Nous vous souhaitons bienvenue à
Louisbourg, au Canada!
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©1998 R. F. McDonald |
The Corporation royale du tourisme canadien welcomes visitors to the lovely city of Louisbourg, on Île Royale. Despite its seemingly small size, Louisbourg has been at the centre of much of the history of the past two centuries. It is here, for instance, that the young Louis XVII first set foot on North American soil, and here that the Treaty of Louisbourg recognizing the partition of French interests between the Kingdom of Canada and the French Republic was signed scarcely two decades later. To this day, Louisbourg has played a disproportionately important role in Canadian and Western history, in everything from the Revolutionary Wars to the "Glorious Revolution" to the latest plays by the newest members of the jeunes littéraires.
The fort of Louisbourg -- founded in 1720 and completed in its present form in 1792, on the Eve of the French Revolution -- was ordered built by King Louis XV of France in order to defend the entrances to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence leading into the heartland of Canada from the British colonists in New England. As time progressed, Louisbourg gradually became a substantial port town, linking New France with its founder. It is here that the young Louis XVII first set foot on North American soil, and here that the Kingdom of Canada had its first capital (1809-1837). In the Revolutionary Era, Louisbourg saw much action, as the home port of the Anglo-French fleet that defeated the European Consulate fleet in the nearby Atlantic Ocean, and as the site of the only major battle of the Revolutionary Wars that was fought on Bourbon soil in North America. 29-year old Louis XVII here signed, together with Lepailler of the Consulate, the Treaty of Louisbourg that made de jure the de facto partition of French interests between the European Consulate -- and to its successor, the French Union -- and the Bourbon Kingdom of Canada. Though it has seen no action since then and is open to guided tours of the former living quarters and the old battlements, Louisbourg nonetheless remains under the nominal control of the Gendarmerie royale, and visitors are cautioned not to stray into restricted zones.
The central districts of Louisbourg are quite beautiful, having been rebuilt immediately after the signing of the Treaty of Louisbourg in the conservative Provincial style on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Protected from the salt spray by the old stone retaining wall, you will nonetheless gather a hint of what it was like to live in the era when Louisbourg was capital of Canada as you walk through the meticulously restored streets filled with quaint restaurants, galleries, and museums.
The Quartier des artistes is a planned neighborhood that was ordered built by Louis XVIII in 1857. Completed just a year before his death, the Quartier was built to house the increasingly-troublesome intellectual class of Canada. Here, Louis XVIII had hoped that they would be isolated; yet from here, such illustrious names as Arcand Gallant, Sieur Louis-Robert Courlon de Huronie, and the king's own nephew plotted the bloodless "Glorious Revolution" that finally entrenched European-style democracy. After the solidification of the regime, the Quartier quickly became a showcase of the Francophone intellectual class. To this day, the Quartier retains an impeccable artistic reputation, one evidence of which you can experience if you go to one of the Saturday night perfomances of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, where you will be treated to award-winning performances of the latest plays by world-renowned writers.
Louisbourg is well-connected with major centres throughout North America and Europe, the Aérodrome royale a half-hour north of the city being the major refuelling stop for transatlantic flight. From the Aérodrome, one can easily get international flights to Paris, Francfort, Londres, Baile Atha Cliath, and Varsovie in Europe, and to Québec, the national capital of Montréal, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Richmond. As well, local flights, autobus links, and ferries connect Louisbourg to centres throughout northeastern North America. You would be amply rewarded in opting to take a roundabout route to Québec by travelling through His Majesty's Grand Duchy of Acadia, with its colorful population of Acadians, who retain to this day their ancient dialect and old folk customs.
(From the English-language version of _Canada: Un guide touristique_, published by Éditions officielles du Gouvernement royal du Canada, Québec, Canada, 1998.)
[ITA Travel Update: The Earth of Communauté globale is a recent addition to the TDRS rail routes. Communauté globale is a new world, and only two rail heads have been founded: One near Louisbourg, the other near Frankfort. Within the regions defined by various guides, the ITA has rated with a Class B travel warning: Cultural differences will occur, but no serious harm will occur to the itinerant traveller as long has he obeys all laws and regulations.
The ITA is in negotiations with Communauté globale as to whether or not they want to join the ITA as a full world or as an affiliate. Also, the only guide books available are those written by member nations of the Communauté globale and not by a neutral third party. Because of this the remainder of this Earth is rated with a Class C travel warning: People and cultures unknown. No advisory available on potential harm that may before a traveller to this world. Travel to these areas are at your own risk.
The ITA is sure that the Earth of Communauté globale will soon be rated to a Class A world.]
Travel Bargains in the CSA |
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©1998 Fred Copsey-Pearce |
While the "Old South" for many may not be attractive with its two lane roads, and "quaint institution", it is hard to deny the significant bargains available in handmade crafts, and the low cost of alchol,quality food and lodging.
Crafts are best purchased alng the side of the road from the small booths set up by the "bonded people". You not only can bargain for the best prices, especialy if you use US dollars, but you may also be helping someone buy their freedom. Slavery may be more gentle now, but its still not freedom. Do not pass up a booth simply because the sellors appear white, as 15% of CSA slaves are caucasion, and if you are in Loisianna, 12% of the slave owners are black.
The key in shopping is not to experiance sticker shock, as most prices appear to be eight to ten times higher than in the US, this is because Currently, one dollar (US) exchanges to $14.34 CSA. Thus a liter of alchol which costs $15.99 CSA actually is only $.11 US about what you would pay in St.Paul. Food is an even greater bargain as portons are usually very large as is Southern custom, and prices usualy are around $20.00 CSA for full breakfast, $30.00 CSA lunch, and $40.00 dinner. Good rooms at "tourist houses" can be had for $50.00 CSA.
One surprising quiet town is Atlanta, Georgia, CSA. Far away from the busy, modern port Cities of the CSA, it is a regional agricultural center, with good road connections to Cincinati, Philadelphia, and Savanah, Georgia, CSA.
You can almost step back in time strolling down Peachtree Boulevard, visiting the small intimate resaurants and antique shops. My favorite is Lee's named after the second CSA president. Like its namesake, it is restrained, temporing the often heavy hearty fare one usually gets at southern restaurants with a healthier, lighter treatment. One also can't miss the tastefully displayed memorabilia from Lee's life. While a minor figure to most Americans, some historians refer to him as th true "Father of the Confedracy" due to his prevailing upon the southern leadership that negotioation, rather than violence was the way to facilitate the "Civil Divorce" which formed the CSA.
Like most of the CSA, Atlanta is dry, officially, except for "medicinal purposes" which translates to you can only purchase alchol at pharmacies, the way tobacco is in the US. It is only available as a generic 50% alchol solution, and has the taste of motor fuel.
So when planning your next Holiday consider going south, where your dollar goes farther.
Jubilee, Belle of the South |
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©1998 Ray Speer |
Jubilee, known in many time lines as North Carolina and southern Virginia, is an industrial and economic power on the east coast of North America. Though its capitol is Turner (known elsewhen as Raleigh), the most historic city in Jubilee is Jerusalem
In this time line, the DuPonts established their powdermill in Southhampton County & so when Nat Turner started a Slave Revolt in that same southeastern Virginia county, the rebels seized plenty of arms & ammo. The War of Emancipation, 1831 to 1836, was narrowly won by Jubilee, thanks to the invention of a rapid-fire machine gun by the Negroes and US President Jackson's impolite orders to capture or sink British ships "which may have assisted the revolting Negroes." With the British assistance brought about by Jackson's naval policy, blacks retained their freedom in the land they called Jubilee.
Twenty-five million Jubilians support armed forces with nearly a million men in them, testimony to the importance that the miltary has had in preserving black freedom from aggression by the USA.
Besides the War of Emancipation, the USA has attempted to reannex Jubilee in Mr. Lincoln's War (1861 to 1864), the Virginia Border War of 1897 & the Depression War of 1933 to 1934. In the last of those wars, Jubilee lost a third of its territory (elsewhen known as much of South Carolina) to the United States lead by Huey P. Long. Long ceased his aggression against Jubilee upon the loss of American possessions (Baja California & Hawaii) to an invasion by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. In exchange for an evacuation of the lost lands of the Pacific, the USA stopped fighting and demilitarized its borders with Jubilee.
In Jubilee, no one of European or Asian descent can become a citizen, even tho the people & government know they need the World's Great Naval Powers on their side in order to survive. The Jubilians dress in European fashions and universally use English. The Jubilian state is rigidly centralized and provides educational and support stipends to citizens at a tax cost equal to the Scandnavian states.
Motorbikes and trolleys, bicycles, horses and sailboats are common in Jubilee as the nation hoards its petroleum reserves for their miltary, which is armed with the best weaponry available from Japan and Britain. The political monopoly enjoyed by the Prophet's Party from the 1840s to the 1990s collapsed in the 1993 elections, when the Opposition Coalition presidential candidate narrowly won office.
The "Federal City": A Forgotten Experiment on the Potomac |
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©1998 Victoria Iona Adams |
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On your way south, you might consider a brief stop to look at the ruins of our nations first capital. Just east of the sleepy little town of Georgetown, Maryland, alone the Potomac you can see what is left of the early Republics efforts to found a new "Federal City." Began in Washington's first term, the city was an attempt to build a home for the federal government outside the reach of state governments. The federal government actually occupied the site in 1800 and continued until the capital was burnt and occupied by the British in the War of 1812. The yearlong occupation of the site by the British left most of the buildings in ruins. During that time, the Congress decided to permanently move the capital north to Philadelphia where it remains today. Once you have experienced the old Federal City's impossibly humid climate, you can appreciate their decision. In fact, the climate alone, with its high humidity and temperatures reaching the 90s, is enough to make one question the wisdom of ever attempting to build a city in what would have been a swamp in the early 19th Century. However, other reasons doomed the Georgetown-area as a national capital. First, its accessibility from the sea meant that invasion or bombardment could easily threaten the capital. This was the very weakness that the British exploited when they first raided and then, occupied the old capital. Second, as an artificial city, the old capital lacked at natural economic base to draw population. Before the age of an activist government in the 20th Century, even Philadelphia's Capital District was a relatively sleepy place. Outside the President, the federal bureaucracy (still small then), and the diplomatic core, the only residents were the state delegations that quickly hurried back to the state capitals the moment Congress was out of session. It is inconceivable that this largely temporary population could have sustained a national capital like Philadelphia was to. Third, although the Founders could not know it, the Civil War would have almost certainly doomed the old capital (in fact, Robert E. Lee house can be easily seen on the Virginia side of the Potomac opposite the old President's mansion). After Maryland succeeded, a national capital on the Potomac would have been impossible. Today little remains of the old capital. The ruins of the "Capital Building" are small and unimpressive. The President's mansion (know as the "White House"), has been restored and is a pleasant 18th Century house. A small museum has some interesting maps and models showing the plans for the Federal City. The "Mall" area (now farmland) was to be a large open grassy area that provided the Congress and the President separate unimpeded views. The classical architecture gives the city a very different look from the gothic and 2nd Empire style of the Capital District in Philadelphia. Taken together, the Federal City would have been a beautiful city, if it had ever escaped its handicaps. |
New York City, United Soviets of America |
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©1998 Raymond Speer |
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If an inter-world traveller approaches the city from the air, the first thing noticed is that the buildings are much shorter than they are in more prosperous worlds, such as Marketplace. On Earth Diaz, the last (and tallest) skyscraper in New York City was the Red Revolution Building (built as the Empire State Building, but re-named by the government). Landing at LaGuardia Airfield in your propellor driven airplane, the next element noticed by the inter-world traveller is that the national flag has 48 white stars on a blue square set on the upper left corner of a red flag. The white stripes were removed from the colors with the success of the Red Revolution in 1934. In the history of Earth Diaz, Porfirio Diaz, a dictator of Mexico, arrested reformer Francisco Madero in 1908 (avoiding a Mexican Revolution which broke out in similar worlds). Dying in office in July 1915, old Porfirio left his country to the care of Victoriano Huerta, and in 1917, Huerta lead a unified and militarily augmented Mexico against an unprepared United States in a sneak attack. With talented generals like Alvaro Obregon, Huerta's armies sacked Los Angeles, and seized the territory between the Rio Grande and the Colorado River in Texas. The United States did not send troops to Europe, but instead sent them to the Southwest, where they fought desperately against Mexico. Germany won the World War in Europe when the British Army broke during the Hindenburg- Ludendorff offensives in France in March and April 1918. Germany favored its ally, Mexico, in North America, and had promised Huerta that Germany would let Mexico reclaim the land it had lost in the Mexican War of the previous century. However, Germany desired peace for itself and did not press the issue when it dictated the Peace of Versailles to the British and French. Left with nothing but good wishes from the Kaiser, Huerta and his countrymen fought on. The World War ended in North America in 1921, when exhausted Yankees over ran the last trenches and seized Mexico City. The Mexicans had fought better in this war than in the Mexican War -- or at least their weapons were better. Three hundred wounded Americans and a hundred thousand dead Americans was the butcher's list the war presented to the United States. The only "benefit" the USA got was an impoverished, war wrecked hostile country (Mexico) that had to be garrisoned with not less than a hundred thousand soldiers. The history of the USA in the Nineteen Twenties was a dreary catalogue of revolts in Mexico that were brutally crushed by the American Forces in Mexico: the Oaxaca Rebellion, Zapata's Revolt, the Durango War, Seres' Revolt, the Sonora Sedition... None of the Republican or Democratic presidents in Washington DC (Wood, McAdoo, or Pershing) could end the Mexican ulcer. American exports shrank to a pre-war fraction as Britain and France were attached economically to Imperial German finances and industry. Disillusioned by the endless war in Mexico and a miserable economy, the Americans began turning against the status quo throughout the Twenties. When the Great Depression started in Germany and spread-world-wide in 1930, the USA paid attention to William Z. Foster and the American Communist Party. Fewer than half of the possible voters bothered to turn out in 1932, when Democrat Newton Baker won the presidency. More importantly, one-third of the votes cast were for Foster and his Communist Party. When Baker issued an executive order unconstitutionally impounding the firearms of Communists, the Second American Civil War (called by the winners the Red Revolution) began. The Red Revolution raged on for a year and a half, and MacArthur's Whites finally lost their hold on the West Coast and fled to Alaska, where Douglas MacArthur proclaimed himself President of the United States, serving as such without elections until his death in 1964. In the lower forty-eight states, the country was re-named the United Soviets of America, and the capital was removed from bomb-ravaged Washington DC to New York City. There President Foster (in a humorous mood) established the headquarters of the Red Gov't along the buildings of Wall Street. President Foster was, as Communist tyrants go, a humane fellow. Fewer than a hundred thousand Americans per decade suffered and died in labor camps. Foster also maintained neutrality when the German Empire snuffed out Zinoviev's Soviet Union in the German-Russian War (1938-1940). Murdered by Puerto Rican terrorists seeking independence for their island, William Z. Foster may well be the most popular of the Communist leaders of America, with different portraits of him appearing on Redbacks, the official US currency. Foster's immediate successor, Gus Hall, is little more than a footnote in history. By 1952, only two years after the death of President Foster by the guns of the Puerto Ricans, Richard Milhous Nixon became the third president of the United Soviets of America, and he would retain that post for the next forty-two years, until his death on April 22, 1994, in New York City. Nixon's administration left all Americans familar with him as though he was a member of their family. Many loathed "Tricky Dick," some loved him, and most endured him. His taglines -- "the Silent Majority" "Bring Us Together" and "Communism is Americanism with Sleeves Rolled Up" -- were repeated world-wide, often with derision. Still, he had notable success, mainly in agriculture where he let individual families hold farms and make a profit, and in making redbacks a convertable form of currency. The propaganda spread by the three network chain permitted by the USA (the National Broadcasting Network, the Columbia Broadcasting System and the American Broadcasting Company) made life in America acceptable to millions. RED-HOT LUCY, starring Lucille Ball; COMRADES OZZIE & HARRIET; COMMISSIONER ANDY; GILLIGAN'S REVOLUTION; PETTICOAT JUNCTION and RED ACRES (about the re-education of New York sophisicates); and THE SPENCERS still have many fans. Nowadays the street are untraveled by private auomobiles and people hang in line for any thing, dowdy in their cheap dresses and thin suits. The police stopped enforcing the citizens dress code when Nixon died, and now you see male Americans with hair to their shoulders for the first time since the Red Revolution. Under the table sales of forbidden literature -- Bruce Catton's Mr. Baker's War, Bob Heinlein's North to Alaska, Herman Wouk's Death by the Desert -- are brisk and police overlook copies found in your room or impounded in your luggage. There have even been continuing demonstrations on Wall Street against the secret police, the Inspectors of the Revolution Service. Between an economy in decline and a weakening regime, what will happen in the future? No one, from President Jerry Falwell to the cop on the street, knows for sure. In the meantime, Red New York has the quaint intellectual underground that evaporated in more liberal worlds. Woody Allen (elsewhen a comedian, a retired insurance salesman, a jazz musician, or a convicted pedophile) is here a cafe manager, and an impassioned defender of libertarian ideals. See him at Woody's Coffee House in DeLeon Village (elsewhen Greenwich Village) passing illicit moonshine & marajuana onto long-time customers. Gore Vidal (whose talents at writing have been burned away by decades of hackwork for the Comintern) is a frequent Woody's customer with famous counterparts elsewhen, as is Dan Rather, here a file clerk for the I.R.S. |
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ITA Travel Warning |
Class C-2 Advisory: This is a vacuum-tube world where the smallest computer still occupies a room and runs on tapes. Do not bring any modern electronics (not even a digital watch) to Earth Diaz, for the I.R.S. or the NYPD will have questions for you about such devices that you cannot plausibly answer. |
The Californian Republic-A Blot Upon the Multiverse |
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©1998 Thomas R. Keith |
You who weep about horrible worlds of darkness and terror, this is your warning. Remember, things could always be worse-especially if you dwelled in the Californian Republic.
Once a mighty power in the Pacific, the Republic was forged in violence: from 1844-14\846, she fought a grueling war of independence with Mexico. Upon her victory, the former Southern plantation owners who founded her, indignant at the nationalist policies of William Henry Harrison (served 1840-1848) and his successor, Henry Clay, proclaimed a slaveholding republic, and constructed a formidable navy to defend against all comers. The first three frigates ordered from Russian shipyards-CRS Calhoun, Independence, and Leviathan-are still on display today at the National Armed Forces Museum in Angel City (an ironic name, isn't it?). Sadly, the museum is barred to nonwhites throughout the year, save a token Colored Persons' Weekend in mid-May.
The Republic has long maintained bad relations with the British Empire; an 1850 war with Britain and the States over Californian inroads into the Oregon Territory was the first casus belli. In the American Civil War, Californian support of the Confederacy served to lose them the war, as the intervention of the Sceptered Isle seized her gold and silver reserves for the Union. Forced to manumit her slaves, the Republic responded by instituting Jim Crow laws which have persisted, in full, virulent form, to this day. For this reason, California is barred from the League of Nations.
Ostensibly neutral in the First World War (although tacitly providing coal for the Kaiser's Far East Fleet), barely concealing its like for Hitler-although its racism drove it to repudiate Japan-in the Second, President Wallace even stating that "there are too many Jews already," the Republic sank from great power status into inexorable decline, spurned by all nations with any sense of morality. Today, however, she has begun to arm heavily once again, constructing a fleet of aircraft carriers, purchasing Russian Sukhoi fighters, and-possibly-exploring interdimensional technology. She still sits upon the Pacific coast, edgy, paranoid,and under close watch by American forces on the border with Arizona.
The rest of this world is safe for travelers of all backgrounds; but be advised that any beauty you may find there is poisoned by the continued presence of a virus. The Californian Republic is truly a blot, not only upon this Earth, but upon the multiverse as a whole.
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The ITA has issued a Travel Advisory of E-2 and a Class F Interdiction on both worlds. The ISS is monitoring the situation, and will advise as needed. 7-27-98, 1105 hours: As of 0900 hours this morning, a state of war exists between the Californian Republic and the Japanese Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere (the world of Japan and its vassal state, China). Apparently, California learned of the Empire's existence some weeks ago and began plotting its downfall, on the grounds that Asians should not possess any influence on the global scene. Both of these worlds have become greatly hazardous to travelers. Be extremely cautious! More information will follow as it becomes available. |
La Cuba para las Familias por la Familia(Cuba for the families by the Family) |
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©1998 Christian J Manacmul |
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If New York, Miami, and Anaheim were the work places of the Mob, then Cuba was their Caribbean playground. This former Spanish colony and U.S. territory has built their country on tourism, or better yet, the marketing of vice. The Family, with their rum, casino/resorts, and brothels, has thrived here like in no other place in any world, and a corrupt Cuban dictatorship is their puppet on strings. The puppet government, challenged only remotely by the U.S. government, was threatened and nearly abolished in 1959. That year, revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro and La Platan revolutionary Che Guevara were able to take control of Havana, as well as other key cities all over the island. The long-suffering masses (which included a minority of disenfranchised Cuban troops) were behind this new movement, which overthrew Fulgencio Batista and his cronies. But, Castro would only enjoy a short reign as Cuban premier. April 22nd, 1961. Fidel Castro is assassinated during a rally near Pinar Del Rio. Questions are raised about the slaying to this day. U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the CIA are blamed by many refugees today, but their involvement is unproven. But they still raise this main question: "Did JFK, with the help of Mafia boss Sam Giancana, put a hit on Castro in order to prevent the rise of Communism in Cuba?" A lone gunman, Benito Garces (a former Cuban soldier), though, is blamed for the shooting. The masses, hopeful of a brighter tomorrow in their homeland, were shocked. Two days later, anti-Castro forces (soldiers forced out by Castro), with U.S. aircraft cover, were able to capitalize on this event by staging a successful attack at the Bay of Pigs. With the help of the JFK administration, the Batista "government" was conditionally restored. But old habits never die so easily! With the secret aid of the Cuban/Miami mob, Batista quelled the masses with his power by either censoring, imprisoning, or exiling them from the island. Martial law was declared during the first years of the new Batista era. Che Guevara, blaming the United States for their alleged involvement in his friend Castro's assassination and the Bay of Pigs invasion, rotted his life away in a prison. Batista, and now his heir apparent Frederico Gomez, have grown a bit more wiser thanks to the voice of the people, who threatened and hoped for another revolution. But thanks to the Mob and their vices, the dictatorship was able to silence those voices to the point of near extinction. Small reforms were introduced during the late 1970s were introduced by the government aimed at helping ALL Cubans. Instead of pocketing whole profits for themselves, Gomez (who took over for the deceased Batista in 1975), his cronies, and the Mafia bosses who control Cuba, used some of the tourism money to build schools, roads, factories, etc. Today, Cuba is safely under the watchful eye of the government (and the Cuban/Miami Mob). Little Sicily, The MGM Grand (known to the locals as "El Leon") are two of dozens of hotel/casino resorts that have been built in Havana and along the coastline to attract the tourists. A Caribbean-version of Disneyland is the island's attempt to attract the family dollar. It is a wonderful theme park and is also worthy rival to its older sister in Las Vegas. If you do make the trip, then there is a few things that you will need to know. ITA travelers must take a plane to Cuba from the ITA station in Miami (this is done to prevent the Mob from overtaking the ITA station) and carry the red proof of anti-Communist form, which is presented after declaring a pro-government, anti-Communism oath. Failure to comply by the rules of the red form will result in imprisonment. The same goes for foreigners of Cuban descent (this is done to prevent the exiled and their children from ever staging another Castro revololution). Finally, the ITA suggests that you take a trustworthy ITA-licensed Cuban guide (ask your local ITA agent about that) with you to insure that your trip is a safe and enjoyable one. |
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ITA Travel Warning |
Travel Advisory Class C-2: The ITA has issued a C-2 advisory for this world. Travel to this world is at your own risk. |
Welcome to the Free State of Louisiana!
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©1999 Randy McDonald |
The Free State of Louisiana has a proud history as the oldest independent republic in the Americas. The thriving Francophone culture of Louisiana's capital of Nouvelle-Orléans, the largest Francophone city in all the Western hemisphere, has influenced artists, writers and musicians throughout the world, just as its historic clarion call in support of liberty has firmly implanted a universal desire for As we say in Louisiana, Aimez-vous l'histoire? Elle est partout! Relics of the history of Louisiana and Nouvelle-Orléans are in evidence throughout our homeland, and especially in our beautiful capital of Louisiana -- indeed, in your travels, you may be better served by a good history text than by a guide book.
The original Francophone presence in Nouvelle-Orléans dates to the days of New France, when the Kingdom of France planted a sizable population of Francophones in the community of New Orleans and the surrounding districts. The fall of New France to the British in 1759, though, initially placed New Orleans under the Spanish yoke. The 1764 revolt against Spanish rule led to the reestablishment of Louisiana's traditional freedom, and it became the first free republic of the Americas. In the first century of its independence, it served as the nucleus from which the desire for liberty spread throughout the North American continent -- first to the infant United States, then to the Spanish protectorates adjacent Louisiana, finally to Canada itself, freed from British tyranny by the brave patriotes of 1811. Louisiana became known to all of the world as a land where all, regardless of their race, religion, or politics, could prosper in peace. Much of the beautiful Vieux Quartier, often built by refugees glad for a safe refuge from tyranny, dates from this era. A notable building in the Vieux Quartier is the Édifice parlementaire du peuple louisianais, a beautiful building built in French Imperial style by French immigrants to house the Louisianan parliament.
Unfortunately, the United States sought to crush the spirit of liberty of the Louisianan people. In the period 1858-1871, the cruel époque américaine -- during which time first the slave holding Confederacy, then the victorious Unionists, occupied the Republic of Louisiana -- threatened to destroy the Louisianan people. Fortunately, the brave actions of the Triple Empires -- France, Germany, and Austria -- saved Louisiana, and by the 1880's, Louisiana's independence had been fully restored. The era of the Second Republic initiated a remarkable cultural efflorescence, during which writers such as Victor Hugo, Marie Châteaubriand, and André Gide composed the literature that inspired literary movements throughout the Francophone world and architects revealed Louisiana's joy at its renewed freedom to the entire world in the form of the neo-Gothic edifices that dot New Orleans and the other cities of Louisiana to this day.
During the 1910's and 1920's, during the dark days of the Great European War, Louisiana made more than its contribution to the war against the Anglo-Russian dictators, playing a crucial role in the final collapse of British tyranny in the Americas. During this period, also, Louisiana's popular music reached a worldwide artist for the first time. The synthesis of the traditional French chanson with lively Franco-Caribbean dance music created la louisianaise, somewhat similar to the jazz and rhythm 'n' blues of Anglophone alterworlds, a genre of music that remains vital to this day. The Carré des pauvres, home to the largest Franco-Caribbean community in the world and origin of la louisianaise, remains the centre of la louisianaise to this day -- many of the smaller nightclubs
Now, Louisiana has once again returned to its rightful position as the centre of commerce and culture linking the prosperous Caribbean littoral and the populous North American continent. Louisianan bankers and industrialists have helped bring prosperity to neighboring Mexico, the United States, Florida, Mayastan, and Cuba, just as Louisianan writers and theorists have encouraged other Francophone nations of America -- Canada, California, Santo-Domingo, and Argentina -- to become societies fully tolerant of the "other".
Louisiana has always welcomed the traveller; whether the traveller comes from our world or an alterworld makes no difference to us.
Enjoy your stay in Louisiana and Nouvelle-Orléans!
The City Of Ladies |
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©1999 Jonathan Edelstein |
In 1405, the French author Christine de Pisan wrote the Book of the City of Ladies, which described her vision of a city of women ruled by the Virgin Mary. Today in the city of Consolation, capital of the Republic of Virginia, visitors can see her vision come to life.
The oldest settlement in North America - chartered to what was then the Order of Mary Mediator by Papal proclamation in 1518 - Consolation retains much of its original sixteenth-century architecture. The obvious first stop for any visitor is the Convent of Our Lady of Consolation, the first structure to be built in the city and its seat of government for more than two hundred years. The convent is still active, so many of its chambers are closed to the public, but guests can book tours of the areas where the sisters and lay associates of the Order lived and worked during colonial times. Of particular interest is the Outer Chapel, where the ecclesiastical court dispatched by the Pope in 1644 conducted its proceedings in the very precincts of the order it was investigating.
The courtyard of the Convent also contains a statue of Christina of Sweden, who was the last Superior of the Order to be appointed by the Pope and the first Guardian of the Republic of Virginia. Unlike other seventeenth-century statues of women, Christina is depicted in an equestrian pose and wearing armor, as befits the woman who led the colonial forces in the ten-year War of the Orders (also known as the Virginia War of Independence or Our Lady's War). At the conclusion of the war in 1664, the colonial militia and their Native American allies had triumphed over the weak papal forces to become North America's first independent nation. The Virginia Charter promulgated by Christina in 1652 also stands out as the first constitution to abolish slavery and to recognize the rights of women.
Other points of interest in Consolation include the Hall of Guardians, which has been the Republic's seat of government since 1750, when the balance of power was shifted from the Order to the Council after a period of British domination. Although the Guardian of the Republic and the Superior of the Order have in practice always been the same woman, it is now the Council which has the upper hand in her selection. In addition, the seventeenth- century city wall is largely intact, although the modern city has spread considerably beyond its confines. The port district as well contains an excellent living demonstration of sixteenth-century shipping and trade. Finally, any visitor to Consolation should be sure to see its many fine eighteenth and nineteenth-century universities, which were among the first institutions to offer education to women on equal terms with men.
There are literally hundreds of churches in Consolation, but many of them will seem unusual to a foreign visitor. The majority belong to the Church of Mary Mediator - officially separate from the Catholic Church since 1796 - and the churchgoer will often see female priests or lay associates preaching from the pulpit. The Church of Mary Mediator retains much of Catholic ritual, including Communion and the full seven sacraments, but approaches the concept of a priesthood of all believers. In addition, under the Act of Toleration passed by the Council in 1691, freedom of worship is permitted in Virginia. Thus, there are several Catholic churches in the city, as well as synagogues, mosques and national churches of several European countries. Travelers from worlds where a Protestant reformation occurred will probably be most comfortable attending services at the Church of the Netherlands. Numerous monasteries and convents also exist in Consolation and the surrounding area, many of which sell handicrafts or are open to the public.
TRAVELING ON: Roads in Virginia are excellent, so visitors will have no trouble traveling between cities or in the countryside. Rental cars and fuel, however, are expensive and hard to find, so travelers would be best advised to use public transportation or to obtain a ride from a local resident who is headed that way. It is common for delivery vehicles or even private cars to accept passengers, and transportation exchanges exist in most major cities where visitors can find rides.
The city and convent of Magdalena, built in 1655, possesses much of the charm of Consolation, and its original architecture is even better preserved. At the time Magdalena was built, it was a center of missionary activity among Native Americans, and now has a substantial urban Native American population. Visitors should be sure to see the Virginia Museum of Native American History, which was established more than 250 years ago and was the first museum to collect Native American cultural artifacts with the cooperation of the associated tribes. Magdalena is also the site of Virginia's yearly fair, at which farmers and merchants from both Virginia proper and the associated tribes come to sell their wares and enjoy entertainment much like that which amused the fairgoers of three centuries ago.
West of Magdalena lies the territories of the associated tribes, which are internally self-governing and have representation on the Council of Virginia. Several of these tribal territories are nearly indistinguishable from Virginia proper due to centuries of intermarriage and assimilation, but others have retained more of their cultural identity and laws. Visitors can shop at the roadside handicraft stands if they like, but should be aware that these are created for the benefit of tourists and that the real commerce of the associated tribes comes from their farms and factories.
On the coast south of Consolation, the city of Corpus Christi also holds numerous attractions. This is the last city to fall to the colonial militia during the War of the Orders, and was ruled for six terrible years by the Spanish Duke of Alva and his papal legion, the Knights of the Cross of the New World. The museum of the Inquisition which exists here depicts that period in detail, but is not for the faint-hearted. Tours of the city walls and the battlefield which decided the War of the Orders are also available. For those who prefer more light-hearted recreation, the area around Corpus Christi provides excellent beaches and fishing.
Visitors to Virginia may also wish to take an excursion north to the United States of America, particularly the attractions in the states of New Sweden, New Netherlands and Iroquois. The state of Acadia is a considerable journey from Virginia, but is a must for any serious fisherman. Alternatively, an adventurous visitor could travel south to the Papal States of America, where the capital city of Dominica has been the site of the Vatican since the reunification of Italy in 1870. While admiring the architecture of the churches and monasteries, however, travelers should be aware that the Papal States are not nearly as tolerant of other religions as Virginia is, and that care should be exercised in any public expression of faith.