Meme Scholar with Madness (PhD)

[EndtheMadnessNow]

April 25, 1915: 90,000 Australian, New Zealand, British, and French forces began a large-scale land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Turkish-controlled land mass bordering the northern side of the Dardanelles.

ANZAC Day just hits differently...

This Friday falls on the 110th Anniversary of ANZAC Day. In honor of our Australian and New Zealand friends and allies, I wanted to take a moment to recognize just one part of their origin story.

Why today?

Well, April 25th, 1915, was the day Commonwealth forces came ashore at Gallipoli.

From their live stream at dawn in Australia:



It is a much more sober holiday than many American holidays. Here’s a sample of how it is reported locally.



Think Memorial Day…but extra…and with a lot more controversy from their left than you find in the USA toward our Memorial Day.

Interest and support for ANZAC Day has waxed and waned with the rise of the Anglospheric self-loathing left, but from what I have been able to tell, that has changed and support is moving back to where it should be.

Australians and New Zealanders have fought and died in other people’s wars out of obligation and friendship over the last century + from the Boer Wars through Afghanistan.

They are not large nations. At ~27 million souls, Australia is a few million people smaller than Texas 30 million. At a bit over 5 million souls, New Zealand is close in population to Alabama.

Why was the Battle of Gallipoli such a moment in time for the people of Australia and New Zealand? That would take a stack of books to discuss, and is best discussed in detail by Australians.

I’ll give you a bit of a perspective, or try. The picture of the top of the post? That is from the Turkish trenches looking towards the Australian trenches in the Battle of the Nek of the Gallipoli campaign.

Below is from Episode 5 of the 2015 miniseries on Gallipoli, from the perspective of the Australian trenches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKNfN4tpcw

Fullbore Friday



At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Westinghouse buried a 5,000 year Time Capsule, intended to show the durability and longevity of its proprietary new alloy, cupalloy.

Concurrently, Westinghouse published The Book of Record. It placed copies at institutions and libraries of record around the world - the Library of Congress, the Vatican - where it could be held until it was time to unearth the capsule.

The Westinghouse Time Capsule's Book of Record is a document detailing the contents, purpose, and burial location of the 1939 time capsule. It serves as an official guide to ensure future discovery and understanding, containing instructions, cultural context, and a list of the artifacts enclosed. Published on the eve of World War II, it is a golden, optimistic document cataloging humanity’s triumphs and accomplishments.


The Book Of Record Of The Time Capsule Of Cupaloy

WikiSource  | Wiki



April 25, 1974: Pamela Courson died age 27. She was the long-term partner of Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors. Courson stated she discovered Morrison's body in the bathtub of a Paris apartment on July 3, 1971. She never recovered from his death and died of a heroin overdose. She was later legally recognized as his common-law wife. Another victim entered the 27 Club. Damn, what a sad ending. Like Jim's father, her father was also in the US Navy as a Carrier Pilot, combat action in the South Pacific for 26 months.

Several months after her death, her parents inherited her fortune. Jim Morrison's parents later contested the Coursons' executorship of the estate, leading to additional legal battles. In 1979 both parties agreed to divide the earnings from Morrison's estate equally.



The Doors - Love Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pldftoUbM80


"Bella Ciao" - The rebel song that went global from Italian rice fields to resistance as one of the world’s most enduring anthems of protest.

Bella Ciao began as a work song among mondine, women laborers in the rice fields of Northern Italy in the late 19th century. Their version lamented the grueling conditions, long hours, and exploitation they faced.



The original was a cry of fatigue:

"In the morning, as soon as I rise, I must go to the rice field."

These weren’t soldiers, they were working-class women, resisting in their own way. During World War II, Italian partisans, resistance fighters opposing  fascism and the Nazi occupation, adapted the song into what we now know as Bella Ciao!

The partisan version tells the story of someone leaving at dawn to join the resistance. They know death may come, but they go anyway. They ask to be buried in the mountains, under a flower, a metaphor for freedom and peace.

And so it turned from political to personal. At its core, Bella Ciao was about sacrifice, love for one’s land, and the courage to rise against injustice, even when it meant giving up everything.

Two versions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1dkZrpZgjY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqs2oIBFPxI

Some believe its tune was inspired by a Yiddish folk song. Others point to Eastern European or Italian folk roots. Its evolution through oral tradition makes its origins hard to trace, but that’s part of its power. Bella Ciao spread through word of mouth, gatherings, and protests, not through state approval or official institutions. I assume that is why it resonates so widely across so many cultures...from Euro to the Scots to Americas to the Arabs in Gaza.

After WWII, Bella Ciao became deeply intertwined to Italy's collective memory of resistance and liberation.

It's sung on April 25th.

Italy’s Liberation Day.

Today!


Despite its power, Bella Ciao has always remained, perhaps unfairly, confined to a certain "left", sometimes opposed, loved by some, avoided by others, often politicized, but with a force and impact that has only grown more global.

In modern Italy, some view Bella Ciao as tied too much to the political left. Debates continue over whether it represents all Italians or just partial. But to many, it transcends politics.

Bella Ciao was translated and sung across the world, in Turkey, Iran, India, Argentina, and beyond. Wherever people fought for rights, equality, or liberation, the song often followed.

In the Netflix series "Money Heist", Bella Ciao played a symbolic role. The professor sang it with his brother as a tribute to rebellion, and the world listened. The series catapulted the song into global pop culture. Covers by street musicians, orchestras, techno DJs, and choirs flooded the internet.

Bella Ciao charted in several countries and it became the rare protest song that also worked on a dance floor. Social renditions multiplied and became more imaginative. What makes it timeless?

Its structure is simple.
Its melody is haunting.
Its lyrics are poetic but clear.
It carries sorrow and strength in equal measure.

From muddy fields to global stages, it’s been carried by those who refuse to be silent. Though, quite controversial, it’s been adopted by movements around the world and there are so many versions & adaptions of this song (per country/per culture) it's beyond counting.

After Naval News got a first look at a new airborne laser prototype at Sea Air Space 2025 earlier this month, General Atomics has confirmed the existence of a joint program within the Department of Defense that is looking to deliver airborne laser weapons to the MQ-9 fleet currently fielded in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps.

Naval News received confirmation from a General Atomics spokesperson familiar with the matter. The spokesperson confirmed the existence of a program that is looking to add a new air-to-air laser weapon to the MQ-9 family; part of a joint program that is looking to deliver an airborne laser to provide a persistent counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAS) presence to the battlespace.


According to General Atomics, core components of the future laser pod have already been tested on airborne platforms. A full test with a flying laser has not been completed but all components have been tested on the ground. General Atomics did not mention when airborne testing would begin.

The spokesperson also confirmed the power level of the laser at 25 kilowatts. The overhead technology used in development of the laser is scalable to 300 kilowatts (kW) but the size constraints imposed by the MQ-9 restrict it to a smaller power level. Battery packs on either wing can power the laser for long durations and act as the buffer between onboard power and the laser itself.

According to General Atomics, the MQ-9, when equipped with the airborne laser pod, could provide 24/7 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) while simultaneously performing C-UAS missions against targets of interest. General Atomics highlighted an example of a mission set like this in the first island chain at its booth at Sea Air Space 2025.

General Atomics Confirms Drone-Killing Air-to-Air Laser is in Development

Military Recruitment Surges Under Hegseth’s Warrior Ethos

Even the quota increased in Antarctica.




Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL-756) & Cutter Forward (WMEC-911) bring in a score just in time for the weekend...


US Coast Guard Offloads 19,000 Pounds Of Cocaine Worth $214M In San Diego


When you’re about to fly 8,000 miles round-trip in 24 hours to attend a funeral at a 2,000-year-old church, for the death of the Holy Father of a 1.5-billion-member religion, with 200 world delegations, broadcast live across the globe with cameras filming even from heaven, and you’re in flats, carrying a Hermès bag, and wearing dark sunglasses like the most glamorous Bond girl about to board Marine One and onto Air Force One across the pond — all while knowing that, despite the jet lag, your husband won’t stop talking for even one second. OOof, tough job!