Noir L.A.

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City and County of Los Angeles, California
Passport Required, No Visa Full Diplomatic Relations and Consulate

Geographical Boundries
Gateway Status	Requires Econ x 1
Boundary Type	Usually Return
Physics Flags
Tech Level	6 (high)
Supernatural	Moderate
Hypertech	Full Strength
Temporal Data
Diverged	1949
Time Since Div	45 years
Cultural and Economic
Currency	USD Counterstamped Denoted $LA
Exchange Rate	$LA5k to ε1
Leaders	Deputy Mayor Richard A. Studt, Admiral Carlos K. Nitta
Major Religions	Catholicism among Hispanics, Protestant Christian among Caucasians. Some popularity of various "cult" religions.
Metadata
Contact Person	Eric J Gordon O-D
Genre/Flavor	Film Noir/Cyberpunk
Created	Original

Much as "Steampunk" Manhattan was rolled back to the turn of the century, Los Angeles was rolled back to the 1940s. The reality which emerged as an isolate in L.A. was that of the city as it existed in the mid-20th century. No one knows the reasons for these fragmentations, though there is some suggestion that the laws of probability made the city more likely to be reflected from a time when its population threshold was logistically viable. If true, then the progression of Los Angeles after the incident will go down in history as yet another example of the city conquering the natural order, as Los Angeles and its people have once again sprawled out of control.

At the heart of Los Angeles' growth is one strange fact. Despite being rolled back into the 1940’s, Los Angeles was still a technologically friendly reality. Though barely born into the post-atomic era, the Thread obeys all the laws of physics as they were known in the late 20th century. With this advantage, Los Angeles’ technology advanced at a shockingly rapid rate. Some theorists postulate that this was because one or more pockets in the city were not completely reset, leaving enough traces of pre-Incident technology to seed the city’s new life.

Overview

See L.A. Introduction.

Current Events

Full Article: Recent History in Los Angeles.

Currently the city is run by mayor Ted Lawton, Jr. and deputy mayor Diego Garza as part of a power sharing agreement between the Democratic Party and End Poverty in California (EPIC). The California Supreme Court has ordered new elections for July; the elections are widely expected to give EPIC a majority in the legislature.

The Corps

For history of the Corps see The Rise of the Corps.
For more detail on how Corps are organized see How Corps are Structured.

All of the principal Corps maintain ties to Technosphere, and receive various benefits of high tech, in return for their services operating factories, providing manpower, etc. While United Fruit is seen as "cleaner" than the two other corps, and Standard Oil is seen as the "darkest" Corp, there is little doubt that all the Corps have a systematic policy of political control through payola, graft and outright purchase, intimidation, and if necessary, murder. All of the Corps hire enforcers at many levels, and it is quite clear that they can and will play for keeps. When requested and paid they can invoke the LAPD for simple situations, and the Police will never side against a Corp Rep, or fail to do as instructed unless it comes to a situation where the interests of two Corps conflict.

United Fruit

"United Fruit" is the holding company at the top of a vast pyramid which controls much of the food economy of Los Angeles. With a growing population and limited arable land, it is easy to see the importance of United Fruit.

Most citizens of L.A. view United Fruit as one of the more benign Corps. They keep food prices within the reach of the poor, and have colorful advertisements, including the latest “United Fruit Girl.”

Despite a benign appearance, United Fruit has a spotty history. Well before the rift, they were a politically active corporation which was purported to have been behind several South American coups and dictatorships. Expert at pressuring the Federal Government to sculpt a foreign policy favoring their trade, the Corporation’s management thatched together a powerful pyramid of food companies during the first few "lean years" after the sundering. Engaging in freewheeling buying and speculation, United Fruit leveraged a large stock of canned fruit –- one of the only sources of vitamin C –- into a powerful empire which gained power as it grew, a runaway train of acquisition. Without regulation or oversight, and with numerous exceptions to even the spotty laws of Los Angeles because of the importance of the food industry, United Fruit became one of the three dominant powers of L.A. within a decade.

Standard Oil

Standard Oil of California was founded before the turn of the century and enlarged through a series of mergers. Based in Ventura County, the concern became the major player in California’s Oil Industry which as late as the Second World War remained vast, and significant. Even with a burgeoning population, Standard produces enough oil for Los Angeles’ power and fuel oil needs.

With the sundering of the Threads, oil became a critical resource. A series of early emergency orders imposed ineffectual freezes on oil sales, but by 1952, Standard Oil had used clout and an unsubtle program of persuasion to bring all of California’s energy producers under one roof. In under a decade, Standard Oil stood at the top of a vast pyramid of industries that controlled vast swathes of manufacturing in California.

Para-Century

"In 1929 merger became the order of the day. Warner Bros. took over First National; Fox (temporarily, it turned out) took control of Loew's and MGM. A year later, once the dust had cleared, there were five major players in Hollywood--Paramount, Loew's/MGM, Warner Bros., Fox, and RKO--and three minor studios--Columbia, Universal, and United Artists. The latter group, unlike their larger cousins, owned no theatres. The coming of sound had set in place a corporate structure which would define the studio era of the 1930s and 1940s (and beyond)."

It might be assumed that in the Crisis, entertainment would be the lowest of priorities, but nothing could be further from the case. The Studio system in California was neither a fledgling industry nor in the least apolitical. Twenty years of Federal hearings and the Hays Code had produced a very strong political apparatus in Hollywood. As early as 1934, the Studios conspired to produce political propaganda to torpedo Upton Sinclair’s Left of Center Political Campaign. Coming out of the Second World War, there was a keen awareness of the media as propaganda, and movies were without question the most important form of propaganda. The actors themselves became leaders within the community, often looked to for support and advice. In the weeks after the emergency, newsreel after newsreel promoted rationing, patience, and coherence.

By the time of the Studio Merger in 1956, the Studios were a powerful political force. Always diversified, their tentacles reached deep into every strata of life in Los Angeles, building up an almost unchallenged control of media and entertainment. The major five players merged as Para-Century, in most cases retaining their individual branding for releases. Columbia joined the merger, leaving United Artists to merge with Universal as a comparatively tiny competitor. Universal-Artists is considered the most liberal and artistic of the studios, and in practice often cooperates on releases with its gigantic competitors.

Shares of PCC known in game

Cones - Excerpt from Politics, Movies and the Role of Government

Independents

There are independent businesses in Los Angeles, but they are marginal or very small. The Federal District Court is, in its own way, an independent player.

Most independents are either very small, or only marginally independent. Joe’s Lunch Counter may well be independent (though likely 98% of what it buys comes from United Fruit). But it is inconsequentially small. Garages, some laundries, restaurants, etc., make for the "hardscrabble middle" tier of private businesses. Universal Artists is independent, but relies heavily on cooperation from the other studios, to the extent that it might be regarded as a satellite.

Technology

Bioroids

About a dozen years ago, UFP made a trade deal with Les Invisibles. Les Invisibles sold them cloning technology that probably originally came from the Hive, and UFP began making artificial humans. In a crowded city this wasn’t too popular, and it was clear their research was probably aimed at learning how to genetically manipulate human beings to be easily controlled drones.

These drones are officially knowns as bioroids (from "Biological Android"), but are conventionally called "Skin Jobs". They aren’t legally people and have no rights, but as extensions of Corpsec are quite powerful. They are heroic fighters with excellent reaction times and a PCP addict's disregard to any personal injury, since they are built not to feel pain (which it is rumored somewhat limits their ability to feel pleasure).

The details of what part of them are mechanical and what part biological are not widely known and they aren't agreeable to being disassembled by third parties.

Their names are in the form of: Class - L Series - 33 Serial - B

Series as high as M have been referenced in game. It is probably the case that very low series such as A and B were conceptual, or partial experiments, so NPC numbering should probably start with D or E.

Series generally should not go much higher than 100. Some Series may only have a few individuals and again there may often be no low numbered series, all of them having been failures or assigned to experimental runs. Series probably turns over fairly rapidly.

Serial is the individual. This tends to suggest that it is unusual to make more than 26 of a given Series.

Bioroids are completely loyal and have no sense of fear; some of them are rumored to have implants that control them, though this has never been publicly confirmed.

For regulation purposes all bioroids are required to be branded in such a way that is always visible in public (usually on the forehead)

Bioroids are legal property under L.A. Law, having been built in a mechanical process. They are considered to be "Biological Computational Devices" under law.

The Metaverse

The Metaverse is a fully immersive, networked virtual reality. Special implants are needed to access it, though vendors are not difficult to find on the black market.

The Metaverse is a computer network that can be accessed through TL6 "wetware jacks" *from any thread* - that is, you can jack in from Lincoln County if you can get your wetware jack to function (usually via a TL generator). Technically the metaverse is based in LA, but because it is a virtual reality it can be accessed anywhere. It is a cross 'brane communications subthread like this wiki or the message board used for JET communication.

Political

For a history of L.A. politics see L.A. Political History.

Government

The Government is practically speaking a consortium of the Corps. But all is not loving and cooperative. Many factions and sub factions vie for power and control, and envision a day when they can use the government to "take it all" and fully monopolize the economy of the City.

Elections

Maj. Ted W. Lawson, USAAC, Ret. - Democrat - Standard Oil/Military

Elia Kazan - GOP - ParaCentury

Paul Aguirre - EPIC - Movement/Leftist

Police

After the severing, there was no effective Federal Police force in L.A. The FBI still existed, but had no clear authority and no-one to report to. It stopped growing and was sidelined. Many former agents went into Corporate Security.

See: " The Fucking New Guy" for further reference.

LAPD/LACSD/CHP

The Los Angeles Police Department is left to do much of the dirty work of law enforcement but only on a local level. LAPD handles everything from jaywalking to homicide of people nobody cared about anyway. As soon as a case involves anyone that "matters," CorpSec asserts jurisdiction over it. The LAPD is like the Civil Police in Communist Germany or Soviet Russia, while CorpSec functions like the Gestapo or KGB.

As a resultant morale is near zero, and the LAPD is made up mostly of guys who couldn't make it into CorpSec due to lack of contacts or intelligence. This had led to a lot of swaggering bullyism and very little real work. In the Barrios, the cops are another gang, well armed, never going out except in force. Most of the City, in terms of actual size and population, is not really "patrolled." The effect is very much like the balkanization of police in New York in the late Victorian era.

The LAPD is blatantly up for sale. Being "busted for drugs" is a program whereby the Cops shake down dealers, make them bribe them to let them go, then resell their stuff. The LAPD is a major provider of most "street" narcotics, and it's rumored that the Corps encourage this to get more heroin into the barrios.

The LAPD has no effective investigative mechanism because most crimes are solved either by bribery or CorpSec. Bullyism, lousy discipline and corruption have driven most "good cops" into CorpSec, leaving the LAPD a badly organized bunch of goons. Realistically, the only reason the police continue to exist at all is to patrol to cut down on petty crime in middle class areas, and to handle traffic.

LAPD drives "Jet nosed" Studebakers manufactured at the Studebaker plant in Vernon.

LAPD is dispatched out of Elysian Park on 1730 kilocycles AM.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department covers the geographical areas directly surrounding the City of Los Angeles not "officially" served by the LAPD. Based on pre-Event areas of responsibility, and county-level organization, certain types of offices (Forensic Science, Office of the Coroner, etc.) remain titled under the County Sheriff's Department authority, though some are located within Los Angeles city limits.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) is functionally the designation for out-of-town mobile units, but is otherwise an informal designation, not a formal policing authority unto itself. Patrol and response by CHP covers remote areas, the Mojave Desert regions, and extremely underpopulated areas, small towns, and farmland.

CorpSec

Corpsec is everything LAPD is not. CorpSec acts as the Federal Police in L.A. Agreements going back to the 1950s slowly empowered CorpSec. Many of its actual powers are rooted in prerogatives that go back to the Private Detective era, however the actual Byzantine political structure that it rests on is modeled on Deputization. At the heart of Each of the CorpSecs is the State Marshall’s Service. The Service itself exists only on Paper, but each Corpsec has a core of Marshalls and each CorpSec officer is a Deputy State Marshall.

Several acts in the 1960s established Corporate Jurisdiction over crimes involving “Corporate Properties or Assets.” The original scale of this was to handle big industrial compounds and was intended to work like Campus or Airport Police. But within a few years the Modern CorpSec Structure emerged, and increasingly the only force in the City able to actually solve Crimes or provide any real security was CorpSec.

Despite likening CorpSec to the State Police in a Dictatorship, CorpSec was never “all bad” and still isn’t. A fairly high standard of discipline is expected and CorpSec isn’t all that corrupt. Most CorpSec officers don’t easily accept bribes, and each Corp has an Office of the Inspector General that runs CorpSec and maintains standards. Bad officers are fired. Of course emphasis is put on being a “Team Player” but if the Corp wants a crime solved (and they often do) CorpSec will do it.

ParaCentury’s CorpSec is notably more “Feudal” with CorpSec tending to act as “householders” for a specific Executive. All executives in all Corps have their “personal” CorpSec that acts much like the Secret Service. Standard’s CorpSec is the most numerous and acts most as a Paramilitary.

Each CorpSec tends to have a large “Security” arm that is nothing more or less than Blackwater style Paramilitary troops. It is notable that these troops are usually better trained than the L.A. Army and comparable to the very small Corps of L.A. Marines.

Ironically the development of CorpSec was promoted by Regan and others as a positive benefit for a more Democratic Society. During the 1950s Marines and Army Troops were repeatedly called into the streets to combat riots. Most leaders were concerned that L.A. would develop the characteristic of a South American Dictatorship, and eventually the chaos would provoke a military coup. CorpSec was seen as a way to build anti-riot forces that were under the control of the Civilian Authorities without increasing the public tax burden.

CorpSec is utilized extensively in conducting operations against the Movement.

The Three CorpSecs have a series of Liaison Officers who are responsible for clear communications, establishment of jurisdiction and containment when CorpSec forces on "asset recovery" end up clashing with other CorpSec. While gunfights between CorpSec (and even sometimes within a Corp) happen, there are strict protocols for dealing with downed CorpSec Officers and escalation of force.

CorpSec drives V8 Nash interceptors manufactured in the Nash plant at El Segundo.

CorpSec dispatch uses FM Bands

Playing CorpSec

Traditionally, CorpSec members are portrayed as guys who are just doing their jobs. Like many military or law enforcement personnel they are extraordinarily desensitized towards the types of violence they dispense and receive on the job. It would not be out of the ordinary to hear a stereotypical CorpSec grunt describe both how, in brutal detail, he had to cut a man's arm off to survive his last fight and complain, in detail, about the problems he has with Elia Kazan's campaign platform. The grunts from Terry Gilliam's Brazil are an excellent template.

MPs/Military Intelligence

The amount of power weilded by the Military in L.A. was always seen as a threat and Posse Comitatus taken quite seriously. The Military has traditionally had three spheres of power and responsibility.

a) Military Police - there are extensive federal territories in L.A. and they are policed by Military Police.

b) The Coast Guard - exempt from Posse Comitatus, the Coast Guard is used by the military to investigate and prosecute crimes involving smuggling. Cases are brought before the Federal District Court. The Coast Guard essentially acts as the Treasury Bureau in L.A. prosecuting smuggling, tax evasion, etc. Resistance from CorpSec keeps the role of the Coast Guard strictly limited.

c) Military Intelligence - technically military intelligence is not authorized to act against U.S. Citizens. In L.A. the agreement is that Military Intelligence will not act against the Corps, or attempt espionage against them (it probably does anyway) and that it has no arrest or prosecution powers but must act in cooperation with the LAPD. In general Admiral Nitta has kept military intelligence low key and focused on developing an efficient intelligence program outside the Thread. It is notable that by acknowledging ENY as a foreign power, L.A. made it legally possible for military Intelligence to act there.

In general MI is considered to have some reasonable capacities, but also concentrates on "real" threats - the Movement, other Nations, etc.

Private Detectives

The Role of the Private Dick While most crime-solving is handled internally by CorpSec, the noir-inspired private detective still has a significant role in Los Angeles. Rather than a simple one or two man operation, however, these are full-fledged small-to-medium businesses. A standard shop, referred to as an Independent Investigative Unit, or IIU, consists of a handful of detectives, a forensics unit, a few researchers, a couple of toughs, and a small administrative staff. Many of the IIUs accept walk-in clients, but the vast majority of their work is done under contract to one of the Corps. Many of the IIUs are run by ex-CorpSec officers – IIUs hold a certain attraction to those who are too independent or consider themselves to be too smart for CorpSec. While much of this could be attributed to personality clashes, the truth is that the IIUs have a level of finesse and flexibility which CorpSec teams generally lack – this makes them ideal for handling matters which are considered to be potentially delicate. Of course IIUs are also the perfect shops for CorpSec to get rid of investigative legwork that they have no interest in doing, thus while IIU detectives yearn for (and brag about) the big investigative cases, they actually spend most of their time (and make most of their money) on stakeouts and paper-trail traces CorpSec pawns off on them. The bread and butter of a successful IIU are mind-numbingly routine investigations and flashy jobs such as investigating suspected acts of covert warfare. A full-fledged IIU investigation can run for weeks or months, starting from crime scene forensics and then following any connections (money, personnel, equipment, etc) until a final target is indentified or until all leads turn cold. Almost all in-depth IIU work is done on a T&M contract; there are relatively standard rates for many procedures, but most teams will stall out a major investigation until they have a contract granting them a fair deal of leeway (and budget). This trend is indicative of the general trade-off between CorpSec and IIUs – IIUs tend to possess a more competent investigative staff but also almost always have wildly larger egos than their CorpSec counterparts.

Crimester and ParaCentury

Of particular interest is a recent partnership between Crimester, one of the largest IIUs in LA, and ParaCentury, through ParaCentury's newly formed "True Crime" division. The two are working together to produce a new serial, titled "Neighborhood Watch," which shows a ParaCentury newsteam (played by attractive young actors) solving real crimes that are affecting "everyday citizens." The investigative legwork is done by Crimester (with input from ParaCentury to help craft a better story) while ParaCentury writes the stories for the interactions between team members. ParaCentury films dramatizations of the investigation and then has the team on-hand to "confront and apprehend" the suspects once Crimester's investigation is complete. After filming is completed, suspects are turned over to the police, who usually release them because of cut corners during the investigation (or just out of spite). There are signs of "Neighborhood Watch" catching on in the barrios, and it may be ParaCentury's next big hit.

Military

L.A. is credibly belived to be a nuclear power. Most of the United States' arsenal in 1949 was located within L.A., and the military is believed to have several "Fat Man" type bombs, and has both B-50 Superfortress and AJ Savage aircraft to carry them.

Shortly after the severing, the ranking officers of the United States Military met with State Militia Leaders and drew up a set of "operating agreements" which placed United States Forces under the control of the Mayor of Los Angeles (as a Deputy of the Governor of California) "for the duration of the emergency." The military forces of Los Angeles answer to the Mayor with nearly the same certainty that those of the ENY answer to the Emperor. In local terms, however, the leaders of the military form a faction of their own within the government of Los Angeles.

Proportionately, the Los Angeles military is quite powerful. Los Angeles operates the U.S.S. Valley Forge, CV-45, carrying F4U Corsair fighters, and has another Aircraft Carrier, the U.S.S. Phillipine Sea, CV-47, in reserve at Long Beach, as well as the U.S.S. Missouri, and a good number of cruisers and destroyers. The primary air arm of Los Angeles is the F4U Corsair and the Douglas Devestator Torpedo Bomber, however the capability of the air arm should not be underestimated. In small numbers, Los Angeles fields F-80 Shooting Star, F9F Panther, and F-86 Saber jet fighters, as well as a few Tornado jet bombers. The Air Force operates a few dozen B-50 Strategic Bombers, however hundreds could be brought to readiness in a few weeks. Primarily L.A. relies on the cheaper and more practical AJ Savage Navy Bomber, which is capable of land and carrier-based operations. With the Hughes Aircraft factory in Long Beach becoming the central construction and repair facility, L.A. has been able to turn out a reliable supply of spare parts for its aircraft, and even engage in some limited new construction.

The USAF had barely formed when Los Angeles was severed, and with a significant number of the aircraft being naval, the decision was made to place the Air Arm under a joint Army-Navy Command. Most operations are practiced and carried out under the Joint Arms Command.

The military forms a sort of "public works" project for L.A. With the necessity of farming the Mojave desert, irrigation projects by the Corps of Engineers have employed tens of thousands in a WPA-style structure. The Military provides a salary for many lower class people in a Thread where unemployment and poverty for minorities is grinding. With oil a fairly minor concern (Los Angeles imported oil early on, and raised its production within a decade to levels easily suited to sustain its level of industry), L.A. kept most of a vast mothballed military force conditioned for rapid redeployment. With a population in the millions, and much of the equipment originally destined for the invasion of Japan available, L.A. has a formidable military presence.

Left-Wing Movement

In the 1920s and 30s, Hollywood was a hotbed of liberal sentiment, and one of the few non-working class areas outside of New York where the Communist Party gained any foothold. A Communist Soup Kitchen in Hollywood was a major landmark. In the early 30s with the onset of the Depression, Communism swelled and Socialism boomed. Upton Sinclair ran for Governor on a platform that was blatantly Socialist, forming a new EPIC political party. Sinclair came very close to winning the election but was torpedoed by big business in alliance with the studios and his ally FDR, for whom he had grown too extreme. The pattern of politics for LA had already been set, well before the severing.

With the severing, the Economy stagnated. The Corps grew largely by steamrolling smaller businesses, concentrating capital at a time when real growth was tiny. Costs for food and transportation skyrocketed.

Originally the Communists and a dozen other leftist groups gained momentum, only to be shattered by the LAPD and the military. Firmly locked out of the political process, the groups began to correspond, and coordinate action.

Originally "the Movement" probably did not exist in the eyes of its adherents, who termed themselves Communist, Socialist, Reformist, etc. But twenty years of press defined the movement more strongly than its own writing, and today a loose knit alliance of dissident groups operates under that name –- whether willfully or grudgingly varying from case to case.

It is not strictly against the law to be a member of the Movement, however to have Movement affiliations is to effectively give up one's civil rights. The LAPD follows and harasses members at will, and getting a job in any but the most menial positions is difficult. Most leaders live in poverty, on occasional furtive donations. Not surprisingly the Movement has turned to crime in many cases, using its organization to provide an infrastructure for a criminal organization that touches on the remnants of the West Coast Mafia and the Tong. Proving "Movement ties" is almost de-facto proof of guilt in a court trial, and The Movement is often asserted to be behind spectacular crimes and assassinations, either as a terrorist or criminal organization.

Visions of the movement vary. Some official reports paint it as a vast conspiracy, within a hairsbreadth of rising up in a fervor matching the Terror, and destroying the order of civilization. Other literature suggests that it is a weak and ineffectual organization, largely incapable of any activity beyond a personal scale.

During the chaos immediately after the severing the left-leaning EPIC (End Poverty in California) party identified in the 30s with Upton Sinclair's run for Governor gained credentials as a legitimate poltical party, and has provided the typical ticket for a losing Movement Bid by Jesus Albacarrin of the CCP (California Communist Party).

For the November elections, several smaller parties - EPIC (End Poverty in California), CSP (California Socialist Party), FNHL (Frente Nacional Hispana de Liberación) and a last minute alliance with the traditionally dissidient ACC (Accion Catolica California), combined to outvote the candidates and put a hard core Movement Organizer Paul Aguirre forward.

The Press

While the Los Angeles Times is nominally independent, and is still one of the most influential news sources in town, it would be more realistic to say it is operated by a consortium of the Corps. A few tame editorialists are permitted "free" expression, in order to maintain an appearance of legitimacy. Mostly those who are "independent" have military ties or influence at City Hall.

Television Noted stations are all run by ParaCentury LATV-1 through 3 or their Universal subsidiary UTV-5.

Genre Influences

Since LA is based around two fairly broad, but related, genres, the number of sources that we could list is nigh-infinite. Here are a handful of the ones that have most inspired us (at least consciously):

Film

Out of the Past (1947) - Quintessential film noir. Beats out The Big Sleep because I prefer Chandler's novel to the film.
Blade Runner (1982) - The quintessential cyberpunk film and a neo-noir film in its own right. Singlehandedly established both cyberpunk and its look and feel on film.
Batman Begins (2005) - Used Blade Runner as one of its major inspirations, so you get a lot of the good look and feel in a somewhat less divergent reality.
Sin City (2005) - Supremely stylized and hyper-violent neo-noir. What's not to love? (I assume the graphic novels are even better, but I haven’t read them, so I’m citing the film.)

Writing

The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler - The seminal hardboiled crime novel. Has all of the ugliness and sleaze which permeates the story intact.
Neuromancer, William Gibson - The archetypal cyberpunk novel. Period.
When Gravity Fails, George Alec Effinger - "...gives you a real sense of what it's like to be an old-fashioned gumshoe in the seedy backreaches of a futuristic Arab nation." --The Providence Sunday Journal

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