GERMANY (DW) Germany offers to mediate between Russia and Ukraine; German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said Germany could mediate between Ukraine and Russia in the ongoing crisis in the Sea of Azov. But some critics in Germany are calling on Berlin to help Kyiv militarily. Angela Merkel and various members of her Cabinet have appealed to both sides of the Ukraine-Russia conflict to de-escalate amid Ukraine's calls for more military support from Germany and NATO. The German chancellor phoned Vladimir Putin on Monday evening to emphasize the "necessity for de-escalation and dialogue," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. For his part, the Russian president condemned Ukraine's "provocative behavior" and said he hoped Berlin could "influence" Ukraine to refrain from such actions in the future. Putin also expressed concern about Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's decision to impose martial law for 30 days.
(DW) Crimean court orders detention of Ukrainian sailors; A Crimean court has ordered that several Ukrainian sailors be detained for two months pending trial after a flare-up with Russia's coastguard. They face charges that could eventually carry a 6-year jail sentence.
(DW) Dutch trains to compensate descendants of Jews deported to Nazi camps; The Netherland's state-owned railway company made millions during WWII for operating trains that sent hundreds of thousands of Jews, including Anne Frank, to their deaths in Nazi camps. The Netherlands state-owned train company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), will compensate individuals whose Jewish relatives were deported on its trains to concentration and extermination camps when the country was under Nazi-German occupation during World War II. Announced Tuesday on the nightly public television news show, the decision marks the first time that the train company will pay damages to individual descendants of Holocaust victims. Previously the NS had donated money to various remembrance projects.
(DW) German Islam Conference reconvenes search for German Islam; Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is convening the latest iteration of the German Islam Conference. The 2018 DIK will focus on integration, Islam and German law. Many new faces in attendance will make for lively debates.
(DW) Voters in former-Soviet Georgia head to the polls for a runoff election; People in the former Soviet state of Georgia head to the polls for a runoff election for president. Voters have a choice of a candidate who favors a closer relationship with Moscow or one who advocates a pro-West line.
Grigol Vashadze is a former foreign minister and the candidate for Georgia's main opposition, the United National Movement (UNM). The party was founded by ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who was sentenced in absentia for abuse of power earlier this year.
Salome Zurabishvili is also a former Georgian foreign minister and an independent candidate but endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by billionaire former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
(DW) US sanctions Nicaragua's VP and first lady Rosario Murillo; VP Murillo is also the wife of President Daniel Ortega, who has overseen a deadly crackdown against his political opponents. The US accused Murillo and another sanctioned advisor of undermining democracy in Nicaragua.
(DW) Costa Rican president backs holiday for army abolition; Carlos Alvarado Quesada would like to see Costa Ricans stay home from work on December 1, the day a military ruler abolished the national army in 1948. Alvarado called the abolition "essential" to Costa Rica's identity.
(DW) Afghanistan 'open for business,' despite militant attacks; Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged foreign firms to invest in his country, claiming there are huge profits to be made. The appeal comes as both the Taliban and "Islamic State" ramp up attacks.
(DW) US angered by Hungary's decision to extradite arms dealers to Russia; Budapest ignored a US extradition request, opting to hand over the father and son to Moscow instead. In a sting operation, the two were caught offering Mexican cartels anti-aircraft weapons in exchange for cocaine. US State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday that "the United States is disappointed in the Hungarian government's decision to extradite the Lyubishins to Russia." She added: "Hungary is a partner and friend of the United States, but this decision raises questions about Hungary's commitment to law enforcement cooperation." The men in question, Vladimir Lyubishin Sr. and Vladimir Lyubishin Jr., are accused of attempting to trade millions of dollars' worth of arms with Mexican drug cartels in exchange for cocaine. The men were caught in a long-running international sting operation, in which they were arrested by representatives from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Hungarian Counter-Terrorism Center (TEK) on November 9, 2016.
FRANCE (France24) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday warned of the threat of "full-scale war" and said Russia had sharply increased its military presence on their shared border as tensions escalate between the ex-Soviet neighbours.
JAPAN (NHK) Ghosn admits to post-retirement payment plan; NHK has learned that former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn has admitted that there exists a company document about his receiving massive remuneration after retirement. But he reportedly added that he has not signed the document. Ghosn was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of understating his compensation in the firm's securities reports for 5 years until March 2015 by about 5 billion yen, or about 44 million dollars, in violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Sources close to the matter said Ghosn and Nissan had agreed that Ghosn was to receive worth about 2 billion yen, or about 17.6 million dollars, as annual payments. The sources say both parties have agreed to declare half the amount in the firm's yearly report, and that Ghosn will receive the undeclared portion after his retirement. Ghosn reportedly maintains that he has asked former Nissan representative director Greg Kelly — who was also arrested — to arrange the post-retirement payments legally, and that Kelly told him the arrangement was legal.
Tokyo prosecutors have apparently decided that regulations require post-retirement payments to be declared in securities reports once their size was finalized.
(NHK) Envoy: Too early for N.Korea sanctions exemptions; Japan's Ambassador to the United Nations says it is too early for the Security Council to allow North Korea exemptions from sanctions at a time when denuclearization talks remain stalled.
(NHK) Workplace-equality rules drawn up; A Japanese government panel has drawn up specific rules to enforce equal treatment at the workplace. Its guideline is aimed at eradicating unreasonable differences in the way regular and non-regular employees are treated.
(NHK) Award-winning photographer disappears in China; There are growing concerns about the fate of an award-winning Chinese photographer who appears to have vanished in the country's far west. Lu Guang's wife says she's worried and has not heard from him for weeks.
(NHK) Abe addresses Olympic officials; Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the Japanese government will showcase Japan's technology and culture to the world at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
(NHK) Firefighters still battling fire in Osaka; A fire that occurred in Suita city, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, has forced about 180 people to evacuate. There are no reports of injuries.
(NHK) 22 killed by blast in China's Hebei province; An explosion near a chemical factory in China's northern Province of Hebei has left at least 22 people dead and 22 others injured. The state-run China Central Television and other media say the blast occurred early on Wednesday morning in the city of Zhangjiakou near the capital Beijing. They say about 50 trucks parked near the plant went up in flames. Photos and videos posted online, which are said to be taken at the site, show trucks on fire and billowing smoke. Chinese media have quoted local government officials as saying a truck loaded with chemicals exploded as it lined up to enter the factory, and the fire spread to nearby vehicles. Chinese authorities are now investigating the cause of the explosion.


Grocery shopping is daunting for many. Shoppers have to choose among thousands of foods, all trumpeting ambitious health claims, and often containing dubious ingredients. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that people who received a short nutrition counseling session bought more healthy items than those who received no shopping guidance.
Let me simplify your shopping by taking you around your usual grocery store and showing you which foods to choose and which to limit or avoid.
We arrange to meet where you buy most of your groceries. As we shop, I tell you what to look out for: how to read labels, how to spot nutrient rich produce, how to save money, which fish is freshest, and which foods you should be eating for your particular health issues.


A leading International Charity are looking to recruit a Safeguarding Consultant to carry out a review of their current policies and systems.
Our client anticipates that this will be a 4-5 week opportunity. The Head Office is based in Central London and although you will be expected to attend some meetings here, this vacancy can be worked remotely if desired.
My client is ideally looking for candidates at £150-200 a day. They can however be flexible on this so please apply accordingly.


text:
A Personal Piece of Magic: Perna Studios APs
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Last Fall I wrote about the wonderful card sets available from Perna Studios, and now I'd like to focus on/share an associated part of the sets: Artist's Proofs (APs). Sketch cards are a often used form of "chase card" for art related collectible card sets, where the various artists involved in a set get blank cards with the card set's printed back and create one of a kind art directly on the cards, which are then inserted randomly in card packs. The skills shown in painting and drawing on such a small workspace and the amount of detail achieved is incredible.
AP sketch cards are a similar creation. Artists sometimes get a few of these blank cards designated as Artist Proofs to sell themselves and create specifically for the purchaser (with subject matter appropriate to the related set and subject to publisher approval). As directly commissioned art the prices are generally higher than buying packs/sets in trade off for getting to choose the artist and having input into the subject/design.
Red Riding Hood AP by Ingrid Hardy
Grim Reaper AP by Ingrid Hardy
The wonderful painted pieces Ingrid Hardy does on these relatively tiny trading cards always amazes me, and the first AP I got was from her for the Classic Fairy Tales set and features Red Riding Hood. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't imagine a better design. I tend to be rather unspecific when commissioning these cards, usually just asking for a particular subject and letting the artist go from there. I've always been extremely pleased with the results.
It can be fun to get APs from different artists reflecting the same general subject. I collect grim reaper art when it comes to the Hallowe'en sets, so had both Ingrid Hardy and Kokkinakis Achilleas do APs featuring him for Hallowe'en 2. Both are fantastic representations capturing a sense of foreboding, with Ingrid's reaper having an atmospheric, looming edge to it and Kokkinakis' an active feel showcasing the dynamic style and coloring his work is know for.
Grim Reaper AP by Kokkinakis Achilleas
Witch AP by Alexis Hill
I'd already gotten some excellent grim reaper sketch cards from Hallowe'en 2 by Alexis Hill and Peejay Catacutan, so went in different directions with their APs. I find Alexis's style absolutely perfect for the halloween theme and the witch AP I got from her is a wonderful addition to all the gorgeous sketch cards I have of hers from the set.
Succubus AP by Peejay Catacutan
Japanese Witch AP by Peejay Catacutan
With Peejay I floated the general idea of either a succubus or a witch, and he sent me a few pencil rough ideas. I loved the above succubus design as well as his imaginative idea to do a Japanese folklore inspired witch so much I commissioned both, and the final cards brought those rough ideas to life gloriously.
Depending on the set, the permitted subjects can be rather wide or extremely specific. For example, Classic Fairy Tales and Hallowe'en 2 allowed anything related to the titular theme (within normal Perna guidelines), while Spellcasters 2 had a subtheme of specific magical creatures, so all cards (base, sketch, inserts, and APs) from that set had to feature mermaids, unicorns, elves, fairies, or dragons. In either case, there is plenty of room for individual style and visions and both the variety and quality of work Pernas' chosen artists produce is incredible.
Sinister Fairy AP by Peejay Catacutan
"Red Moon" Spellcasters II AP by Juri Chinchilla
I wrote about being a longtime fan of Juri Chinchilla in Beautiful Dreams, and I was lucky enough to get one of her APs from Spellcasters II. She did a great piece of art for a metal insert for the set that she referred to as "evil mermaid." Inspired by that work, I requested an "evil fairy" for my AP, and received the gorgeous card above titled Red Moon. Juri's soft yet vibrant colors are breathtaking, and I adore the fact that even leaning against a skull and clearly planning something sinister, her fairy still has a touch of cuteness to it.
The entire concept of evil fairies amuses me greatly, and so has become my theme for other APs for Spellcasters II, including the dark, regal looking fairy Peejay drew above that has a wonderful layered effect with the skull providing a visual second set of wings. I have two more coming, from the previously mentioned Ingrid Hardy and Alexis Hill. Can't wait. 🙂
Mermaid AP by Norvien Basio
Spellcasters II Fairy Metal AP by Sean Pence
The coloring and detail on Norvien Basio's cards in general is incredible, and my jaw literally dropped when I saw the vibrant mermaid AP he did for me.
Sometimes artists will choose their own subject for an AP and sell the completed pieces rather than commission the card. Such was the case with the butterfly fairy I got from Sean Pence. This couldn't have been a more perfect card for me if I had requested the subject, showing a delicate, serene subject with Sean's trademark ability to draw exquisite, realistic feeling faces even within a fantasy setting.
Of course there are MANY more phenomenal artists featured in Perna Studios' sets and anyone with an interest in high quality fantastical art collectibles should definitely check out their offerings and/or check in with the artists about commissioning an AP.
Tags Perna
Android: Mainframe Board Game First Impressions
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Mainframe is a nice little abstract game themed in the Android Universe.
Players take the role of one of six possible runners (hackers) trying to secure the most of an infiltrated mainframe for themselves. Players place nodes (tokens) on an 8×6 board and try to enclose their nodes with barriers by executing programs (playing cards) both from a generic supply available to all players and from a hand of a few unique cards representing their particular runner's abilities. Programs generally add, move, or swap nodes and partitions to/on the board. Endgame scoring depends on how large your enclosures are and how many of your tokens are inside each.
The theme is well done, adding some flavor to what's strictly speaking a pure abstract in gameplay. The characters have a nice bit of backstory that ties to their cards, such as one being an intrusion expert and thus having "programs" that generally revolve around manipulating "entry points" (nodes). The facts that you play with three of your character's five special cards in any given game and that there are more different characters (six) than max players (four) seem like they'll add a good amount to replayability. There seems to be a decent amount of depth for how simple and easy to learn the rules are.
The board seemed a little big for two players, but it was workable and with numerous cards that can reposition nodes the board layout changes often so the size isn't that big a deal. I feel like things will be much tighter and harder to adapt to with more players though, and am extremely intrigued to play that way.
Fast to learn, fast to play, more thematic than most abstracts, and fun. Great addition to the gaming closet.
Reviews Video Games
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review
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The Nonary Game returns…
I loved 999, but hadn't played this sequel yet due to glitching issues with the 3DS version. With the third game out and me now having a Vita, I decided to go back to this to finish the trilogy in order.
The general setup is largely the same, with nine people kidnapped and forced to play a life and death game at the whim of their captor, who is hinted to be posing as one of the nine. Once again the game is a combination of almost visual novel type story sections and adventure game style puzzle sections. There's a very different feel to this versus 999, but the atmosphere is still appropriately dark and foreboding and things come together pretty well. The puzzles are good, the characters nicely varied and reasonably engaging, and the narrative compelling. When the game first came out I wasn't a fan of the change in visual style from the first game, but I found now I barely even noticed. The game looked good and the graphics were appropriate.
The plot is intriguing, and makes good use of the branching aspect. I found the philosophical incorporations of both the Prisoner's Dilemma and Schrodinger's Cat quite interesting, but I'll admit I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff in general. There's a TON going on as things progress. Magnitudes more so than in 999. It leads to an end with almost too many twists, but I was fine with it overall (although I have mixed feelings about what this all means as a follow up to 999). The parallel branching nature does undermine some of the drama, as the Ally/Betray choices don't have the same kind of impact when you eventually have to go back and choose the other.
There were a couple instances of "carrying the idiot ball," but otherwise the characters' reactions and motivations fit well among branches. A couple of things (mostly related to game's workings) were left implied when they should have been made explicit, which is kind of surprising given all the exposition in parts. There were also a few instances of wasted potential, such as a clever development that should have had big implications but is instead used only when it's introduced and never mentioned again, and a character who oddly fades into the background at points where they could/should have been important.
While not being quite as tight as 999 nor reaching the same heights, Virtue's Last Reward is an excellent sequel that is more ambitious than its predecessor and largely succeeds on the grander scale. I don't know that I entirely like where this is all going story-wise, but I am definitely fully invested in seeing how it turns out. Bring on Zero Time Dilemma.
Japan Cuts 2016: Flying Colors, Kako: My Sullen Past, and Emi-Abi Reviews
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Japan Society's annual Japan Cuts Film Festival for 2016 ran from July 14th through July 24th. These were the last three movies I saw as part of this year's screenings. My thoughts on last year's festival can be read starting here.
Check out my thoughts on other films from this year in posts about Bitter Honey and Lowlife Love, Nagasaki: Memories of My Son and Bakuman, and The Shell Collector and Being Good.
"Once you achieve the impossible, you can do anything."
Sayaka is a social butterfly content to scrape by in dead last place among the students at a high school that guarantees admittance into its partner college to all who attend. But when an unusual cram school teacher sets her sights on one of the most prestigious colleges in Japan, years of being called worthless combine with the surprise of having someone believe in her to make Sayaka determined to prove everyone who thinks she has no chance wrong.
Flying Colors is a wonderful story about pursuing dreams and attempting to defy expectations. Structured brilliantly, the movie starts by providing some strong background scenes of Sayaka's scholastic past to set up how she ended up in her starting status quo, content to know nothing. Her complete lack of shame about being stupid while not resenting those smarter than her is one of the big comedic hooks early on, and cements her as a lovable doofus that the audience is happy to cheer for. Kasumi Arimura plays the part perfectly, and the pairing with Sayaka's unconventional teacher who knows how to encourage poor students to start to enjoy learning is not only hilarious but also gives the film its core. Their shared enthusiasm about Sayaka getting the slightest things right early on provide outrageously funny scenes. The various ways in which the teacher played by Atsushi Ito brings out the best in his band of misfits and genuinely sees their potential and cares about their success and improvement is phenomenal.
Expertly interwoven with the humor and Sayaka's educational journey is a touching family drama centered around her father's projection of his own dream of big time baseball success onto Sayaka's brother and the complete lack of support any of the women in the family get from him. Sayaka's mother and her complete devotion to her children anchor the film, with Yo Yoshia giving an extraordinary supporting performance as someone who truly wants nothing more than her children's happiness. The drama is genuinely emotional without ever getting overly sappy or melodramatic, and adds a perhaps unexpected amount of heart beneath all the humor.
As I'm sure is clear at this point I loved just about everything about this film. Easily one of my favorites of the festival.
Kako: My Sullen Past
"Isn't everybody lonely? Alone or even if you're with family."
High schooler Kako spends her summer days bored out of her mind, listlessly going through the motions of helping in her family's restaurant and staring at a local river looking for a crocodile she knows isn't there. Then her activist, long thought dead aunt shows back up on the family doorstep.
Japan Cuts has been my first introduction to the incredible talent of Fumi Nikaido, and it was fascinating to see her here playing such a different character from Akako in Bitter Honey. Akako popped off the screen with an infectious playfulness and a larger than life feel. Kako is compelling in a different way, with apparent apathy arising from her boredom completely infusing her body language and making her susceptible to insatiable curiosity about her mysterious aunt. The flatness Nikaido achieves in Kako's everyday actions and personality makes it all the more intriguing when she takes interest in anything. The contrast in the two characters and the skill with which she plays both highlights her versatility and why she's such a highly regarded and awarded actress even at such a young age.
The feelings and sounds of summer come across well, and appropriately compliment the film's odd tone, which examines the slow yet relentless passage of time in the lives of Kako and her family. Boredom is portrayed as so pervasive its relief is more important to the characters than even the well being of others. The disaffected nature of both Kako and her aunt's personalities adds humor to some very dark moments in a way that generally works, yet still feels strange when the viewer realizes what they just laughed at.
There's a lot simmering just underneath the surface of the depicted events, both in theme and in production. Such as the significance of Kako's interactions with her aunt's mysterious companion, or the facts that Kako's baby sister remains unnamed, is constantly commented upon for how little she moves, and is clearly played by a doll if the viewer looks closely at the bundle of blankets.
There are aspects of Kako: My Sullen Past that I really liked and aspects that I didn't. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it as a whole, but it was well made and acted, and quite interesting. I'm glad I saw it.
Emi-Abi
"… if you can make me laugh."
During the Q&A following the world premiere of Emi-Abi at Japan Cuts, director Kensaku Watanabe explained his desire when making the film to show genuine comedy yet constantly undercut it with dramatic and somber elements. He really succeeds in this goal, giving his story of a comedian trying to move on after the loss of his partner a tone that constantly switches and balances between light hearted comedy and deeper, sadder themes.
The plot progression was solid, but not at all as I expected. The film is extremely flashback heavy, focusing a lot on deceased partner Unno, what happened the night of his passing, and a surprisingly well developed romantic story involving him and a young fan. Unno steals the movie from his surviving partner Jitsudo, who is well portrayed but while we understand and sympathize with his grief we never really feel it, making nearly every character in the film more sympathetic than the supposed main character trying to find his new path in life.
The entire supporting cast was quite good, but I was especially impressed with what Haru Kuroki did as Jitsudo's manager, making the most of a small role as someone totally devoted to seeing Jitsudo at his best once again despite the tragedy.
I found parts of Emi-Abi disjointed and the balance of characters a bit off, but it's a decent film overall made with a specific vision in mind and supported with strong acting.
Fantastic festival overall as usual from Japan Society Film. Definitely check out some of these great movies as you are able.
Japan Cuts 2016: The Shell Collector and Being Good Reviews
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My thoughts on Bitter Honey and Lowlife Love can be read here, and those on Nagasaki: Memories of My Son and Bakuman here.
The Shell Collector
"Being alone is intimate."
In The Shell Collector Japan Cuts 2016 recipient of the Cut Above award Lily Franky plays an elderly blind man who has isolated himself from society and spends his time collecting shells along the beach. The opening of the movie has a serene quality as it shows his everyday life and events that bring a trouble woman unexpectedly into it. From there the movie's tone and direction changes a couple times, dealing with escalating events and consequences arising from the intersection of the old man's hobby and a mysterious disease affecting the islands around his reclusive home.
The entire movie is incredibly well acted and directed to convey a real feeling of blindness of the main character. Little touches regarding the way he searches for his shells and finds his way around his home really sell the concept, which is so important to the way the plot unfolds. Excellent cinematography featuring fantastic locations and great integration of art, props, etc heighten the atmosphere and impact of the film expertly.
The themes are abstract, and I'm still not sure quite what to make of the film as a whole. I realize it was bound by being an adaptation of a short story and is quite faithful to the source material from what I understand, but I wanted something more/different from story. The early portion of the film was my favorite, and it seemed there was great potential to continue in that same vein throughout.
The Q&A afterward with the director, the producer, and star Lily Franky was interesting and once again the moderator had great questions and asked the question I had in mind. Franky's sense of humor was off-color and a little inappropriate at times, but overall this was another good Q&A.
Overall I think I liked The Shell Collector, although some parts quite a bit more than others. I didn't find it great in total, but parts of it certainly were and it was certainly a good film.
Being Good
"I don't know how to be good."
Being good tackles numerous related difficult societal issues regarding forms of abuse and ingrained standards, attitudes, and expectations that facilitate these tragic situations. It's a poignant, raw look at both these difficult situations as well as some of the obstructions to dealing with them.
The key to the movie is the careful touch with which this delicate subject matter is presented. The film does not shy away from illustrating the harshness of the problems being addressed in a blunt manner, but it is done with a point and completely without sensationalism and none of the scenes ever feel the least bit exploitive. Abuse is sadly a part of the lives of the characters, and it needs to be shown matter of factly in order for the audience to understand its nature and depth, and for the characters to be able to contemplate what to do about it.
This of course makes parts of the film (extremely) hard to watch, but the important things the story has to say about abuse make these scenes both worth watching and indispensable to the film. The most important thing is that there are glimmers of hope and genuine efforts and desire from certain characters to break these cycles. These are stories that don't just present an upsetting status quo, they express a wish for things to be better.
Through three parallel stories in the same town, Being Good tackles subjects ranging from a young school teacher trying to learn how to deal with bullying within his classroom as well as trying to help a student he suspects is being abused, to a mother who disciplines her child through violence and hates herself for it, to society's attitudes towards the metal ill and how it changes with the person's age, to some of the emotional realities of raising an autistic child. This variety of related issues and the skill with which they were integrated together into a single film are incredibly impressive. Each of the three parallel tales are balanced perfectly, without any characters, stories, or themes feeling shortchanged and with all of them receiving equal and appropriate weight.
That the director was able to bring all of this together is amazing. Being Good is an adaptation of three short stories from a collection of five. Making everything work in the balanced manner I described without losing any of the underlying messages or their impact is a huge accomplishment. The acting is equally superb, both from the adults grappling with moral dilemmas and feelings of bitter realities beyond their control, and from child actors tasked with communicating heart wrenching emotional distress. I found this film just phenomenally made from top to bottom.
The Q&A with director Mipo O following the screening was illuminating, as she covered topics ranging from how this film differed from her other movies, to the process of adapting these stories and approaching the subject matter, to the care with which certain scenes needed to be approached, specifically in making sure the child actors were not suffering emotion distress themselves in the process of having to portray it.
Being Good is a masterpiece, and may very well be the best film of an extremely strong Japan Cuts Festival this year.
So these were two more unique and thought provoking films featured during the festival. Will be back with more a couple more reviews as Japan Cuts concludes. 🙂
A Year and Counting…
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It's the one year anniversary for Derailments of Thought. Time flies.
I had been writing book and game reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and BGG for a few years, but had in the back of my mind expanding to a space where I wasn't as constrained by format or content. I've really enjoyed writing here, from my standard reading reviews to more varied posts about art, food, wrestling, etc. I posted 213 posts during the year (most of which were new writing), which boggles my mind.
Some pretty predictable breakdown stats:
~37% reading reviews (22% of total manga, 12% comics and 3% prose)
~26% wrestling related
~14% gaming related (10% boardgames, 4% videogames)
~12% mystery box reviews
~8% movie reviews
~3% other
I actually feel like the wrestling percentage should be higher, but that's probably because those reviews tend to be much longer than the reading reviews so they compromise a larger portion of my actual writing than they do post count.
It's been interesting / fun to write this year's Japan Cuts reviews, as my reviews for last year's festival were pretty much the first things I wrote for this.
Anyway, here's to many more random ramblings from me to come. 🙂
Japan Cuts 2016: Nagasaki: Memories of My Son and Bakuman Reviews
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My thoughts on Bitter Honey and Lowlife Love can be read here.
Nagasaki: Memories of My Son
"Of course I'm not ok. I'm dead."
Nagasaki: Memories of My Son is the story of those left behind after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It's a tightly focused, personal tale centered on the mother and fiance of a medical student killed in the attack and their daily lives three years after his death.
The skill on display in every aspect of the film's construction and the seamlessness with which they come together is phenomenal. From the striking opening scenes alternating between the cockpit of the bomber and the son staring his day and going to class, to clever techniques surrounding Kazunari Ninomiya's status as a ghost and use of flashbacks, to an absolutely haunting score and breathtaking performances, it's all amazing. The composer of the exquisite music featured in the film gave a nice introduction for the screening.
Incredibly beautifully shot and acted, the film provides a powerful and touching personal story while giving an ongoing glimpse of life during and after the war that all feels natural and real. Universal themes of loss and moving on are explored both in general and with specific ties to the bombing, and difficult subjects like survivor's guilt and jealousy are handled with a deft and genuine feel. Numerous scenes are absolutely devastating in their emotional impact, yet the love underlying all the feelings of loss is given equal weight and woven throughout the movie perfectly. I wanted something slightly different from the ending, but it was extremely fitting as it was none the less.
Though completely different approaches to the material, the film was somewhat reminiscent of the equally incredible manga Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. Both are powerful examinations of the effect of the atomic bomb on everyday people's lives.
Though a period tale of the ripples of a specific horrific event, the themes and story are impressively timeless. Simultaneously heart breaking and heart warming, I've never been so content to cry so much. Nagasaki: Memories of My Son lives in the shadow on tragedy, but contains an inextinguishable light at its core. Highest possible recommendation.
The live action movie adaptation of a manga about making manga.
Featuring two high school students who decide to team up with the goal of getting published in the premiere manga magazine in Japan, Bakuman using innovative filmmaking techniques and expert touches of comedy to provide a wonderful adaptation of the story of their quest while giving great insight into the industry the characters love. The focus on the often overlooked difficulties of both making art and turning it into something commercially viable, shining a light on the creative aspects and associated hard work and harsh realities on competition in entertainment fields as well as on the editorial process, is fascinating.
The visual style and feel of the movie is phenomenal, with a multitude of imaginative ways of representing the writing and drawing processes in striking, engaging ways which are further enhanced by pitch perfect comedic acting that makes it impossible not to get pulled in for the ride. Though overused, the phrase "love letter to the industry" exactly describes how this film represents the creation of manga, though it pulls no punches with the hardships involved.
There are key dramatic moments, and the general tone is so light and breezy they hit like a tons of bricks and their impact is felt throughout the film. The romance aspect felt short changed and it needed more time devoted for the developments to play out properly, but everything else came together strongly and overall this was an amazingly high quality not only as an adaptation, but as a film in general.
The director made a surprise appearance and his short Q&A after the screening was extremely interesting, talking about the changes made in changing mediums, some of the nods and references to other manga, and the impressive amount of work the actors put into being able to do the drawing scenes.
Fantastic stuff. Will be back with more reviews as Japan Cuts continues. 🙂
Japan Manga Reviews
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms Review
2 Comments on Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms Review
Beautiful and heart-wrenching. Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is a masterpiece of tragedy, despair, hope, and life.
Nothing happens in a vacuum. Even insignificant events can have ripple effects that reach impossibly far from their center. The bombing of Hiroshima in World War II was an extremely significant, and tragic, event. The immediate effects were obvious, and frightening. But it's the less obvious ripples that Fumiyo Kouno relates to us in these incredible stories.
This collection has three parts: Town of Evening Calm, and Country of Cherry Blossoms 1 and 2. Town is the story of a young woman living in Hiroshima 10 years after the bombing. Country part 1 is set 33 years later and features her brother and his children, particularly his daughter. Country part 2 follows the same characters 17 years later. Through them we see the long lasting effects of the bomb. Kouno lets them rise from the story naturally, illuminating both the obvious and more subtle effects with great finesse.
As you might imagine these are tales heavily shadowed with sadness, fear and melancholy, but that is as it should be. Town and Country is set in real times and examines how everyday life was changed forever by a single horrible moment. That it manages to do so in a way that resonates authenticity, from characters and happenings that feel real to art that perfectly enhances the emotions pouring forth, is an unbelievable accomplishment.
A masterpiece in every possible way, Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms should be on every adult's reading list.
Reviews Wrestling
Evolve 64 Live Thoughts
2 Comments on Evolve 64 Live Thoughts
July 16, 2016 in Queens, NY
La Boom is packed with another big crowd. Lenny Lenard opens up thanking the WWE for allowing Evolve to host CWC spotlight matches, but is interrupted by Stokely Hathaway who says one of them is off as TJP isn't wrestling tonight so he can rest up for tomorrow's potential title match.
The other promised spotlight match is first, with Johnny Gargano vs. Cedric Alexander. In a nice touch this was presented the same way as the CWC matches, with the prematch rules confirmation and handshake, and the post match MMA style winner announcement. This was phenomenal and the very definition of a hot opener. All night the CWC competitors all looked like they had taken things up a notch since last I saw them just a few months ago. Alexander looked great here and kept up with Gargano, who's on the roll of his life. Brilliant choice to start the show with.
After Alexander leaves Drew Galloway ambushes Gargano and grabs a chair. Ethan Page comes out to protect Johnny and takes the beating in his place. Drew Gulak comes out to attack Galloway and presumably start their match as Gargano and Page are helped out, but he's ambushed by a returning Chuck Taylor!!!
Catch Point saves and "Dustin" is introduced by Galloway as someone else who resents Evolve and having to carry Johnny Gargano. They challenge Gulak and Williams to put the tag belts up later on and we have a new main event. Of note: Matt Riddle did not come out to save fellow Catch Point members from the vicious heels, but uberheels TJP and Hathaway did.
Next was a Four-way Fray, with Chris Dickinson (replacing Tracy Williams) vs. Fred Yehi vs. Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin. Allin gets tossed over the tope rope into a summersault splat on the floor, hitting his legs on the barricade on the way down. Couldn't see Allin on the floor from my vantage by the other competitors, particularly Neese, were reacting in shock. When Allin later eventually pull himself up and join the match it was a hero's ovation from the crowd. He later did a trust fall from the top to the outside onto Dickinson and Yehi. This stuff is getting him over, but seems a bit too reckless.
Fun, faced paced match with strong performances from all four, with Allin as the crazy underdog, Dickinson throwing everyone around with power moves, and Neese and Yehi picking their spots to take prime advantage of openings as they appeared. Neese in particular was hitting on all cylinders here, and got the win with an opportune 450 on a laid out Allin while Dickinson recovered from hitting the youngster with a Razor's Edge off the top. Everyone shook hands and showed respect to Allin after the match.
Ethan Page came out selling effects from his earlier beating to face tryout seminar participant Wheeler Yuta. It's a good role for Page, allowing him to rack up wins in between big matches while using his experience to help develop the new roster hopefuls. Fired up from Galloway's actions earlier, Page shows his aggressive side and dismantles Yuta, ending with the package piledriver. Afterwards Page cuts a strong promo directed at Gargano explaining that Johnny's a man without any support in Evolve and needs to forgive Page and accept him as backup. I dread where I think this ends up, but Page has been killing this angle so far.
Jigsaw made a surprise return and gets TJP's abandoned spot against Zach Sabre Jr. He looks to have gotten even better is his time away, and kept up with Sabre well with some great back and forth submission wrestling during which they twisted each other in ways the human body isn't meant to go. Like Gargano, Sabre's just in the zone right now. Great little match despite being the epitome of foregone conclusion.
Matt Riddle is just way too charismatic and talented for the crowd to boo, particularly in NYC where we love our villains, so he gets big cheers as he mockingly comes out wearing Thatcher's Evolve Title. He faces another heel traditionally cheered in NY in the returning Roderick Strong, who gets a huge ovation. Despite his skills Roderick usually doesn't click with me for some reason, but he had a great match here with Riddle. The two cocky competitors taunting each other, Strong's aggressive approach to the match, and Riddle's continued… well, evolution as a young wrestler all came together nicely. Big submission victory for Riddle to keep him rolling over everyone on his way to a no-holds-barred title shot against Thatcher in August. Show of respect handshake after the match, which again shouldn't be happening with Riddle.
Riddle grabbed a mic and taunts Thatcher after the match, which brought out the champ. Recent booking of Thatcher and his methodical style are starting to turn the crowd against him, and combined with the latter's aforementioned charisma the crowd actually cheers when Riddle rubs the title belt on his crotch in disrespect. Hathaway interrupts their confrontation to question Riddle about where he was while the rest of Catch Point was "defending the company" earlier, demand Riddle shine the belt up for TJP's eventual victory tomorrow (more crotch rubbing from Riddle to big laughs/applause), and challenge him to a match in September against TJP. Riddle is clearly a heel getting cheered because of how good he is, but the rest of Catch Point are playing half face/half heel characters that drive me crazy. I don't mind the group having both, but Hathaway and TJP in particular are legitimately over as heels now and having Hathaway talk about "defending the company" is so ridiculously counter-productive.
Riddle accepts the challenge, reminds everyone that Thatcher promised to hurt anyone who touches the title, then throws it to Hathaway. Thatcher pretends to understand it wasn't Hathaway's intention/fault, but then grabs his hand and "breaks his finger" to Riddle's amusement on the outside. However as Riddle starts to head back music hits and out comes the night's challenger for the Evolve title, Marty Scurll. Great triple face off considering Scurll wrestles Riddle the next day. Scurll's look is awesome, coming out with small sunglasses, an umbrella, and a white fur coat. Riddle sneaks back in the ring because he "forgot what's his" and leaves with the belt, prompting an odd stare from the challenger and an amused one from Thatcher.
"Hush little Tatcher, don't say a thing. I'm gonna hurt you with my chick-en wing." Like Riddle, Marty Scrull is way too charismatic to be booed in NYC and the crowd is firmly behind the Villain in this match, with Timothy Thatcher getting all the boos. One heckler in the front row got particularly annoying shouting out variations telling Thatcher he sucks every other minute. Your valiant champion running a gauntlet of heels to prove he deserves his title should not be getting that kind of reaction if booked properly. While this wasn't quite what it could have been, I enjoyed it. Scurll targeted the arm to set up his trademark finish that beat Thatcher last time they faced, and Thatcher weathered the storm for another successful defense (to tremendous boos when Scurll tapped).
TJP rushed the ring afterward but the rest of Catch Point holds him off, while Riddle just perches on a corner and chuckles. Gulak gets in Thatcher's face, but appears to want to be sportsman like about their mutual hatred. This dynamic of Gulak, Yehi, and Williams being driven faces in a group with antagonistic, in-it-for-themselves heels TJP and Riddle would be really awesome if Gulak and Williams had explicitly turned face at some point and if there weren't weird things like Hathaway's earlier comments. TJP eventually gets by his stablemates to cheap shot Thatcher with a kick that drops the champ. Gulak looks annoyed with TJP and Riddle smiles wider.
Drew Galloway and Dustin come out as Thatcher leaves for their match for the Evolve Tag Team Titles against Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams (c). Galloway is playing a great resentful heel trying to bring down Evolve from within and Dustin slid right into the role beside him perfectly. This was the serious, chip-on-his-shoulder heel Chuckie T we all wanted to see during his feud with Gargano a few years back. Interesting to see former Gentlemen's Club partners Dustin and Gulak go at it. Solid main event that as expected once the surprise challenge was laid out saw new Tag Champions crowned. Galloway and Dustin just shred it on the mic afterwards, talking about how Galloway was going to rip the heart out of Evolve the next night by defeating Gargano and in August they'd be at full strength with them, Chris Hero, Cody Rhodes, and ECIII. Dustin asked where all the fans where when he was left off shows. "Chuck Taylor is dead, you morons killed him."
Despite my criticisms of the approach to some of the booking, the stories being told are compelling overall and as usual Evolve delivered plenty of fantastic in ring action. This was a great card top to bottom with diverse matches and a big surprise return that lead to intriguing developments heading into the rest of the summer shows. The pace was kept up nicely as angles intertwined and matches led directly into other match. Fun show definitely worth catching the replay for.
Can't wait to see Riddle vs Scurll on the next one.
In my awesome new Bro t-shirt meeting incredible rising star Matt Riddle.
Tags Evolve

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Canada Has a Problem With Sky-High Airfares
Justin Bachman, Bloomberg
- Sep 12, 2016 4:00 pm
Canada has too much government regulation to allow EasyJet and Ryanair clones to flourish. But several new startups could produce lower fares for some Canadians.
— Jason Clampet
Travel nearly anywhere in the world, and you'll find cheap airlines offering no-frills service, from European giant Ryanair Holdings Plc to Peach Aviation Ltd. in Japan, flynas in Saudi Arabia and Spirit Airlines Inc. in the U.S. But head north of the border, and the aviation landscape is untouched by ultra-low-cost airlines.
Canada ranks among the world's most expensive countries to fly, thanks in part to high airport and security fees and limited competition, and service is meager in many small and medium-sized cities. More than 60 percent of Canada's 36 million people live within 100 miles of the border, and many head south to fly; about 5 million cross the border each year for cheaper flights.
"Griping about the cost of air travel in this country is as endemic as bitching about the weather—it's as if nothing can be done about either of them," a columnist for Canada's National Post wrote in June.
Some cheaper fares may be en route. Three companies are working to bring the ultra-low-cost model to the country, where air travel is dominated two national airlines, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd.
But higher operating costs make it hard for new airlines to survive, and the dominant airlines are sure to respond to upstarts offering lower fares. WestJet, for example, has already begun new nonstop service on two routes flown by the first of these newcomers.
Canada is one of just two nations in the Group of 20 largest economies without any ultra-low-cost carriers, or ULCCs. The other, Argentina, may see one next year as Irelandia Aviation Ltd.—the Dublin-based investment firm that has established ULCCs like Ryanair in Europe and Allegiant Travel Co. in the U.S.—aims to expand its low-cost airline group Grupo Viva Aerobus there. Canada also charges higher security fees than most other nations—up to $25 per passenger—and its 26 largest airports must make annual payments to their municipalities in lieu of local taxes.
A 2015 report to the Canadian transport minister, reviewing the nation's transportation system, found air travel in Canada "marked by weak accountability constraints on fees and charges; high costs for users and operators; aggressive capital expenditure programs at airports; modest traffic volumes; and limited competition." It recommended the government reform airport ownership structure and offer the aviation sector more federal financial aid, as the U.S. does. "There is no room for complacency," it added.
Canadians are eager for the expanded service and lower fares that ULCCs could provide, said Jim Young, chief executive of NewLeaf Travel Co., a "virtual" airline in its sixth week of operations, with three Boeing 737s flying to secondary airports in 11 cities nationwide. NewLeaf, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, itself has no air certificates or airplanes. It sells tickets on an established carrier, Flair Airlines—a " wet lease" arrangement that lets NewLeaf escape many of the costly aspects of being an airline. Flair staffs and maintains the fleet and sells capacity to NewLeaf.
Canadians "understand the business model—they understand the fees, they understand that you pay for what you consume," Young said in a telephone interview.
Canada is among the most expensive places for air travel— 70th out of 75 nations, in terms of the average cost to fly 100 kilometers, at $38.71, according to data released this week by the online travel agency Kiwi.com. (Only Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Finland and the United Arab Emirates had more expensive fares, according to Kiwi; the U.S. was 17th, with India the cheapest place to fly.)
The country's high airport fees limit the traffic-stimulating effect that lower fares can have for low-cost airlines elsewhere, but flying to smaller, cheaper airports increases the odds of success, said NewLeaf's chairman Ben Baldanza, calling the company the "the only ULCC option that I have seen in Canada that makes sense to me." Baldanza, who was previously chief executive at Spirit, is also a "small investor" in the Canadian startup and serves on the board of Iceland-based low-cost carrier WOW Air.
NewLeaf eschews Canada's primary, higher-cost airports like Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International, just as Allegiant Travel Co. does larger U.S. airports. In Canada, secondary airport fees are generally far lower than those at major airports, which is why a low-cost airline such as NewLeaf looks to towns like Hamilton over Toronto, or Abbotsford instead of Vancouver, Baldanza said.
Price is the prime selling point in the ULCC model: Fares begin under $40, and in many cases well under $40. In China, for example, Spring Airlines sells tickets for as little as 99 yuan ($14.82). The U.S. has three such carriers—Spirit, Allegiant, and Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc.—and all have been expanding voraciously.
Because of Canada's higher costs, fares there won't be as low as other nations enjoy. But executives at all three of Canada's fledgling ULCCs say they aim to underprice Air Canada and WestJet by 25 percent to 35 percent.
Calgary-based Enerjet is a charter operator that flies oil- and gas-field workers in northern Alberta and does contract work for Air Transat, another Canadian charter carrier. Now, it is transitioning to the ultra-low-cost model .
Enerjet has been "hunkered down" for more than a year amid the collapse in oil prices and western Canada's depressed economy, said Darcy Morgan, the company's chief commercial officer; his brother Tim, a WestJet co-founder, is its CEO. The company leases three Boeing 737-700s and wants to begin a new ULCC tentatively called Flytoo. (It was first called Jet Naked for its knack for drawing publicity, but that name was abandoned.) Enerjet is working to raise C$80 million ($61 million) and hopes to begin Flytoo service by year's end.
A third company, Calgary-based Canada Jetlines Ltd., is trying to raise C$50 million ($38 million) and begin flying from major Canadian cities to U.S. sun destinations like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles this year or next. Jetlines has ordered five new Boeing 737 Max aircraft for its future expansion, with options for 16 more.
Initially, Jetlines plans to expand to a half dozen 737-700s in its first year and to list shares publicly. The airline plans to offer fares 30 percent cheaper than Air Canada and WestJet but also to avoid direct competition with both, said Jim Scott, Jetlines' president and chief executive officer.
"The passengers that we [will] move are not the passengers that Air Canada and WestJet want, anyway," Scott said. "The focus in Canada is on the business traveler or the frequent flier. I always say everyone who gets boarded before I get boarded is the [passenger] they're interested in."
During the winter, all three low-cost airlines will look south to Mexico, the U.S. and the Caribbean, as Canadians seek warmer-weather respites.
"I think there's a chance to make more money in the winter than [NewLeaf does] in the summer," Baldanza said of NewLeaf and its focus on smaller cities. "The reality is that people who live in Moncton want to get warm just like people who live in Toronto want to get warm in the winter."
As with nearly any airline startup, financing has been lean for all three companies so far. Scott attributes that to Canada's conservative investment climate—where preventing losses is paramount, dwarfing a focus on the upside potential, and where realism outweighs the dream of a huge payday. And in a nation with near-duopoly air service, airline upstarts have had a spotty record, as well as some high-profile failures in the last 15 years—including low-cost operator Jetsgo and smaller leisure-oriented carrier Harmony Airways.
To help their funding efforts, both Enerjet and Jetlines have asked to be exempted from Canada's 25 percent cap on foreign investment in airlines, in the hopes of selling as much as a 49 percent stake to non-Canadian investors. Those exemption requests are opposed by South Beach Capital Partners, an investment group formed by Manitoba First Nations indigenous peoples that took a financial stake in NewLeaf Travel in June; Canada's transport minister is expected to decide on the requests later this year.
That foreign ownership cap was one of the aspects of Canadian air travel that last year's federal transportation report pointed to, advocating for raising it. "In contrast to larger markets like the U.S., there may not be enough capital in Canada to finance 75 percent of a new national carrier," said the report, overseen by David Emerson, a former Cabinet minister, Vancouver airport executive and member of Parliament. The report also recommended sweeping changes in airport funding, airport capital spending programs, security and visa systems.
Tim Morgan, the Enerjet CEO, thinks the Canadian market, once properly stimulated with low fares, could support "more than 50" planes flying in the ultra-low-cost model—"and maybe even 100, or more than 100," he said in a telephone interview. "And that's without affecting the major carriers."
This type of airline business model shift has an established track record, with several U.S. examples—including Frontier Airlines' sale to Indigo Partners LLC, which converted it to the ULCC model.
Darcy Morgan likened the moniker to a bottle of soda: Lots of initial fizz, but it could go flat quickly.
This article was written by Justin Bachman from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
Tags: canada, low-cost carriers
Photo Credit: A WestJet flight arrives in Toronto. Although it's a low-cost carrier, WestJet has higher prices than its peers in other countries. Martin Cathrae / Flickr
Norwegian Taps Former JetBlue Exec in Management Reshuffle
Norwegian Air's New CEO Sees First Priority As Returning to Profits
Airlines Still Think They Can Offset Their Way Out of Climate Catastrophe
Why Wizz Air Has No Plans to Try Low-Cost, Long-Haul Anytime Soon


This circuit has been very useful in filling a header tank for a reticulated water supply on a farm. Eight troughs are supplied in different paddocks where a lack of water would have serious consequences for the stock. In the past, the tank had been filled daily by a time clock which was not successful. During hot weather, the stock would empty the tank on a regular basis and then be without water for several hours or the tank would overflow and flood the area if the weather was wet and the cattle did not drink much.1.
The circuit described has been used to maintain the level of water in the header tank within prescribed limits. It controls a 3HP submersible bore pump which has a high starting current, necessitating a solid-state relay sufficient to take the starting load. Two Darlington transistors, Q1 & Q3, in conjunction with Q2 & Q4, are connected to the upper and lower water sensors in the tank. Q2 & Q4 have a common 5.6kO load resistor and function as a NOR gate. The output of the NOR gate drives Q5 which activates relay RLY1.
Initially, when the water level is low, both sensors will be open-circuit, the NOR gate output will be high and the relay will be turned on. This causes the normally closed (NC) contacts of the relay to open and disconnect the lower sensor. However, the upper sensor will still be open circuit and the NOR gate output will be high, keeping the relay closed. The normally open (NO) contact of the relay will be closed to operate the solid-state relay RLY2 to run the pump.
This state continues until the water reaches the top sensor which will then drop the output from the NOR gate to 0V. The disables relay RLY1 and the pump is stopped. In practice the upper level sensor is just below the overflow from the tank and the lower sensor about half way up the tank. The sensor contacts are simply two stainless steel screws about 25mm apart and screwed through the poly tank walls. The wiring junctions on the side of the tank are protected by neutral-cure silicone sealant.


What's your favorite donut? Kiddos will paint their favorite donut on a matching set (snack plate and mug) using tape circles, glazes and fun writers. The best part? Pieces are food safe after they go through our kiln-firing process.


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Posts Tagged '#NoDeathPenalty'
#NoDeathPenalty,Human Rights,Iran human rights,Iran Women rights,MEK
U.N. Criticizes Iran's Human Rights Abuses
Written by Yoosef Lesani on November 14, 2019 . Posted in NEWS
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the human rights situation in Iran on November 8, 2019- Geneva
On Tuesday, November 8, 2019, 111 countries participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the human rights situation in Iran. The UPR is a peer-review mechanism whereby the United Nations member states can make recommendations to governments that are under review.
The Working Group in Geneva on Tuesday had a lot to say about the regime's treatment of women, the execution of minors, the use of torture, and overall human rights abuses, making a total of 329 recommendations to the Iranian regime.
The recommendations made by the Working Group of the UPR were adopted on November 12th at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The MEK has reported previously that the U.N. has condemned the Iranian regime 65 times over the last four decades for its human rights abuses.
#AmnestyInternational calls on publicly condemn the deterioration in #Iran's #HumanRights recordhttps://t.co/hkRSDj4NrN#MEK #FreeIran @USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/VUlhQ6Unpn
— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) November 9, 2019
Recommendations Made
A number of countries called on Iran to ratify the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Denmark, Estonia, and Moldova recommended that the regime ratify the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Germany called on Iran to "[r]atify core international human rights conventions, in particular, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women."
Germany also called on the regime to "establish a formal moratorium on the death penalty. In particular, cease all planned executions of juvenile offenders and prohibit the imposition of the death penalty for crimes committed by minors."
Albania called on the Iranian regime to cooperate with all U.N. Special Rapporteurs who wish to visit the country.
Sweden agreed, saying that Iran must "fully cooperate with and grant immediate and unfettered access for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Belgium recommended that Iran should "abolish the death penalty at least for crimes committed by persons under 18 years of age, in accordance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and commute all death sentences for juvenile offenders."
The United States called on the Iranian regime to immediately end the use of torture and to credibly investigate and prosecute all allegations of torture.
Ukraine called on Iran to "remove all national law provisions that allow for punishments that amount to torture or cruel and degrading treatment."
Australia said Iran must "[i]mmediately investigate all allegations involving the torture and other ill-treatment of those arrested or detained during the demonstrations in December 2017 and hold those responsible to account."
Australia also called on the regime to "[g]uarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, and release political prisoners, including women's rights activists, labor rights activists, environmentalists, scholars, lawyers and journalists, detained for exercising these rights."
The United Kingdom called on Iran to "[i]mmediately demonstrate that all detainees in prison are neither tortured nor subject to cruel or inhumane treatment or punishment."
Switzerland called on the Iranian regime to "[r]elease all persons detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and repeal or amend laws and other provisions criminalizing or restricting the exercise of those rights."
Argentina said Iran must "[g]uarantee freedom of expression, particularly of men and women human rights defenders and journalists, and repeal legal provisions that affect these rights."
#NoDeathPenalty,1988 Massacre,30th anniversary of 1988 Massacre,Avaei,Human Rights,MEK,Mujahedin-e Khalq,PMOI,Rouhani,World Day Against Death Penalty
Friends of a Free Iran Releases Statement on World Day Against the Death Penalty
Written by Admin on October 11, 2018 . Posted in NEWS
MEP Gérard Deprez, Chair of the Friends of a Free Iran Inter-Parliamentary group speaking at a meeting on the occasion of the World Day Against Death Penalty, October 10, 2018
The 10th of October was the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty. To mark the occasion, Friends of a Free Iran issued a press statement expressing their concern over the current use of capital punishment in Iran.
10th October #European & #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty #Iran holds highest number in global executions
Statement by Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament#HumanRights #DeathPenalty @Europarl_EN @FedericaMog @davidmcallister @EP_President @Maryam_Rajavi @eu_eeas pic.twitter.com/wcOLJS7QFo
— Firouz Mahvi (@FirouzMahvi) October 10, 2018
A Violent and Barbaric Regime
The clerical regime carries out more executions per capita than any other regime or government on earth. The mullahs' regime accounted for more than half of all the executions in the world in 2017.
In 2018 so far, the regime has executed more than 230 Iranian citizens, among them, were political prisoners, women, and juvenile offenders.
In just a month of September alone, Friends of a Free Iran report, 33 Iranians were hanged, including nine political prisoners, whose only crime was disagreeing with the hard-line, dogmatic ideology of the clerical regime.
Remembering 1988 Massacre of MEK Activists
2018's World Day Against the Death Penalty holds a special significance. It marks the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest chapters of Iran's history.
In the summer of 1988, the regime rounded up more than 30,000 members of the Iranian opposition, the majority of which came from the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK). The men and women were detained, then executed on the orders of the regime's leadership.
The most difficult part for the families of the victims, as well as MEK members today, is that those responsible for the crimes have escaped punishment. Many hold senior positions in Rouhani's cabinet today.
The Friends of a Free Iran press release mentions Rouhani's Justice Minister, Alireza Avaei. Avaei played a central role in the 1988 massacre. He was a member of the "death squad" that ordered and carried out many of the arrests and executions that summer.
Friends of a Free Iran also took the opportunity to denounce the Iranian regime's engagement in state-sponsored terrorism. 2018 has seen the clerical regime plot two plots on European soil against the MEK, both of which were foiled in the late stages.
In June, an Iranian diplomat working at the Iranian embassy in Vienna provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with explosive material. The pair were going to attack the MEK's Grand Gathering event in Paris with an explosive-laden vehicle.
The terrorist plots, according to Friends of a Free Iran, represent the violent nature of the clerical regime. Its statement condemned the regime for "attacking its own people inside Iran and… planning terrorism on the [sic] European soil".
Friends of a Free Iran lamented the silence from the European community. It urged the European heads of state to take a harder approach towards Iran.
The statement read, "we must tell Iran that any acts of terror in Europe is absolutely unacceptable and will have serious consequences", adding, "we are disappointed that our European governments and the EU [are] still trying to be nice with this brutal regime".
Finally, the statement implored the international community to "be on the side of the people of Iran and not with the mullahs". Only then can Iran make progress on human rights.


A White House speechwriter was fired after news broke that he gave a talk in 2016 to a group that included prominent white nationalists.
Here at The Scroll we believe that one day the full truth will come out. Mencken was a talented aphorist and an exceptional editor who has been wildly overpraised as a writer by status-anxious readers and a craven literary establishment that likes the abuse he dishes out because it provides them an auto-ritual where they can play both sadist and masochist.


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Investing in Africa under AfCFTA: What you need to know
Africa is not only the fastest-growing continent on the planet but also fuelled by a young and rapidly urbanizing population
in Economic Growth
AfCFTA is opening up opportunities in Africa. Investors in value chains will reap the most from the trade agreement. [Photo/ Market Frontiers]
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Consider everything you have heard about Africa is wrong and start on a quest to know and understand the continent better when it comes to the opportunities it has to offer.
For anyone giving investing in Africa a wide berth, it is because of what they have heard and rarely due to what they have experienced. This will lead to missing the myriad opportunities the continent has in the different sectors where investment is badly needed.
For starters, Africa is not only the fastest-growing continent on the planet but it is also fuelled by a young and rapidly urbanizing population which will drive demand for a long time to come.
Read: AfCFTA to boost growth in Africa
There are several benefits to investing in Africa with some being the fact that the continent has an abundance of natural resources including oil, precious metals and many others which remain untapped due to lack of infrastructure and financing.
In addition, the continent has a large population which represents approximately 17 per cent of the world's total. With about 1.3 billion people—and growing—Africa offers an enormous opportunity for consumer goods in sectors like telecommunications and the broad spectrum of banking and other sectors driven by consumer demand.
Another offering is that Africa is relatively undeveloped and the per capita income lags behind the rest of the world. This offers an opportunity to investors since the population growth means more demand for goods and services as well as improved purchasing power as the wealthy bracket expands.
According to Dr Ayodele Odusola, former Chief Economist, UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, investors have not moved into the continent quickly because foreign investment decisions are over-structured.
Writing for the African Renewal Magazine by the United Nations, Dr. Odusola says that one of the major reasons investments are held back is what is referred to as too much risk. He however says that risk and profit are inseparable twins and that high-risk ventures are frequently associated with higher profits. This is one of the major offerings that the continent has especially in the uncharted waters with the implementation of the US$450 billion African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Here are some of the important aspects you need to know about investing in Africa under the AfCFTA.
The World Bank estimates that the AfCFTA has the potential to add US$450 billion to Africa's GDP over the next 10 years if successfully implemented.
With the hope for a Covid-19 post-crisis recovery, the trade agreement has an important role to play in accelerating economic growth with the longer-term effects being offsetting some of the economic headwinds from the pandemic. The FTA could help prevent the permanent closure of businesses and job losses.
For those interested in making hay while the sun shines, they should seize the opportunities offered by the trade agreement especially in the various sectors and their value chains.
Globally many nations are increasingly looking inwards and the AfCFTA is an opportunity for Africa to lead the global trade agenda where investors will play a key role.
The AfCFTA is opening up opportunities especially in infrastructure development which is key to successful trade.
Estimates show that the African infrastructure gap is between US$130 and US$170 billion per year which greatly impedes intra-African trade. Thus, investing in infrastructure and transport linkages is a big need to support the trade framework.
There are huge opportunities in the construction sector that will help address the challenges by bridging the infrastructure gap. In addition, there are investment opportunities in the food/agribusiness, textiles and healthcare sectors which can only get better with the implementation of the AfCFTA.
A report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development states that between 2006 and 2011 Africa had the highest rate of return on inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) at 11.4 per cent in comparison to Asia's 9.1 per cent and 8.9 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean. These figures show that Africa was the most profitable region in the world.
A truck stuck on a bad road in Tanzania. Africa needs investments that will enable trade growth under the AfCFTA. [Photo/Dronelife]
Read: The EAC should integrate to benefit from AfCFTA
While the FDI to Africa decreased significantly in 2020, this does not take away from the potential returns from investing in the continent. In 2017, companies that benefited from bountiful profits in Africa include Sonatrach whose turnover from oil and gas alone was US$33.2 billion while MTN Group's turnover was about US$10 billion. At the same time, the Dangote Group saw a turnover of US$4.1 billion.
There are a variety of factors driving up Africa's profit prospects that makes it imperative for businesses around the world to invest in the continent which will help foster Africa's economic progress.
The AfCFTA is the common denominator to ensuring that Africa's economic wellbeing is regained.
While the trade agreement remains one of the biggest tickets to Africa's economic emancipation, there still remain challenges in regard to SME preparedness.
If an investor is in the SME sector, there is a lot more work that needs to be done since only 45 per cent of African SMEs are ready to take advantage of the AfCFTA.
The opportunity in the SME sector includes the need for expert consultancies where the business of all sizes will reap the benefits of the free trade agreement. There are opportunities in offering clarity, consistency and transparency of the AfCFTA through the collaboration of both public and private sectors.
Another important factor is that the AfCFTA creates economies of scale making Africa a more attractive investment destination.
Investor appetite into Africa has been low historically driven in part by the market size and the tariff and non-tariff barriers. The AfCFTA offers an incentive for the private sector to create economies of scale and inspire private capital flow.
The trade agreement can turn into reality the proposals on paper and make the opportunity worthwhile for investors.
As with any project, an investor in Africa should be patient, persistent and remain positive. This calls for collaborations that will enable the achieving of goals faster.
The main call is for the private and public sectors to collaborate and support one another which will translate into achieving success faster and much more smoothly.
Read: Leaving no one behind: The ideal of the AfCFTA
Tags: AfCFTAAfrican Continental Free Trade AreaCOVID-19Fastest growing continentinvesting in AfricapremiumValue chainsWorld Bank
Njenga Hakeenah
I have 10 years of experience in multimedia journalism and I use the skills I have gained over this time to meet and ensure goal-surpassing editorial performance. Africa is my business and development on the continent is my heartbeat. Do you have a development story that has to be told? Reach me at [email protected] and we can showcase Africa together.
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text:
The Decline of the Empire
15- 1. The Failure of Resources
By Stuart Munro-Hay
The long period of occupation of the city of Aksum evidently had a profound effect on the surrounding countryside, from which it drew the materials of subsistence. Some of the processes set in the train can be inferred from the present state of the land, and consideration of the various factors involved. The local industries, including the manufacture of glass, faience, brick, and pottery, and metal-working, all needed wood or charcoal for their furnaces. Charcoal was probably in further demand for cooking, and heating when necessary, and wood was used for furniture and other equipment as well as house-building. These activities slowly robbed the surrounding hills of their covering of trees — which, however, survived in a few enclaves on the Shire plateau to be noted by Butzer (1981), — and exposed their topsoil to degradation and erosion.
The expansion of the population, probably adequately coped with at first by enlarging the food catchment areas by improved roads and transport facilities for goods into the city, and more intensive cultivation on the surrounding lands, eventually subjected these to overcropping. The pressure on the land would have shortened the rotation period of the crops, land which should have lain fallow for longer being pressed into use too soon. The subsequent lowering of the fertility level of the land again resulted in degradation and erosion, leaving an exhausted soil in the proximity of the city and the immediate countryside. Difficulties in maintaining the food-supplies may have been a significant factor in removing the capital elsewhere. A certain amount of recovery may have been possible in some areas around the town since the fertility of the hinterland of the much smaller town of later times was noted by travelers a thousand or so years later. Alvares simply mentioned that `its countryside . . . is sown in their season with all kinds of seed' (Beckingham and Huntingford 1961: 159). Others noted wheat, wine, and vegetables growing at Aksum (Frate Rafaello Francescano, 1522; de Villard 1938: 60), a poor crop of fruit (Bruce 1790: III, 132), or, rather better, `a vast plain richly cultivated with many sorts of grain and near the town grass-plots and meadows' (Plowden 1868: 391-2).
We cannot be sure for the Aksumite period, but among the natural disasters which in later times reduced the agricultural and animal yield in Ethiopia, cattle plague (Ch. 4: 8.3) and locusts are noted. For example, Alvares observed the desolation caused by the `multitude of locusts . . . and the damage which they do' (Beckingham and Huntingford 1961: 132). It is not inconceivable that, apart from the steady decline caused by overuse of the land, one or both of these may have occurred to emphasize the need to remove the capital to some better-provided region.
Aksum: An African Civilisation of Late Antiquity
2. Legend, Literature, and Archaeological Discovery
2-1. The Legends of Aksum
2-2. Aksum in Ancient Sources
2-3. The Rediscovery of Aksum in Modern Times
3. The City and the State
3-1. The Landscape
3-2. Origins and Expansion of the Kingdom
3-3. The Development of Aksum; an Interpretation
3-4. Cities, Towns, and Villages
3-5. The Inhabitants
3-6. Foreign Relations
4. Aksumite History
4-1 The Pre-Aksumite Period
4-2 Early Aksum until the Reign of Gadarat
4-3 Gadarat to Endubis
4-4 Endubis to Ezana
4-5 Ezana after his Conversion, to Kaleb
4-6. Kaleb to the End of the Coinage
4-7. The Post-Aksumite Period
5. The Capital City
5-1. The Site
5-2. The Town Plan
5-3. Portuguese Records of Aksum
5-4. Aksumite Domestic Architecture
5-5. The Funerary Architecture
5-6. The Stelae
6. The Civil Administration
6-1. The Rulers
6-2. Officials of the Government
7. The Monarchy
7-1. The King and the State
7-2. The Regalia
7-3. Dual Kingship
7-4. Succession
7-5. The Royal Titles
7-6. The Coronation
8. The Economy
8-1. Population
8-2. Agriculture, Husbandry, and Animal Resources
8-3. Metal Resources
8-4. Trade, Imports and Exports
8-5. Local Industries
8-6. Food
9. The Coinage
9-1. The Origins
9-2. Introduction and Spread of the Coinage
9-3. Internal Aspects of the Coinage
9-4. The Mottoes
9-5. The End of the Coinage
9-6. Modern Study of the Coinage
10. Religion
10-1. The Pre-Christian Period
10-2. The Conversion to Christianity
10-3. Abreha and Atsbeha
10-4. Ecclesiastical Development
10-5. Churches
11. Warfare
11-1. The Inscriptional Record
11-2. The Military Structure
11-3. Weapons
11-4. The Fleet
11-5. The Aksumite inscriptions
12. Material Culture; the Archaeological Record
12-1. Pottery
12-2. Glassware
12-3. Stone Bowls
12-4. Metalwork
12-5. Other Materials
13. Language, Literature, and the Arts
13-1. Language
13-2. Literature and Literacy
13-3. The Arts
13-4. Music and Liturgical Chant
14. Society and Death
14-1. Social Classes
14-2. Funerary Practice
15. The Decline of Aksum
15-1. The Failure of Resources
15-2. The Climate
15-3. External and Internal Political Troubles
15-4. The Najashi Ashama ibn Abjar
15-5. The NatsaniDaniell
16.The British Institute in Eastern Africa's Excavations at Aksum
Funerary Practice The decline of Aksum
Excavations at Aksum
The Hatsani Daniel of Aksum


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Sporty Kidz will be running their popular holiday club at St John's Village Memorial Hall in Woking, this February Half-Term (Monday 12th - Friday 16th), 9.00am - 3.00pm.
9.00am - 3.00pm Full Day for 3-12 year olds.
Half Day option available, 9.00am - 12.00pm for £15 per day.