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IMPERIAL HONOURS LIST: May 28, 2023

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  AN HONOURS LIST On the Occasion of the Solemn Opening of the Imperial Diet   THE EMPEROR has been graciously pleased to express his intention to bestow certain honours within the imperial gift upon the following:   GRANDEE OF THE EMPIRE, of the 2 nd Degree* In recognition of his singular devotion, his undivided loyalty to the Hanoverian Crown, and his extraordinary efforts to develop the Electorate of Aspenwald: HMSH THE COUNT PALATINE AND PRINCE-ELECTOR OF ASPENWALD, GE   KNIGHT COMPANION OF THE IMPERIAL ALEXANDRIAN ORDER In recognition of their constant devotion, ready willingness to assist the Crown, and proactivity in service to the Empire: HIH THE ARCHDUKE ROBERT JAMES, DUKE AND PRINCE-ELECTOR OF HARBURG HIH THE ARCHDUKE MICHAEL ALEXANDER, DUKE AND PRINCE-ELECTOR OF GUELPH PRINCE ASSISTANT AT THE IMPERIAL THRONE** For exemplary service to the Empire: HG CHRISTOPHER JORDAN, PRELATE AND PRINCE-ELECTOR OF BERGEN HG SIMON JAMES, PRELATE AND PRINCE-ELECTOR OF PRINZENWALD *
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ON THE ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

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KEROUAC 100 Happening by chance, yesterday, to catch the news that it was Jack Kerouac’s 100 th birthday, it occurred to me that I can well remember the kind of world in which Jack Kerouac’s centennial would have been a much bigger deal than it is capable of being, today. A full segment on the evening news would have been devoted to his life and literature; he would have been a feature on “60 Minutes”; bookstores (there were more of them back when I was a young man) would have been stocked up with copies of “On the Road”, promoting a Jack Kerouac sale of some kind in the weeks leading up to yesterday.   Minus the sex and drugs (although not necessarily the driving), a miniature polity has a thing or two in common, it seems to me, with Kerouac’s celebrated roman a clef . There is a “beat” element to even the most conservative ephemeral realm and rolling these things along their trajectory can often seem like continuously typing on a single roll of paper from beginning to end. Lif
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OF CORONATIONS, CONSORTS, AND COLD WARS

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    Originally published during the lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II (February 2022), this piece is being reprised following the state funeral of the late British monarch. It has been supplemented with notations, in red italics. This reprise is being released in advance of any announcements concerning the details of the next coronation, and the speculations offered herein are just that: speculations: Open speculation about the next coronation at Westminster Abbey has always been a bit of no-no in the United Kingdom. As it is considered by many Britons to be in poor taste to discuss such things while Britain’s much-revered current monarch is yet living, the topic is regarded as something of a taboo.  Tut-tutting and editorial pearl clutching over the topic may be just a bit duplicitous, however, since, in reality, such speculations occur frequently enough. It is all happening now, in fact, and has been for some time behind closed doors as the House of Windsor comes to grips with how bes
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THE QUEEN GOES PLATINUM

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  London, UK One of the more striking ripple effects of the American Revolution upon the English-speaking world apparent on this extraordinarily significant date is the fact that if one were to ask just about any citizen of the most potent of the English-speaking nations on earth what the significance of this day is, they would respond with a shrug. “Super Bowl Sunday is next Sunday,” they might answer. Across the United States, Americans are currently in the process of inviting family and friends to Super Bowl parties which, next Sunday, will be held in homes and pubs across the country, from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific; from the Mexican border to the Canadian (and beyond). Pizza and Buffalo wings will be ordered, purchased, and consumed in unimaginable quantities next weekend, and emergency rooms will be busy the following Monday. Today, betting Americans are fiddling with their hand-held devices as they use sportsbook apps to place wagers either on the LA Rams or the Cinci
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Throne Speech opens Great Hanover's vicennial Parliament

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Bergen “Be good or be gone” seems to be the theme emerging for the 20 th anniversary year of the Kingdom of Great Hanover, which, when you think about it, is fitting enough. That’s essentially the attitude by which Hanover was reclaimed in the first place. After a New Year’s Day address in which the king took anti-vaxxers and right-wing extremists to task for the part they’ve played in making the world an increasingly less delightful place in which to live, His Majesty’s government devoted a great deal of text in its first throne speech of 2022 to warning cyber-bullies and “individuals who exhibit toxic or anti-social behavior” not to expect to find the red carpet rolled out for them within the social media of Great Hanover. Following a successful “ Restoration Parliament” which was convened for a short time in late 2021, the government set forth its agenda for the 2022 legislative season in what is set to be the first of two parliamentary sessions convened this year.   A verit
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