zeroantizero

So, I succeeded in expressly doing the opposite of what I said I would do this time last year, which was to be more active. In fact, other than the occasional peak, I haven't visited here at all since around the beginning of August. And I should even be here now since, since this is the busiest time of year for me, but here I am nonetheless.

So, first, apologies to all, especially if I left you hanging for a reply.

Not much has been going on outside the soul-stealing abyss that is accountancy. Only two big changes, even in all these months.

First and foremost, after years of not having a pet, I now have a cat - a grey tabby kitten named Oliver, from Dickens' "Oliver Twist". His mother was a stray who ended up having her kittens in my back yard in September; but unfortunately Oliver is the only survivor of the litter. While the other kittens were alive, he was very standoffish, but (because of loneliness, maybe?) within a few days of his siblings' deaths (from fading kitten syndrome or poisoning, since it was close to Halloween?) he was trying to break into the house any way he could. We gave up finally, and now he's a full time inside cat. And a very good one too: he has not touched the tree once since we put it up.

Secondly, I have applied for the Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) program sponsored by the Japanese government, to become an English language instructor for a year beginning in July. Most of my friends think I'm crazy, but accountancy isn't really an interest of mine (I went to school for Finance); it's just that even failing companies need accountants, so it's been something to do since I graduated in the low point of the Great Recession. But I didn't really think about language instruction until a met with a friend from high school, who is an instructor in Vietnam. It interested me, and if JET goes well, I look towards formal certifications in EFL/ESL language instruction. Anyway, the results of the first application round are due this month, so wish me luck.

I realize that I am behind on viewing and responding to the things you've all done in the past few months, so, again apologies, expect a barrage of me catching up with all of you.

Today marks the 90th birthday of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. She is also head of the Commonwealth of Nations, a grouping of 53 independent states formerly part of the British Empire, as well as the Anglican Communion, a Christian denomination with over 85 million followers.

Born in 1926, during the reign of her grandfather George V, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was never meant to be queen. Third in line, after her uncle and father, it was expected that a future male heir would emerge. Following the death of George V in 1936, her uncle immediately became king as Edward VIII. However, his reign was not to be - faced with the choice of marrying his love Wallis Simpson or remaining king, Edward chose the former, abdicating the crown to his brother (and Elizabeth's father) George VI. She had immediately become the monarch-in-waiting.

The reign of her father was marked by fracturing relations with Germany, that culminated in war in September 1939. The royal family stayed in London throughout the war, against the advice of the government, who wanted them to evacuate to Canada. This action greatly improved the morale of Britons, especially Londoners, who faced night bombings from the German Luftwaffe. In the last months of the war, the now-adult Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, although she never saw combat.

Throughout the late 1940's Princess Elizabeth participated in royal engagements, including a 1947 tour of the empire, where, in South Africa, she made the declaration that has led her through her life since: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

Since 1952, when she became queen following her father's passing, she has followed that declaration as her mission statement, serving with both grace and equanimity for 64 years. In 2015, she became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and today she become Britain's first nonagenarian monarch. God be with you, ma'am.

Welcome to 2016, everyone! Hopefully, everyone has had a enjoyable and safe transition to the new year.

I'm going to attempt a resolution this year and see how long it lasts, and I'll declare it below.

Since I graduated from university and entered the working world, I've pretty much abandoned the things I had previously enjoyed, such as watching anime, writing fanfiction and keeping a journal.

This past year, having been out of school for five years, and with a plethora of once-in-a-lifetime anniversaries, I tried to be a bit more active. I managed to acknowledge the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta and the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, which effectively ended the Napoleonic Wars. But, at the same time I failed to acknowledge others, such as the first flyby of Pluto (still a planet) by a human-engineered machine on 14 July, or Elizabeth II passing Victoria as longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and longest-reigning queen regnant, i.e. with political authority) on 8 September (Victoria passed George III in 1896, when Britain was seen as an unchallengeable power almost-destined to rule the world - yeah, I'm such an anglophile...).

I did not watch a single anime until December. Nor have I read a single manga or book, or write a single word, fiction or nonfiction. I've just been another number-cruncher numb to the outside world.

So this year, my resolution is to focus more on the things I enjoy and to be more visibly active in doing them. I hope you all are there for the ride.

Today in 1815, the forces of the Seventh Coalition engaged and defeated Napoleon for the last time, and put an end to over twenty years of constant war in Europe. A combined Coalition force led by the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian force under Marshal von Blucher, met Napoleon's own at Waterloo, outside Brussels (then part of the Netherlands, now Belgium).

The occurrence of the battle, and Coalition victory were not assured. The Prussians had been delayed by a defeat at Ligny (where von Blucher was nearly killed), and were hesitant to re-engage so quickly, thus forcing Wellington to begin plans to retreat to Brussels. However, a recovered von Blucher agreed to divide his forces - most to march towards Waterloo, and a smaller force to stop the arrival of Imperialiste reinforcements. However, the timely arrival of von Blucher was questionable. Thus, at the beginning of the battle, with no Prussian troops, the opposing forces were equally matched at roughly 70,000 men each.

Beginning at somewhere between 10:30 and 11:30, Napoleon initiated the attack against Wellington, with infantry and cavalry (and largely ineffective artillery) that slowly succeeded in pushing back Wellington. By mid-afternoon, Napoleon was actually all but the victor of the battle, having broken through Wellington's slowly crumbling lines. Finally, it was around this time that von Blucher arrived with the main column of the Prussian forces that halted the breaking of the Coalition forces and began to turn the tide of the battle. Realizing that the Prussians would eventually overwhelm him, Napoleon ordered a desperate attack by the Imperial Guard against Wellington, hoping to break the linkages between the Coalition and the Prussians - which nonetheless failed. By evening, whatever French forces couldn't retreat had surrendered.

Although Napoleon would not surrender himself for nearly another month, there was now nothing to stop the Coalition from marching to Paris and restoring Bourbon King Louis XVIII onto the French throne. This time, when Napoleon was exiled, it was to St. Helena, a remote island in the Atlantic under British control and 2,000 miles from the nearest mainland.

As a curiosity, in European and American politics, candidates typically lay out what they plan for their first hundred days in office. This recalls the Napoleonic restoration (referred to by historians as the Hundred Days) - from his arrival in Paris on 20 March 1815, Napoleon was able to rebuild his army, and use it to nearly defeat the combined powers of Europe on 18 June (91 days). He abdicated as Emperor of the French on 22 June (95 days) and left Paris on 29 June (102 days). Louis XVIII was restored in Paris on 8 July, 111 days after its loss to Napoleon. Thus modern politicians invoke Napoleon in their campaigns (although none come close to his achievements).

Eight hundred years ago today, in the grassy fields of Runnymede, John of England signed Magna Carta (Great Charter), and also known as the Charter of Liberties, acknowledging the rights of the barons of England in relation to their king.

Although immediately nullified after appeal to Pope Innocent III, and offering no protection to the Commons, Magna Carta reappeared intermittently in the 13th century until it was incorporated into English law in 1297. While it was slowly abridged in favor to royal power, it was drawn upon in the 16th century as a response to Tudor absolutism, and achieved new life in 17th century as a parliamentary check against the Stuarts, only to again be abridged in the Interregnum by the republican dictator Cromwell. Magna Carta, while highly regarded by post-Interregnum parliamentarians, and lawyers to this very day, has never recovered it constitutional significance in England.

However, Magna Carta's history takes a different turn in the American colonies, where it was regarded as a fundamental aspect of their rights as Englishmen, protecting them from the excesses of both the king and parliament. As creations of the Crown, with their own distinct legal personalites, the colonies were not affected by the new post-Interregnum settlement, and thus viewed negatively the increasing parliamentary interference in their own legal systems as attacks on those rights enshrined in Magna Carta. Even after the point where the colonies were no longer content to remain in the British Empire, the Americans felt that they were simply defending these rights from parliament's attempts to abridge them. Thus, even separated from their birthplace, the rights of Magna Carta were settled and expanded in the constitutions of the states and the United States Constitution generally. Indeed, the first memorial to Magna Carta at Runnymede was erected by the American Bar Association. While not having the same life as in the U.S., Magna Carta later influenced the constitutions of other nations released from the British Empire, particularly those with legal systems based on English common law.

There are four extant copies of the 1215 issuance of Magna Carta - two in the British Library, and one each at the cathedrals of Lincoln and Salisbury. Multiple copies of later issuances exist, including 1297 issuances held in the U.S. National Archives and the Parliament of Australia.