These Fair Shores: The Commonwealth of New England

Juan José Elvira Amengual
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You might not want to answer this question because spoilers but with this hacienda/estancias system I wonder if there was ever a period of land reform in California history
 
Some good updates in looking at how the background of the world has come about with the independence of California especially showing how things have changed through all this. One question, how has Ethiopia done so well? Seems to be ranking quite highly among the GDP lists and so on, did it just get a bit luckier than OTL and managed to stabilise itself more?
 
This is a Sitcom that me and artificialCartographer worked on together:
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Credit To: Danny Lyon | NARA

Roscoe and Son is a New English sitcom that aired on BBC New England from June 18, 1974 to October 15, 1980 and ran for 6 series comprising 45 episodes. It was created by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin and was based on the BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The show is about Brooklyn junk and antique dealer George Roscoe and his son Charles Roscoe and their attempts to rise up the social ladder with their get rich quick schemes. These plans usually backfire and it is often Charles who suffers the consequences of George’s actions.

Characters:

George Roscoe (Redd Foxx) is a cantankerous man who is extremely lazy and leaves much of the work at the junkyard to his son. He is very prejudiced against minorities and other individuals who he thinks are just trying to start trouble. He absolutely hates Marie, who he refers to as unattractive. He is also very greedy and tries to make money through his harebrained get rich quick schemes.

Charles Roscoe (Demond Wilson) is George’s long-suffering son and business partner in the junk business. He is often the one who is forced to endure his father’s antics. He may on occasion be the greedier of the two. He often feels that his father is holding him back and trying to keep him from rising higher up in his social class.

Recurring Characters:
Marie Smith (LaWanda Page) is George’s sister in-law and Charles’ aunt. She is a devout Methodist and has no sense of humor. She always holds a Bible in her hand and gets into fights with George. She became a sort of surrogate mother to Charles after his mother died unexpectedly.

Arnold Wilson (Whitman Mayo) is one of George’s friends. He is very simple-minded but does have a good heart.

Robert Bexley (Don Bexley) is another one of George’s friends. He is known for being very friendly and for putting up with George’s get rich quick scheme and antics.

Martha Carter (Lynn Hamilton) is George’s girlfriend who later becomes his fiancee. She is considered to be much more proper and prim when compared to George’s cantankerous personality. Charles, being very overprotective of his father, does not trust Martha and refers to her as the “Gold Digger”.

Robert Terrell (Nathaniel Taylor) is Charles’ best friend who is very street smart. George shows massive disdain towards Robert and refers to him as a “delinquent” due to the fact that he was in jail during his youth.

Series 1

Series 1, Episode 1 “Astrid's Cohort.”
Air Date: June 18, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: The grandchildren of an elderly Irish woman sell a collection of porcelain dolls to George and Charles. The pair create an attraction out of the dolls, claiming they're haunted.

Series 1, Episode 2 “The Party”
Air Date: June 25, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear, Odie Hawkins, and Aaron Ruben
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: Realizing they are behind on their utilities, George and Charles decide to hold a party and charge admission for people to get in.

Series 1, Episode 3 “Where the Income Goes”.
Air Date: July 2, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: George and Charles are excited to be selling a high priced item, but are bummed out when they find out how much they have to pay in taxes.

Series 1, Episode 4 “The Prized Painting”
Air Date: July 9, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: An art collector visits George and Charles on the pretense of their possession of an authentic 18th-century painting. However, Charles' plan to get the painting verified backfires when it turns out it's not exactly what they were looking for.

Series 1, Episode 5. “Charles Goes Nigerian”
Air Date: July 16, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear and Ilunga Adell
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: In order to impress a girl he likes Charles decides to adopt her ways and culture to disastrous results.

Series 1, Episode 6. “The Tool Sale”
Air Date: July 23, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George tries to make a big profit from a local company by selling them old tools.

Series 1, Episode 7 “Right Place and Right Time”
Air Date: July 30, 1974
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: At a community dinner, George tries to bribe his local assemblyman, sparking controversy.

Series 2

Series 2, Episode 1 “Vacation Ahoy ”
Air Date: October 1, 1975
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: James Sheldon
Synopsis: George and Charles make a good sale and decide to go on vacation, but those plans go awry when their plumbing breaks.

Series 2, Episode 2 “George's Girlfriend”
Air Date: October 8, 1975
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: Charles tries to conceive a way to break up his father and his girlfriend Martha.

Series 2, Episode 3 “Explicit Content”
Air Date: October 15, 1975
Written By: Norman Lear and Ilunga Adell
Directed By: Peter Baldwin
Synopsis: Charles and his friend Robert decide to try out for a movie hoping that they’ll become actors. Unknown to them the movie is actually a porno.

Series 2, Episode 4 “Eye of the Beholder”
Air Date: October 22, 1975
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: George and Charles find an antique gold watch and in order to sell it they try to restore it to working order.

Series 2, Episode 5 “The Ad Campaign”
Air Date: October 29, 1975
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Peter Baldwin
Synopsis: Charles starts an ad campaign to promote the junkyard in order to sell certain items and antiques.

Series 2, Episode 6 “The Antique Book”.
Air Date: November 5, 1976
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: Charles tries to sell an antique first edition copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in order to make a profit, But George grows attached to it and refuses to part ways with it.

Series 2, Episode 7 “Plumbing Issues”
Air Date: November 12, 1976
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: The Roscoes are having issues with their plumbing but Charles is reluctant to spend money on a plumber and tries to fix the problem himself with hilarious results.

Series 2, Episode 8 “Christmas Vacation”
Air Date: December 18, 1976
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: Charles plans to spend Christmas in the Bahamas but only finds out that he doesn’t have his passport updated.

Series 3
Series 3, Episode 1 “My Legacy”
Air Date: June 11, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear and Calvin Kelly
Directed By: Bill Foster
Synopsis: After visiting an art museum and how artists were able to create a legacy, George becomes inspired to create his own piece of artwork in order to make his own legacy.

Series 3, Episode 2 “Charles goes on Strike”
Air Date: June 18, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bill Foster
Synopsis: Charles decides to protest George’s business after he makes him do an unsafe task without any protective equipment.

Series 3, Episode 3 “Checkmate”
Air Date: June 25, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George decides to fake being a chess grandmaster in order to win a large cash prize and trophy but in the end loses to an actual grandmaster.

Series 3, Episode 4 “George’s Garden”
Air Date: July 2, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear and Ilunga Adell
Directed By: Herbert Kenwith
Synopsis: When George’s friend Arnold harvests “wild seasonings” from George’s vegetable garden, it becomes clear that there's a connection to the neighbourhood being in “high spirits”.

Series 3, Episode 5 “Mister Roscoe goes to Southampton”
Air Date: July 9, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear and Ted Bergman
Directed By: Norman Abbott
Synopsis: Charles becomes inspired to run for the Legislative Assembly of Long Island after he makes a call into a local political talk radio program.

Series 3, Episode 6 “Confronting the Minister”
Air Date: July 16, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: George, incensed about certain cuts in the provincial budget, decides to confront the provincial cabinet minister who is in charge of the cuts.

Series 3, Episode 7 “Roscoe v. Brooklyn”
Air Date: July 23, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: After seeing a city ordinance that unfairly penalizes his business George sues Brooklyn in order to get the ordinance overturned.

Series 3, Episode 8 “ Sabotage”
Air Date: July 30, 1977
Written By: Norman Lear, James R. Stein and Robert Illes
Directed By: Jack Shea
Synopsis: Charles plots to sabotage his father’s relationship with Martha by introducing her to his Aunt Marie.

Series 4

Series 4, Episode 1 “My Fair Marie”
Air Date: November 5, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear and Jerry Ross
Directed By: James Sheldon
Synopsis: George decides to take it upon himself to turn Marie into a beautiful woman so that she may win the local beauty contest.

Series 4, Episode 2 “Charles Learns Karate”
Air Date: November 12, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear and Ilunga Adell
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: Charles decides to take Karate lessons in order to learn how to defend himself against people pushing him around.

Series 4, Episode 3 “George Roscoe Aids a Woman”
Air Date: November 19, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear and Jay Burton
Directed By: James Sheldon
Synopsis: A Homeless Woman is aided by George and Charles until she gets back on her feet.

Series 4, Episode 4 “George Writes a Book”.
Air Date: November 26, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George attempts to write a book about the history of his junk and antique business only to end in disastrous results

Series 4, Episode 5 “The Colours of Success”.
Air Date: December 3, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear and Jay Burton
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George purchases an antique anthology on business practices. After reading through them, he attempts to replicate some of the tactics inside, to mixed results.

Series 4, Episode 6 “The Blizzard”
Air Date: December 10, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George and Charles get trapped in their house on account of an unexpected blizzard coming into Brooklyn.

Series 4, Episode 7 “Bank Loans.”
Air Date: December 17, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear, Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George and Charles go to the bank and attempt to get a bank loan that will help them purchase a neighboring house that will help them create a boarding house.

Series 4, Episode 8 “Christmas Cheer”
Air Date: December 24, 1978
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: Christmas is coming but George isn’t feeling the holiday cheer.

Series 5

Series 5, Episode 1 “George Roscoe, Public Defender”
Air Date: July 14, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear, Paul Mooney, and Gene Farmer
Directed By: Bob LaHendro
Synopsis: After Charles gets a traffic ticket, George encourages his son to fight the traffic ticket in court.

Series 5, Episode 2 “The Roscoe Arms”
Air Date: July 21, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear and Ted Bergman
Directed By: Mark Warren
Synopsis: George and Charles struggle to find tenants for the boarding house with the bank ready to foreclose on them.

Series 5, Episode 3 “Always a Thief”
Air Date: July 28, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear and Winston Moss
Directed By: Herbert Kenwith
Synopsis: George gets aggravated when Charles allows an ex-convict friend to become a boarder at the Roscoe Arms.

Series 5, Episode 4 “Breaking Up, Roscoe Style”
Air Date: August 4, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear and Ted Bergman
Directed By: Alan Rafkin
Synopsis: After a massive argument with her husband, Marie moves in with George and Charles. George, not wanting Marie to stay at his house, schemes to get Marie and her husband back together.

Series 5, Episode 5 “Charles in Love”
Air Date: August 11, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear and Ted Bergman
Directed By: Alan Rafkin
Synopsis: When Charles falls in love with a woman, George and Marie must play amateur detectives in order to figure out who she is.

Series 5, Episode 6 “The Lost Dog”
Air Date: August 18, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George and Charles find a stray dog while walking in the park and decide to bring it home with them, only to realize that it is a missing dog belonging to a prominent citizen.

Series 5, Episode 7 “The Imperial Games”.
Air Date: August 25, 1980
Written By: Norman Lear, Madelyn Davis, and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Directed By: Mark Warren
Synopsis: George is jealous of Martha’s new boyfriend and decides to face him in a senior version of the Imperial Games.

Series 6

Series 6, Episode 1 “George Pops the Question”
Air Date: June 15, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George decides to take a risk and asks his longtime girlfriend Martha to marry him.

Series 6, Episode 2 “ Getting their High School Diplomas”
Air Date: June 22, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear and Rick Mittleman
Directed By: Carl McCarthy
Synopsis: George and Charles both decide to get their high school equivalency degrees.

Series 6, Episode 3 “Wedding Plans”
Air Date: June 29, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George and Martha get into an argument regarding the wedding and Charles is in the middle of it.

Series 6, Episode 4 “Trip to Acadia”
Air Date: July 6, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear and Garry Shandling
Directed By: Alan Rafkin
Synopsis: George and Charles decide to go on vacation to Acadia for one final father and son vacation, where George’s attitude gets them into trouble.

Series 6, Episode 5 “The Problem with Vermin”
Air Date: July 13, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: When a tenant complains about rats in her room George and Charles must hire a rat exterminator to fix the problem.

Series 6, Episode 6 “Amnesia”
Air Date: July 20, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear, Saul Turteltaub, and Bernie Orenstein
Directed By: Russ Petranto
Synopsis: George starts to suffer from Amnesia after being hit by Marie and her Bible numerous times.

Series 6, Episode 7 “The Wedding”
Air Date: July 27, 1981
Written By: Norman Lear
Directed By: Bud Yorkin
Synopsis: George and Martha finally tie the knot but not without people raising their objections on why they should not be married.
 
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Well, the British don't exactly come off as competent, and the Beninese have an ardent defender in France. Not only this, but their main focus was on France during the Great Continental War.
Yes, but killing diplomats is universally condemned by everyone. Why wouldn't they just arrest or expel them? It accomplishes exactly the same thing without alienating other countries.
 
Yes, but killing diplomats is universally condemned by everyone. Why wouldn't they just arrest or expel them? It accomplishes exactly the same thing without alienating other countries.
Let's think of it this way. Benin is a close French ally in the area while France is a clear enemy of the British. Meanwhile, the entirety of Europe is participating in a massive total war in which boundaries are regularly being drawn and redrawn. Most countries aren't really thinking of the nuances of killing diplomats, especially if they can dismiss Benin's actions as being "Oh, the British will just teach them a lesson for us!" By the time that news of the outcome of the war came out, it was likely that everyone was too busy killing each other to care.
 
How on Earth did they get away with murdering diplomats?

France encouraged the move, and Britain had attempted to, you know, exact revenge and annex the country - they simply failed to win. Benin wasn't exactly a world power, so it's not like, Russia could broadly condemn it. France was in the midst of a massive global struggle against the British Empire and its allies, anything to get an upper hand is a-okay.
 
Interesting news out of France, but reading the sidebar it looks like the International involvement in the US isn't going well at all. Thanks for the update and happy new year!
 
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