In a huge victory for Obama, Supreme Court Allows Healthcare Law to Stand

In a huge political victory for President Obama, the Supreme Court allowed most provisions of the Healthcare Law to Stand. The federal government was limited in how much it could force the states to expand medicaid. As John H. Cushman, Jr. of the New York Times reports:

"In a complex decision, the court found that Congress’ powers to regulate commerce did not justify the mandate. But it reasoned that the penalty, to be collected by the Internal Revenue Service starting in 2015, is a tax and is not unconstitutional.

Chief Justice Roberts, in the majority, said that the mandate was unconstitutional under the Constitution’s commerce clause. But that did not matter if the penalty that enforces it was constitutional on other grounds.

Those who elect not to buy the private insurance will pay a fine, to be collected by the IRS. This will presumably go fund medicaid and medicare. Its been a surprise that Chief Justice Roberts split with the conservatives and joined the 4 liberal justices in this ruling, for reasons described above. This ends the US status as the only major industrialized nation with a large number of uninsured people.

Model Trisha Paytas Conquers Youtube

Trisha Paytas is a new generation of internet celebrity. The internet has allowed content to be placed without being screened by gatekeepers. So the public sees more of what entertainers are like.

Ms. Paytas has made emotional videos about her past career as a stripper, and now that negatively effected her emotionally and physically. She talks about her struggles in life, her poor decisions, and other issues in ways that make her more more real than the manufactured image of many celebrities. Her conquest of her problems give her a platform to advise and help others, which she does in her Ask Trisha series.

The current generation of youtube stars, like Trisha, Chris Crocker, Jayinreality, among others, often use common sense in their commentary videos. Typically issues are discussed and dealt with a simple, straight forward way. Its quite refreshing in an era which has television experts that seek to drown us in the latest important sounding techno babble.

Sherry Vine is another interesting Youtube star. Ms. Vine is a drag performer. Drag performers were historically limited to performing in gay bars in the biggest cities. Yet the internet has allowed Ms. Vine to reach mass audiences. She has nearly 10 million views. The internet has allowed a form of entertainment, drag, that was once very marginalized and rejected by the mainstream media, to reach large numbers of people who don't frequent gay bars or live in large cities.

Many of these stars are getting offers due to the large fan bases. Chris Crocker already has an HBO series, sells music via ITunes, and has other projects. Trisha has gotten offers due to her fan base as well. Crocker and Paytas, pre internet, may very well have been dismissed by the prejudices of the "gatekeepers." But they came of a generation where all you had to do is put your work out there, and let the public judge. And the public judged them favorably. It will be interesting to see how internet stars affect the entertainment industry in the future.

Music Review: What Money Wants, Money Gets

What Money Wants, Money Gets is a fun dance beat sung by Holly T. The basic theme is the song is self explanatory, What Money Wants, Money Gets. This song is a modern version of the songs Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (Marilyn Monroe) and Diamonds are Forever (Shirley Bassey). Its also much more suited to the club scene, or to a summer vacation or hot spot that the previous materialism songs. Its got a faster beat, and the music just inspires you to dance or have fun. This is music one should definitely check out, keep looking at Holly T's page for updates on her shows and her music video releases.

Patrik Ian Polk's New Movie the Skinny

The Skinny The Skinny is the latest film by Patrik Ian Polk, the creator of Noah’s arc. Mr. Polk continues his stories about love and life of gay black men. The interesting thing about Mr. Polk’s work is that black gay characters were almost entirely unseen in media portrayals of gay men. The typical media portrayal of gay men is typically that of a white male, and gays of other groups are usually severely underrepresented.

So Polk, a man who worked on a number of other productions, came into his own by writing about gay black men (Polk is one himself). The importance of this is that Polk’s breaking ground helps open the doors for other types of people who aren’t white or straight in Hollywood. There had historically been few opportunities in Hollywood for people who weren’t the right sexuality, especially if they weren’t the right color. Polk’s projects help address this indirectly by giving gay men of color a foot in the door, as once you get recognized for work it becomes easier to get additional work.

The Skinny is coming out as an independent movie to select theatres around the country. Go to its website at http://www.skinnythemovie.com/home/# and contact the team at info@skinnythemovie.com for info on how to bring the skinny to your town, if it isn’t already available there.

Music Video Review: Nigga Ain't No Good

Nigga Ain't No Good is a Music Video. It's Mark Morrison first single in 6 years. Morrison sings about a woman in an abusive relationship. The actors in the video superbly portray a couple in conflict, with a dominating, controlling man. Her friends urge her, as does Morrison through his lyrics, to leave for good. When she's with her female friends, again, they strongly urge her to leave him for good. This scene is packed with a lot of emotion.

Its was surprisingly good to hear a singer touch on something like domestic violence, in such a straight forward manner. Partially because though there are artists who thrive off controversy, there are also artists who play it safe by not being confrontational or speaking out on what's right. Nice to see Morrison speak out, or rather sing out on what's right and for him to do such a good job.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Parts of Anti Immigration Law

According to the New York Times, Supreme Court found much of Arizona's anti illegal immigrant law unconstitutional. Provisions that would have required people to carry their papers at all time have been struck down. Most parts of the law that conflicted with the federal government were struck down. The only part allowed to stand is that Arizona police are allowed to check the immigration status of those that they detain. They are not allowed to racially profile people, or just assume illegal status by the way someone looks or sounds. Several other states, including Alabama, Georgia, and Utah have anti immigration laws that are also being challenged by the courts.

More Hotels Coming to Fire Island Pines

Late last year, the downtown area of the pines tragically burned down. Of course, with the Pines being such a popular resort area, plans on rebuilding were immediately discussed. These plans have materialized in a form that includes many more hotels rooms, restaurant space, as well as revamped club space, according to Marketdate. As Marketdate reports:

"An anonymous source slipped markatlarge renderings of what the future of the harbor area might look like and it’s quite impressive. Everything from a restaurant hanging over the boardwalk to increased hotel space with some rooms levitating over the pool. Is it for real? Will the investors pony up the money? Who knows? But take a look at what Fire Island’s future might be:"

As the downtown area is the first place you touch as you get off the ferry, its the perfect place for more hotel rooms. As for the restaurant, again, this is the perfect place. There should be no problem in attracting investment for these plans. The Pines will soon be back bigger and better than before.

Belvedere Guest House's Upcoming Fire Island Events

If one goes to Fire Island any time from March to Oct. one might wish to check out Belvedere Guest House, a bay front guest house. Belvedere is a very relaxing, Victorian like guest house complete with a pool, jacuzzi, gym, and wireless interest service for its guests. Weekends continental breakfast is served. Belvedere is a men only, clothing option guest house in the heart of one of fire island's gay communities, Cherry Grove. Its a short distance from the Ferry, and near a number of restaurants and bars. And of course anywhere on fire island is close to the beach. Its a very relaxing, quiet guest house on a very beautiful island. Its the perfect escape from the madness of NYC.

Belvedere has several upcoming events this summer. Once a month Daniel Nardicio, in conjunction with Absolute Vodka throws a poolside party at the Belvedere.

Sept. 9th, there's a nude Mr. Belvedere contest at Belvedere. Prizes have yet to be determined.

Review: Avengers Versus X-Men 6/Uncanny X-Men 14

Some major developments. Cyclops and the rest of the Phoenix 5 have created utopia on earth. Yet they have not shattered the spell Wanda cast on mutants and restored mutation to earth. So instead of the restoring the natural rate of evolution, they advance other things on earth to the end of evolution. Xavier senses this is wrong, as does the Scarlet Witch. The Avengers decide to capture Hope to learn more about the Phoenix, hoping they can destroy it. Only they get badly beaten by Cyclops and Emma Frost. The Scarlet Witch comes in and gets the Avengers. She isn't on their side, but she acts because she saw a vision of the Phoenix destroying them. So finally Wanda intercedes. Wanda's presence somehow affected Cyclops and Emma Frost. Cyclops, now power mad, decides to destroy the Avengers. Hope decides to go off with Wanda. Wanda takes her away, immediately empathizing with her. Neither Cap nor Cyclops look good in this series.

Hope also realizes that Cyclops and the rest of the Phoenix 5 are misusing the Phoenix. Cyclops ego has gotten the better off him he tells Hope she was just a child, and would have been unable to do anything with it. But she is still connected to it, and still feels its call.

In Uncanny X-Men 14, Sinister reveals he had a hand in the creation of Hope. He somehow saw the future. He knew the Avengers would get to Hope, and that the Phoenix would move into 5 inferior hosts. But he had a plan. As he always missed Madelyne, he created 6 new clones of Jean Grey. When Cyclops comes for him, he intends for the Jean clones to reclaim the Phoenix force.

Erik Rhodes's Death and the Sex Industry

Erik Rhodes, a porn star recently died of an overdose. His death has sparked controversy in the gay community. Various people attribute various contributing factors.

But the tragic thing about Erik Rhodes its all to common in a subset of the gay community. What basically happens is a bunch of young guys come out to the "scene" with nothing but their tools and their bodies. So they make a living off of being "hot". The problem is, not only is not a career you can do till retirement, very often being the hot thing to the gay community only lasts a few years, or so. Actually, in some cases not even two years. So then you're left with someone with no job skills, who has become emotionally damaged, and who may not see a future for themselves.

After all, they are just a "tool" right?

I'm not saying that no one should never do porn or erotic work. But depending on this for your future generally isn't such a good thing. Most people in the erotic industry don't consistently make good money (its fast easy, money), and it comes with a number of problems. Exposure to stds, emotional abuse, the damaging of one's resume and reputation (often preventing one from having a legitimate career in the future or at least damaging the prospects of it).

Basically, if you know someone considering being a stripper, porn star, etc and if they are talking about doing this for their future, talk them out of it. When a go go boy overdoses, no one knows or cares about it. When a hustler o.d.s, no one cares. Studies have been done on the higher rates of addiction in the lgbt community, particularly those who are often marginalized not only by the mainstream, but by the lgbt community itself. And there's no one more marginalized than a sex symbol getting older and becoming played out and work out.

Obama's Defacto Amnesty Move

President Obama has halted deportation of people who were brought to America underage as illegal immigrants by their parents. Said people will now be able to apply for visas. This is a bold move, done without consultation with Congress. Obama and the Democrats seem to hope this will bring out the Hispanic vote. And it might. But this could horribly backfire for Obama and the Democrats.

The country certainly needed immigration reform, but for the President to do it like this, in an election year and without input from Congress, is just plain wrong. For him to do something so bold like that seems to suggest he thinks there's a good chance he won't be in the White House in January.

Check Out My Celebrity Interviews on Yahoo

Check out my celebrity interviews on Yahoo. My interview of Adam Barta and my music review of Lovari are already published here.

I have upcoming interview of singer/actor Khalid Rivera, and Internet Celebrity Trisha Paytas, among others. Either bookmark my Yahoo Contributor Page, or Subscribe to it for more updates on my celebrity interviews.

Bloomberg Admits Wrongdoing With Stop and Frisk

While Michael Bloomberg defended Stop and Frisk as a necessary tool to reduce crime in NYC, he did say that police interactions with innocent people who have been stopped and frisked has not been good. As John Leland from the New York Times Reports:

"Speaking at the Christian Cultural Center in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, he reminded hundreds of parishioners that violent crime has dropped during his tenure in office, in part because of the practice. But he acknowledged that the police could handle the interactions with more courtesy.

“If you’ve done nothing wrong, you deserve noting but respect and courtesy from the police,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Police Commissioner Kelly and I both believe we can do a better job in this area — and he’s instituted a number of reforms to do that.”

Sunday there was a big Stop and Frisk March in Harlem. A number of people went out and marched, from labor unions, other community groups, and occupiers. Its pretty significant that Bloomberg has admitted in public that it is insulting when an innocent person is not only stopped and frisked, but given a hard time by the police. That causes friction between the police and the community, ultimately making policing harder, which is good for the criminals. So, it will be nice to see what changes occur because of this, and if the police when they do stop the wrong person, in the future if they apologize and handle the matter better. The issue is not a simple matter. Obviously no one likes being a victim of crime, and yes, better policing (among other things) has substantially reduced crime in NYC. At the same time, just because someone lives in a poor neighborhood doesn't make them a criminal and no one should be treated as a criminal because of economic status, race, or ethnicity.

Mandated Healthcare Takes Away Our Choices

Soon the Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Both the House Republicans and the Democrats are bracing for the fallout. A decision from the Supreme Court is expected within the next two weeks or so. The constitutional question, can the federal government force you to do business with a private company? There is no such precedent in US history. There would be people who bring up auto insurance, but Americans are not required to drive cars or have licenses, so if one really doesn't want to buy auto insurance, don't drive. I personally would speak out against forcing people to buy health insurance. I'm a freelance writer with enough bills as it is. I have $1100 in rent, student loans at $300, utilities, renters insurance (I live in a hurricane zone, so just in cas) among other expenses. I do not want to be forced to buy a private health insurance plan. If the amount of money I earn goes up dramatically, I may chose to buy a private insurance plan, but that choice should be mine. Personally, I'm hoping that the 5 conservative justices rule this bill unconstitutional. I'm not complaining about my current bills, I chose to rent the place I did, I chose to take out student loans, I chose to live near the sea (so that's why I got renters insurance) and I chose the other services I had. Therefore, it should be my choice to have or not have medical insurance, when I determine it. Not the President, not Congress, its entirely my choice.

Is the Euro Finished?

On July 17th, voters in Greece have a very important decision to make. They will decide whether or not to stay in the Eurozone. This has already depleted funds in Greek bank accounts.

"On Sunday, Greek voters will go to the polls to choose not just a new government but whether the country will stay in the Euro zone. The vote could have massive ramifications for the future of the European Union, the financial markets and, by extension, the U.S. economy. Fearing the worst, Greek citizens have been pulling money out of their banks and stocking up on food ahead of the vote, The WSJ reports."

The Euro is finished. Its loved by companies and by bankers, but not by the masses of Europeans, particularly those in Southern Europe or Ireland. As their economies crashed, the national government in these countries were powerless to use inflation to pump their economies. Traditionally they would have printed more money or lowered interest, but the Germans would not allow those tools to be used. Instead, in exchange for bailing out poor European nations, the Germans demanded austerity, which has lead to even more unemployment, less tax collection, and more bank instability in poor European nations. Spain, the eurozone's 4th largest economy, recently got a bail out, amidst fears that Italy maybe next. The Germans likely won't be willing to keep contributing to bail out money indefinitely, and the citizens of poor European nations have already lost their tolerance for giving in to German austerity demands. If Greece is not the first nation to break away from the Euro, it will be another nation. I doubt there will be a Euro, two years from now. In fact, there might not be one next year. Something like this has the potential to blow up so fast.

Coney Island Expansion Plan

Coney Island, after decades of neglect, is finally undergoing a resurgence. After Coney Island hit its all time low, when Thor Equities was going to shut down the amusements in favor of hotels, NYC stepped in.

Mayor Bloomberg then had the city purchase 6.9 acres in order to preserve the amusement area. An amusement company operator was brought in. For the first time in 80 years, Coney Island opened new roller coasters and other rides. The New York Aquarium, near Coney Island, is also expanding. But the city has even grander plans for the neighborhood. As stated by the Coney Island Development Corp, a number of new things are in the works. The amusement area will ultimately be expanded to 27 acres. The area has been rezoned for hotels and other year around entertainments such as movie theaters. 5,000 units of new housing is planned, of which 1,000 will be affordable housing. The area will get an indoor pool and other amenities in the form of a YMCA.

Coney Island still has beautiful beaches and excellent public transportation access. Check it out and be a part of its rebirth!

The Nation Needs Less Policeman

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney caused an outrage with his comment saying that the nation needs less firemen, teachers, and police officers. He later qualified this by saying that certain municipalities needed less civil servants, as populations have decreased in certain areas. I agree with him here. If a municipality goes from say 50,000 to 15,000, obviously they've no choice but to lay off municipal workers as they don't even have the same tax base they used to. Overall, the government needs to go over the resources it allocates, and this includes the personnel the hire and the policies they have. Take marijuana use. A number of people are arrested because of marijuana use. If someone's sole crime is possession of marijuana use, then they should not be imprisoned. A criminal record reduces or eliminates chances of gainful employment, meaning that said person will be on state support. The time they spend in prison is time spent on state support, where the government has to feed them, cloth them, pay for their medical expenses, etc. If people are not interested in paying more taxes, then one major way of reducing government spending is to reform drug laws. This is already underway in some states, including New York. This is not to say addiction shouldn't be dealt with and drug use shouldn't be discouraged, but that there's no reason to use the prison system to do this. There are big public education campaigns on the danger of nicotine and too much alcohol. They work somewhat, most people don't smoke cigarettes, and while many people drink, its not cool to be an alcoholic. So education and social pressure work. I've no comment on teachers and firemen overall beyond areas with declining populations, as I've not gone over the numbers. But definitely, we need less cops and less prisons.

Queens, NY's Long Island City Transforms from Industrial Wasteland to Vibrant Urban Area

Long Island City had an industrial past. It was right on the East River, and was a manufacturing area. By the 1970s, factories began closing and leaving NYC. Long Island City was the epitome of urban blight, full of empty buildings, except for the housing projects. Which was ironic and a shame, as the neighborhood was close to Manhattan and had excellent subway service, in the form of the E, F, M, R, G, N, and 7 subway lines, as well as the LIRR. However, gentrification attempts first start for LIC in the 1980s, with the appearance of the Citigroup building. It remained the lone new symbol of the LIC waterfront for awhile. During this time, LIC became a basis for much of New York's independent film scene. Troma Films is there, and Kaufman Astoria Studies and Steinway Studios are in the area. But in the past 6 years years or so, rapid change has hit LIC, even after the economic collapse. Last year, the city decided to change the name Queens Plaza. With two subway stations named Queens Plaza and Queensboro Plaza, you'd think there's be a worthwhile looking Plaza. There wasn't until recently. As Inhabit.com reports:

"First impressions are important, and unfortunately for Queens, the one it makes upon visitors entering the borough via the 59th St. Bridge is, well, pretty ugly. The tangled mass of overhead subway lines, rusted metal beams and collection of topless bars have long characterized Queens Plaza, but not for long. WRT Design is working on recreating the site to be a refreshing oasis amidst the asphalt and concrete. When completed, the plaza will have two new urban parks, wind and solar power collection and other environmental systems. No word yet on whether the topless bars will stick around or not - nevertheless, we can't wait to see the changes come to fruition!"

As of 2012, the green park spaces are opened in Queens Plaza. With the new buildings in the area, LIC no longer has such a blighted look. A number of new office buildings have been built on LIC. They are occupied by companies such as MetLife and Jet Blue. FreshDirect, a New York City online grocery store delivery company, operates out of LIC. CUNY's Law School is in LIC. Citigroup has expanded its presence in Long Island City with another building, 2 Court Square. Several other major companies and the NYC health department have major offices in Long Island City. New residential spaces are coming up in LIC. A number of developments are on the market and are selling or renting. LIC, is now the business center of Queens, and rapidly becoming an extension of Midtown. Its the perfect space for companies needing more office space, yet wanting to these offices close to their Manhattan offices. Its also a short commute to those who work in Midtown Manhattan. After all these years, LIC finally sheds its industrial past and becomes a vibrant, urban area.

Rapid Gentrification Hitting Bed Stuy and Changing the Neighborhoods Racial Demographics

Rapid Gentrification has hit Bedford Stuyvesant. A number of whites have moved in and the character of the neighborhood as changed. The housing stock, mostly run down 10 years ago, has seen considerable investment. The area has gotten more bank branches, and more grocery store expansions. New restaurants and cafes have opened up. As Sam Roberts of the New York Times reports:

"Overshadowed by Harlem’s racial metamorphosis since 2000, an even more striking evolution has occurred in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Over all, the neighborhood is now barely 60 percent black — down from 75 percent a decade ago. But in the older Bedford section west of Throop Avenue, according to the 2010 census, blacks have recently become a minority of the population for the first time in 50 years."

What all of a sudden made Bed Stuy so popular? Basically, if you want to move into already gentrified neighborhoods, such as Chelsea, East Village, or Williamsburg, you need to be making a fantastic amount of money. The way urban areas work is like this. If you aren't very wealthy, you'll ideally like to move into a poor neighborhood before it becomes the next big thing. The nations's major city have high demand for housing, as people gravitate towards the inner city to be closer to work and other opportunities. So those who moved into places like Chelsea and the Village in the 80s, or Williamsburg in the 1990s, when a number of people would have accused them of being crazy, have totally made out well. Once neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Greenpoint became expensive, Bedstuy, with its comparatively large apartments, looked more attractive. The neighborhood is served by the subway and the Long Island RailRoad, with the G train, the A and C trains, and the J, M, and Z trains. Its a short commute from Manhattan. It had a lot of empty space in which to place new restaurants and cafes, as well as new businesses such as Home Depot, which opened up a few years ago. The change this has created is striking. As Sam Roberts of the New York Times reports:

"The spillover from more expensive neighborhoods, like Williamsburg, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, has produced a striking metamorphosis in relatively short order.

On Greene Avenue, down the block from Mr. Dunlea and Ms. Enck, a four-family town house is listed at $1.5 million. An area that epitomized racial tension around a pizza parlor in Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do the Right Thing” is now home to several Zagat-rated restaurants and to Nice (as in France) Pizza, which features a “La Baltique” pie topped with smoked salmon and heavy cream ($20 for the 16-inch version)."

So the neighborhood is now quite trendy. Rachel Singer talks of what endures her and others to the neighborhood:

"The whites are coming back to Bed-Stuy because the City has become prohibitively expensive to live in–and, these days, chances are our giants are in Brooklyn, anyway. The whites are coming back because, as long as we live here, in Brooklyn, we can distance ourselves from the suburban upbringings we spent eighteen years waiting to shake off. The whites are coming back because the towers and Yellow Cabs of Manhattan no longer speak to us in a language we understood, the way New York City once spoke to a generation of Americans with promises of success, dignity, and middle-class dreams. The whites are coming back because we want, very simply, a roof over our heads and a place to meet friends for coffee or a beer, where we can be ourselves, or discover ourselves, as close to our giants as we can get."

In short, Bedstuy has changed from Do or Die Bedstuy to a place where you come to when you want to live in NYC and establish your career.

Lindsay Lohan Crashes Into 18 Wheeler Truck

Lindsay Lohan, who has had repeated issues with DUI and with substance abuse in general, recently crashed her car into the back of an 18 Wheeler. As OMG Yahoo Reports:

Lindsay Lohan is in the hospital following a scary accident with an 18-wheeler, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
>
According to TMZ, the 25-year-old actress was driving her Porsche on the Pacific Coast Highway when she collided with the back of the truck.

At this point, something is wrong with the laws in California and in Los Angeles if Lindsay Lohan is allowed to drive. Someone with this severe an addiction is a threat to public safety behind the wheels of a car. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but what about next time? And there will be a next time, since Lohan only gets a slap on the wrist with each incident. She has no right to be behind the wheels of a car, and she's demonstrated this time and time again. Hopefully this incident will drive home to the courts that Lohan is literally a major wreck waiting to happen.

According to Perez Hilton, for the Elizabeth Taylor Lifetime biopic Liz and Dick, Lindsay has become the most insured actress ever.

"Lindsay Lohan is officially signed on to portray Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime biopic Liz & Dick, but the producers behind the project are going above and beyond to make sure that the former hard-pAArtying actress doesn't screw the entire production if she starts falling back into any old, ahem, 'habits!"

Honestly, why would they even bother insurance Lindsay? There's a long list of young women waiting to get into Hollywood. Give the role to a woman who is not a train wreck, oops, horrible car wreck waiting to happen. By giving a woman a role when she quite clearly isn't able to work, the producers serve as an enabler of an addict. Also, she screwed up the production anyway, with this accident and I seriously doubt if Lindsay is done. Somehow she'll find away to be back in the hospital or in jail. There's apparently no way of stopping her self destructive tendencies.

Review Avengers versus X-Men 5

Essentially, the X-Men and the Avengers throw down on the Blue Area of the Moon as the Phoenix approaches. Iron Man hits the Phoenix with a high tech device that is supposed to destroy the Phoenix. Only it doesn't work, shocker. The Phoenix possesses 5 X-men at the same time, Cyclops, Magik, White Queen, Namor, and Colossus. Apparently, on another world where demons cast a spell to halt evolution, a Phoenix messiah appeared, and so did 5 lights. Together they destroyed the supposedly unbreakable spell. But unfortunately, one of Hope's original 5 lights died, so the Phoenix made 5 X-Men into 5 lights. Check out Uncanny X-Men 13 for an explanation on the 5 lights. Well, in the first round, the Avengers mopped up the floor with the X-Men, including X-Men who definitely had the power to take down some Avengers who are merely human. In this round, with the Phoenix on their side, the X-Men instantly put down the Avengers. All of this is coming at a time when Rogue herself takes down a whole group of Avengers. So basically, the Phoenix is here to jump start evolution and undo Wanda's spell. All the powerful psychics and mystics sense its arrival and faint, from Xavier and Legion to the Scarlet Witch and Iron Fist.

Cuomo Proposes Discriminalizing Marijuana

Stop and Frisk activists have achieved some very important progress. Not only have they gotten a lot of sympathy in the media, this is now translated to political success. Cuomo, in order to address the disparate impact stop and frisk searches have, has decided to propose legislation that decriminalizes public possession of small amounts of marijuana. Those caught with small amounts of it at the most would get misdemeanor charges and a small fine. As reported by the Guardian:

"Civil rights attorneys, drug policy reform advocates and legal experts – who argue efforts at policing marijuana plays a crucial role in driving the number of stop-and-frisks – said Cuomo is taking a crucial step in the right direction but were quick to add that their efforts to reform NYPD stop-and-frisk policy are hardly over.

"This will not for a minute reduce the concerns and the criticisms regarding the NYPD's out of control stop-and-frisk policies," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberites Union. "We applaud it but we know better than to pack up our advocacy tools and go home as a result of this."

As noted by the Guardian, ending Stop and Frisk is not just a grass roots effort. Its gotten major support from policy makers, lawyers, and academia who are concerned about the devastating effects that having a criminal record has on non violent people whose only "crime" is possessing small amounts of marijuana. These people, after getting convicted, will not be able to find work and become wards of the state. It costs a massive amount of tax money to convict people of marijuana use (the most commonly used illegal drug) this is a price states simply cannot afford over a long period of time as it is a major waste of taxpayer resources. Its good to see politicians coming around to that. I'm sure it will take a lot of work, but eventually New York State will pass Cuomo's legislation.

Bath Salts, the New Killer

Bath Salts are the latest ultratoxic drug to come out. Every so often, a particularly bad batch of drugs are brewed that wipe out a good number of users. Today, the drug quickly wiping out users is bath salts. These bath salts have nothing to do with the old fashion Epsom Salts that people typically put in their bath water to help them relax, or to reduce swelling. The Miami cannibal, Rudy Eugene, that was killed by the cops was high on bath salts. As Yahoo Health reports:

CNN reports, “The effects include producing feelings of empathy, stimulation, alertness, euphoria, sensory awareness and hallucinations. Other reported effects include rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and sweating. According to the DEA, MDPV has been reported to cause intense panic attacks, psychosis, and a strong desire to use the drug again.”

Physiological effects include high blood pressure and increased heart rate, according to a report by WebMD. According to a CDC report of bath salt abusers in Michigan, users risk both psychological side effects and physical side effects.

In fact, according to Huffington Post:

91 percent of users had neurological damage
77 percent experienced cardiovascular damage
49 percent had psychological difficulties associated with the drug
37 percent of the people who suffered mental health problems reported attempting suicide or having suicidal thoughts related to bath salts
A drug counselor urges parents to warn their kids about bath salts. "Let them know: The bath you take with 'bath salts' is dangerous and at the deep end of the toxic pool."

The other psychological effects are horrific, as Yahoo Health States:

Bath salts, which have been called the new LSD, cause people “to go completely insane and become very violent,” said Armando Aguilar, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police told CNN. Also known by street names like “Ivory Wave,” “Vanilla Sky,” “Bliss,” “Dynamite” and “Purple Rain,” bath salts made headlines last year after a torrent of ER visits, thousands of calls to poison control centers, and a number of deaths, including murders and suicides.

No one out there wants to take this kind of bath, so please avoid doing bath salts.

The Significance of Artur Davis's Switch to Republican

Artur Davis, a former member of the House and of the Congressional Black Caucus, has decided to switch his party affiliation. Now, while any one person may switch party affiliation (and its going to be just one person, who cares) Mr. Davis's switch may indicate something.

Lately, there have been a number of non white politicians in the South who have made names for themselves in politics. Bobby Jindal, GOP Governor of Louisiana, and Nikki Haley, GOP Governor of South Carolina, are both Indian. Tim Scott, a Black Republican, won South Carolina's 1st district. Allan West won a seat for the House in Florida in 2010. The South is a pretty important part of the Republican base, and it maybe that in order to consider a serious career in Southern politics, one may have to be a republican, because that's how the majority of Southerners typically vote. This is not to say that Davis didn't genuinely want to change, but at the same time, anyone running for office must consider the realities on the ground.

On the other hand, its possible the Democrats veered too far to the left for the population and for people like Mr. Davis. The Democrats response to the poor economy relied a lot on temporary increases to unemployment and food stamps. Oh, and there was Obamacare, the national healthcare plan. But most Americans would rather work that receive government benefits, and what good is healthcare going to do you if you're living in a cardboard box? The best healthcare one can have is a stable place to live, and income that affords one a good diet, since without food or stable housing one's immune system is substantially weakened, and a number of illnesses will set in.

So its possible that a Democratic party policy that focused on giving benefits to the poor, which ironically often serve to keep them poor, ended up repelling Davis. Davis has two degrees from Harvard, a bachelors and a law degree. He quite clearly worked hard to be where he is. So why would he want to deal with the Democrats cult of poverty?

World War II Ended European Colonialism In Asia

World War II Ended European Colonialism in Asia

World War II ended colonialism in Southeast Asia. This occurred on two fronts. The war in Europe took massive resources from the colonial empires of Western Europe, as they fought the Germans and the Italians. The subsequent devastation that occurred through Europe made them less able and willing to impose their will on the colonies after the war was over. In a Southeast Asian context, the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia completely cut Southeast Asia off from European supplies and administration. Also, the Europeans, who had been seen by some Southeast Asians as unbeatable, were shown clearly not to be invincible as the Japanese overran and occupied Southeast Asia. At times the Japanese trained Southeast Asian ethnic groups, particularly those majority groups such as the Burmans, and also gave them weapons as they wanted the Southeast Asians to fight for the Japanese war effort. This increased the fighting ability of the Southeast Asians. After Japan was defeated, the Europeans could not restore the previous status quo, and nation by nation, were all defeated by Southeast Asian independence movements.

In June 1940, the Nazi forces conquered both Holland and France. Britain itself seemed on the verge of falling. The Japanese saw this as their chance to push forward their expansion in Southeast Asia. At the same time, they wished to block the Germans from taking over the British, German, and French empires in Asia and laying claim to these major resources. The US froze Japanese assets when Japan began to press Vichy France to give its military bases in Indochina to the Japanese.1 This caused relations between the US and Japan to deteriorate further, leading to the events at Pearl Harbor.

Japan's rise to power had major effects on weakening European influences in Asia, even before World War II. In 1905, Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese war, the first defeat of an European nation by an Asian nation in modern times. This increased Japan's prestige in nations such as Vietnam, and inspired Vietnamese.2 Vietnamese students went to Japan to receive educations and military training. Japan announced its Greater East Asia co-Prosperity Sphere in 1940. Essentially, this was the grounds for the new Asian empire that Japan was creating. Member states where to sell raw materials to Japan, and Japanese companies would take care of all the manufacturing.3

A number of Southeast Asians welcomed the Japanese, at least initially. It was, after all, an Asian power expanding and defeating Western interests. And it seemed to follow the Joyoboyo prophecy. In the words Professor Tagliacozzco, “after years of rule by the white race, a yellow race was supposed to come by and take over Java and the other islands. This rule was supposed to be short lived, and would lead to independence for people in the area.” Many Javanese saw the arrival of the Japanese as fulfillment of this prophecy and celebrated their arrival. Other Southeast Asians welcomed this as well. The instructions that the Japanese superintendent-general gave explicitly said, “Although the present Sacred War originated in the self preservation and self defense of empire, its essence is to rally the various peoples of East Asia and plan the construction of a new world order.” Essentially, the Japanese were promising to create a new world order in which Asians would play a prominent role. This was the appeal to many in Southeast Asia, when the Japanese war machine swept away European control. In promoting Asian cultures, the Japanese made permanent changes to Southeast Asia. While they occupied the Philippines, the Japanese promoted use of Tagalog, in official business in the Philippines4 This altered the Philippines and had long lasting effects on the islands. It tied the Philippines more deeply to the rest of Asia, and since this time period, Tagalog has remained an official language of the Philippines

The Japanese, upon their arrival in Southeast Asia, destroyed the colonial power structures in most states. The French were allowed to remain in Vietnam under Japanese direction for awhile, but even they ended up being completely removed from power and imprisoned.5 The Japanese trained groups that the Europeans never allowed to have weapons, such as the Javanese and the Burmans. They also gave nominal independence to Burma, after training an Independence Preparatory Commission, which, as Ba Maw, “would be truly representative of the peoples of Burma and their opinions.” However, the Japanese kept close tabs on the commission, not wishing to give the Burmese a true independence. As they made serious demands of the Burmese, Ba Maw countered with his own demands. The Burmese realized that rule by Japanese could be as oppressive as British rule, and organized anti Japanese resistance movements.6 Not only the Burmese, but also the Philippinos resisted the Japanese militarily with guerilla movements.7

After the Japanese were defeated, nations throughout Southeast Asia made plans for ruling themselves. The Europeans, on the other hand, came back and tried to restore colonial administrations. The Dutch tried and failed to restore their authority in Indonesia. Sukarno and Hatta had declared Indonesia an independent nation on August 17, 1945.8 The Dutch fought the Indonesians and despite their capture of Sukarno and Hatta, various Indonesian factions continued to fight the Dutch. The United States pressured Holland to end the fighting and to accept Indonesian independence, and the Dutch complied.9 After the war the US granted the Philippines Independence. The British tried to resubjugate the Burmese, when this failed they too accepted Burmese Independence.10 As for Vietnam, after World War II, they feared occupation by the Chinese, who were then led by the KMT party. They invited the French back, thinking that they would be easier to negotiate with and ultimately get rid of. The French had no intention of leaving, but after their defeat at the battle of Dienbienphu, they withdrew from Vietnam. Vietnam was divided by Geneva Agreement into North and South Vietnam; the country wasn't completely reuniting until Saigon fell in 1975, uniting all of Vietnam under the government at Hanoi.11

World War II changed a number of things around the world. It made the previous colonial regimes unacceptable not only to Asians, but even to Westerners. An example of this was the US granting the Philippines independence and pressuring Holland to stop fighting in Indonesia. It also demonstrated that the Europeans were far from an invincible force. Not only did the War in Europe result in certain European countries themselves being effectively colonized, the European empires were handed impressive defeats by the Japanese. Subsequently, this inspired the Southeast Asians to prepare to fight the Europeans. After they got additional training and weaponry from the Japanese, various groups in Southeast Asia fought the Westerners and gained additional victories against them. In a twisted sense, the Japanese achieved what they said they wanted to achieve in their propaganda. Western colonial power was broken, and it died out in big part due to their actions.

Bibliography
Owen, Norman G The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia
Professor Tagliacozzco's Lecture Notes
Maw, Ba Breakthrough in Burma
Benda and Larkin, Japanese Blueprint for Southeast Asia
1 Owen, Norman G The Emergency of Modern Southeast Asia Chapter 18 p.273-274
2 Ibid., p. 337
3 Ibid., p. 303
4 Owen, Norman G The Emergency of Modern Southeast Asia p. 291
5 Professor Tagliacozzco's Lecture Notes
6 Maw, Ba Breakthrough in Burma p. 322-355
7 Owen, Norman G The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia p. 290-291
8 Ibid., p. 307
9 Ibid., p. 308
10 Ibid., p. 330-332
11 Ibid., p. 344-349

The Chrone and the Maiden

The Crone and the Maiden

In magical realism, myth, and television, the crone often seeks to control the maiden. She seeks to use the fertility of the maiden to achieve power that she cannot, as the crone is too old to be beautiful, or is too old to bear a powerful man a heir. So she must enslave and manipulate a beautiful maiden. Or, in the words of Professor Quionez, the crone basically says, “That womb is mine. I control what goes in it, that is, when and if anything goes in it, and whatever comes out of it is mine.” Examples of this are Dona Floor and Her Two Husband, Rapunzel, the Obscene Bird of the Night, and the television shows Charmed and Bewitched.

In Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, the hag who seeks to control maidens is the vile Dona Rozilda, mother to Rosalia and Flor. Rozilda's husband is dead, and by the time he dies, Rozilda's dreams of social mobility are thwarted. She had intended for her son Henry to attend the university, but this was made impossible with her husband's death. She had no means to pay for his tuition. She wanted to be tied to a wealthy family by means of marriage, but Rozilda was old and undesirable. So she sought to use her daughters in order to get money and social status. This is the crone, telling her two daughters I control what goes in and out of your womb, and what does in must benefit me. Rozilda's dream was for both of her daughters to marry very wealthy men at the top of government and business. Rozilda thought after the marriage she would move in with either of her daughters and be the lady of the house, bossing around the servants and the children. First she wanted to marry Rosalia off to her dream blond prince. But Rosalia married a mechanic. Rozilda thought she would be able to manipulate Flor into marrying her dream prince. They met Vadhinho, who seemed to be perfect. But Celia, a crippled friend of Rozilda, reveals the truth. Vadhinho was a criminal who committed nearly every crime that could be committed except murder. He had no money. Rozilda forbade the wedding, goes as far as to beat Flor for defying her. Right here the crone's obsession with controlling the maiden goes to the point where she assumes an almost male role. That similar to an angry, archetypical father, pimp, or jealous male lover. Vadhinho dies, and when Flor remarried, Rozilda schemed again. Teodoro wasn't her perfect prince, but she thought he had at least had potential. She tells Teodoro that Flor wanted a bigger house. Her plan was to move in the house, once Teodoro purchased it. But Rozilda was thwarted,as the moment when Flor heard about her schemes, she saw through them. In the meantime, Rozilda terrorized her daughter-in-law. In fiction, it seems the nature of the crone to terrorize the maiden in general, even if it is one whose womb she doesn't desire.

In Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, the witch, traps Rapunzel in a tower. She locks her away, where no man can ever touch her. Only Mother Gothel herself has access. Her relationship with Rapunzel, has almost lesbian undertones as she doesn't want anywhere to come near Rapunzel. Rapunzel has long hair that she lets down whenever she hears the witch say, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.” When a young man sees this, he waits till the coast is clear and uses the same words. He gets up there, makes love to Rapunzel,and gets her pregnant. The witch is furious. She cuts Rapunzel hair, and throws it out the window so the young man might climb it. One day he does so, and as he climbs up to the top, she drops it and he falls on thorns. This blinds him. Again, the crone, in her zeal to control the Maiden's fertility, acts masculine and as a jealous lover of sorts.

The Crone controlling fertility or seeking to control it repeats itself in the Obscene Bird of the Night. The witches think Iris has a virgin birth. So they intend to take her child and turn him into an Imbuche. They intend for him to be their slave, and through the power they get from him, they wish to gain immortality in a sense. Again, the older women, portrayed as hags, have no ability to gain any additional power because they cannot reproduced. Therefore, they must try to control and take what comes out of the womb of a fertile woman. Ines, who was close to Peta Ponce, gives birth to a monstrous child, a complete freak. While its possible it happened because Ines apparently had sex with two men, it could have been because of her connection to her nursemaid, Peta Ponce. Her husband, Don Jeronimo believed Peta Ponce to be a spiteful witch and despised Peta. Peta had enormously influence over Ines, as she saved her life when she was younger. And it could be that the child of Ines, was so monstrously deformed because Peta Ponce disapproved of Jeronimo or bore him malice. Or perhaps her magic was connected in some other way.

The control of the older women is so severe that Mediate, who is really Humberto, loses his sex after awhile among them and becomes one of them. Humberto is different things to them, at first the mute Mudito, their servant and he later transforms into just one of them.

As for Charmed, the crone literally controls the womb of the maiden. Phoebe Halliwell, a beautiful good young witch who is a Charmed One (three sister witches who can combine their powers into the power of three, a nearly unbeatable force) falls in love with Cole Turner, a half demon/half human person. The seer, an evil and powerful sorceress who becomes aware of this, starts to plot to control Phoebe's womb. The seer is beautiful, but she's centuries old and apparently not fertile. So she manipulates Cole and Phoebe. Cole is tricked into absorbing the powers of the Source of All Evil, who is basically the lord of the underworld. Phoebe is tricked into eating enchanted chocolates to enhance her fertility, and the Seer does other things to Phoebe without Phoebe knowing it. So basically, the Seer's plan is for Cole, who has the powers of the Source of Evil, to get Phoebe pregnant with an extremely powerful and evil child. The Seer's scheme works out. Phoebe is manifesting demonic powers because of the child she's carrying, and the Seer gives her tonics to strengthen the child. When Phoebe returns to her sisters, they use the power of three to destroy Cole. But the Seer had one final plan for Phoebe's womb. Now that Phoebe had conceived, she cast a sell taking the fetus out of Phoebe's womb and implanting it in her own. Therefore the Seer was now herself pregnant with a child who was heir to the throne of the underworld. Apparently the Seer couldn't conceive the child herself, but she could carry it. Its much like how in real life, postal menopausal women can have fertilized eggs from other women implanted in them, and they can carry the child. In this case, the old crone through magic manipulated the young maiden/witch into getting pregnant with a monster child, and then by magic put said child in herself so she could become queen of the underworld and gain the vast powers of the child. This story as well basically says that the older woman cannot gain power if she can't conceive and this older woman went through extreme magical methods in order to get a baby in her uterus.

In Bewitched, Samantha was a beautiful young witch who had an older, much more powerful mother. When Samantha married Darren Stevens in the show's first episode, she was nervous in standing up to her mother and telling her that she was going to stay with her new husband. But she did. Endora, Samantha's mother, never liked Darren and went out of her way to make Darren's life a living hell. Endora didn't want to let Samantha chose her husband. She made it clear she would have preferred to chose the warlock that Samantha married. She often used Samantha's cousin Sirena to do her dirty work in making life difficult for the Stevenses. Endora hated Darren in part because she found it embarrassing that her daughter would marry a mortal. This was known to her extended family and the entire community of witches. So Samantha's marriages diminished Endora's social standing. In order to regain this, she would have needed her to marry a good warlock. While Samantha doesn't leave Darren, she isn't able to put her foot down to stop her mother's abusive and intrusive behavior. In this series, the young witches in general were much less powerful than the older ones. So again, the crones were able to rule the maidens.

There are many ways of looking at the relationship of the crone to the maiden in magical realism. The crone seeks power through the maiden's ability to conceive. This stories in some ways may deal with the jealously older people can feel towards those youthful and beautiful. They are also about parents, in these cases mothers, who don't want to let their daughters live as grown women. This invokes the archetype of the mother-in-law from hell, who constantly interferes in the lives of her daughter (or son) and son-in-law (or daughter-in-law). And, for those older post menopausal women who would love to get birth, they have to get eggs from a young woman in order to do so, and this was incorporated into that Charmed plot line. In all cases, the older woman needs the younger woman to advances her plans or schemes.

Laudine and Guenivere: The Reining Queen versus the Queen Consort

Laudine and Guenivere are two prominent characters in the works of Chretien. The primary difference between the two women is that Laudine has sovereignty, while Guenivere's power is solely derived from her husband, King Arthur. When Laudine's knight dies, it's clear that Laudine will control the castle and lands around it no matter who her knight is. Guenivere, on the other hand, has no rights to anything Arthur owns. In terms of temper,legal authority in terms of dealing with matters of the state, legal authority in choice of partners, Laudine holds the power, Guenivere doesn't. Even in terms of supernatural qualities, Laudine's abilities affect the physical world, while Guenivere seems limited to seeing things from afar.

At the beginning of the both tales, Laudine and Guenivere's living circumstances differed greatly. Meleagant, at the beginning of the Knight of the Cart, has captured many of Arthur's subjects. He barges into the court of Arthur, who does nothing to him. Meleagant taunts Arthur over the number of Arthur's subjects that Meleagant has already taken, and he tells Arthur that he's powerless to stop him from taking more. He makes a proposal to Arthur, that Arthur can send whatever knight to battle him, providing the night comes with Queen Guenivere. Should the knight win, Meleagant will free all prisoners and stop taking new ones. Should the knight lose, Meleagant will take Guenivere off. Arthur agrees to this. Kay, who is most malicious of the knights, says he will resign unless Arthur allows him to fight for Guenivere. And despite knowing that Kay loses every fight, Arthur agrees. Guenivere isn't apparently able to refuse to this agreement. Meleagant wins and takes Guenivere off. Guenivere was a token possession to be taken off. Laudine, on the other hand, when Yvain and the knight fought to the death, was the mistress of the castle. Effectively, Yvain won her love and thus status that she granted upon him when he won the fight. She was never in danger of losing her power or being diminished by the outcome of the fight.

Guenivere's overall temperament is very different from Laudine. Guinivere is the archetype of a “nice” woman in someways. She was kidnapped and held against her will, yet, when the King asks her to stop Lancelot from killing Meleagant, she complies. The King says he treated her will in captivity. However well she was treated, she was still held there against her will, away from her husband, Arthur. She, as a “good” obedient woman, she cannot truly seeks revenge. Laudine, on the other hand, could be quite merciless. When Yvain fails to return to her within the alloted time, she ends the marriage. Her maid is instructed to go to Yvain, make him return the magical ring, and convey to him that Laudine hates him, and that the marriage is over. After this Yvain becomes insane.

When she's kidnaped, Guenivere loses all of her servants and resources, while Laudine has everything she always had after the death of her knight. After she's taken away, Guenivere's a prisoner, and the only reason she isn't raped is that Meleagant's father is a decent man who has her protected. She's utterly at his mercy. Laudine, when her knight is killed, is surrounded by all of her servants and possessions. She's advised by an intelligent maid who uses magic (Laudine does herself, as well). When her maid suggests that she marry Yvain, she rather quickly agrees with the girl's logic. Guenivere seems to have no significant contact with other women, and in a way it shows how marginalized she is. She may have her maids as well, but she is never shown as having an intelligent conversation with another woman the way Laudine does with her maid.

While both Laudine and Guenivere had knights who would fight for them, Laudine's knights were her actual employees, while Guenivere merely had an affair with a knight. Lancelot would do anything and everything for Guenivere because he loved her. When she gave him her approval, no one could stand in his way during a fight. When she gave her disapproval, he lost fights. However, this is all because Lancelot was madly in love with her. Guenivere didn't give Lancelot his position in Arthur's court. Arthur himself did. The first knight and Yvain both worked for Laudine. While they both may have loved her, their position in her domain was granted to them by her. Laudine uses her knights to guard the fountain, because if it's disturbed, it can unleash massive thunderstorms against the castle, which would threaten the safety of her domain.

Guenivere isn't shown in Chrietien has having the power to have people executed in a legal sense, while Laudine has this power. She's not a reigning queen, but merely a queen consort. As such, no one follows her orders. If she wants someone taken down, she has two options. She has to convince Arthur to order the execution, but if he isn't willing, her will can be denied. Alternatively, she could whisper words in the ear of her lovesick lover, Lancelot. Though he's unlikely to refuse her, if he does, again, her will is blocked. When Laudine feels that her maid has betrayed her, she has the girl locked up in jail, waiting to be executed. And the girl wasn't the only one punished by Laudine, there were other prisoners as well. Laudine herself made the decision, and she doesn't need to get authority from a man in order to get her orders carried out. She's the sovereign herself.

Guenivere is the archetype of the damsel in distress, while Laudine can inflict violence. She never does anything to try to escape. Not only does she not fight, she doesn't try to trick the ones holding her captive, use her feminine wiles on them, or do anything that could get her out of her situation. All she does is wait for Lancelot to rescue her. She suffers from the unwanted attentions of Meleagant. Laudine, on the other hand, isn't defenseless. She tells Yvain she could kill him herself for killing her previous knight. Yvain, madly in love with her, begs for her forgiveness and for her love. She decides to grant him her love. Laudine, on the other hand, doesn't have unwanted suitors.

Also, as Laudine has the power to terminate her relationship anytime she wants to, Guenivere has no such power. She has an affair with Lancelot, but she can never openly love him. If her affair with Lancelot became known, Arthur could have both Lancelot and Guenivere executed for adultery, and Guenivere cannot divorce Arthur without his consent. She would lose her status as queen, and would become homeless. Laudine, when she ends the marriage with Yvain, isn't even worried about his services as a knight; she's the sovereign, and she manages just fine without him.

Both Laudine and Guenivere do have supernatural abilities. Laudine, of the two, has the greater abilities. Guenivere has a sort of divine knowledge. Without being anywhere near the scene when Lancelot jumps into the cart, Guenivere knows that he hestitated for a moment to jump on the cart. Laudine's supernatural abilities and knowledge go far beyond this. Laudine has a potion which she has her maid use to cure Yvain of madness. Her ring, which she had given to Yvain earlier, offered him protection. When she made him return it to her, that effectively cursed him and made him go mad. And of course, there's fountain she entrusts a knight to guard. And at least one of the women who works for Laudine, the maid, also has mystic abilities. It was the maid who first saved Yvain, had it not been for her, Yvain would have perished. The fact Laudine has another woman with mystic abilities working for her again shows her as the superior to Guenivere.

Overall, of the two women, Laudine, as the sovereign, is by far the most aggressive one, in terms of getting what she wants and in terms of getting what she wants. Guenivere, as merely the consort of the king, has to be sneaky in her affairs. Lancelot seems to be her true love, yet she doesn't have the power to chose to be with her true love. As the tales end, Laudine, the more powerful one, has the better ending. She gets to be together with Yvain, who she loves, for the rest of his life. While Guenivere is eventually rescued, she must return to her husband, and keep her affair with Lancelot well hidden.

My New e book on Nana, Warrior Queen Available

My new ebook is out. Nana. Nana is the story of a warrior queen who must defeat an evil sorcerer, or else all in her kingdom will be enslaved and damned. Download your copy of Nana now!