News evil Season 4 of Evil Will Be Its Last‚ Though Series Will Get Some Bonus Episodes Evil returns! For a little while By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on February 16‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed The fourth season of Evil is coming out this May on Paramount+‚ and I’ve got some good and bad news. The bad news is the season will be the last of the series; the good news‚ however‚ is that we will also get four bonus episodes to wrap things up. “We want to thank Paramount+ for giving us four bonus episodes to end Evil in the world in style‚” said the show’s co-creators and showrunners Robert and Michelle King in a statement. “We will miss this show and cast. In many ways it was a dream project‚ but sadly evil will outlast Evil. See you in May.” If you haven’t watched Evil before‚ you’re missing out. The show’s logline describes it as “a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion‚” which is accurate. The show doesn’t hold back on exploring that dividing line‚ giving us demons on ellipticals‚ sexy night terror demons‚ and other batshit scenarios. Add to that a great cast that includes Katja Herbers‚ Mike Colter‚ Aasif Mandvi‚ Michael Emerson‚ Andrea Martin‚ Kurt Fuller‚ Christine Lahti‚ Brooklyn Shuck‚ Skylar Gray‚ Maddy Crocco and Dalya Knapp‚ and you’ve got some great television. While we’re sad the show is ending‚ I’m glad that it gets to go off in style‚ as the teaser trailer below suggests: Evil starts streaming on Paramount+ in May. The first three seasons are currently available on the streaming platform for your horrific viewing pleasure. [end-mark] The post Season 4 of <;i>;Evil<;/i>; Will Be Its Last‚ Though Series Will Get Some Bonus Episodes appeared first on Reactor.

Lists frogs Five Fantasy Frogs and Toads Who’ve Hopped Into Our Hearts From lovable animal companions to all-powerful hypnotoads… By Cole Rush | Published on February 16‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed In the past‚ we’ve covered some excellent SFF lizards and reptilian characters. I’ve also discussed tortoises and turtles‚ which some say go all the freakin’ way down. Now‚ it’s time to hop over to the world of amphibians‚ and specifically frogs and toads (but not specifically Frog and Toad). Fictional frogs and toads are sometimes depicted as simple hippity-hopping amphibians‚ happily croaking away and snapping up flies; then again‚ they can run the gamut from a likeable‚ laidback character like Kermit to the boastful and wild Mr. Toad of Toad Hall‚ and it’s been said that if you kiss enough of them‚ you might find yourself in the presence of royalty… Today I want to talk about five particular frogs and toads from movies and television who’ve made the leap onto my list of weird‚ intriguing‚ and memorable fantasy characters… Greg’s Frog and Others‚ Over the Garden Wall Greg’s frog is given many names throughout the series‚ as our charming young protagonist attempts to find the perfect name‚ sometimes changing his mind more than once over the course of an episode. The frog—who some believe is the narrator of Over the Garden Wall—is dubbed “Kitty‚” “Wirt‚” “Wirt Jr‚” “George Washington‚” “Doctor Cucumber‚” and “Skipper‚” among various other monikers. This particular frog is one of many we meet as Greg and his brother Wirt travel through the strange landscape of the Unknown on their quest to get back home. The sixth episode‚ “Lullaby in Frogland‚” sees the brothers board a steamboat carrying a crowd of anthropomorphic amphibians: the crew and other passengers are all frogs wearing dresses‚ suits‚ and uniforms. Greg’s frog (called George Washington‚ then Doctor Cucumber in this episode) breaks into song to the surprise of the boys‚ serenading the revelers with a dreamy melody. Like many of the show’s whimsical elements‚ we’re given little explanation or backstory for Greg’s frog (or the fact that he can suddenly take on the rule of crooner‚ though we never see him talk)—and I think that’s nifty. The frogs and other memorable characters the boys encounter in the mysterious Unknown are presented without any heavy-handed attempts to translate the dream logic and imagery for the viewer‚ and it makes for a unique sort of escapism. Bait‚ The Dragon Prince I love Bait‚ perhaps because he reminds me of my cat—slow and bumbling until it’s time to act. The similarities stop there because Bait has saved the day more than once‚ while my cat has done nothing of the sort. Prince Ezran’s glowtoad is the epitome of what a fantasy animal companion should be. He’s sweet‚ caring… a bit grumpy‚ but always steadfast and loyal. In the course of some daring adventures‚ Bait’s ability to emanate sunlight saves the heroes from certain doom. Bait is almost never the first line of defense (and he occasionally gets lost in all the action)‚ but when he kicks into high gear‚ you’ll be thankful he came along. Plus‚ he loves jelly tarts—a  toad after my own pastry-craving heart! Toad‚ X-Men Before the MCU‚ before even Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man‚ there was X-Men: In the year 2000 (and onward)‚ my youthful appetite for anything nerdy or superhero-focused was satiated by repeat viewings of X-Men. My favorite character? You betcha—Toad. While not a frog or toad in the literal sense‚ Toad’s mutant powers are pulled straight from the amphibians’ arsenal: a long‚ prehensile tongue‚ slimy goo he can spit at enemies‚ and incredible leaping abilities. Since the release of X-Men‚ there’s been a criminal lack of frog- or toad-based superheroes‚ and I want more. Why won’t Hollywood recognize this gap in the market? Certainly‚ it can’t be that X-men’s Toad was the best of all possible options—as much as enjoyed the character‚ his demise at the hands of Halle Berry’s Storm is‚ well…less than glorious. Jamack‚ Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Dapper and sharp-tongued‚ Jamack is one of Kipo’s most capable foes‚ though he’s so much more than a simple antagonist. He’s such a dynamic character that it’s difficult to do him justice. Let’s start with the fact that this frog sports a snappy tailored suit and a jaunty little mustache. Rad‚ right? Jamack (along with his fellow Mod Frogs‚ also dressed in ’60s-style suits and skinny ties) starts out as an adversary in the series. He’s a kinda-sorta Zuko-type character (for those of you familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender)‚ chasing Kipo and turning up at inopportune moments to try to capture our protagonist. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts isn’t content to let characters stay stagnant‚ however. Like much of the cast‚ Jamack undergoes quite a lot of growth throughout the series‚ eventually finding a begrudging respect for Kipo. The story takes him to new heights later on‚ though I won’t spoil how that all turns out… The Hypnotoad‚ Futurama Finally‚ we come to the Hypnotoad‚ one of the weirdest and darkest entries on this list. It’s interesting that while I tend to think of most SFF amphibians as on the side of good (or sometimes neutral)‚ three out of the five characters on this list have a darker side‚ although Toad and Jamack are both complicated. The Hypnotoad‚ on the other hand‚ is a law unto himself. The creature hypnotizes anyone who gazes at his pulsating‚ glowing eyes‚ mesmerizing sheep‚ humans‚ and aliens alike into doing his bidding. Its hypnotic powers turn sinister when it leads people to violence or forces them to write articles praising the might of the Hypnotoad‚ greatest of all SFF amphibians… In the Futurama universe‚ Hypnotoad even has its own TV series‚ “Everybody Loves Hypnotoad.” The show—a simple broadcast of Hypnotoad sitting relatively still and staring directly into the camera—ran for three seasons. ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!!! Honorable Mentions My slimiest‚ froggiest props go to Slippy Toad of Star Fox fame‚ who was certainly a contender for a spot on the list but didn’t quite make it. Also‚ while I wanted to turn the spotlight on some lesser-known SFF characters in this article‚ let’s never forget the classics: the aforementioned Frog and Toad‚ Kermit the Frog (and his nephew Robin)‚ who star together in the Muppets’ delightful retelling of The Frog Prince)‚ and Mr. Toad from Wind in the Willows—and finally Looney Tunes’ star (and former mascot of The WB) Michigan J. Frog. I hope you’ve found this article absolutely ribbiting‚ and please feel free to share your own favorite fictional frogs‚ toads‚ and other amphibians in the comments![end-mark] The post Five Fantasy Frogs and Toads Who’ve Hopped Into Our Hearts appeared first on Reactor.

Every film lover has a ‘guilty pleasure‚’ a movie one enjoys despite what popular opinion says about it. The designation has been applied to films as diverse as Grease and Plan 9 From Outer Space‚ but one film CONTINUE READING... The post Do You Remember? The Beastmaster appeared first on The Retro Network.

The budding regional war in the Middle East is a crisis of President Joe Biden’s own making. Not only has the president empowered Iran by relaxing former President Donald Trump’s sanctions on the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism‚ but he has also empowered Iran’s proxies through various geopolitical moves that make war more likely. Biden is not alone; previous administrations have directed funds to ostensible U.S. allies in the region‚ funds that likely contribute to the proxies’ forces. Biden’s relaxation of Trump-era sanctions netted Tehran at least $77 billion‚ some of which Iran directs to proxies across the region. Yet the president’s other policies also emboldened Iran’s proxies‚ who have attacked Israel‚ U.S. forces‚ and global shipping since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel. “We have enabled and fed our enemies and constricted our friends‚” Rob Greenway‚ director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense‚ told The Daily Signal. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.) Greenway‚ who orchestrated Trump’s sanctions against Tehran‚ warned that Biden’s policies have “strategically appeased Iran.” Benham Ben Taleblu‚ a senior fellow focused on Iran at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies‚ told The Daily Signal that Iran has propped up proxies that represent “a state within a state‚” exploiting instability in Iraq‚ Lebanon‚ and Yemen to “benefit from the largesse of U.S. policy.” Taleblu notes that this poses a “philosophical problem” for America‚ which funds Iraq and Lebanon‚ even though it cannot prevent those governments from funneling that money to Iran’s proxies in their countries. Iran excels at “indigenizing the capabilities” of its allies by partnering with groups that have already arisen in another country. Neither the White House nor the State Department provided comments for this article. 1. The Houthis The Iran-backed Houthi movement‚ a Shiite militant group in Yemen‚ adopted the slogan “God is the greatest‚ death to America‚ death to Israel‚ a curse upon the Jews‚ victory to Islam.” The Houthis took control of Sanaa‚ Yemen’s capital city‚ in 2014‚ pushing the country’s then-president‚ Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi‚ to the east. Hadi and his successor‚ Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi‚ enjoy support from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. During the Trump administration‚ the U.S. provided billions of dollars worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in Yemen. Trump vetoed a bill to block this funding in 2019. Trump’s secretary of state‚ Mike Pompeo‚ designated the Houthis a terrorist group in 2021. Under Biden‚ however‚ Secretary of State Antony Blinken reversed the terrorist designation in a move the administration framed as intended to “alleviate or at least not worsen the suffering of the Yemeni civilians who live under Houthi control.” In February 2021‚ Biden announced: “We are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen‚ including relevant arms sales.” The United Nations brokered a two-month truce on April 2‚ 2022‚ but the Houthis refused to extend that truce after it lapsed in October 2022. The Houthis have repeatedly fired on international commercial shipping since mid-November‚ mostly targeting vessels with commercial ties to the U.S.‚ Britain‚ or Israel. These attacks have prompted many companies to reroute ships to avoid the Red Sea‚ which offers a quicker‚ more direct route for global trade; the companies take the longer‚ more expensive route around Africa. Since Jan. 11‚ U.S. and British planes have carried out retaliatory strikes across Yemen to respond to the Houthi attacks. Greenway‚ the Heritage expert‚ warned that “Yemen aid is also invariably being diverted to the Houthis.” He said the terrorists “create the humanitarian crisis‚ demand aid‚ and divert aid‚” in a vicious spiral. Last month‚ the Biden administration moved to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist group‚ though it stopped short of the harsher designation Pompeo had used. Trump’s secretary of state had put the Houthis on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list‚ which bars members’ entry into the U.S. and enables the freezing of any Houthi assets in the U.S.‚ among other things. Blinken‚ by contrast‚ announced on Jan. 17 that the State Department would consider the Houthis a “specially designated global terrorist group” after a 30-day delay in which the U.S. would try to facilitate “humanitarian assistance” to Yemenis. Edem Wosornu‚ the United Nations’ aid operations director‚ warned Wednesday against designating the Houthis as a terrorist group‚ saying the move may harm “Yemen’s already fragile economy.” Rich Goldberg‚ a senior adviser at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies who previously directed a Trump White House program to counter Iran’s development of nuclear weapons‚ called Blinken’s forthcoming sanctions on the Houthis “toothless‚” noting that they include “five broad general exemptions.” Goldberg mentioned Saudi Arabia’s truce with Iran last year‚ which he said involved the Saudis “basically buying off the Houthis and the Iranians in exchange for the Houthis stopping drone strikes.” Goldberg told The Daily Signal that the Biden administration sent Saudi Arabia many signals that it wouldn’t back Riyadh when facing Iran’s provocations. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman “decided there is no U.S. support‚ the U.S. is pumping money into threats attacking Saudi Arabia‚ so they need to cut their own deal with the Iranians to protect themselves‚” Goldberg said. The Saudis are pouring an “unknown amount” of money into Yemen‚ he said. Ben Taleblu‚ the other senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies‚ warned that the Houthis have “some of the most damning” missile capabilities of any Iran proxies. He noted that the Houthis launched the medium-range Burkan-3 ballistic missile for the first time in 2019. 2. UNRWA and Hamas Biden restored funding that may have directly contributed to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks‚ when Hamas terrorists brutally massacred at least 1‚200 Israelis‚ including raping women and murdering babies‚ and taking hundreds hostage. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East portrays itself as an aid organization‚ but the Israel Defense Forces provided evidence that 12 UNRWA employees took part in the Oct. 7 massacre. The U.S.‚ Germany‚ Britain‚ and seven other countries cut off UNRWA aid after the revelations surfaced late last month. Israel revealed Sunday that Hamas operated a tunnel right underneath UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini insisted that the U.N. agency “did not know what is under its headquarters.” He said the agency left its headquarters Oct. 12‚ five days after Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel. In 2014‚ however‚ part of the parking lot at the UNRWA headquarters began to sink‚ likely because of a Hamas tunnel underneath‚ The Wall Street Journal reported. “No one talked about what was causing the collapse‚” a former UNRWA official said‚ according to the Journal. “But everyone knew.” U.N. Watch’s Hillel Neuer revealed what he claimed to be a chat group with 3‚000 UNRWA teachers celebrating the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Neuer testified that U.N. leaders “could not possibly have been shocked that UNRWA employees are implicated in terrorism‚” because his organization sent them reports in 2015‚ 2017‚ 2019‚ and 2021. In 2018‚ the State Department under Trump announced that the U.S. would stop contributing to UNRWA‚ noting that the U.S. had shouldered a “very disproportionate share” of the burden and criticizing the U.N. relief agency’s “business model and fiscal practices” as “simply unsustainable.” In 2021‚ the Biden administration announced plans to provide $235 million to UNRWA‚ restoring part of the approximately $360 million that the U.N. agency would have expected if the U.S. had not cut off funding in 2018. It remains unclear how much of this money went to Hamas or to UNRWA employees who may have helped Hamas on Oct. 7. 3. Hezbollah Hezbollah‚ Iran’s Shiite militia in Lebanon‚ arguably poses a greater threat to Israel than Hamas. “Hezbollah is a threat 10 times larger than Hamas‚ with long-range capabilities‚ precision-guided munitions‚ [unmanned aerial vehicles]‚ and the ability to inflict far more damage on Israel than we’ve seen Hamas do even on Oct. 7‚” Goldberg‚ the senior adviser at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies‚ told The Daily Signal. Hezbollah started a war on July 12‚ 2006‚ when militants captured two members of an Israel Defense Forces patrol inside Israel and killed the other three. Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel as a diversion. After Israel responded with rockets‚ a ground invasion‚ and a blockade‚ the United Nations negotiated a cease-fire. The United Nations approved‚ and both Israel and Lebanon agreed to‚ U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701‚ which‚ among other things‚ requires Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw its forces north of the Litani River. That river is about 19 miles north of Israel’s border with Lebanon. The U.S. has spent billions of dollars over decades funding both the Lebanese Armed Forces and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon‚ a “temporary” U.N. peacekeeping body established in 1978. Resolution 1701 states that the U.N.’s Lebanon force must disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River‚ yet to this day‚ Hezbollah has armed forces south of that river. “The return on investment is quite negative for the U.S. taxpayer in Lebanon these last two decades‚” Goldberg said. “The threat has metastasized to such a degree that Israel is almost deterred from action in a full-scale attack on Hezbollah‚ and potentially deterred from action against Iran and its nuclear program.” According to leaks following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks‚ Biden warned Israel against launching a preemptive strike against Hezbollah. “Now we see Hezbollah’s ramped up‚” Goldberg noted. Since Oct. 7‚ Hezbollah has attacked Israeli outposts along the Lebanese border and launched rockets into Israel. The Jewish state has evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from Israeli villages and towns near the border with Lebanon‚ fearing an Oct. 7-style attack from the north. Israel has demanded that Hezbollah abide by the terms of Resolution 1701. A Biden envoy‚ Amos Hochstein‚ has been negotiating in the region. According to Axios’ Barak Ravid‚ earlier this month Hochstein presented a peace proposal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The proposal wouldn’t require Hezbollah to move its forces north of the Litani River but only 5 to 6 miles from the Israeli border‚ with the Lebanese Armed Forces filling in. Hezbollah has already moved most of its elite Radwan force north of this line. Israel would have to pull forces away from the border and move its jets out of Lebanese airspace. Western powers also would send money to Lebanon to sweeten the deal for Hezbollah. Goldberg denounced the plan as a “bag of magic beans.” He noted that the plan doesn’t explain how fighters who live in southern Lebanese towns would be forced to leave‚ or how Israel could verify that missiles had been moved from under schools‚ homes‚ and hospitals in southern Lebanon. “Who would ensure Hezbollah can’t come in to attack Israel?” Goldberg asked. “It will be the LAF and UNIFIL. That’s ludicrous after 17 years of teaching us that they will not do anything to stop Hezbollah.” He was referring to the Lebanese Armed Forces and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. Hezbollah has “taken effective political control of the country‚” so the LAF does not represent any sort of check on Hezbollah‚ Goldberg said. “In exchange for giving Israel no sense of security‚ there reportedly will also be a massive bailout of the Lebanese economy‚ and an Israeli commitment to negotiate giving up territory on the Lebanese border‚” he said. “It’s completely insane.” Israel needs the ability “to give residents of evacuated communities enough confidence to return to their homes” and to “prevent an Oct. 7-type invasion‚” Goldberg argued‚ and this proposed deal doesn’t come close to meeting those goals. The U.S. has generously funded the Lebanese army for years‚ with a slight‚ unexplained pause during the Trump administration. “A lot of the money we give to the government of Lebanon goes to Hezbollah‚” warned Greenway‚ director of Heritage’s Center for National Defense. Goldberg noted that Congress knew the UNIFIL funding wasn’t deterring Hezbollah and yet continued to approve it‚ anyway. “Going back to 2007‚ every year members of Congress wrote letters about the enforcement of [Resolution] 1701‚” Goldberg said‚ specifying that many lawmakers demanded answers from the administrations of George W. Bush‚ Barack Obama‚ Trump‚ and Biden. “It has been a bipartisan failure for years.” Goldberg noted that the Trump administration attempted to “start enforcing congressionally mandated Hezbollah sanctions” and that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Justice Department reopened investigations into the terrorist group that were closed during the Obama administration. “You haven’t heard anything on cracking down on Hezbollah since Joe Biden took office‚” Goldberg said. Hezbollah released videos in July 2023 showing how the terrorist group prepared for a multipoint invasion to kill and capture Israelis in Israel‚ Goldberg noted‚ adding that these videos “look like Oct. 7‚ only they’re set in Northern Israel‚ not on the Gaza border.” “Hamas executed a plan that Hezbollah created‚” he said. 4. Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq The U.S. launched airstrikes on Feb. 2 targeting al Hashd al Shabi‚ an Iran-linked militia and part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces‚ following a Jan. 28 drone attack on the military base Tower 22 in Jordan that killed three American service members. Heritage’s Greenway explained that the government of Iraq “owns” the Popular Mobilization Forces‚ but Iran effectively controls them. The U.S. has supplied $10 billion or more each year to Baghdad on semimonthly cargo flights carrying massive pallets of cash‚ drawn from Iraqi oil sales proceeds deposited at the Federal Reserve‚ The Wall Street Journal reported. It remains unclear how much of this money goes to Iran-backed militias. Greenway warned that the Popular Mobilization Forces—an umbrella organization of about 67 diverse militias—are often “bigger than the army‚ and most groups are under Iran specifically and are designated terrorist groups.” He also argued that when the U.S. allows Iraq to send money to Iran in exchange for natural gas‚ these electricity payments constitute a form of money laundering. (The State Department in November extended a waiver allowing Iran to sell electricity to Iraq and use the money to purchase goods overseas.) As of 2022‚ Iraq was the world’s fifth-largest oil producer‚ producing 4.61 million barrels per day‚ according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Yet Iraq imports electricity from its eastern neighbor. “A major oil producer importing electricity? It’s the stupidest thing in the world‚” Greenway previously told The Daily Signal. “Iraq deliberately decides they need electricity and it won’t bring in countries to improve its electric grid.” The Islamic Resistance in Iraq‚ an umbrella term for pro-Iran Shiite Islamist insurgents in Iraq‚ claimed responsibility for the Jan. 28 attack on the military base. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an ally of the Popular Mobilization Forces. Taleblu‚ the expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies‚ explained that the Iran-backed militias in Iraq started the Islamic Resistance in Iraq as an “umbrella group designed to further hinder attribution” for attacks. When Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility for attacks like the one Jan. 28‚ it prevents the U.S. and allies from identifying which specific militia carried out the attack‚ Taleblu said. He described the resistance group as a “proxy for the proxies” of Iran. For his part‚ Goldberg noted that the Trump administration attempted to start “squeezing Baghdad to stop financing these militias using U.S. cash.” But its efforts largely failed‚ he said‚ due to opposition from within the Defense Department‚ which sees the militias as allies against the Islamic State terrorist group. Biden’s Vision for Iran Why does Biden seem intent on helping Iran? Goldberg attributed the Biden administration’s policy to a balance-of-powers mentality that sees U.S. intervention as the major threat to Middle East peace. “There is a worldview that in order to create an equilibrium in the Middle East that avoids conflict‚ you have to empower Iran to be an equal of the Sunnis and Israel‚” he said. “Once they have a mutually assured destruction going on‚ the U.S. can pull out of the Middle East.” “It’s a completely extremist‚ nonserious‚ ideologically fringe worldview‚ driven by the belief that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not an enemy but an enemy we have created‚” Goldberg said. If Biden wants to avoid a wider war in the Middle East‚ he needs to take action to deter Iran’s proxies. Unfortunately‚ the president’s policies seem to have done the opposite so far‚ perhaps even by design. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Biden Empowered Iran Proxies Attacking US Forces and Threatening Wider War Against Israel appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Mention Deadwood and what often pops to mind are sordid scenes straight out of the namesake HBO television series—and to be fair‚ such scenes aren’t far from the truth. In 1874‚ on the mere rumor of gold in the Black Hills‚ prospectors came to the region in droves. Then‚ in the fall of 1875‚ such seekers did turn up an especially rich gold deposit in the northern Black Hills. That sparked the stampede to what became known as Deadwood Gulch‚ as miners staked claims and set up camp in a ravine choked with dead trees. As happened in many mining camps‚ Deadwood soon had its share of gambling halls and bordellos. When trail guides “Colorado Charlie” Utter and brother Steve arrived with the first wagonload of prostitutes on July 12‚ 1876‚ the sporting women soon had more customers than they could handle. From then on a regular stream of wagons brought prostitutes to town. On July 12‚ 1876‚ trail guide “Colorado Charlie” Utter and brother Steve brought the first wagonload of prostitutes to the muddy jumble of a boomtown (pictured here a year later). Aboard the same wagon train was Wild Bill Hickok‚ who was openly slain in Deadwood weeks later‚ an indicator of how violent it was. Receiving scant regard or care from either their employers or clientele‚ such women were often subject to abuse. On one headline-grabbing occasion‚ when a customer started to beat her bloody‚ a Gem saloon prostitute known as Tricksie (yes‚ Deadwood fans‚ there really was a working girl named Tricksie) shot the man through the head. According to Deadwood pioneer and memoirist John S. McClintock‚ the attending doctor threaded a probe all the way through the shooting victim’s skull. McClintock dubiously claimed to have run into the man on the street some weeks later‚ though the memoirist didn’t share (or perhaps didn’t know) Trixie’s fate. Such was the miserable welcome prostitutes could expect. Looking the Other Way Residents of early Deadwood desperately needed law and order. They got the right man in the spring of 1877 when Dakota Territory Governor John L. Pennington appointed hardware store owner and former Montana lawman Seth Bullock sheriff of Lawrence County. No longer was violent crime tolerated. However‚ prostitution continued to get a conspicuous pass. After all‚ it represented a thriving industry in a mining camp where men dominated the population and nine out of 10 women were painted ladies. Thus the brothels of Deadwood became an open secret. The swath of dance halls‚ gambling dens‚ saloons and brothels along both sides of lower Main Street‚ on the north end of town‚ became known as the “Badlands.” In the typical business arrangement‚ saloons and variety theaters occupied the first floors‚ while brothels operated upstairs. By the turn of the century the Badlands occupied an entire block of two-story buildings on the west side of Main. The district’s prostitutes did not have an easy go of it. Among the worst abusers was Al Swearingen‚ proprietor of the Gem‚ who opened his saloon/theater/brothel soon after arriving in the spring of 1876. The women who worked for Swearingen were justly afraid of him‚ as he was notoriously cruel and domineering. Lured to the Gem on the false promise of respectable employment‚ unsuspecting women found themselves stranded with no money. Those with no other option were virtually sucked into the life of prostitution. Swearingen (third from right‚ above) tends bar at the Gem in this undated photo. The proprietor at least aspired to respectability downstairs‚ with such theatrical offerings as Gilbert &; Sullivan’s comic opera The Mikado. What transpired upstairs was another matter. Promised stage gigs and then stranded without pay‚ some women turned to prostitution. In the face of violence and degradation‚ many prostitutes turned to drugs and alcohol‚ which only deepened their despair. To address their pain and control depression‚ doctors often prescribed such habit-forming drugs as opium‚ laudanum and morphine‚ unintentionally sending the women on a further downward spiral into addiction. In other instances employers drugged their working women to better control them. Suicide attempts became so commonplace among prostitutes in the Badlands that Dr. Frank S. Howe‚ early Deadwood’s only physician‚ carried a stomach pump with him on calls to the red-light district. A Booming Business By the mid-1880s the boomtown counted more than a hundred brothels. Among the most popular‚ aside from the Gem‚ were Fern’s Place‚ The Cozy Rooms‚ the 400‚ the Beige Door‚ the Three Nickels and the Shasta Rooms. The madams of these notorious establishments included such standouts as May Brown‚ Eleanora Dumont‚ Dora DuFran‚ Belle Haskell‚ Mollie Johnson and “Poker Alice” Ivers. DuFran (born Amy Helen Dorothea Bolshaw in England in 1868) was perhaps the best known and certainly the most successful. Dora and her husband‚ a gambler she met on arrival‚ operated a string of brothels across the region‚ from the Dakota boomtowns of Deadwood‚ Rapid City and Lead to Belle Fourche and Miles City‚ Mont. Rumor has it DuFran even coined the term “cathouse” for a brothel. Early on she befriended Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Canary)‚ and the pair grew quite close. On occasion Jane worked for Dora‚ though the former’s refusal to bathe and habit of wearing men’s clothes served to limit her appeal to both customers and the madam herself‚ who insisted the girls who worked for her practice good hygiene and dress. When a middle-aged Calamity reconnected with DuFran in 1903‚ Dora hired Jane as a cook and laundress for her Belle Fouche brothel‚ Diddlin’ Dora’s. By then Calamity was suffering from the effects of alcoholism and a hard life‚ and Dora cared for Jane up till her death that summer. In 1932 DuFran‚ writing under the pseudonym d’Dee‚ published a 12-page biography titled Low Down on Calamity Jane. Of her late friend Dora wrote: “It’s easy for a woman to be good who has been brought up with every protection from the evils of the world and with good associates. Martha wasn’t that lucky. She was a product of the wild and woolly west. She knew better than anyone where she made her mistakes‚ and she didn’t rate her virtues as highly as her friends did.” Though dressed like a proper lady in the portrait above‚ camp follower‚ laundress‚ cook and sometime prostitute Martha Jane “Calamity Jane” Canary was better known as a buckskin-clad frontierswoman and Hickok devotee. In more desperate times Jane worked for Dora DuFran (right)‚ who ran a string of regional brothels with her gambler husband. “Queen of the Blondes” Another madam with a reputation for charity was Mollie Johnson. Scarcely 23 and already a widow when she arrived in Deadwood‚ Johnson remarried poorly and was deserted by her second husband before setting up a brothel on Sherman Street in 1878. While there were plenty of prostitutes in town from which to choose‚ Mollie was partial to hiring those with flaxen hair and became known as the “Queen of the Blondes.” Her establishment soared in popularity‚ rivaled only by the low-down Swearingen’s Gem. Like the Gem‚ Mollie’s joint also provided entertainment. Unlike Swearingen‚ however‚ Johnson fancied her bordello as a high-end place and pulled out all the stops. All her girls were talented singers‚ dancers and balladists. Mollie herself also performed‚ as a shadow dancer. Wearing very little clothing‚ she would gyrate behind a screen on which her shadow was projected by a bright light. By all accounts‚ she brought down the house. Mollie’s place proved so popular that even respectable society took note. In an 1879 dispatch headlined Sweet Sounds From a Bitter Source‚ a reporter for the local Black Hills Daily Times warned readers of its temptations: “At the dead of night‚ when all nature is hushed in sleep‚ this reporter is frequently regaled‚ while on his way home‚ by the gentle cadence of sweet songs which floats out upon the stillness of the gulch like the silvery horns of elfland faintly blowing. Vocal music‚ wherever heard or by whatever thing or being produced‚ is entrancing to this sinner; hence the aforesaid sounds are sure to arrest his step at the corner and compel him to lend his ear to the mellifluent melody which steals out from Molly Johnson’s harem. But he doesn’t draw any nearer‚ for he knows that Where the Sirens dwell you linger in ease / That their songs are death‚ but makes destruction please; and he travels on‚ disgusted with himself because his virtuous life possesses such a skeleton element of fun‚ yet wonders that such a voluptuous harmony is tolerated by the divine muse of song to issue from such a b-a-d place.” Reputation aside‚ its owner set out to prove that good can take root even in such a bad place. The proverbial “hooker with a heart of gold‚” Johnson cared for her girls as if they were family. A case example dates from the summer of 1879 when one of Mollie’s favorite girls‚ Jennie Phillips‚ fell desperately ill. Author Chris Enss relates the story in her 2023 book An Open Secret. That July 6 Phillips and other girls from the bordello were on a buggy ride in the country when they encountered a tollgate whose owner had chained a feral cat to a tree. When Jennie picked up and tried to soothe the animal‚ it bit her on the lip‚ and within days she was bedridden. Though Mollie tended her daily‚ the young woman died some weeks later. Beside herself in grief‚ Mollie had Jennie’s body laid out in a coffin and placed in the parlor of the brothel while she made funeral arrangements. Then the unthinkable happened: A blaze swept through town‚ quickly engulfing Mollie’s house of ill repute. Yet the madam refused to evacuate until Jennie’s coffin had been safely removed. The next morning Mollie had Jennie interred in Deadwood’s Mount Moriah Cemetery. By Christmas a new $7‚000 brothel had risen from the ashes of the old brothel‚ and Mollie had donated money to churches to buy presents for needy children. One Happy Ending… and Many Sad Ones Most soiled doves dreamed of a better life. Annie Hizer‚ one of Mollie’s girls‚ managed to realize her dreams. Known to her clientele as “Little Buttercup‚” Annie had a regular customer in Black Hills physician Dr. Charles W. Meyer‚ and before long the two fell in love and were married. Held at the local opera house on March 7‚ 1880‚ their ceremony was a town affair‚ with city officials and military personnel in attendance. Mollie and her girls served as maids of honor. But Little Buttercup’s happy ending was the exception rather than the rule. Take‚ for example‚ the sad fate of Nellie Stanley‚ a 23-year-old working girl at Belle Haskell’s brothel‚ the 400. A polite young Chicagoan with a typically hard backstory‚ she was somewhat of a loner. On the evening of March 19‚ 1894‚ complaining of a headache and sore throat‚ Nellie retired to her room‚ where she took an overdose of the painkiller Antikamnia. When fellow working girls found her unconscious‚ Belle summoned a doctor to the 400‚ but nothing could be done. Nellie was dead. Those who knew her best were certain she’d committed suicide. Sadly‚ such was a common occurrence in brothels. Posing in Victorian frills amid swanky surroundings inside their Deadwood brothel‚ these soiled doves could be mistaken for proper ladies of their era. Of course‚ that was the dichotomy of prostitution then and today. Were it not for misfortune or the vicissitudes of life‚ such women might have escaped the prison of the sex trade. In Deadwood they faced far worse than scorn. Prostitutes were often the victims of physical abuse and drowned their sorrows in drugs or alcohol. Suicide was common. Like other houses of ill repute‚ Belle Haskell’s 400 was the genesis of other tragedies. When one 1893 love triangle ended in murder‚ however‚ even the seasoned madam was shocked. The trouble arose after one of Belle’s girls‚ 16-year-old Austie Trevyr (born Mary Yusta to a wealthy family in Lincoln‚ Neb.) took up with gambler Frank DeBelloy‚ the longtime lover of Gem saloon girl Maggie McDermott. For his part‚ DeBelloy was content to play both hands.    That December 17 Austie scrawled out a seemingly innocent invitation to Maggie to join her and Frank for drinks at the local Mascotte saloon. There‚ in a drunken fit of jealousy‚ Austie shot and killed Maggie. She was immediately arrested for premeditated murder. At trial the following spring a jury convicted Austie of manslaughter‚ the judge sentencing her to three years and seven months in the state penitentiary at Sioux Falls‚ S.D. In 1897 local news reports had the recently sprung Austie first returning to the 400 before leaving that summer for a women’s seminary back East‚ seemingly a reformed soiled dove. An Enduring Institution By 1889 legislators and lawmen across the Dakotas were targeting brothels and gambling dens and the activities that supported them. The South Dakota Legislature struck the first blow that year by outlawing the sale of alcohol‚ a move anticipating federal Prohibition by three decades. In 1898 Governor Arthur C. Mellette followed up with a provision to the state constitution outlawing gambling and prostitution‚ but purveyors of such vice simply went underground. By the time Prohibition took effect in 1920‚ Deadwood’s brothels had gone aboveground‚ quite literally‚ in speakeasies up behind painted doorways over respectable businesses on lower Main. In 1951 law enforcement officials raided Deadwood’s brothels‚ but demand meant they were soon back in business. In 1952 the state’s attorney for Lawrence County prosecuted the brothel operators in the latest attempt to shut them down. This time the madams hired attorney Roswell Bottum‚ a former state representative‚ who managed to get the women acquitted on a technicality. Another raid and round of prosecutions in 1959 also failed to close the brothels. Not until the spring of 1980 did federal and state authorities working in tandem manage to shut down the last four remaining Deadwood brothels. A group of citizens paraded down Main Street in support of the madams‚ much like lonesome miners did the day the Utter brothers’ wagon train brought the first sporting girls to town in 1876. this article first appeared in wild west magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!   Linda Wommack‚ from Littleton‚ Colo.‚ is the author of several books on Colorado history. For further reading she recommends An Open Secret: The Story of Deadwood’s Most Notorious Bordellos‚ by Chris Enss and Deadwood History Inc.‚ and Pioneer Days in the Black Hills‚ by John S. McClintock.

British naval historian and geostrategist Sir Julian Corbett (1854–1922) was a contemporary of renowned American naval strategist Rear Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914). Unlike Mahan‚ Corbett had no personal military or naval experience‚ which prompted many senior officers in the Admiralty to view him and his theories with skepticism. A misconception persists that the ideas of Mahan and Corbett are in opposition‚ that one must accept one or the other. But that is an oversimplification. There is much to be learned by a comparison of the two.   In developing a set of principles for naval warfare‚ Corbett drew from the theories of land warfare developed by Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz. On the relationship between war and politics he echoed Clausewitz: “Military action must still be regarded only as a manifestation of policy. It must never supersede policy. The policy is always the object; war is only the means by which we obtain the object‚ and the means must always keep the end in view.”   In defining essential differences between the respective physical operating environments of land and sea‚ however‚ Corbett departed from Clausewitz on key points‚ particularly the importance of concentration and the decisive battle. Control and security of communications‚ for example‚ is far more difficult at sea. Communications on land are largely limited to known roads‚ rail lines and rivers and channelized by mountains‚ forests and other no-go terrain. Predicting communications and movement on a vast‚ flat ocean is an entirely different matter. “At sea the communications are‚ for the most part‚ common to both belligerents‚” Corbett noted‚ “whereas ashore each possess his own on his own territory.” Thus‚ he concluded‚ only relative command of the sea was possible at any given place and time.   Corbett departed from both Mahan’s and Clausewitz’s argument for the primacy of destroying the enemy’s main force. Rather‚ the British strategist argued‚ controlling the lines of communications‚ both friendly and enemy‚ should be the main objective of naval warfare. Two ways to do that were through naval blockade or by capturing or sinking enemy warships and merchant ships. Corbett’s departure from the decisive battle principle prompted pushback from many of the Royal Navy’s more traditional admirals. Yet he enjoyed the backing of reform-minded First Sea Lord and Admiral of the Fleet Sir John “Jacky” Fisher.   In 1911 Corbett published Some Principles of Maritime Strategy. He wrote during a period of sweeping technological changes. Steam had already replaced wind and sail as the fleet’s primary motive power; steel hulls had replaced wooden ones; and naval guns were acquiring greater range‚ accuracy and hitting power. While there was no way Corbett could have foreseen certain technologies‚ he knew change was imminent and ongoing. That’s why he called his book Some Principles‚ rather than The Principles. His intent was to produce a living document to or from which future generations of naval thinkers could add or subtract.     Lessons Determine the mutual relations of your army and navy in a plan of war. Only when this is done can one develop a plan for the fleet to best execute its assigned mission. Offense and defense are not mutually exclusive. All war and every form of it must include contingencies for both. The object of naval warfare is the control of communications. Naval operations in both world wars proved Corbett right. The most pressing problem to solve is not how to increase the power of a fleet for attack‚ but how to defend it. Though Corbett wrote long before the advent of naval aviation‚ this remains the central difficulty of the aircraft carrier.

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