spread the word by spreading this copypasta online and/or going to FOAs website where you can find posters to print out)

This is Hind Rajab. A six year old Palestinian girl who was murdered while receiving medical care in Gaza after an IDF tank attacked her family car. She spent 12 days in a destroyed ambulance.

If you are somehow still on the fence about this war, I am pleading with you to understand. It’s no longer a war, it never was. It’s not about defending Israelis or destroying Hamas. It’s about killing the Palestinian people. This is genocide.

From the river to the sea. 🇵🇸

#israhell #israel #palestine #fuck the idf #free gaza #gaza genocide #gaza strip

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writingcold · 7 months

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Hi. Welcome to the Epilogue. It’s short, but mighty. I truly, truly hope that you have enjoyed my Bootleggers and Wildflowers. They have been so fun to write.

If you are just joining us, you can find the Master List to the series here

Here’s the last time I’m going to say it: @lvnterninthenight, @gardensgatedaisy and @whitesuitjake thank you from the bottom of my toes to the tip of my head for your assistance, patience and talents.

This is a work of fiction, and is totally mine. Please do not take it for your own personal use. I’ve put in hours of research, hours upon hours of writing, re-writing, screaming, yelling and vomiting over this epic of a story. But it is mine.

Content warning: 18+ only story. Fluff. Family. Hardship of the 1930’s and the Great Depression. But, mostly fluff.

Word count: approx. 3200

Epilogue - Cora

Summer 1933

The hard times started one year and two months after their wedding. Jacob and Cora had just welcomed their first child when it seemed the world went wild with grief and darkness. For the honeymoon, they had gotten into his newest car - a cherry red Packard Twin Roadster. Cora thought the car was wildly flamboyant. Jake teased that he loved seeing her frugal and modest nature crumble the moment she slid into the passenger seat, feeling the suppleness of the leather and the smooth ride across the road. And he was right. There were little luxuries that he injected into her life that she could not be without - a pretty tea set, a soft bed, touches through the quality fabric of her dresses, a variety of food in her belly every night. To see her family flourish in their new home was a blessing she promised to never take for granted.

If Cora had thought that she had gathered so much life in the two years she had lived before marrying Jacob, the first year of their marriage was like living life at a full sprint. The Baras’ Brothers General and Mercantile Store opened for official business while they were on their auto touring trip. Joshua, Daniel and Samuel launched the moment they could, offering Arbor Vitae their first real access to a wide variety of needs. Within a month, Sam opened an auto garage and gas service station next door. Molly carved out a bit of a tailoring shop on the opposite side of the street. Rosemary found her hands needed as men streamed in from the logging camps, swamping Molly with so many repairs that she needed assistance right away. Assistance that her mother was delighted to provide. Cora took the job of accounting for all the family businesses - a job that she was happy to manage from the home that Jacob had built at the edge of town.

She walked through the functional kitchen, a cup of tea in her hand. The quiet of the house filled her as she sat down at the rich oak dining table. Across the walls and sideboard, instead of art of a well-to-do wife, she had pictures of them all - all the family. It was difficult not to be reflective as the children slept and her hand on her very pregnant belly as the next little one stirred against her. Her smile tugged as she cooed down at the next blessing. She had been feeling little flutters all morning. Flutters she knew would make loud announcements in a short time to bring forth the next member of their family. Blowing out a soft, cooling breath across her tea, she looked across to the last photo Joshua had taken of her brothers.

Matthew, Jonathan and Georgie stood shoulder to shoulder with serious faces and crisp linen suits. It was taken just a few days before Matthew traveled to the east for the Autumn term at the college where his namesake had once made home. The eldest of her brothers had made quite the impression on his professors and had established himself amongst his peers. He was settling in Boston after the university there invited him to teach. Cora knew that their father’s spirit of sharing knowledge resided deep within him. It would be a good fit for the young man seeking to set his roots. Jon blossomed under Samuel’s tutelage, becoming quite the engineer and helping at the auto garage. The young man showed more than talent, but a mind for innovation as well. He felt strangled when he tried college, finding that he needed to be tinkering rather than pointing out the flaws in his professor’s methods and lessons. After two terms of university, Jon was snatched up by a large car company and moved to Detroit. Sam was as proud as he could be of his protege. Georgie, the last of the boys to be home with Rosemary, was preparing to leave for college soon. He would be joining Matthew in Boston, with a focus on the family business as his guide. He had taken an interest in the management of the shops, to which Jake was quick to foster. The Janas family lived a good, secure life. Quite the opposite of their situation only seven years prior. A blessing she held terribly close in her heart.

Samuel’s service station was wildly popular with locals and tourists alike. The first year without Susannah had been rough to aid him through. The young man’s wounds were bone deep and bled often as he struggled to heal. The station helped return his mind to normal. His reputation of making cars go fast trickled through the various car clubs that traveled through town that first summer of business. He was approached by a driver asking about what he knew about endurance racing. The thought of traveling around the world to showcase his talent that had once been for illegitimate offerings was not lost on the young man. He would spend seven months of each year on the circuit then return home to hearth and home, the conquering hero. After the second season, he returned with a woman he had met and married in Poland. The happiness that had jolted the man’s heart filled every room he graced. It was another blessing that the family could count.

Molly and Daniel had settled in a house down the road from them. Pregnancies were hard on the sassy woman. The grief over losses culminated in the decision to become a doting aunt and uncle. Molly took pleasure in snuggling each child, but to have the ability to turn them back home when fussy was a luxury all its own. Daniel and Jacob ran the shops efficiently. Their partnership was close knit with more than enough work to go around. Daniel shone in the community with his patient nature and level-headed decision making. He had become a fixture on the town board with whispers of perhaps a mayoral term in his future. Molly would cackle behind closed doors about a former bootlegger and dancing girl becoming respectable in society without anyone the wiser. But she knew - it was a blessing. All of it and in between. A blessing afforded by sacrifice that was not willingly given.

Her eyes traced to the numerous pictures of her and Jacob. Her handsome husband and partner. Matthew Kelly arrived a week before the stock market crash that blackened October 28th, 1929. He brought such joy to their home that Cora was sure would rupture it from its sheer capacity. But then, tragedy. Unlike so many in the community, the Baras’ family weathered the perpetual storms with restraint and bonds that were stronger than steel.

Next to the photo of Jake holding infant Matthew was one of the twins. Stone faced, seated with bodies turned slightly towards each other, it belied the laughter that rang out once the camera flashed. Joshua, though invested throughout the community, became restless shortly after the dark days began to unfold. He was instrumental in immediately setting up aid to those who were affected, seeing to it that hungry mouths had food to turn to as well as having shelters built for families displaced from instant foreclosure. Joshua’s spirit grew restless in the small community that held few options for him. He drifted in his pursuits, moving further and further away from hearth and home, traveling the country in search of his niche. Always graced with the gift of words, Josh had discovered an opportunity to delve into his love of film. Instead of Hollywood, he found himself behind a camera, capturing the horrendous human suffering of the time. He was able to put pictures and words to those who were too smothered to be heard and seen. He became active in documenting atrocities of what would become a defining moment in history. Though he was far from home, Joshua marched to his family’s heartbeat always. Caring and sheltering those he could by bringing awareness to their strife. Cora grinned at the photo, knowing that Joshua was a blessing to her in more than just offering her a glimmer of opportunity that was doubtful in the beginning. Her husband’s brother saw within her something that could be pushed, nurtured and elevated to be a pillar of strength of his family. For that, she would always be grateful.

In the center of the wall, hung a beautifully framed photograph of the entire family, all together. Rosemary and Dorothy were the center with both sides of the family fanning out behind them. Though on the fringe, Junie could be seen holding the hand of Lucas for the very first time. It was a moment no one realized until the finished piece arrived in the lovely silver frame. Lucas provided her sister with the kind of quiet love Junie needed. The young man held her with such tenderness, yet protected Cora Rose with a fierceness that rivaled the girl’s mother. Lucas had started to expand on the little cottage next to Dotty’s, but the woman gifted the big house to them instead. Cora Rose became sister to Ada Marie the following year and the house would become what Dorothy Baroski wanted it to be - a home for a family. The shelter the woman had afforded Junie when it most needed, turned to the blessing of found family.

Cora’s belly constricted once more, hard, under her fingertips. The air in her lungs burned as she tried to breathe through the stirrings. Shifting for the eighth time in an effort to remain comfortable, her eyes strayed to the grand clock. The fourth hour chime would fill the home with a tone that was meant to prepare for the evening. However, she knew it would be a few hours yet before Jacob would return to her.

Their twins, Sarah Jane and Junie Belle, arrived in March of 1931. Tiny little things, the pair screamed their way into the home and their parents’ hearts. The picture of Jake holding both babies while she held Matthew on her hip was one of her favorites. A hint of a smile resided on her man’s face that happened to be there from the moment of the vows, never straying, never fading. Her Jacob. Her handsome husband. He was a better father than she could have hoped for. Echoes of her father resounded in her spirit as he would swish around holding the babies in his strong arms as they babbled and sang songs that floated out of the radio. He read to them every chance he received, spinning tales that she was sure had been his favorites as a child. He glowed in the presence of his children.

Though the dark did not seem to touch the Bara’s household, it ravaged their community. It was not uncommon for men from all over the region to gather on the main street and wait for jobs in order to feed their families. Men as far away as Eau Claire and Waukesha would show up and wait for the timber crews to glean from their numbers for logging to the north. A few were brought on to the farms for day help, but that was mostly just in the Spring and Autumn months when help was needed. Most were unsuccessful in their search for work, leaving an endless march of souls that were hungry and lost to the time at hand.

Junie would drive into town four afternoons a week with Dottie, bringing in extras from the garden and donating time in the soup kitchen. Jacob, on his walk home each evening after the shop closed at six, would stop in the kitchen to sneak in a ten dollar bill when no one was looking. He would take a few minutes to play ‘Look what I found’ with a few of the children, pretending to find tiny bags of lollipops or hard candy or toffee treats to share. He always felt he needed to give more. More time. More smiles to lighten the heaviness of the spirit of their community. In truth, Cora knew the man would give every last shred to shield them all from this dragon that threatened them.

The flash of pain blazed from her core, spreading down through her legs and up through her chest. She knocked her tea cup, spilling its ignored contents across the deep toned wood. Gasping for breath, she fought to steady herself while her body worked to bring the baby forth. The bloom rapidly subsided and she stood to retrieve a towel from the kitchen. As she sopped up the mess, she could hear Matthew stirring in his room. Shaking her head, she knew it was time. Moving to the hall, she lifted the phone to first call the midwife, Mrs. Totts. Next was a call to Molly’s shop to request one of them to alert Jacob and then to come and retrieve the children for the night. It was a well run plan that they had planned out and executed. As she hung the receiver, she bent, holding her belly and swallowing the pain the best she could so as not to worry the children.

Time ticked along with the mechanical sound of the clock that she stood beside with eyes trained on the door. Each tick brought a pinch to her breath while each tock, the heat of her labor spread further around her back. She could hear the girls waking in their room above her. There would be no way she would be able to climb the stairs to comfort them, welcome them back from their slumber. A soft gasp dripped from her lips as another flare struck her.

Her brain began to latch onto anything around her in search of comfort. At the edge of the sideboard was a photo of Jake and her with Marcus. It had been taken shortly after Matthew had been born when their dear friend passed through town. The sight of the man who treated her like his own daughter soothed her. Marcus held an orderly court in Iron Mountain as the waves from the Kiszka and Wagner reign blazed to a close. He talked about how times were about to change once more. The end of Prohibition would bring legitimate business back to the liquor trade, effectively cutting off revenue for ‘family ties’ as Marcus put it. He had hopes of retiring. He had hopes of finding a soft place to land amongst the trying times. She had hoped that perhaps in time he would find his path back to them.

“Mama?” Matthew called from the top of the stairs, his little voice filled with sleep and worry.

She bared her teeth as she tried to move towards the foot of the stairs but a sudden flush of liquid between her legs stopped her immediately. Her jaw dropped as her knees started to bend to lower herself to the floor.

“Stay there, Matthew,” she managed, trying to sound normal.

The screech of the screen door followed by the solid sound of the front door opening brought her heart a moment of relief. Molly’s eyes grew wide when she found her in between the hall and the dining room.

“Oh, Mama,” she breathed. “That close? Let’s get you up, dolly.”

Cora breathed out in pain as her friend helped her back to her feet and to a chair. “Get the babies. The stroller-”

“I know where everything is. Don’t you worry about a thing,” she remarked as she turned. “Jake’s right behind me. You call Mrs. Totts?”

Cora nodded in answer as her hands smoothed around to the base of her belly. The door flew open once more, admitting Jacob with a worried look in his eyes. She held up her hands to him.

“I saw Molly-”

“Up here,” she called. “Got a few things to do first. Get her to your room.”

He helped her to stand once more as a contraction struck. She fell against him, but he held firm. Breathing him in as her body struggled through the process, she could feel his heartbeat through the linen of his jacket.

“Ready?” he whispered, his fingers pressing into her back.

All she could do was nod. He helped her into the bedroom. “I left a mess,” she said, feeling her cheeks blush.

“Do not worry about that. I’ll get it,” he answered as he moved her to the side of the bed.

He proceeded to start in on the buttons of her dress before unhooking her stockings and taking off her shoes. He reached for the nightdress that she had worn for all three pregnancies and wrapped it around her before helping her into the bed with a firm hand and gentle kiss to her mouth. They heard Mrs. Totts walk through the front door with a knock as Molly worked her way down the stairs. Jacob sat on the edge, his body a bastion of strength for her to hold to as the storm raged across her belly. He whispered love and devotion into her hair as she tried to breath through the waves.

“Mr. Bara,” Mrs. Totts scolded as she made her way inside. “That is enough of you. Out.”

He laughed through his nose as he leaned into her, capturing her gaze. “I love you. I can’t wait to meet our newest cherished one.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth before the old woman could physically remove him from his room. She watched him go and turn back with a wave before closing the door. The labor was longer than with the others. She could hear Jacob becoming frustrated as he waited in the dining room. At times she could hear her mother’s voice. Others, Danny and Georgie. Just when she thought she was too tired to go on, she felt a calm wash over her. It was a strange sensation she got with each of the babies - a calm that soothed her spirit and refocused her nerves just before they were pushed into the hands of Mrs. Totts. Her heart grew quiet until the first note of a cry filled the room and relief filled every pore of her being.

The radiance of pure love was a welcomed friend in her family. Cora, exhausted, watched as Jacob took their newest son, Jacob Thomas, Junior into his arms and held him close, kissing him on his forehead in complete happiness. Mrs. Totts frowned as Jake maneuvered beside his wife as she left. He cradled Cora against him as she brought the baby up to her breast to feed him. It was a blessing that both would feel, together. This idea of togetherness in their family. The blessing of forever.

The End.

So if you enjoyed my story, please please please, share it. Reblog it. Comment. Let me know the good, the bad, the ugly, because I do love to hear every thought you have - it will help me to only get better. I appreciate it more than you know.

Thank you everyone for being patient and reading along with the story. I hope to have something a little different for you soon. Something gothic for October. 🎃👻

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @whitesuitjake @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @streamingcolors-gvf @gretavanbitches @samsurfgreenbass @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatchercarol @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @puzzle-gvf @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @lightmylove-gvf @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @redsierra1960 @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit @sinarainbows

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #josh gvf #sammy gvf #sam gvf #daniel gvf #danny gvf #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic au #greta van fleet au fic #greta van fleet x ocs #bootleggers and wildflowers

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rainbowskittle · 9 months

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4, 6 and 7 are my top picks haha but I don’t drive so 🤷. Guess I’ll passenger and give you snacks as we adventure.

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packedwithpackards · 6 months

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Giles-Mabel Hattie Whitley - colorized version. Pawtucket, Rhode Island Left to Right: Margaret E., Giles Thomas, Harold Woodrow on knee, Giles Franklin, Mabel Hattie Colorized on 10/6/2022, using Ancestry software.

#circa 1916 #20th century fashion #1910s fashion #fashion #genealogy #family history #packards #packard #packard family #ancestry #colorized photo

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millingroundireland · 6 months

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The story Tom Packard told and the reality

I know the above image is a bit blurry, but the message summarizes the family story about Joseph: that he was murdered, he worked for the railroad, had collected his pay and was talking down the railroad track, on his way home when an assailant hit him over the head, knocking him unconscious. He laid there, the story goes, and was killed by an incoming train. The stone, with an incorrect city of death, was created by Tom in his memory in West Hill Cemetery. There is one problem with that story: it is completely and utterly wrong, going further in detail that previous family stories which just said he was "killed on the railroad", was "buried in Nebraska," or killed while "working on the railroad." This was a story he told Bob Mills and included in his family history sent to relatives in December 1979 as the Packard/Mills Family History. I include it on this blog because this was one of the pictures sent to me by one of my distant cousins and it connects to what I wrote about on Packed for Packards! just last week.

We already know that Joseph Winfield Packard was a child of Dorothy "Dora" Ann Mills (1849-1895) and Cyrus Winfield Packard (1852-1924), born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on June 17, 1885, and had six siblings (John Henry, Charles Edward, Robert, Margaret, Marion Estelle, and Mabel Hattie), one of whom, Robert, would be adopted by Dora's brother, Robert, a hotel proprietor, in 1895, after her death.

While is is not known how he got out to Nebraska, or what his occupation was, with family stories saying he worked on the railroad, it is clear that Tom was bending the truth about Joseph's death. From what we know, as I discuss in that article, he was found lying beside a train track with a deep gash in his forehead, with bruises and contusions across his body, having on him "five dollars of change, a “quart bottle of whiskey” (a fifth of a gallon or about 26 ounces), a raffle ticket...a receipt belonging to a saloon...in nearby Hubbard, Nebraska" and most importantly a letter from his father. His death was accidental as he was killed "by a passing freight train that morning...and was dragged by the train, furthering his injuries." In some sense, it is understandable that Tom left out these gory details or the implication that Joseph was a drunkard, but what he left out next threw his whole story into question. Joseph was suspected of "robbery at the Duggan and Heffernan saloon on Saturday night, not an uncommon occurrence for the saloon." This would mean he was a criminal. He also didn't mention that Cyrus, according to newspaper reports, called himself a poor man who wanted to know particulars of his son's death as the county paid for funeral expenses. It is still not known, as I discuss in the post on Packed with Packards!, where Joseph is exactly buried, as that would require going to all the cemeteries in the area to find out for yourself. Yes, it is possible he worked on the railroad, but I tend to doubt that highly based on the various newspaper reports on his death that I have read recently.

This post was originally published on WordPress in August 2019.

As I've learned from family gatherings and such in the past, telling the truth is not always the object of storytelling, but rather it is telling a "good story." Tom's story must have seemed compelling enough but perhaps it was just what he was told. Cyrus, and likely his third wife, Clementina, knew the truth about Joseph's death. It raises the question of who came up with this story. Since Tom was eight years at the time of Joseph's death, it is possible that Cyrus got all of them together and told of Joseph's death. If this is what happened, he would have left out the gory details, the drunkenness (which may have been seen as socially unacceptable at the time), and making Joseph out to be a victim rather than a drunkard who may have robbed a saloon the previous night. It is much more compelling to note, as I write on Packed with Packards! that Joseph's death was not unusual for the time, as he was "one of the 314 people killed in railroad-related deaths" that year, even though there still are "many remaining questions about Joseph’s life." This makes it clear, as I wrote on that blog, that Joseph is clearly, without a doubt in my mind, "the Nebraskan Man of Mystery."

#packards #packard family #mills family #mills #tall tales #family stories #genealogy #family history #ancestry #wordpress #19th century #death #railroads

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historyhermann · 1 year

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The "rules of genealogical research": Responding to Tanner's "Genealogy Star" blog

An image from a post on familytree.com titled "Long Lost Relatives from Across the Aisle"

In late December James L. Tanner wrote, on his "Genealogy Star" blogspot, about genealogical research in the age of the internet. He wrote that "fundamental rules of genealogical research" necessitate that every conclusion cite a record or document.He added that "genealogy is not something you just make up in your spare time. The whole idea is that genealogy is based on history." I write this post not to disagree with him, but to the contrary, to agree with him with a doubt.

Reprinted from my History Hermann WordPress blog and Wayback Machine. Originally posted on Jan. 10, 2018.

In the rest of Tanner's post, he notes how the "popular part of genealogy has evolved into a copycat deluge" with content of "record hints" ignored or dismissed, adding that there is "no way to purge the system of the old inaccurate information" meaning that such inaccuracies are "copied as well as the accurate information." He gives examples of the ""Family Data Collection - Deaths" collection (which was "copied from copies") , the "Family Data Collection - Births" collection (similar to the other family data collection), and the "U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Inde[x]s, 1936-2007" (which could be "accurate, but unless the person looking at the entry goes beyond this entry, there is no way to know if the information is useful") on Ancestry.com. He ends his post by saying the following to the reader:

These are examples of the need to look carefully at the sources and to avoid copying copies. Without a general community-wide awareness of this need, we will keep getting copies of copies and preserving inaccurate information. Part of the blame for this situation lies with the individuals, but more lies with the large online companies who think they have "protected themselves" from criticism by explaining the traps but still promote the traps at the same time.

Before moving on, I'd like to respond to the above recommendations and comments. I agree that it is easy to preserve inaccurate information. However, I think it is horrible that companies like Ancestry and sites like Family Search promote bad records with inaccurate sources. So, you have to be careful with genealogical research without a doubt.

Now, let me add my two cents and personal experience.

When I originally started doing genealogy I was adding sources left and right, copying directly from family trees. These trees made it seem that the family on my mom's side descended from English royalty. I used similar information to "prove" the link from my mom's ancestors to a family of a similar name in England. However, this was all for naught: I only relied on family trees but little else. This meant I had to delete many individuals, deleting the "stinky" parts of my family tree on Ancestry.

Since then, my family tree on Ancestry has become a work in progress. I add and subtract information as needed, from time to time. I use "family trees" as a source but only when other sources are available.I recommend that one avoid other horrible sources like the "American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI)", "Millennium File", "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900" and "Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015" if at all possible. One of the collections looks like this:

And here is an example of what the "hints" (or the green leaf on profiles) look like on Ancestry:

In this case, both of these hints are about the right person. However, I clicked "ignore" on both because the profile of his father already listed both censuses. I Just wrote "see 1850 census linked on his father's page" (and the same for 1860), adding in the information from his father's page. I did this because I don't currently have an Ancestry.com subscription, but I have information attached to pages from the time I did have a subscription.

Anyway, more to the point of Tanner's post is a biography on Cyrus Winfield Packard. I originally was going to do the entry on Samuel Packard, which is one of the earliest entries on my family tree but I mostly cite my Packed With Packards! blog (which cites original sources), so it probably isn't a good example of good sourcing. So, I present the following biography (with certain identifying of the family tree information blacked out) as an example of something for other researchers to emulate.

Here is the top half of the page:

Census records and marriage records are the mainstay of this biography, whether federal or state censuses (only some states like Massachusetts have them). There is also a peppering of vital records of Massachusetts, Find A Grave, and posts from my Packed with Packards! blog about Cyrus. Now, census records and vital records can be found on ancestry, but if you don't feel like paying for a subscription like yours truly then you can look up the same records on familysearch.org. You need to create an account now, but it is still relatively easy and a free-to-use service. This is an advantage of Family Search over Ancestry without a doubt.

Then there is the second half of the biography:

It continues in the same vein as the top half. I tried my best to source every bit of information I found. You may notice that I used photographs as a source. These come from a collection of Massachusetts Land Records at www.masslandrecords.com which you can search free and online. I was able to find a good many land records that way, which was very helpful to telling the story of Cyrus Winfield Packard. This blog is one, maybe of the first posts connecting my Packed With Packards! blog with this one.

I look forward to hearing your comments.

#genealogy #family history #genealogy research #research #rules #ancestry hints #packards #ancestry.com

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swadloom · 7 months

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I was curious what the crew's files said so I took pictures. Taken from my tablet so they're not the best. Some of this is stuff that's already revealed or contextualized in this magazine (shoutout to @atlantis-archive for his super cool work) but there's interesting stuff in there nonetheless, like Vinny's explosion incident happening when he was fairly young and what's shown of Mole's past being more tame than Sweet made it out to be (though maybe the sewer exploration just grosses him out, I can see that being something Sweet would be disgusted by as a cleanly doctor and Audrey wouldn't care as much about.)

Unfortunately Vinny and Packard have a lot of their information blocked out and there's barely anything for Rourke at all, I wonder if it's intentional since it makes Rourke more ominous, Packard has a more minor comedic role, and being forced to wonder how many times Vinny got sent to jail is pretty funny.

Transcription under cut. Brackets means I'm interpereting a word that's cut off, question marks means that I'm not sure if I got it right or what it means, and parethesis are for adding context or my own personal commentary or analysis of their backstories. If anyone has any context for some things mentioned that they think they could explain (like place names or historical context), that would be appreciated!

GARTAN MOLIERE Mineralogist and [Excavator] 39 [Birthplace]: Paris, France [Parents:] Christef and Gabrielle Moliere [Expertise:] Extensive knowledge of… the new science of tectonics. Advise… National du France (?), Ottoman Mining, Aus… New South Wales Coal, Slate and Granite… American Coal and Lumber. Has developed… independent mining and excavation vehicle… related equipment. Holds patents on… Acute senses, particularly taste and… enable… to correctly identify any type of… soil… benefit or aid of any scientific… 98.7… time.

Background: [Gartan]… working family, the [young?]… parents were teachers… courses at the Sorbonne… music teacher. Gartan [discovered?]… subterranean pursuits at the… exploring the vast sever [networks]… Paris. By the age of 13, [Moliere]… specialized type of goggles… exploring caves in the surrounding… and catacombs held no [fun?]… He entered Sorbonne at… opportunity to… mining company…

(it sounds like one of his parents was a music teacher at the same college he went to, which is fun to think about.)

VINCENZO [SANTORINI] Explosives and [Demolition] [Palermo], Italy …and Fabiela Santorini (father’s name unknown) …elance (no idea what the word after this that starts with M is, maybe a place in Italy?) …ining 190(?)…[1903] 1903- (dash indicates a range of dates)… Demolitions; Delphi… (?) 1909, Bachelor’s… Delphi Prison… 1910, Technical Overseer… Hardrock Blasting… 1913.

…“Vinny” Santorini is the eldest… ela Santorini (only have “ela” to work from, so this could also be the name of one of his siblings). The parents own… [specializes] in floral arrangement… to an unfortunate, and to… the Santorini family was… [business?]. Young Vincenzo seemed… fascination for fire, and… small boy… blazes. …became… began… 18. By…

(He would have been around 27 in 1903, I’m guessing it might be a range of time that he was in jail. Also he’s apparently been arrested in Greece, so he might have been on the run too. I wonder from the companies mentioned if Vinny worked as a professional demolitionist but would overdo it just for the excitement and cause serious damage) (He’s mentioned as teaching himself about explosives all on his own in the scan, and also the incident that drew him away from the flower business was when he was too young to have finished college unless he’s a huge savant like Milo, so I’m guessing the mentions of degrees are ones that his parents have in botany-related subjects. I like the implication that he comes from a well-educated family and is probably very smart himself but ended up not liking the business he had to be a part of as a kid and instead putting that energy into blowing stuff up)

[AUDREY] ROCIO RAMIREZ [Chief] Mechanic [Michigan] (Parents names are blocked out, though Manuel can be seen later) …in her… assistant… for [mechanical/mechanics]… at age of… age of… orvisery(?) [position] at age 11. …with fledgling… Credited with developing… method 1909. Developed… oling(?) system 1910. …drive gears 1910. …Reduction-Gear Steering …[Master] Mechanic Manuel… [Industries], Audrey Rocia… from the time she… months, she could… any clock in the… Ana Ramirez found… any lock she… of trying to keep… that no matter

(Master Mechanic Manuel sounds plausible for the name of her father’s business. He’s characterized as somewhat self-centered along with how Audrey talks about him in the movie, she also seems to look up to her sister more than him with how she talks about her and has probably learned some about fighting from her. I can see him contributing to her tough attitude. Unknown if Ana is the name of her mother or sister.)

[STRONGBEAR SWEET] [Medical] Officer …Jerika [Sweet] [Internal Medicine?]… … .D. [University]… 189(?)… Medic… with… until 1901, acting as… Roosevelt's personal… during the Kettle and… [instrumental] in treatment of… in disease-ridden… ceased… Received no… [personal] letter from… [knowledge] of Arapho and… by his maternal (assuming uncle)… and studied… 1905. Traveled to… at Prins Oklahoma and… at Baxter

…in Fort Phil (Kearny?)… Pine Ridge

(I tried looking up Kansas universities that might fit with what’s cut off, seems like most likely he went to college out of state. ?.D. university… My best guesses are the universities of Idaho, South Dakota, or North Dakota. The University of Idaho may have been too young at the time to be a candidate, he would have been 27 already when it was established.) (if anyone knows what “the Kettle” is referring to please let me know!) (Side note, the mention in the scan of Sweet caring for people on both sides of the battle, presumably the Spanish-American war, calls to mind how Sweet seems to distrust Rourke’s motives but still tags along to be a doctor for the team. He’s so underrated I love Sweet so much.)

(Packard’s page, first angle:) [phone] in 1888… [professional]… ment(?) of work. …known… 1893. …1898-1901. …Worked… 1902-04. …1902. …1903. …[develop Radar]… (Packard’s page, second angle:) …[BERTHA] PACKARD [Communications?] Officer Cudot (parent name) …1875… of… [communication]… full… brating(?) Telephone in 1888… Secured congressional… (not much to gather from this one except that she seems to have been working with researchers and communication technology all her life, since she was 22. Could explain why she’s so nonchalant about her job by now.)

(Rourke’s page:) …life of… “C”… Golden… became… Also… (I wonder what “C” means, perhaps a codename? I'm assuming Golden refers to some kind of reward from the military.)

#disney atlantis #atlantis the lost empire #atlantis: the lost empire #atlantis disney

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matoimech · 16 days

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CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND A CEASEFIRE FOR PALESTINE:

For Eu look up: Voices in Europe for peace

For Usa look up: US campaign for Palestinian rights

BOYCOTT LIST: Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc), Chevron (including Caltex and Texaco brands), Siemens, Carrefour, AXA, SodaStream, Ahava, RE/MAX, PUMA, Coca Cola, Starbucks, McDonalds and Isreali produce in your supermarkets

OTHER RESOUCES: https://Arab.org/clicktohelp/ https://gazaesims.com

Generally I would prefer calls to action not be sent through my inbox unless its by someone I know personally, but I did actually donate to some causes earlier today so I'm going to boost this. I'm also including the campaigns I donated to and how I found them!

Please consider donating if you have the money to spare.

#inbox #palestine #unfortunately the rtvs livestream fundraiser is ending soon but to my knowledge the resource page will remain up in some capacity

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monarch-afterdark · 24 days

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Titan History: Kong

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

Apologies for the lack of communication in recent weeks, Monarch has been hard at work collecting data and collaborating with global governments through the most recent Titan crisis, including the disposal of deceased Titan remains and the best course of action to take with Godzilla in his new resting place.

That said, today's communication will be going over a Titan who has been surging in popularity across the globe over the past few years; the undisputed king of the Hollow Earth, Kong.

(Pictured above: Kong approaching an Apex Cybernetics research facility on Skull Island, circa. 2017)

Monarch Database File: Kong

Monarch Designation: Titanus Kong

Height: 337 feet

Weight: Unknown

Nature: Unknown

Behavioural Classification: Protector

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Until recently, Kong was believed to be the last of his kind. Born during a climactic final battle between his parents and a horde of Skullcrawlers (ravenous amphibian predators on Skull Island), Kong grew up in an isolated world filled with danger at every angle. Growing up to become the guardian deity of Skull Island, Kong was held in great reverence by the native Iwi tribe that lived on the island. His species, designated Apus giganticus, were also known protectors of the Iwi, fighting off the Skullcrawlers and other threats until their last breath.

During his centuries on the island, Kong fought a variety of creatures, from the Mire Squad and Sirenjaws to other Titans such as the mysterious Kraken or night-bringer Camazotz. However, in 2021, a storm generated by Monster Zero fused with the perpetual storm surrounding Skull Island and plunged it into chaos. Three years later, in 2024, Kong was removed from the island as the key to a daring plan to uncover a Hollow Earth energy source to stop Godzilla. The two alpha Titans clashed twice before setting aside their differences to take down Apex Cybernetics' rogue superweapon, Mechagodzilla.

Currently, Kong now resides in the Hollow Earth alongside a newly-freed tribe of his speices, an orange ape-like Titan which he seems to have adopted as a son, and the ancient ice Titan Shimo.

(Pictured above: Monarch officials reviewing recovered footage of Kong from the doomed 1973 expedition to Skull Island, circa. 2019)

While Kong's exact origins are unknown, research conducted within the Iwi settlement appears to place his birth somewhere in the 17th Century, making him perhaps the youngest Titan on record. However, his entangled history with Monarch began much later, in 1973.

In a time where Monarch was on its last legs and facing the possibility of being shut down, founding figure William Randa and geological advisor Houston Brooks lobbied to piggyback on a Landsat expedition to Skull Island. With a military escort courtesy of the Sky Devils squadron, the team dropped seismic charges on the island to map the bedrock beneath the surface. Unknown to them at the time, their charges awakened the Skullcrawlers living in thermal vents beneath the island and incurred Kong's wrath.

Kong swiftly destroyed the Sky Devils' helicopters, leaving the survivors split into two groups. One, including Brooks, encountered the Iwi and stranded WW2 pilot Hank Marlow, where they learned about Kong and his history with the Skullcrawlers. A second, including Randa, embarked on a mission of revenge driven by Colonel Preston Packard.

(Pictured above: Kong battling the remnants of the Sky Devil squadron after being lured into a napalm trap, circa. 1973)

After being lured into a napalm trap by Packard, Kong was initially helpless to battle the recently awakened Skull Devil, the last of the adult Skullcrawlers that had a hand in wiping out his family centuries prior. Recovering quickly, the two beasts engaged in a brutal encounter. Following some assistance from the expedition survivors, Kong triumphed by tearing out the Skull Devil's innards, avenging his parents in the process.

His next major sighting occured in 1993, but without a Monarch presence on Skull Island at the time, this is pending investigation. According to witnesses, Kong did battle with a large underwater Titan (designated 'Kraken'), after being coaxed to the island's coast by Annie, a young girl stranded on the island for years with a strange dog-like beast as a companion. After exchanging many blows, Kong ultimately killed the Titan by tearing its body in half.

In 1995, Aaron Brooks (Houston's son) led an unauthorized expedition to Skull Island, as he felt unsatisfied with leaving protection against the Skullcrawlers to Kong alone. During their stay, mythographer Walter Riccio experienced vivid visions of Kong's origins, under the influence of an Iwi medicinal drink. When Riccio destroyed the wall to the Iwi village, Kong stepped in to vanquish the Mother Longlegs swarm that seized their chance and killed Riccio before communing with Aaron and the Iwi.

(Pictured above: Artistic rendition of Kong tearing the "Kraken" Titan in two, based off eyewitness testimony, circa. 1993)

In the following decades, Kong was largely left to his own devices as the island's guardian. Though Monarch teams briefly assisted him in 2015 with a crisis involving the unknown organisation Janos Biotech and the island's Snarehunter population, and Kong himself kept a horde of Skullcrawlers that attempted to leave the island in response to Monster Zero's 'alpha call' in 2019, no major events really transpired between 1995 and 2021.

In 2021, as mentioned previously, Skull Island was plunged into chaos when one of Monster Zero's residual storms merged with the storm system surrounding Skull Island. When darkness fell, the bat Titan Camazotz emerged and battled Kong for dominion over the island. Thanks to a daring pilot triggering a sonic boom to disorient Camazotz, Kong was able to prevail, though he was ultimately unable to save his home.

Three years later, and the artificial habitat Monarch built for Kong was unable to hold him much longer. He was reluctantly taken to the sea and transported to Antarctica's Outpost 32 (now rebuilt as a Hollow Earth station), though not without attracting Godzilla, who destroyed the naval fleet transporting him and almost drowned the ape. Following the acquisition of an axe left in the Hollow Earth by his ancestors, Kong and Godzilla clashed again in Hong Kong. While Godzilla prevailed through sheer power, Kong refused to submit to his rule.

(Pictured above: Kong leaping onto Godzilla's back from a building after staging an ambush, circa. 2024)

After being revived by an exploding H.E.A.V, Kong jumped in to stop Mechagodzilla from executing his organic counterpart. Setting aside their differences, the two Titans teamed up to take down the mecha. A blast from Godzilla's atomic breath charged up Kong's axe, and he was able to deal the finishing blow by hacking Mechagodzilla to pieces and holding its severed head in triumph. The two Titans regarded each other one more time before parting ways.

Which brings us to the present. While much of what transpired is still being compiled to our databanks, it is known that Kong returned to the surface on three different occassions. The first was to have an infected tooth removed at a Monarch facility, the second was in Egypt to coerce Godzilla into assisting him, and the third was a two-on-two battle in Brazil between Kong and Godzilla, and Shimo and the "Skar King", evil ruler of the Kong tribe in Hollow Earth.

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And there you go! An up-to-date account of Kong's history in the modern world, intertwined with Monarch from the 1970's. Currently, Kong is enjoying life down in the Hollow Earth, and as the world should do, this is where we leave Kong's story be, until the world needs him again.

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

#monarch #monarch after dark #monsterverse #king kong #godzilla #kong skull island #skull island #godzilla vs kong #godzilla x kong the new empire #skullcrawlers #kong

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