Blogposts, fictional archives, Ancestry's monopoly on federal records, the Little Free "Library" deception, powerful ICJ decisions, and the DNC's sidelining of pro-Palestinian voices
This newsletter will cover topics related to archives, libraries, genealogy, pop culture, LGBTQ+ people, climate change, Project 2025, The Acolyte cancellation, and new Western and Japanese animation
Hello everyone! I know its been a while since I’ve written this newsletter, but I thought I’d put this together as September begins. I recently published a post building upon Sam Cross’s article on the intersection of pop culture and archives (depictions) for Issues & Advocacy. Previously, I wrote reviews of Cherry Magic! and the third season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch for Pop Culture Maniacs. Most recently, I wrote a post for Packed with Packards! about stories of Packard divorcees.
I have been very prolific in posting for Pop Culture Library Review and Wading Through the Cultural Stacks. For the former, I’ve written about several films, specifically Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020) and Whisper of the Heart (1995), and multiple media series, including reassessing the 2008 anime adaptation of Library War, and examining libary-related themes in a manga entitled Shoujo Manga Protagonist x Rival-san. I further examined how fictional libraries can be places of refuge and knowledge, and re-examined romance in the library and the value of studying in fictional libraries.
Additionally, I shared recently added titles for June 2024 and July 2024 (August is upcoming), and celebrated the four-year anniversary of Pop Culture Library Review. Furthermore I noted, in a short-form, how saying librarians are magic is an issue, and a little about the impact of this perception on real-life libraries. At the same time, I wrote about fictional libraries which are a place of intrigue and knowledge, the many scenes (and themes relating to it) within libraries in the anime adaptation of The Dangers in My Heart (also known as BokuYaba) (one of my favorite anime and manga, despite its issues), and the elderly librarian in Haruka Nogizaka's Secret while connecting the latter to real-life libraries.
The same was the case for Wading Through the Cultural Stacks. I centered more on specific series, whether noting the intersection of video stores, VHS tapes, and preservation in The Ghost and Molly McGee, Betamax and the value of videotape preservation as related to Otaku Elf, the archival facade and horror of nuclear holocaust in Justice League, data erasure and restricted records in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, frozen laptops, email archives, and files which are restricted in the ever-enjoyable A Place Further Than the Universe, Chusi the record destroyer in Supa Team 4 as related to real-life record destruction, archival themes in the Civilization computer video games, and confidential records and secret agents in Spies in Disguise.
I further looked at the vitality of the public record as shown in various series (a mix of webcomics and animated series), defined what “archival” means and related that to fictional depictions, connected climate-controlled archives in fiction (mainly in The Fantasy Book Club) to what is depicted in reality, noted the connections between the anime adaptation of 16Bit Sensation to actual video game preservation, wrote about lies, forgery, murder, paperwork, and assassins in Princess Principal, explained the connection between League of Lois Lanes, bad Supermen, and “truth” in archives in My Adventures with Superman season one, and described various topics in The Mauritanian, specifically secrets, inter-agency conflicts, bureaucracy, and… Kent the redactor.
With that, I’m moving onto the next part of my newsletter, which will specifically focus on archives. For one, consider that the case against the former president, for illegally holding classified documents, has been dismissed by a judge he appointed (who should have never been able to rule on the case due to a conflict of interest), that the White House of that president didn’t archive direct messages on Twitter, and the continued importance of physical media as Hollywood keeps reminding us of (as IGN notes). Jack Smith appealed the first case on August 26th to a higher court.
There are stories claiming the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has reportedly cleared a backlog of veterans records requests. I have to wonder whether this is accurate or just positive PR spin, considering the issues with NARA, in terms of lacking funding which leads to subpar technology, staffing, and organizational capacity issues, as noted in a recent post by my workplace, the National Security Archive, which summarized and commented on a report by the History Coalition.
That same report talks about how NARA might explore partnerships “with regional institutions such as state archives, historical societies, or universities to keep these facilities open and their holdings available” and similarly with territorial archives (see pages 5, 19). However, what isn’t mentioned, despite the report noting that genealogists and historians “make extensive use of regional holdings of original and microfilmed documents” held by NARA, are the current NARA partnerships with institutions such as Ancestry, either in support or opposition of these partnerships.
This report comes a few months after Ancestry declared that they entered a new multi-year agreement with NARA “to digitize, index and publish tens of millions of NARA records on their platforms over the next five years” and called the agreement the company’s “largest public-private and archive collaboration to date.” This will comprise over 65.5 million records, reportedly reflecting the “richness and diversity” of the U.S., and give access to Ancestry customers, with the claim that the company’s efforts will “help ensure that this important information is accessible to the public.” It will also include development and training for NARA staff. This arrangement was openly supported by Colleen J. Shogan, who has been Archivist of the United States since May 2023, calling the agreement a “great example of a public-private partnership” and claiming the records will be publicly available.
This relates to a critical (and somewhat sarcastic) thread, last month, by Reclaim the Records, a non-profit which uses freedom of information act lawsuits, and requests, to force previously inaccessible records to become public, and then publish and digitize these records without usage or copyright restrictions. I mentioned this organization in this newsletter back in October 2020 and January 2021. Here’s an excerpt of their thoughtful thread, which includes most of the points they made:
We realized we just missed the six month anniversary of literally billions of dollars of…Ancestry's debt, and its holding company, being downgraded to NEGATIVE by Moody's. Like, it's kind of a big deal that the big company that "owns" (or claims to own) exclusive rights to the only digital copies of PUBLIC RECORDS in archives around the world has billions of dollars of debt outstanding, just took on a whole new debt line -- and just got downgraded. And that even if they hadn't taken on this new debt, they still have the old debts…coming due pretty soon, and will have to roll them at much higher rates...Ancestry has a 9.97%/0.5 = 19.74% chance of default over a four year period, as per Moody's math. That is, Ancestry has a ~ 1 in 4 chance of defaulting on its huge debts in the next few years...Good thing they don't have a ~monopoly on our historical records, right? It's probably fine. Like, the private equity firm that owns them -- Blackstone -- is probably not causing the issues...Anyway, we like doing genealogy much more than doing math or finance-y stuff. But we really like getting records and making sure they're free for everyone, forever, without any usage restrictions or paywalls. Because much like our ancestors, most companies aren't immortal...Ancestry is the ONLY company in the entire USA to pull some insane shenanigans with their previously-mentioned secured and unsecured bond offerings.
Unfortunately, very few are criticizing Ancestry's record monopoly. I’ve criticized this monopoly consistently over the years, in this newsletter. Back in May 2019, I noted a racist ad done by Ancestry, citing an article by Adam H. Donby about the topic for Black Perspectives which noted the racism inherent in the website’s databases, and Megan Molteni’s article in Wired aptly entitled “Ancestry.com’s Racist Ad Tumbles Into a Cultural Minefield”. There are many other instances which I’d like to note here, to be completely transparent:
I began a newsletter, in August 2019, by noting that Blackstone acquired Ancestry and that the company profits from "cooperating with ICE, financing shale development, and burning down the Amazon rainforest" and that the company was criticized by archivists. I also added that Blackstone's acquisition of Ancestry makes it an ethical dilemma to "keep genealogical or related records on Ancestry," that I was "still wrestling with how to proceed, short of deleting my account and leaving," and that I’ll would probably write a post about it. I never did write a post about it.
In September 2019, I pointed out a “virtual cemetery” I made on Find a Grave (owned by Ancestry since 2013) listing U.S. slaveowners and those who stood against slavery.
In October 2019, I wrote that "…a new subsidiary or property [sorta dead link] of Ancestry.com [is] called AncestryHealth, [which turns]...the company into a pseudo-healthcare company. Of course, this will allow the company to amass more personal information, raising the questions of how that information will be handled and why this expansion is even necessary."
In March 2021, I noted that Ancestry won a California privacy suit over yearbook photos, adding that while “this could be seen as a positive for genealogists, as it allows records to be open without restriction, it is a negative in terms of privacy” and added that the “AI tool created by MyHeritage, a genealogy testing company, which creepily lets you re-animate dead relatives” is even worse and goes too far. I again mentioned the California case in my newsletter later in March 2021, adding that the judge who ruled in favor of Ancestry declared that information in the database is not private but is public, saying that the activities of the site fall under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, adding that this content is not “protected free speech,” and arguing that decades-old yearbooks are not “demonstrably an issue of public interest”! I mentioned the case briefly in my newsletter in May 2021 and warned, in a June 2021 newsletter, that people should remember this case when they think that their yearbook has private information. I briefly mentioned the case again in a newsletter in October 2021, and in another newsletter, also that month.
In late May 2021, I wrote that “Ancestry added new tags for “slave owner,” “free person of color,” and “enslaved person,” as I discovered on my own. However, users still couldn't add in enslaved people as related to White people (like noting the names of enslaved people which a White person disturbingly legally owned, which could be helpful to Black genealogists who want to know more about their ancestors), as that is impossible to do while going through “traditional” family structures, adding this needed to be fixed without any delay.
In July 2021, I noted a Turkish nationalist viewpoint on Ancestry, and added “Ancestry has a privileged position as a company that many use, giving it an ability, unlike others, to influence public perceptions.”
In August 2021, I noted that “Ancestry’s API adds in hints for incorrect facts,” pointing to this post by a genealogist.
In August 2021, I expressed my frustration that Ancestry would soon have the power to share the content on "their platform (if it’s not on a private tree) permanently unless you delete it" with people on Twitter criticizing it as a money-grubbing measure, fascist, or even adding watermarks on photos to "prevent them from being commercialized by Ancestry," adding that the latter was "something which I’d be willing to do."
In August 2021, I suggested that genealogists make family history blogs to ensure their findings are public without having their work, "scooped by Ancestry," with the use of Ancestry allowing a few people to profit off their research.
In September 2021, I wrote about “the disconcerting news” that Ancestry gobbled up “a French genealogy company, Geneanet.”
In November 2021, I briefly mentioned a class action lawsuit filed against Ancestry, which was about the company “allegedly disclosing Illinois residents' genetic information to Blackstone…during the acquisition process.”
In January 2022, I noted a NBC News article about how DNA tests by 23andMe and Ancestry.com that are "leading to surprising paternity discoveries" and lawsuits against paternity doctors, and added that to make matters worse, "these DNA tests are unregulated, meaning there is no guarantee the genetic data given to any genetic testing company will remain private."
In February 2022, I said I wasn’t sure I agree “with treating sites like Ancestry, FamilySearch like a “physical repository” as that would undermine public institutions, i.e. archives.”
In November 2022, I noted that “genetic data entered on Ancestry.com and elsewhere is not covered by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)”. This is still the case, as I'm aware.
In August 2023, I pointed to an academic article in Archival Science in March 2022, by Katharina Hering, entitled “The representation of NARA’s INS records in Ancestry’s database portal.”
In January 2024, I noted criticism of Find a Grave's name (first raised by Becks Kobel some years ago) and called on the name to be changed, and added that BillionGraves is not owned by Ancestry.
Otherwise, I mentioned, but did not provide any critical commentary (as I probably should have), when mentioning Ancestry’s Holocaust records database, adding it “is free, but you need an account to save information, of course” in November 2020. Similarly, I feel bad for mentioning Ancestry’s digitization of U.S. Freedmen’s Bureau Records for all U.S. states, the Danish West Indies Record Collection, and the Reindexed U.S. Probate Collection, without any critical commentary in February 2021. I again uncritically mentioned it, in reference to a Smithsonian article, in August 2021. I linked to an interview with the then-new CEO of Ancestry Deb Liu about the company’s continued mission in late March 2021 and didn’t provide any criticism. Even worse, I mentioned the launch of a community impact program, in April 2021, which aimed to mobilize Ancestry resources and products to build more connected and resilient communities through preserving at-risk history and empowering the next generation of history makers” without any critical comment!
Nor was there any criticism when I mentioned, in a newsletter in July 2021, that Ancestry had begun “subleasing its 9 million square foot space in San Francisco” or when I talked about the history of Ancestry publishing, in December 2022. I also only briefly mentioned, in April 2022, that the 1950 U.S. Federal Census was publicly available without needing access to Ancestry or FamilySearch, and briefly noted, in January 2022, the declaration by corporate genealogist Crista Cowan that Ancestry had added “another 900,000+ records” from Find a Grave. Also, I mentioned, without much comment, that genealogist Nancy E. Loe described “a book about tips on searching using Ancestry’s website” and mentioned an article by a Washington Post reporter about their Ancestry DNA test. I briefly mentioned Ancestry in reference to a review/article about The Bad Batch, while noting an article on “AncestryDNA results for over 68 Black people with deep roots from South Carolina” in an April 2021 newsletter, the “success story” of Ancestry (also in April 2021), and Ancestry.com DNA results “showing direct lines to the Dominican Republic” (in March 2021). In all, Ancestry has been mentioned in 37 of my newsletters, to date, according to a recent search I did on historieshermann wordpress (it has the WordPress versions of all my newsletters).
I mention all of this, partially in terms of transparency, to hold myself accountable for not being as critical as I should have been in the past, but also to bring up previous criticisms of Ancestry I’ve made, in order to make it clear that what Reclaim the Records is stating is only one of the many criticisms someone can make of the company. I plan to keep criticizing Ancestry going forward. I can see, from looking at my past newsletters, how can do better in the future. In college, I wrote a paper about the NARA-Ancestry partnership, which I may publish in The American Archivist or somewhere else one day. On that note, there is no better indicator of the partnership between Ancestry and NARA than a recent job posting [dead link] on Ancestry’s website, for which an individual would be be paid $19 an hour, and would involve “capturing high-quality visual content” of War of 1812 records and “collaborating closely with members at the National Archives”!
In a recent Twitter direct message, Reclaim the Records told me that NARA is going to be closing the Innovation Hub, ditching the whole idea, meaning that “the only people who will be onsite scanning in the near future will be NARA employees and...Ancestry. But not the general public.” If this comes to pass, it would a major barrier to access for Americans, and show how much NARA has been captured by private industry. The decision would completely abrogate the agency’s own strategic plan which states that public access is “NARA’s core mission and is a higher calling that gives purpose and meaning to all our work,” including using flexible tools and accessible resources that “promote public participation.” I may write a letter to Colleen Shogan protesting this change and will openly criticize it, if it occurs.
Before onto other topics, I’d like to highlight a post by Catharine Paik about ongoing efforts to improve government transparency, with a new classification bill, on Unredacted, a blog, I think, run/managed by Rachel Santarsiero. With that, I’d like to pivot the newsletter to articles and posts about libraries. One of the best news I've heard recently is that Ascendance of a Bookworm is getting a stage play adaptation entitled “Ascendance of a Bookworm: You Can't Choose the Means to Become a Librarian.” This is a positive because the aforementioned series centers on a librarian named Myne, who wants to educate and improve the world. If you are interested, I wrote a treatment of the series a while back in 2020 (I have mentioned the series many times since then on my blog).
Otherwise, some librarians contemplated leaving Idaho following proposed legislation creating an “adults only” section (also see here), libraries and others condemned possible repeal of section 230, West Virginia House passed a bill allowing for librarians to be prosecuted, and body-cam footage was released showing a sheriff in Idaho hunting for “obscene” books. There is a rising number of book banning attempts. More disturbingly, a book bound with human skin was removed from the Harvard Library. The latter, of course, is the skin of a woman, which goes to show, once again, how women aren’t respected as people by institutions.
There are other articles of note. One such article argues that libraries are “haunted houses,” with Leo Settoducato saying that by “using the scholarly lens of haunting…we can experience time creatively, better positioning ourselves to resist…demands of neoliberalism by imagining and enacting positive futurities.” Another came from two people in rural areas about their experiences with so-called Little Free Libraries (LFLs). As you may remember, Katie McVay, a comedian who I know best for voicing Amaryllis in High Guardian Spice, criticized LFLs in a post (which has since been taken down and is likely on her TinyLetter now. She once had a Twitter account, which has since been deleted). She described LFLs are littering "trees, poles and fenceposts in upscale liberal-tinged neighborhoods" and added that LFLs are “supposed to be cute, to create community…[but feel]…like a physical representation of a desire to privatize the world.” She added that libraries aren’t just a book pile, but a place where people can hang out for free, a place which welcomes everyone, and that LFLs
…give the person who puts it up a sense of control over their surroundings. A sense of control that…they shouldn’t have. This desire for control appears in the questions on the Little Free Library website…Little Free Library is yet another act of commodification…Little Free Libraries commodify the library, making it palatable to an upscale (and primarily white) populace. These boxes on poles erase meaning from the public good it is designed to mimic…The entire project hinges on…ownership of and expansion of private property…for some little library owners, the little library becomes an extension of the home…another place to control…[and] surveil…Thankfully, for now, the actual library is not that way. The library does not belong to me. It belongs to a collective. It cannot be taken away by one person. It cannot be so easily dismantled.
What she is saying here, in some ways, relates to articles about academic freedom and academic librarians, on how libraries can and “should participate in alternative economic and management models,” on the Anglicization of “Irish place names in hegemonic library cataloguing systems,” and user-centered provision of inter-library loan to library patrons.
In my view, McVay could be onto something. Consider that Substack now has a creepy generative A.I. feature. However, there has been no official policy on the site, reportedly, on A.I., which is just as troubling. Even worse, the A.I. Substack support agent screens any issues before they are sent to human support specialists. I am considering staying here for now, but… I may end up moving somewhere else, like moving my blog entirely to WordPress, without publishing on Substack. If I do so, I will let you all know.
I am pivoting to an entirely different subject: recent international court decisions. There have been articles about the recent ruling by the ICJ (International Court of Justice), with arguments it cleared “the fog hiding Western support for Israel’s crimes,” and related posts on how the Palestinian authority “abets Israel’s colonial project” and that the official death toll in Gaza is much higher than what is reported. All of this connects to the aforementioned ICJ opinion in the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem case. The decision, effectively, described Israel as an apartheid state, something which moderate pro-Western NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International recognized, and as noted in articles, to some extent, in Haaretz, The Guardian, and 972 Magazine on the decision. There were also articles on responses from Israel, the U.S., EU (supports the decision), and Spain (supports the decision), among many other countries.
While reading the full opinion could be lot, since its 83 pages long, there is a handy summary, which notes that the ICJ concluded that:
…Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful…Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible…Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory…Israel has the obligation to make reparation[s] for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned in the Occupied Palestinian Territory…all States are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory…international organizations, including the United Nations, are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of…Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and…the United Nations, and especially the General Assembly, which requested the opinion, and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The decision also held that comprehensive restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians, in occupied Palestine, constitutes “systemic discrimination based on…race, religion or ethnic origin” in violation of Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Article 2 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It was further stated that Israel is not “entitled to sovereignty over or to exercise sovereign powers in any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and noted that Israel has also “imposed policies and practices to fragment and frustrate the ability of the Palestinian people to exercise...[their] self‑determination.” This advisory opinion by ICJ was rejected by Israel outright, unsurprisingly, as noted by UN News.
All of this relates to the continuing Gaza conflict. Back in May, the ICJ demanded that Israel stop the Rafah offensive. It was unclear where there would be compliance, with South Africa hailing the ICJ's demand. Around the same time, Karim A.A. Khan of the International Criminal Court put out applications for arrest warrants of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh and Zionist leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Palestine. This both-sides decision did not placate the Zionists and annoyed those that were pro-Palestinian (understandably). It is an open question as to what this arrest warrant application really accomplished. After all, there’s the Hague Invasion Act (officially called the American Service-Members' Protection Act), which protects U.S. military personnel from criminal prosecution by an international criminal court, and might have applicability to these warrants.
Just as disturbingly, is not the extreme rhetoric from Netanyahu, but the former president reportedly calling on Netanyahu to reject the U.S. “ceasefire” deal to hurt the Harris-Walz campaign. Of course, his campaign denied this. It is definitely possible his meddling occured, especially since both are confirmed to have talked (and met). If the former president did this, it could violate the Logan Act. Both individuals even had a “happy” meeting back in July, as the media reported at the time. After all, Netanyahu would benefit from a second administration of the former president, who is very sympathetic to him. As one article noted "if there’s reason to believe Trump has lobbied Netanyahu not to reach a diplomatic agreement, because the GOP nominee is worried about the developments potentially helping the Democratic ticket, that would be a real scandal" which would echo what Nixon did to LBJ in 1968. Let us also not forget the secret Israeli campaign to get the former president elected in 2016, which was overshadowed by focus on Russian actions.
Perhaps most troubling is the response by the DNC (and Harris-Walz campaign) to calls for an arms embargo on Israel (for the U.S.-enabled/supported/orchestrated Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza to end) and a ceasefire. The Uncommitted movement, which met with top Democrats for weeks, and has a strong influence, welcomed the addition of Tim Walz as Harris’s VP-pick. This did not stop the DNC from denying a request for a speaker from the Uncommitted movement, specifically Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman. Her speech, which supported Harris, also stated, in part, “let’s fight for the policies long overdue—from restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza.”
While Romman still hopes to give this speech, the sidelining of this movement, and others with similar opinions, may lead to a backlash. It may cause some individuals to not vote at all. Being critical of Harris does not mean someone supports the other candidate. This movement wishes that she would take a stronger stand on ending the conflict, a stance which would force Netanyahu’s hand, requiring he has to end the conflict (for instance, they could state that all U.S. military and economic aid will end unless he agrees to end the conflict), instead of the current strategy: calling for a “ceasefire” while continuing to funnel arms and funds to Israeli war machine!
With that, I am moving to a new section in the newsletter: criticism of Project 2025. It is, effectively, the platform of the former president. There are articles noting how Christian nationalists see this "handbook" as a way to create a Christian nation, and other articles on: the connections of the former President with Project 2025, the twisting of a disability law to attack abortion, and plots by architects of this plan (and loyalists to the former president) on methods to overthrow the election if the former president loses. There’s other articles on the dangerous effects of this program on environmental law and conservation.
Some of the most damning evidence came from ProPublica, which summarizes 15 secret training videos. They posted these disturbing videos on their YouTube channel (a screenshot of this playlist is shown above). Just as key is an undercover interview with Project 2025 architect Russ Vought who admitted “the project's strong ties to former President Donald Trump and provided a clear view into a possible second Trump term.” Such a plan will embolden, even more, right-wing militias. Fact-checkers like Politifact have been siding with the former president as well (on Project 2025), showing they can’t be trusted as much would have been thought previously, almost supporting his (false) declarations that his campaign isn’t connected to this extremist right-wing plan. It is a plan that the ACLU calls “a roadmap for how to replace the rule of law with right-wing ideals.”
Project 2025 would implement a Christian fascist dictatorship in the U.S., creating a theocracy, gut worker safety, abolish the Departments of Education and Homeland Security, cut Medicaid and Medicare, cut climate research, enforce the Comstock Act to prosecute those who send/receive contraceptives, criminalize pornography, deploy the military for domestic law enforcement, promote capital punishment, take partisan control of various agencies (Departments of Justice, State, and Commerce, FBI, FTC, and FCC), reduce the corporate income tax rate even further, eliminate the Head Start program, downsize EPA, curtail USAID, increase U.S. nuclear weapons development, limit the CDC’s functions, mass deport undocumented/irregular immigrants, ban Tik Tok, and many other plans, all which are clearly autocratic. This a disturbing plan to counter, even if you think that Project 2025 is self-hype or something else like that.
Moving on, I’d like to talk about genealogy. Some focused on topics such as the dark side of emancipation, family history in an online world, U.S. census information which is key for genealogists, and the importance of verifying primary source reliability. Other articles asks who speaks for the dead when Black history is unearthed and focused on crowdsourced genealogy.
Further articles noted how geography and math are important parts of genealogy research, wrote on Jewish surnames, described how use of family trees and other genealogical technologies by eugenicists impacted discourses on race and race crossing in the 1920s and 1930s Britain, explained the intersection of education when “researching family roots,” and noted the Irish ancestors of Tim Walz.
The previous two paragraphs connects to other articles on history-related topics. This includes a story on how the CIA kidnapped a Soviet probe (to the Moon) during the space race, Cold-War-era tunnels in Norway, Johns Hopkins honoring an anti-Semite, how playing video games becomes a history lesson, the sex education pamphlet which sparked a landmark censorship case, an all-but forgotten Greek temple uncovered in Turkey, and the atrocities of war.
Additional articles focused on history of the battle to keep Title IX out of college sports, pardons and oaths of allegiance during the U.S. revolutionary war period, the story of the French Army at Williamsburg, Virginia in 1781-1782, a misguided attempt to populate upper Canada with supporters of the British crown after the U.S. revolutionary war, and the U.S. Civil War from the “Western frontier.”
Beyond this, there were articles on topics such as: the Russian family cut off from human contact who was unaware of World War II, kitchen essentials from centuries past, the far-traveled Viking woman Gudrid, the destruction of 30,000-year-old Indigenous cave drawings in Australia by certain perpetrators, the Black town of Rosewood, Florida razed by White mob in January 1923, the complex origins of Western legal traditions, the Du Bois Doctrine and the “American Century”, and the terrible (and bloody) battle of Antietam in the U.S. Civil War.
Let me move onto another another topic entirely. In terms of unions and workers, the Republican Party is almost positioning itself as a “worker’s party.” The head of the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, outrageously spoke at the party’s convention, a speech which led to backlash from members. Turning to the perennial issue of COVID-19, there are articles about how it is still a big issue in presidential politics (still true, even though this article was written before Biden dropped out), calls for Biden to improve COVID safety, Tim Walz leading the way on Long COVID funding, a first class-action lawsuit against mask criminalization in federal court, the unsettling picture of Long COVID, and the global COVID-19 tracker by KFF showing “confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, as well as the rate of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths by country, income, region, and globally.” That latter is a good resource to keep in mind.
In terms of climate change and environmentalism, there were articles on: how wind power creates a "cash influx” for rural communities, frackers spraying toxic wastewater “on Pennsylvania roads despite seven-year ban”(!), and the U.S. Air Force absurdly refusing to comply with “an order to clean drinking water it polluted in Tucson, Arizona, claiming federal regulators lack authority after the conservative-dominated US supreme court overturned the “Chevron doctrine”.” This claim has been stated to be legally dubious, but the military wants to pollute no matter what. Further articles explained how the plastics industry is confusing people by defining what they believe recycled material means (this does not align with reality), conversations about climate change which happen on the industry’s terms, and the decline of the mass climate movement in the U.S. (this article was back in 2022, but I would venture that it still has some valid points).
I am shifting to one of my favorite parts of this newsletter, which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues and topics. In an unfortunate blow to representation, Lucasfilm recently decided to not renew The Acolyte for a second season. While the series, created by Leslye Headland and staring acclaimed actors such as Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Carrie-Anne Moss, wasn’t perfect (personally I wish the season had a few more episodes), it still featured better representation, especially in terms of queer characters, and diverse storylines than other stories in the Star Wars franchise. Only comics like Doctor Aphra, series such as Andor (which will gladly have a second season) can rectify the overwhelming Whiteness in the franchise. The latter was on display in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch (its final season aired February to March 2024) which I previously described as lacking diversity, noting that “many characters either have White men or White women voicing them…[and] there are no LGBTQ+ characters.” This is also an issue in Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: Tales, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the movies themselves.
This racist money-grubbing decision by Lucasfilm (and Disney execs) shows that they would rather continue series with uninteresting, unimaginative claptrap as embodied in The Mandalorian and The Mandalorian & Grogu, as compared to more diverse storylines, like those even in Star Wars Resistance, Ahsoka (to an extent), Obi-Wan Kenobi (to an extent), and Star Wars: Visions, to give some examples. Lucasfilm undoubtedly sided with the bigots / toxic Star Wars "fans" here, which Stenberg rightly described as "hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language" toward those who worked on The Acolyte. Some people on Forbes and Fox "News" can grumble that the series was not renewed because of high costs, not receiving "enough" critical acclaim, or fan support, but the fact is that Disney/Lucasfilm is siding with the bigots with the decision to not renew The Acolyte. There is no doubt about that.
In more positive news, Anime News Network noted that the Yuri Hub announced that the manga Threads of Me and You by Ayu Inui would be simulpublished, while yuri commentator Erica Friedman reviewed the eighth volume of Inori’s I’m in Love with the Villainess (the Japanese version), the third volume of Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, and noted the yuri cafe research project (about the Yuri Cafe Anchor in Tokyo). Friedman further noted recent yuri news, including panel discussions, the release of There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless…, Volume 3, My First Love’s Kiss, Vol. 1 by Yen Press, the launch of a new manga magazine called Comic Bright, and the release of an article entitled “Animated Femininities, Queer Discontent.”
The Yuri Times noted the release of A White Rose in Bloom Vol. 3, I Married My Female Friend Vol. 3, and Too Many Losing Heroines! (Manga) Vol. 1 last month. The same publication further noted the release of Throw Away the Suit Together recently. Them had an article on the "lesbian masterdoc." Kira Deshler wrote about five lesbian films which you may have not seen elsewhere. They were: Love, Spells, and All That (2019, dir. Ümit Ünal), Holy Camp! (2017, dir. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo), Moonlit Winter (2019, dir. Lim Dae-hyung), Sweetheart (2021, dir. Marley Morrison), and Walk With Me (2021, dir. Isabel del Rosal). This is a good list she put together because I’ve never watched any of them and I'm interested in watching them after reading her list.
In addition there were stories on the popularity of polyamory on dating apps, dos and donts of polyamorous relationships, a list of great video games for queer relationships, 21 LGBTQ+ TV shows “that only lasted one season” (I only watched one of these, Super Drags, which I wouldn’t recommend), the definition of ambiamory, the queer fandom for Godzilla, what queer ecological resistance looks like, and the mix of queerbaiting and homoerotic subtext in Nana.
This moves right into the next section of this newsletter, centered on anime. Back in July, Yuri Times noted the yuri anime this summer, all of which I’m already watching: Mayonaka Punch, My Deer Friend Nokotan, and Narenare: Cheer for You! As for Anime Feminist, they had a good list of recommendations for Spring 2024. In fact, I agree with what they said about Delicious in Dungeon, The Duke of Death and His Maid, Girls Band Cry, Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night, and Train to the End of the World. Even so, I am more critical when it comes to Laid-Back Camp season 3, since I wasn’t as drawn in by the new animation style, as it became bothersome.
The biggest news (see the screenshot above) is Crunchyroll removing comments and reviews, following accusations that subtitles of My Deer Friend Nokotan used A.I. Whether the latter is true or not, they are pitching this comment and review removal, as trying to create a "safe and respectful community environment." Notably, there will still be user ratings, where people can express their opinions. I understand where CR is coming from, since comments on queer content especially can be atrocious. On the other hand, I think this removal, more likely, is meant to reduce criticism for shows, and cut costs, so they don’t have to pay (and hire) moderators. I did, personally, like reading comments on CR, so it is a loss, but how much of a loss? Most streaming services do not allow comments below their videos, so this means that CR isn’t different, now, in that regard. The fact that they say they are “removing all existing user-generated content, including comments, across all our platforms and experiences” likely doesn’t impact YouTube or comments on Twitter and other social media.
I am glad to hear that Love Live! Superstar!! is premiering on October 6th. I generally agree with Anime Feminist’s digest on anime which came out this summer, in which they state that Mayonaka Punch and Narenare - Cheer for You!- have feminist potential, while having complicated feelings about Senpai is an Otokonoko and Suicide Squad ISEKAI (I mainly watched this for Harley Quinn), feeling neutral about Dungeon People and My Deer Friend Nokotan (I enjoy this, but it doesn’t have many/if any progressive ideas), and wary about VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream (I ended up dropping this series). Lastly, CBR noted that some of the inspirations for Supergirl in the latest season of My Adventures with Superman include Dragon Ball Z.
With that, I am shifting to the related topic of animation (not anime). ScreenRant had an article noting that Batman: Caped Crusader breaks the biggest rule of Batman: The Animated Series in the first episode: Batman using guns. Basically, he didn’t use guns and detested them because his parents were killed by someone shooting them with a gun, and his philosophy to “not take a life.” The Verge described this series, created by Bruce Timm (co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, and Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and creator of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited), as a “pulpy throwback” to DC animation’s golden age. On a related note, was an article in ComicBook about animated series budgets for Marvel animated series, noting how expensive they can be:
It costs a pretty penny to make an animated series. One new financial filing from Disney shows Marvel Animation has spent nearly $20 million—$19.6 million, to be exact—on one of its upcoming series…It's unclear which series cost $20 million to produce, but the report points out it's only believed Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda, and the final season of What If...?
So much for those who claim that is “easy” to make indie animation! Such animation is something that cannot be done with Hollywood studio backing and relies on someone’s personal funds plus the money they raise from crowdfunding. The latter makes them dependent on the audience for a series, which can easily come or go. Not every series can be a success like Hazbin Hotel (later backed by a big corporation and outsourced animation to overseas studios) or Lackadaisy.
Surely, Olan Rogers trying to buy back the rights to Final Space (good!), the search for a new streamer for Star Trek: The Bad Batch, and why Raphael Saadig avoided putting “kids music” in the well-animated and executed Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, were great to hear. However, at least in my view, the news about Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (the video shown above), was most welcoming, even as a person who has only watched one of the shows produced by Powerhouse Studios (Masters of the Universe) but not any of the others (Castlevania, Seis Manos, Blood of Zeus, Skull Island, and Castlevania: Nocturne). I mention this because the series, at least to me, has a feel which reminds me a bit of the recently animated Carmen Sandiego series. It may feature Lara Croft in a lesbian relationship (this is hinted in the teaser, but not directly stated). I’ll be happy to watch it once it premieres on October 10th. It will join the second season of Arcane in November (likely), Creature Commandos in December, and other series, with no exact dates set, such as Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld and Invincible Fight Girl.
Last but not least are topics and posts that won’t fit anywhere else. This includes articles about: the Louisiana plan to imprison people for longer periods, UMD’s journey through film history, supporting Japan’s indie fashion designers, an A.I.-generated George Carlin special igniting a copyright infringement lawsuit, how adults aren’t marginalized within fandoms, how to establish digital project core areas for museums, and the incredible sunflower superbloom in North Dakota.
Further articles focused on Palestine and the degeneration of Black politics, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) holding their 44th Annual Summit in Zimbabwe, the U.S. as a threat to global democracy, the little difference between Project 2025 and the Democratic Party on the environment, and an interview with Steven Salaita. Others noted the strange idea of "bionic reading" (which would make text almost impossible to understand and is an app/website which converts text), sending adults back to school, and the Thirty Meter Telescope Project exemplifying “scientific progress and Indigenous dispossession.”
The final part of this newsletter centers on illustrations from The Nib and elsewhere. These illustrations focused on topics such as: identified aerial phenomena, chronology of death, the invasion of disinformation, the Tuskegee experiment and medical distrust in the Black community, legal weed, pop punk being “queer as hell,” protests before the Stonewall Riots in 1969, 4,000 years of abortion history, and an interview with political activist/writer Barbara Ehrenreich (who wrote books such as Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness, Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America, and Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer).
That’s all for this newsletter. Until next time!
- Burkely