AH Cultural Descriptions

[Lord Of Tacos]

Yankee Doodle

Mila Miroslava Yatchenko (1946-2001) later Known as Maria Hopkins; was a Soviet Sleeper agent that was undercover in Canada, where she was a striper known as Yankee doodle because that song was her opening number every night. She eventually met and married a Episcopalian priest and defected in 1978 to the Canadian intelligence agency. After the Fall of the Soviet Union she wrote her memoirs "The Dancing Spy: the story of Yankee doodle", book that became later a Warner Bros. entertainment movie.

The Servant of the Nation

 

[Halocon]

Mila Miroslava Yatchenko (1946-2001) later Known as Maria Hopkins; was a Soviet Sleeper agent that was undercover in Canada, where she was a striper known as Yankee doodle because that song was her opening number every night. She eventually met and married a Episcopalian priest and defected in 1978 to the Canadian intelligence agency. After the Fall of the Soviet Union she wrote her memoirs "The Dancing Spy: the story of Yankee doodle", book that became later a Warner Bros. entertainment movie.

The Servant of the Nation

A long pro-serfdom tract written by John Burgoyne in 1756, claiming that serfs were in fact happier in bondage as part of a conspiracy to shield the reform-minded King James from the corruption and suffering in his realm. Thankfully for Britons everywhere, the king wised up to the conspirators' deceptions and ordered all of them beheaded in 1761, after which he issued a proclamation which abolished serfdom.

From Benevento to Bengal, the Gothic Steppe to the Great Lakes: A Traveler's Guide to the Ottoman Union

 

[SavoyTruffle]

A guidebook to the Ottoman Union written by Ibrahim Pasha, who later become Grand Vizier in 1948. Its humorous tone and well-researched recommendations made it a must have for many a traveler.

The Feast Day of St. Zeno, Patron of Film Actors

 

[Ganesha]

The Feast Day of St. Zeno, Patron of Film Actors

A traditional festival celebrated in Thiene, Austria-Hungary, the birthplace of St. Zeno. Historically, Zeno's Feast was only celebrated by the townspeople of Thiene, a small town west of Venice in Austria-Hungary. However, beginning in 1973, when the actress Ophelia St. James held a party for her friends during the feast, Zeno's Feast became an international party, with many arrivals from Hollywood and the European film scene. Locals objected, and the 1984 Feast was marked by a riot between actors and attaches vs. townspeople. Six were injured. Authorities did not allow the feast to proceed in 1985 and '86, leading to more riots. In 1987, the modern Feasts were established - the locals celebrate in town, while the international festival takes place six miles west, in Absia.

Commencement

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[Sol717]

Commencement

Commencement was a video game produced by al-Qaeda in 2003 as propaganda, after Osama bin Laden decided to 'make America part of the Dar al-Islam'. The game puts you in the role of Mohammed Atta, and is basically a flight simulator where you have to pilot American Airlines Flight 11 into the WTC. At the end of the game, you gain points based on how many casualties you scored. However, when the game was set to be released for underground distribution, it was withdrawn because the scoring system apparently 'engendered selfishness and pride'. However, bin Laden objected to the decision, saying "With this kind of attitude, we'll never get anywhere", which started a round of factional violence in al-Qaeda which ended with the death of bin Laden. When the American government ordered an investigation into what killed bin Laden, the answer they found surprised them and, once it was revealed, made al-Qaeda a laughingstock, making its rank-and-file defect to other Islamic terrorist groups.

The Golden Stairs of Dubrovnik

 

[SavoyTruffle]

A set of stairs that were painted with iron pyrite in 1861 in the city of Dubrovnik, then part of the Austrian Empire. They became a tourist attraction, and after Dubrovnik declared independence as the Free City of Dubrovnik they continued to be a popular attraction.

Weapon Square: Better than the Weapon Triangle

 

[Lord Of Tacos]

Weapon Square: Better than the Weapon Triangle

A Texan anonymous booklet published in 1978 in the middle of the Mexican Gunboat Crisis (the Government of Jose Luis Lopez Portillo was hosting 2 Soviet carriers that officially were "Docked for emergency reparations") In this book the author explained several defense tactics and firearms management in case of World war III. The book had its silly title due an old Persian Proverb.

Life and Love of Minori and Ryuji

 

[ramones1986]

Life and Love of Minori and Ryuji

A classic 39-episode 1979 Japanese drama series broadcasted by the public broadcaster NHK. The twice-weekly series was shown at 8:00 PM (20:00) right after the flagship NHK news bulletin, it told the story of Minori Yamagata and Ryuji Kyoken which spand from the mid-1930s to the mid-1970s, amidst such events such as the rise of Japanese militarism and the outbreak of World War II, the reconstruction of the country the then-changing norms in the late 1960s. The series also tackled issues such as Ryoken's "out of wedlock" children while serving in Singapore during the World War II and the fact that Minori was half-buraku in a very convincing and realistic way, winning the hears of the critics and viewers alike. The consistent high ratings it received during its duration convinced NHK to overhaul the programming of its two national television channels, described in the English-language Japan Times as "unprecedented", resulting that NHK TV1 (formerly NHK General) became the flagship channel of the Japanese public broadcaster, adopting a middlebrow programming.


The Little Nyonya

 

[SavoyTruffle]

The affectionate nickname of Empress Antonia of Florida, given by her uncle Pablo. Antonia oversaw the Empire's consolidation of its territories of mainland Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Hispaniola after a successful defense against the expansionist USA.

Three Pieces of Six, or, A Price for Victory Unpaid

 

[Sol717]

Three Pieces of Six, or, A Price for Victory Unpaid

A book by Catholic theologian Werner Görtzer in 2014 about how Satan is rewards his followers with nothing but false promises while God backs up his word with action. The book was soon forgotten as it broke almost no new ground, but it came under fire, as the ultraconservative pope Leo XIV burnt it the next year for being "too Protestant", and included it in his revived Index Librorum Prohibitorum. After Görtzer complained, he was excommunicated, which led to the deposition of Leo XIV as it was the last of a string of actions where he abused the papal office to strike out against his personal enemies (Görtzer opposed his election).

My Hand Is Made of Ice, But My Foot Is Made of Fire

 

[Bjornhattan]

A book by Catholic theologian Werner Görtzer in 2014 about how Satan is rewards his followers with nothing but false promises while God backs up his word with action. The book was soon forgotten as it broke almost no new ground, but it came under fire , as the ultraconservative pope Leo XIV burnt it the next year for being "too Protestant", and included it in his revived Index Librorum Prohibitorum. After Görtzer complained, he was excommunicated, which lead to the deposition of Leo XIV as it was the last of a string of actions where he abused the papal office to strike out against his personal enemies (Görtzer opposed his election).

My Hand Is Made of Ice, But My Foot Is Made of Fire

A television series depicting the rise of the left-wing faction of the Labour Party in the early 1980s, culminating in Michael Foot's shock victory in the troubled times of the 1983 election.

A Wanderer From Wyoming

 

[Sol717]

A Wanderer From Wyoming

"A Wanderer from Wyoming" is an autobiography written by Mark Lausanne, who fled Wyoming and found refuge in various locations in the world after Yellowstone erupted. What made this book unique is that he was the only person from somewhere so close to make it out; his journey through the former US is chilling and horrifying; he has several lucky breaks and narrow escapes. While the book was successful, Lausanne died destitute as he had only been paid a flat fee for the book.

Inner Square, Outer Circle

 

[Halocon]

"A Wanderer from Wyoming" is an autobiography written by Mark Lausanne, who fled Wyoming and found refuge in various locations in the world after Yellowstone erupted. What made this book unique is that he was the only person from somewhere so close to make it out; his journey through the former US is chilling and horrifying; he has several lucky breaks and narrow escapes. While the book was successful, Lausanne died destitute as he had only been paid a flat fee for the book.

Inner Square, Outer Circle

The first volume of the memoirs of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, detailing his Red Army service under Stalin; the square refers to Red Square and the "outer circle" alluded to his status in the dictator's eyes. The second volume, "Days of Broken Steel," detail the coup against Stalin (due to his purges of the military) that resulted in the Marshal becoming the de facto leader of the USSR in World War II.

This Sky is Mine

 

[The Professor]

This Sky is Mine

One of the Isles Sequence by Cornwallis McBernard, a historical fiction set on Skye and surrounding islands.
Spawned a few tv adaptations lambasted by the author and critics alike.

A truth universally acknowledged

 

[samcster94]

One of the Isles Sequence by Cornwallis McBernard, a historical fiction set on Skye and surrounding islands.
Spawned a few tv adaptations lambasted by the author and critics alike.

A truth universally acknowledged

It is a novel about a fictional New Zealand singer(think Dolly Parton) who came out as bisexual late in her life.

 

[ennobee]

It is a novel about a fictional New Zealand singer(think Dolly Parton) who came out as bisexual late in her life.

Thanks , #samcster94 . Per the rules, you may now give a new subject for the next entry

 

[samcster94]

Thanks , #samcster94 . Per the rules, you may now give a new subject for the next entry

The Great Bear's fall.

 

[cmakk1012]

The Great Bear's fall.

A 1916 British political cartoon depicting a cartoonishly clumsy bear tripping over a rock and spilling the food it holds. The bear represents Britain's bitter rival Russia; their costly failure at the Siege of Königsberg (represented by the rock) led to British-supported rebels in Russian Persia and Finland successfully declaring independence (represented by the food).

At the Gates

 

[Miss Teri]

A 1916 British political cartoon depicting a cartoonishly clumsy bear tripping over a rock and spilling the food it holds. The bear represents Britain's bitter rival Russia; their costly failure at the Siege of Königsberg (represented by the rock) led to British-supported rebels in Russian Persia and Finland successfully declaring independence (represented by the food).

At the Gates

An alternate history epic in the vein of Tirant lo Blanch written circa 1261, describing how Fredrick II and his knights were able to valiently defend Austria from the Mongol threat, and push them back into their territory. It was presumably written in England after the fall of Holy Roman Empire to the Mongols in 1246, possibly by an exiled Austrian.

A Catayan Tale

 

[Lord Of Tacos]

A Catayan Tale

An almost unknown 1971 South Korean Dorama based in the tale of Xia Lun Yen and the very first Chinese dynasty. It lasted 21 episodes before its cancellation. Ironically it became a cult classic in Japan and among the Chinese communities in exile.

Love in the Bushes.