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anarchywoofwoof · 3 months

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the funny thing is that i don't think younger people - and i mean those under the age of 40 - really have a grasp on how many of today's issues can be tied back to a disastrous reagan policy:

war on drugs: reagan's aggressive escalation of the war on drugs was a catastrophic policy, primarily targeting minority communities and fueling mass incarceration. the crusade against drugs was more about controlling the Black, Latino and Native communities than addressing the actual problems of drug abuse, leading to a legacy of broken families and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.

deregulation and economic policies: reaganomics was an absolute disaster for the working class. reagan's policies of aggressive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and slashing social programs were nothing less than class warfare, deepening income inequality and entrenching corporate greed. these types of policies were a clear message that reagan's america was only for the wealthy elite and a loud "fuck you" to working americans.

environmental policies: despite his reputation being whitewashed thanks to the recovery of the ozone layer, reagan's environmental record was an unmitigated disaster. his administration gutted critical environmental protections and institutions like the EPA, turning a blind eye to pollution and corporate exploitation of natural resources. this blatant disregard for the planet was a clear sign of prioritizing short-term corporate profits over the future of the environment.

AIDS crisis: reagan's gross neglect of the aids crisis was nothing short of criminal and this doesn't even begin to touch on his wife's involvement. his administration's indifference to the plight of the lgbtq+ community during this devastating epidemic revealed a deep-seated bigotry and a complete failure of moral leadership.

mental health: reagan's dismantling of mental health institutions under the guise of 'reform' led directly to a surge in homelessness and a lack of support for those with mental health issues. his policies were cruel and inhumane and showed a personality-defining callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society.

labor and unions: reagan's attack on labor unions, exemplified by his handling of the patco strike, was a blatant assault on workers' rights. his actions emboldened corporations to suppress union activities, leading to a significant erosion of workers' power and rights in the workplace. he was colloquially known as "Ronnie the Union Buster Reagan"

foreign policy and military interventions: reagan's foreign policy, particularly in latin america, was imperialist and ruthless. his administration's support for dictatorships and right-wing death squads under the guise of fighting "communism" showed a complete disregard for human rights and self-determination of other nations.

public health: yes, reagan's agricultural policies actually facilitated the rise of high fructose corn syrup, once again prioritizing corporate profits over public health. this shift in the food industry has had lasting negative impacts on health, contributing to the obesity epidemic and other health issues.

privatization: reagan's push for privatization was a systematic dismantling of public services, transferring wealth and power to private corporations and further eroding the public's access to essential services.

education policies: his approach to education was more of an attack on public education than anything else, gutting funding and promoting policies that undermined equal access to quality education. this was, again, part of a broader agenda to maintain a status quo where the privileged remain in power.

this is just what i could come up with in a relatively short time and i did not even live under this man's presidency. the level at which ronald reagan has broken the united states truly can't be overstated.

#twitter #fuck ronald reagan #fuck conservatives

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sayruq · 16 days

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Informed Yemeni sources reveal to The Cradle that the US offered Sanaa – in exchange for its neutrality in the ongoing Gaza war – “an acknowledgment of its legitimacy.” This would involve severely reducing the role of the Saudi-backed Presidential Council led by Rashid al-Alimi and accelerating the signing of a roadmap with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to end the aggression against Yemen. The sources further reveal that the Americans pledged to immediately release withheld Yemeni public sector salaries from the National Saudi Bank, lift the country’s siege entirely, reopen Sanaa Airport, ease restrictions on the port of Hodeidah, and facilitate a comprehensive prisoner exchange agreement with all involved parties. In terms of reconstruction, the sources say: [Washington] pledged to repair the damages, remove foreign forces from all occupied Yemeni lands and islands, and remove Ansarallah from the State Department’s ‘terrorism list’ – as soon as they stop their attacks in support of Gaza. Despite these tempting offers, which have been the subject of negotiations between Sanaa and Riyadh for over two years, the Yemenis remained steadfast. Ansarallah leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi’s consistent position, as reiterated in his speeches, has been to continue operations as long as Israeli aggression against Gaza persists.

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ot3 · 4 months

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Edgeworth only cares about important laws like "don't kill people" he has no respect for trifling little inconveniences like "you can not freely investigate inside of an embassy without consent because it is foreign soil" or "you can not compel your employees to do additional unpaid work outside of their job description" and certainly not "you need to follow the speed limit." Guy who is champing at the bit to mansplain the Autobahn to anyone in the general vicinity. His biggest success during his tenure as chief prosecutor is facilitating a statewide adoption of the jurist system, resulting in an unprecedented decline in false convictions. His most notorious failure is his deeply unsuccessful campaign to remove speed limits from various California highways.

#Ace attorney

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lilyginnyblackv2 · 1 year

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Social Issues that Help with Understanding Buddy Daddies

Here are some political, social, and cultural aspects of Japanese culture that I think is important to keep in mind when watching Buddy Daddies. Please note: this is a super long post, with lots of pictures.

1. Human Trafficking - Slave Labor

In Episode One, we learn that Miri’s birth father was involved in labor based human trafficking involving Southeast Asian individuals. This is currently a very big issue in Japan, since Southeast Asian immigrants (among others) are viewed as a cheap labor option and usually experience slave labor like conditions.

From The United States Department of State website:

Men, women, and children from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and Africa travel to Japan for employment or fraudulent marriage and are subjected to sex trafficking. Traffickers use fraudulent marriages between foreign women and Japanese men to facilitate the entry of women into Japan for sex trafficking in bars, clubs, brothels, and massage parlors. Traffickers keep victims in forced labor or commercial sex using debt-based coercion, threats of violence or deportation, blackmail, confiscation of passports and other documents, and other psychologically coercive methods.

2. Drugs in Japan

When I was living and working as an ALT in Japan, two ALTs (in a different district, but within the same company of my own), got caught with drugs. It was a big deal and ended up in the newspapers. The company I worked for had to do a lot of PR work with the elementary and junior high schools that they had contracts with, to ensure that the contracts would remain. As for me and the other ALTs? We had to sit through like five separate meetings within like two months about drugs and drug laws in Japan.

The barebones takeaway is that, in Japan, weed is viewed as being on the same level as hardcore drugs. Charges can be steep and strict. Even just knowing that someone has drugs, and you don’t say anything to law enforcement about it, can get you in trouble. There is a grey area with drugs, which is stuff like bath salts and the like. Since the selling of things like that cannot be prohibited, so they are easily accessible to the public.

Japan still has a very “90′s D.A.R.E.” approach to drugs. It’s catchphrase is 「ダメ。ゼッタイ。」or “No! Never.”

(Image from a Web Magazine called Nagasaki Press.)

When celebrities are caught with (what’s usually) weed, it can basically be the end of their careers, since recreational drug use of any kind (excluding alcohol, of course), is still negatively looked down upon in Japanese society. This is why it is still heavily left in the hands of the yakuza and drug kingpins, etc. Though there has been a recent increase in protests and ideology surrounding the idea of legalizing weed. Still, not much acceptance for recreational use is likely to come yet. However...

There may soon be some revision to the laws, which will allow for medical use:

Legislation changes scheduled for 2023

In 2021, the MHLW established an expert committee to review the Cannabis Control Act, and it is expected revisions will be proposed in a bill to be submitted in 2023. This will most likely allow for the use of medical cannabis. 2022/12/02

From: Euromonitor

So, something to keep in mind when Kazuki talks about a drug kingpin here is that this drug kingpin is likely not just dealing with super, hardcore drugs, but also softer ones too, like weed.

3. Child Protection Squad

There is this misconception in Japan that really young kids, like Miri’s age, can just roam free all around Japan and no one will find it odd. In Episode 1, we do see Miri roaming around the city without anyone really taking notice, but she also wasn’t in an area where there would be people that are trained to take notice.

In the above image she is at a park, which is likely close to a school somewhere. The man that approaches her here has a band around his jacket sleeve that says こども見守り隊 (kodomo mimamori-tai), which gets translated to “Child Protection Squad.” Basically, these are like crossing guards, in a way, because they do play a similar role to that, but they also do more than that as well:

(Image from the Japanese website: Nice Senior).

This people basically ensure that kids stay on the right paths on their way to school. Most of the time, when elementary school children head off to school, they will go in groups (with the 5th or 6th graders being the leaders) and there will often be older people outside their houses on their way in, keeping an eye on the children to make sure they get to school okay.

And that’s talking about elementary school aged kids. For ones that are around Miri’s age, usually the parents (mostly mothers) will bring them by bike:

Or they will get picked up by a bus:

This one looks pretty boring in comparison to some others you might see though, like these:

(Image from the Hiyoshidai School Website)

Sometimes the daycare workers will also take them on little excursions outside using big strollers for the kids to travel around in:

(The image is obviously from a stock photo site called fotostock, but yeah, I’ve seen these before when I lived in Japan).

But a little toddler just sitting on her own at a mostly empty park with just a guy sitting at a park bench nearby watching her? That would raise attention and an eyebrow from someone who is essentially a crossing guard and whose job is to ensure the safety of kids as they travel to and from school.

The rest is under a Read More.

4. Police in Japan

I saw a comment somewhere (maybe it was over on Youtube) about how the cops are portrayed here in Buddy Daddies. The comment was basically that Japanese cops wouldn’t be that aggressive with a child. But, well, cops in Japan have issues like everywhere. Though, the main issue with cops recently has more so been with racial profiling:

(Excerpt is from a Japan Times article entitled: 60% of people with foreign roots questioned by Japanese police, survey finds).

Of course, this situation is different from the one we see happening with Miri, but the Japanese police have issues with corruption too. So this happening wouldn’t seem too out of the realm of possibilities to me. The anime Tiger & Bunny 2 Part 2 also recently had some moments in the season where there was some anti-cop (ACAB-type) sentiments expressed by a character (though that series is also meant to take place in a city based on NYC).

5. Issues Surrounding Reproductive Rights, Contraception, and Abortion

“Took advantage of me” is fairly vague wording, but considering the type of guy he was, and the fact that Miri’s mother is caught in another abusive relationship, it wouldn’t surprise me if Miri’s conception wasn’t fully consensual one. People like to talk about how safe Japan is, but Japan has a lot of sexual violence that goes unreported:

(From an article entitled: Many sexual violence victims in Japan do not report assaults to police, support groups: survey - The article was posted on November 24, 2020 over on The Mainichi news website).

There is a lot of societal pressure in Japan, that can cause a lot of judgement as well. Especially around issues of reproductive rights. From a Japan Times articles entitled: Pandemic provides an opportunity to improve access to contraception, posted on January 30th, 2022, we can get a little insight into the issues surrounding contraceptives:

The article also talked about the judgement that can come with contraceptives. The last line also talks about abortion, which comes with its own set of issues in Japan:

(From The Japan Times article: Abortion legal and apolitical in Japan, but cost and consent present barriers)

So abortion was likely an option that Miri’s mother didn’t think was really viable, especially in her situation.

7. Being a Single Mother in Japan, Adoption

In Ep.3 we hear Kazuki parroting a lot of the stuff you usually hear when it comes to women in children, like it is meant to be a natural and innate thing. There is a societal pressure for a woman to give birth and care for the child, even when they aren’t in the best situations to do so. Miri’s mother was, for all intents and purposes, a single mother. Since I doubt the abusive man she is currently with had any hand in helping Miri.

Being a single mother anywhere can be a big challenge, but especially so in Japan. Some issues that single mother’s face in Japan, according to the article “Why Most Families with Single Mothers in Japan are Living in Poverty” from a site called The Borgen Project:

From that same article, we learn that joint-custody and child support doesn’t exist in Japan. So Miri’s mother was likely under a lot of societal and financial stress, along with possible Post-Partum Depression, and (also probable) burnout. This doesn’t mean that her behavior or attitudes are okay, but that they are likely a result of a failed system.

I’ve seen some people bring up adoption, but adoption doesn’t automatically mean that a child will have a better life either. My grandfather’s mother was force to give her children up to the state, so my grandfather spent a good chunk of his life in an orphanage. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. And the probability that Miri would have been adopted had her mother gone through the actual system is, sadly, extremely low. From an article entitled: “The state of orphans in Japan and how to help” found on the site Zenbird.Media is this bit of information:

And even if Miri had been in an orphanage, Misaki (Miri’s mother) would still be her legal guardian.

So an option like that would be unappealing for Misaki, because she doesn’t want anything to do with Miri.

7. LGBT+ Individuals Being Viewed as “Not Productive”

Finally, we have the last thing I briefly want to talk about. The main backbone of Buddy Daddies, which is these two hitmen taking care of a child. Last year, a Japanese politician was in the news because she retracted some previous statements she made in 2016 and 2018. We are going to focus on her 2018 statements, which were:

Her comment received a lot of backlash and was big news. Her retracting her statements also brought a lot of news and talk too. The above information comes from The Japan Times article: “ Japanese lawmaker retracts past remarks on LGBTQ and other minorities.” Her other comments are awful too, but it should be noted that her one about sexual-minority couples stems from the issue of Japan’s declining birthrate. Even though many people in Japan are supportive of LGBT+ rights, there are people that hold a similar viewpoint as this.

Buddy Daddies is pretty directly challenging this ideology, especially with how they have been handling things. So that’s pretty cool and revolutionary in its own way. It makes me interested in seeing how this continued topic as well as any future social issue topics will be handled or touched upon in Buddy Daddies.

If you read this all until the end: thank you so much! I put a lot of work into this write up and I hope it can help (I learned some things too while researching!).

#Buddy Daddies #Kazuki Kusuru #Rei Suwa #Miri Unasaka #Misaki Unasaka #social issues in Japan #long post #meta post #image heavy post

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zvaigzdelasas · 24 days

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President Joe Biden is showing no signs of trying to restrict or withhold the billions the U.S. spends each year in military aid to Israel, despite growing concerns that some of those weapons are being used in bombings that kill civilians.

The U.S. has sent more military and foreign aid to Israel than any other country, including a 10-year, $38 billion program that supplies some $3.3 billion in foreign military sales to Israel each year.

U.S. officials insist that most weapons transfers since the Israeli-Hamas war began were approved long before it started and would be legally challenging to stop.

But some experts say the U.S. has the power to reverse course if it wanted to.

"There are all kinds of ways to speed up or slow down arms transfers," said retired Col. Steve Ganyard, an ABC News contributor and former deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau for Military-Political Affairs, which oversees foreign weapons sales.

"You can slow the system down to a crawl," Ganyard added. "If the administration or the Congress wanted to shut things down, they could. But it's a matter of political will.".[...]

"The security relationship we have with Israel is not just about Gaza" and the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7," said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "It's also about the threats posed Israel, by Hezbollah, by Iran, by various other actors in the region -- each one of which has vowed one way or another, to try to destroy Israel."

The question of restricting military sales grew increasingly urgent this week after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers delivering food to Gaza amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel said it was investigating the incident and calling it a grave mistake.

The Pentagon said it couldn't say if the weapons in the strike were American-made, but noted that Israel was expected to honor its promise to use weapons in accordance with international law.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration was "outraged" by the strike and insists that Israel be more careful in its operations against Hamas. At the same time, Kirby made clear the U.S. wouldn't use military aid as leverage and "hang some sort of condition" around Israel's "neck."[...]

"We have a situation where the Netanyahu government continues to rebuff the president of the United States time and time again, ignores reasonable requests," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, in an interview Sunday with ABC's "This Week."

"And what do we do? We say we're going to send more bombs," Van Hollen said.

Van Hollen and other Democrats have been investigating legislation on the matter, although it's not clear such a measure would gather enough support to pass or overcome a presidential veto.

Josh Paul, a former senior State Department official and outspoken critic of Biden's policy toward Israel, told ABC News that there was consensus among an internal working group before he resigned from the State Department that found Israel violated legal requirements to receive U.S. aid.

Under the law, the U.S. can't supply military aid or training to countries that violate human rights. Biden has also specified that aid shouldn't go to countries that "more likely than not" are used to commit or facilitate genocide or break international law.[...]

"at the same time we are having [allegedly tough] conversations we are authorizing billions of dollars in military aid and I'm not sure the message is coming across," he said.[...]

last November [...] Biden called the idea of conditions a "worthwhile thought."

Since then, Biden approved two emergency transfers of military aid totaling some $254 million – bypassing Congress to rush tank munitions and related equipment to Israel.

3 Apr 24

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arkipelagic · 1 month

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Asian slaves, indigenous Americans, and identity in colonial era Mexico

The Spanish Philippines had a diverse slave population for local labor and export, including Filipino Indians [i.e. natives; indios], Muslim war captives (moros), and foreign slaves from as far away as Portuguese India.

… Upon their arrival, chino slaves [i.e. any Asian slave, not just Chinese] were absorbed by the urban economy of Mexico City, where they mainly worked as domestic servants or in textile mills (obrajes) … For their part, working in the city provided chinos with some possibilities for manumission. Chinos in domestic service were especially apt to embrace the limited opportunities available to them and to experience some social mobility. In the obrajes, chinos had few of the freedoms given to domestic servants, but they did benefit from government oversight of the industry. During official visits, chino slaves appealed for protection from overt exploitation by claiming that they were Indians (even if they were from Portuguese India). Remarkably, visiting inspectors listened to their complaints, and they often responded by liberating individual chinos under the assumption that they were indeed native vassals and could thus not be held in bondage. The overall experience of chinos in the viceroyal capital confirms the benefits of living close to the center of colonial power.

The presence of free indigenous immigrants from the Spanish Philippines in Mexico reinforced the idea that all chinos were Indians. The complex governing structure of colonial Mexico involved two republics or political communities (the república de indios and the república de españoles); this organization separated the indigenous majority from everyone else to facilitate the collection of tribute and the ministry of the Catholic Church … [N]ative immigrants from the Philippines purposely sought to confirm their membership in the Republic because corporate status provided personal advantages. They asked to be tallied in tribute rolls in Mexico to benefit from concomitant privileges, such as trading rights and legal representation through the General Indian Court. At the same time, free Filipinos were frequently confused with chino slaves - a situation that had serious consequences for Filipinos' relations with colonial institutions and enslaved individuals. Some immigrants resented having their indigenous identity questioned and sought to maintain a sense of their Indian-ness by keeping their distance from chino slaves. The majority, however, expressed solidarity with chino slaves. Filipino artisans, for example, took on chino slaves as apprentices and taught them marketable skills. Similarly, Filipino traders incorporated chinos into their own credit networks to facilitate self-purchase.

Individual chinos who were manumitted also embraced an Indian identity, regardless of whether they were from Goa, Macau, or other places in South and Southeast Asia. In this way, chinos challenged official attempts to define them solely as former slaves. Instead, they sought to join the free republic. The possibility for this kind of social integration caused widespread concern among slave owners. To defend their property rights, masters started to brand chino slaves on the face, rather than on the chest or arm as they did with Africans, in order to dissuade them from fleeing and "passing" as free Indians. This horrifying development shows that Indian communities welcomed runaway chino slaves and, by extension, that slave owners sought visible markers of their slaves' status.

Excerpt from the Introduction to “Asian Slaves in Colonial Mexico: From Chinos to Indians” (2014) by Tatiana Seijas

#spanish colonialism #mexico #slavery #native american #southeast asia #south asia #philippines #x

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afeelgoodblog · 11 months

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The Best News of Last Week - May 29, 2023

Rwanda’s life expectancy has increased by 20 years in the last 20 years

What did Rwanda change? Three developments stand out: low-cost community-based health insurance plans, national investments in rural health posts, and ramped-up foreign collaborations. In 2020, more than 90 percent of Rwanda’s people had some kind of health insurance. This stands out relative to other low-income countries, where on average 31 percent of people have health insurance.

2. Brandon School Division rejects call to remove library books on sexuality, gender identity

Loud cheers erupted inside a packed high school gymnasium after the Brandon School Division rejected a call to remove books dealing with sexuality and gender identity from libraries. Hundreds of people in Manitoba's second-largest city showed up for the marathon school division meeting, which ran into the early morning hours.

The trustees ultimately voted 6-1 to reject a proposal to create a committee of trustees and parents to review books available in division schools.

3. Lotto winner pledges to fund classrooms in his native Mali

Happiness for one lucky North Carolina resident comes not from newfound wealth from a lottery win, but using those winnings to help schoolchildren -- in this case, from Mali.

Souleymane Sana of North Carolina won $100,000 from a scratch-off ticket. Relocating to the United States from Mali -- a war-torn county in West Africa -- Sana is using his earnings to create a non-profit to help school kids from his hometown.

4. Mountain gorillas rebound thanks to Ugandan veterinarian

In 2018, as their population topped 1,000, they were removed from the critically endangered list and their status upgraded to just endangered. That positive step was due, in no small part, to Ugandan veterinarian Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka.

Her working home is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas. But early on she also realized that to help the animals and keep them free from disease and poaching, she needed to also help their human neighbours, launching successful initiatives to improve the health and well-being of the people living around the park.

5. Imports of ivory from hippos, orcas and walruses to be banned in UK

Ivory imports from hippopotamuses, orcas and walruses will be banned under new legislation to protect the endangered species from poaching.

The Ivory Act, passed in 2018, targeted materials from elephants, but a loophole meant that animals other than elephants, including hippos, were being targeted for their ivory.

6. Solar power due to overtake oil production investment for first time in 2023

Investment in clean energy will extend its lead over spending on fossil fuels in 2023, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday, with solar projects expected to outpace outlays on oil production for the first time.

Annual investment in renewable energy is up by nearly a quarter since 2021 compared to a 15% rise for fossil fuels, the Paris-based energy watchdog said in its World Energy Investment report.

7. Paralyzed man walks naturally, thanks to wireless ‘bridge’ between brain and spine

Gert-Jan Oskam lost the ability to walk in 2011 when he injured his spine in a cycling accident in China. Six years later, the Dutch man managed to take a few short steps thanks to a small array of electrodes implanted on top of his spinal cord that delivered nerve-stimulating pulses of electricity.

Today in Nature, an international team of researchers reports giving Oskam a better fix, a way to digitally bridge the communication gap between his brain and lower body. Brain waves signaling Oskam’s desire to walk travel from a device implanted in his skull to the spinal stimulator, rerouting the signal around the damaged tissue and delivering pulses of electricity to the spinal cord to facilitate the movement. Oskam can now walk more fluidly, navigate obstacles, and climb stairs.

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#best news of last week

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loving-n0t-heyting · 1 month

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Fwiw, i think the realistic answer to scott aaronsons question of "how would we prevent a surge of antisemitic violence afterwards?", given my fantasy ~end state of a unified multiethnic palestine with generous redistribution of land and wealth, is probably the traditional solution for transitions to democracy after the ouster of despotic regimes marred by ethnic-sectarian bloodshed: a foreign peacekeeping force, probably administered by an international body like the UN. This would be in keeping with the coercion by the intl community that would be necessary anyway for any satisfactory resolution to the havoc israel has contributed to the region since 1948

This state of affairs would have benefits beyond the direct goal of preventing outbreaks among the victorious arab population of revenge against random former israelis (and, even more importantly, quashing any recrudescence of violent jewish supremacism and separatism among ex-israeli citizens and their immediate descendants). It would have the salutary psychological effect of impressing upon the former citizens of the local hegemon their dependence on the intl community at large, and facilitating the dissolution of an israeli national identity. The sight of armed convoys in tel aviv emblazoned with the insignia of the UN mission in united palestine would signal that the post-apartheid jewish palestinian population, while worth defending, was not worthy of self-defence as a distinct cultural/ethnic unit, any more than it would be tolerable to organise internal security along racial lines in the US or religious lines in Ireland. It would, hopefully, be a bridge to acknowledging the legitimacy of an integrated and democratically controlled law enforcement wing of a secular and multiethnic successor state, and a funeral for any dreams of a sectarian ethnostate

Obviously this comes with problems. No occupying power, even the most transitional and well intentioned, has ever been devoid of misconduct. But its hard to see how israeli society could otherwise be trusted to accept the terms of secular democracy, given its amply evinced intransigence otherwise in the face of even moderate palestinian demands, or how this envisioned occupation could hope to match up to the horrors of the ongoing one. Plus none of this is particularly likely to happen in the foreseeable future so i might as well daydream

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ibeforg · 1 year

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Foreign Investment Flows: IBEF India

Foreign investment refers to the investment made by a foreign individual or company in the domestic market of another country. It can take different forms such as direct investment, portfolio investment, or merger and acquisition. To promote foreign investment, many countries have established foreign investment facilitation portals that provide all the relevant information about investment policies, regulations, and opportunities available in the domestic market. These portals act as a one-stop solution for foreign investors who wish to enter a market. Foreign investment flows refer to the movement of capital between countries, which can have significant economic implications for both the recipient and source country. A favorable investment climate can attract significant foreign investment flows, boosting economic growth and creating job opportunities.

#Foreign Direct Investment #foreign investment #foreign policy #FDI #foreign flows #foreign facilitation #foreign companies

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chronosdawn · 27 days

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Disequilibrium - Vampire!Zhongli x GN!Reader

Do I have a good reason for writing yet another drabble about vampires? No, not really, but here we are nonetheless.

Content warnings: contains blood-drinking and biting, could be interpreted as yandere if you squint at it.

Word count: 1.4k

You had never realized how much body heat was able to seep through clothing until now. The motionless, shirt-covered chest beneath your palms leached the heat from your fingers through the fine fabric. You fought against a shudder as Zhongli carefully moved the collar of your shirt away from the base of your neck, revealing the soft skin underneath. It was a struggle to keep the muscles relaxed as he’d told you to, even if you knew the advice was given solely for your benefit, to make sure his fangs did as little damage as possible when they sliced into your flesh.

This was far from the first time he’d fed from you, but it would be the first time he’d done so in his house, the opulent surroundings a far cry from the spartan space you called a bedroom. All of the previous feedings had taken place there; it was to help you relax, he’d said, much easier for you to draw on the comfort of being in your own space to get through those first few times. And now that you’d grown used to the pain and the odd numbness that followed, to the dizziness that plagued you for at least a full day following each one of your sessions, you’d been deemed ready to attempt something a little further outside your comfort zone.

The feeling of Zhongli’s chest moving under your hands brought you back to the present—a breath drawn to facilitate speech rather than out of any actual need.

“You’re nervous,” he said, his voice low in your ear. “Have I pushed for this too soon?” Whether he was referring to your current location, or the fact you were currently seated in his lap when all of your prior encounters had involved only your wrist and a healthy amount of personal space, you couldn’t say. Regardless of which it was, you shook your head, thinking of the contract you’d signed—dark red ink on thick vellum.

“No, not at all, you’ve been very patient with me. I just need to get used to it, I think.”

“If you’re sure.” From this position it was impossible to make out his expression, the side of his face only just visible out of the corner of your vision. “I have some calming teas I could brew for you before we progress, if you believe it would help you to relax.”

“No, that’s okay,” you replied hurriedly, “best to just get it over with. Thank you for the offer though.”

You expected that to be the end of the discussion but Zhongli still made no move to bite you, instead tracing circles over the area where your neck met your shoulder with his thumb. He must have removed the gloves he always wore without your notice, you realized at the sensation of his ice cold skin against your own.

“I would not have suggested this if I thought you were incapable of handling it. Just remember everything I’ve told you and the pain will only be brief.”

You nodded and shut your eyes, allowing him to take more of your weight as you did your best to relax against him. The arm around your waist held you steady, while the hand at your neck moved to delicately grip the back of your head, carefully tilting it to provide better access to the network of veins at the base of your throat.

The feeling of his fangs slicing through your flesh was familiar and foreign all at once. The initial sting of the bite felt no different at your neck than at your wrist, but you’d underestimated how much more intimate the whole experience would be compared to what you were used to. It took everything in you not to panic and start struggling—not that you’d have anywhere to go if you did. Zhongli’s hold on you was gentle but firm, and you knew without trying that fighting against it would be an exercise in futility and little else. It was safer like this, he’d told you, back when it was only an arm he’d held as opposed to your entire body. If you moved while he was feeding then there was far too much risk of you injuring yourself, of his fangs tearing inelegantly through your flesh before he had the chance to pull away.

As promised, the pain was short-lived, replaced with a numbness that slowly spread across your shoulder. You tried to block out the sensation, along with the sounds of him lapping up your blood, so much louder now that it was right by your ear. Instead you directed your thoughts towards the contract, no doubt stored somewhere in this house, hidden away between trinkets and finery collected over hundreds, if not thousands, of years. You thought of the promises made in stark red on cream, of why you were spending your Friday night in the lap of something many would call a monster instead of being out with your friends.

Finally, after minutes that seemed to stretch into an eternity, Zhongli drew away from your neck with a final swipe of his tongue to keep any blood from trickling down and staining your shirt. The area was already starting to tingle faintly as his vampiric magic began to work at the twin puncture wounds, knitting skin back together such that by the time tomorrow came, the only evidence of the bite would be the weakness plaguing your limbs.

“You did well,” he said, the hand at your side moving in soothing strokes over your waist. “As I knew you would. How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” you replied a little breathlessly, going to sit up more only to be hit by a sudden wave of vertigo. “I’m a little dizzy though.”

“That’s perfectly normal after a feeding. Are you able to stand?”

“I think so.” Zhongli’s hold on you loosened and you attempted to slide off his lap, only to have the room spin and blur around you the moment your feet touched the floor. You were forced to cling onto him just to keep yourself upright, your hand scrunching the fabric of his shirt.

“Oh dear,” you heard spoken softly behind you. Zhongli stood and lifted you into his arms in a single fluid motion, your head lolling against his chest as the movement sent the room spiraling anew. “It appears I may have taken too much, my apologies. If you are amenable to it, I would like to suggest you stay here and rest for the night. I would like to keep a close eye on you over the next couple of hours and I fear if I take you to your own abode, I will not be able to watch over you if I wish to make it back before sunrise.”

You tried to nod in agreement only to immediately regret it as your surroundings twisted up around you, instead muttering a soft confirmation before closing your eyes. The movement of air over your limbs told you Zhongli was carrying you deeper into his home as you lay limp in his arms. Any thoughts of protest were buried under the churning motion in your head and the nausea that followed. You doubted you’d even be able to make it to the front door in your present condition, let alone the half hour walk it would take for you to get home. And that was if Zhongli would even allow such a thing, the vampire had been nothing if not fastidious about your safety ever since you’d signed the final stroke of your name.

There was the sound of a door opening and it wasn’t long before you were lowered onto soft, silken sheets.

“Rest,” Zhongli said, a cold hand trailing over your cheek. “I will prepare something to aid with your recovery once you wake.”

“Sorry for troubling you,” you mumbled, consciousness already on the edge of slipping away as you fought to open your eyes.

“It’s no trouble.” He hadn’t turned the light on when he’d entered the room—likely didn’t need to see your dazed expression clear as day despite the gloom—leaving his face bathed in shadow. “Sleep, I will return shortly.” You watched as his silhouette retreated from the room, turning back towards you just once as he reached the door. His eyes were all you could see, twin shards of bright amber in a sea of black and dark gray.

And then the door was shut behind him, and you were plunged into total darkness.

#zhongli x reader #genshin impact x reader #vampire AU #I don't know if I ever intend to do more with this but I did have fun with it #Hope you enjoyed reading it!#also if you've seen this banner used anywhere else #it is one I've made but I've used it on other blogs so that may be why

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sayruq · 4 days

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FOREIGN Secretary David Cameron approved continuing arms exports to Israel just two days after the country’s military killed three British aid workers, court documents have revealed. The news comes after the High Court reversed a previous dismissal of a case against the exports brought by the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Al-Haq human rights organisation, which is based in the Palestinian West Bank. At an appeal hearing on Tuesday, the two groups were granted a full judicial review hearing challenging the UK Government's failure to halt weapons exports to Israel, which is set for October. The groups say exported weapons and parts risk being used in violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.According to the UK Government’s export licencing criteria, Tory ministers must block arms sales if there is “a clear risk” that weapons might be used to commit or facilitate “internal repression” or “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”. At the High Court hearing on Tuesday, the Tory government’s lawyers did not argue that the case against arms exports is inarguable, instead saying that the court hasn’t seen all the relevant documents and that they can only be shared in closed, secret proceedings due to national security.

#yemen #jerusalem #tel aviv #current events #palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #news on gaza #palestine news #news update #war news #war on gaza #world central kitchen #david cameron #rishi sunak #great britain #gaza genocide #genocide

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italoniponic · 1 year

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(There's No) Dawn in Diasomnia | Silver

Synopsis: You accidentally fell asleep in Diasomnia and Silver decided to take you to sleep in a more comfortable place than the cold, dark lounge room.

Silver x gender neutral reader / wholesome & fluff / established relationship / use of "you" pronouns / silver is precious, pls understand

Word count: 1550k words / Warning: irl, not the best idea to take your beloved one to your shared room while they're sleeping / Masterlist

| Disclaimer1: This idea came to me while scrolling through a twst blog (that I think got deleted). It was a Lilia interaction and one particular phrase caught my attention: “Dawn doesn’t exist in Diasomnia.” And, thinking about how Diasomnia resembles the Forbidden Mountain from Maleficent… yes, they could possibly not have anything close to a normal dawn or light in the dorm. Or maybe it was just a expression and I’m reading too much into it lol Disclaimer 2: As you might guess, when I was writing this, way back to last year, I completely forgot that only dorm leaders have single rooms so the situation is quite ??? |

(There's No) Dawn in Diasomnia

“Ramshackle looks kinda different…,” was what you thought at that moment, still enveloped by drowsiness.

Indeed, your surroundings couldn’t be more foreign — and at the same time, strangely familiar. You were lying on a comfortable surface, covered by a large, fairly thick blanket that probably must be cotton. It was obviously nothing like your usual wooden bed, whose mattress filling was getting thinner each day that passed by.

Well. It was someone else’s room in another dorm. But who? How did you ended up there? Still bewildered, you tried to grope for anything else that might make you better remember where you were. Suddenly, you felt an icy stone wall to your right and suddenly everything made sense.

Diasomnia.

It was like receiving the kiss of awakening. All memories were turned full steam in your head to reenact the events of last night, when Malleus invited you to an extraordinary party of the Gargoyle Studies Club which you were part of.

It had been fun spending time with the Diasomnia crew like always.

You helped Silver prepare dinner — to keep Lilia out of trouble — and Sebek competed with you on who had more knowledge about gargoyles and grotesques in the quiz that Malleus prepared for the occasion.

Even after the host of the party retired to sleep, being joined a few minutes later by his young and audible knight or when eventually the energetic “father” of the three disappeared from everyone’s sight, you remained awake with Silver.

After all, you were dating and it had been a while since you two had any alone time. In this, Malleus’ invitation must have been his way of facilitating this reunion between you — you would have to remember to thank him later — and so well was it that you both kept chatting into the night.

Silver told you a lot of his childhood stories, his training as a knight and Lilia’s misadventures in the kitchen. He might appear to be an airhead by nature but he had an excellent memory. Especially for the good times spent in the Valley of Thorns. Mornings playing with Sebek, afternoons talking with Malleus, and evenings with his father.

And it was in this light mood of good memories and Silver’s sweet voice that you fell asleep without realizing it.

Faced with this fact, you could wake up completely and finally sit down in bed to better orient yourself. It was an typical Diasomnia room with its long stone walls, moss-green curtains on the windows, dark wood furniture and several alarm clocks around it. Maybe the clocks were particular to a certain person.

This detail alone had already been enough to make you understand everything you needed but a little bird greeted you by the window as if to say “it really is Silver’s room”.

In fact, your newest bluish little friend wanted to warn you that the real owner of the bed was sleeping somewhere else — you just needed to concentrate on the snoring sound that filled the room with its warm and calming music.

“Si-Silver!,” you exclaimed when you saw your boyfriend stretched out on the floor.

Silver snored quietly, unshaken and comfortable with his bird feed sack “pillow” and the blue cloth near the bed he was using as a blanket. Perhaps from his experience training endurance, he was a little more immune to the dormitory’s cold temperature than an ordinary person.

Diasomnia was not cold, per se. It wasn’t a warm place either. The cotton blanket was protecting you from a subtle coldness of that weather, a serenity that brushed against your spine in a frightening way. It was amazing how Silver could sleep like a rock there.

You looked around, seeing three other beds in the room — probably Silver’s grade colleagues — but all unoccupied and well-groomed. If Silver had actually brought you from the lounge to his room, none of the Diasomnia students dared bother you or demand explanations of why you were there.

Some classmates from other dorms might say that you got much further than others who were not from Diasomnia: you got to actually sleep there.

Disagreements with Savanaclaw aside, several Diasomnia students had friends from other dorms — few with their fiercest rival, however. But there were no joint study sessions or chill moments among friends that made a normal person brave the cold night, the ever-present charged clouds and the ghostly candles of the halls.

And despite all that, there you were.

“Silver, wake up…”

You left the blanket behind and walked over to the boy, caringly shaking his body to wake him up. Gradually, Silver’s eyes began to open, and he looked as confused as you when you woke up. Even though it was a surprise to wake up in that room, you weren’t mad at him.

“Next time let me know you’re gonna let me sleep in your room, okay?,” you said with a bit of a teasing tone. Then came a pause, you thought more about this scenario. “Well... there’s no way you can warn me if I’m already sleeping but... um... so… anyway! What do you think you’re doing sleeping on the floor, Silver?!”

The poor fellow could only blink at the various sentences and different tones you were throwing at him as soon as he regained consciousness. It took him a minute to understand what was actually happening.

“Sorry. You fell asleep suddenly, and the lounge can get pretty cold at midnight hours,” Silver spoke from experience. “But if you aren’t comfortable sleeping here, next time we will stay there on the couch. I’ll bring blankets. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

Silver obviously wasn’t too aware that the problem wasn’t a matter of comfort — it was about you sleeping in his room. Apart from the hassle that must have been carrying you there.

It was a series of things that probably didn’t even cross Silver’s mind, after all his first concern was that you could sleep in a warm and comfortable place.

Did you need to think about the possibility of the situation happening a second time? A third? Were you being infected with the same ability to sleep anywhere or was your boyfriend just too kind and pure for his own good?

“Well, as long as you don’t sleep on the floor,” you pleaded.

“But I can’t sleep with you in bed. It’s too small for both of us,” Silver answered, directly and honestly.

You needed a moment to pull yourself together — and not laugh at your boyfriend’s wholesome innocence.

The two of you got up together and, at that moment, your gaze got distracted in the direction of the window near Silver’s desk. By the time set on the alarm clocks, it was still early in the morning but the Sun should have already risen.

In theory.

The window outside only showcased how the sky was colored in the heaviest gray tones. A light green haze surrounded the hill peaks and thorny vineyards around the castle. There was something very similar to light but it was far from the flash of dawn or some sort of morning star.

It was easier to compare the scenery to a rainy morning.

“Is it always like this?,” you asked.

“Yes,” Silver replied, looking at the same landscape. “It reminds me a bit of our house in the Valley of Thorns. It’s normal for me.”

You pondered those words. The world you came from had places where the rainy seasons were really recurring, but there was still the feeling that the Sun was there somewhere among the clouds.

In Diasomnia, on the other side, it seemed that there was no dawn. At all. You could only wonder how similar the Valley of Thorns — the homeland of the fairy from whom the dorm took its core values — would be in this regard.

At this, you observed Silver who yawned and scratched his eyes so as not to let sleep dominate him again.

Technically most of the students in the dormitory woke up at that time to start training — everything balanced out since they slept early. For the boy, however, it was still a challenge in one way or another. Still, Silver insisted on doing his best and not being left behind. He trained every day to be able to protect the people he loved and even those he didn’t even know.

You admired that in him. His gentle side, his pure intentions.

Then you realized: there was, yes, an aurora that was born on the horizon of Diasomnia.

He was slow, climbing in simple steps but certain of his duty. Like a princess who walks back to her castle without complaint, like the Sun that rises every morning without missing.

You were truly the luckiest person who walked through the gates of the Thorn Fairy dormitory. Not only did you sleep there, but you witnessed the most beautiful breaking dawn. This one who was right next to you, staring at you with a pair of confused lilac eyes. Your smile was inexplicable but Silver still found it really sweet.

If he were honest, he didn’t need to see any sunny mornings if someday — maybe in the future, perhaps in an enchanted cottage — Silver could wake up with you every day until the last dusk of life. Since you were his dear breaking dawn.

| Special Notes: Look, look... I just wanted two things: Silver to take me to sleep in a more comfortable bed (no spice, just a sweet innocent thing... in a universe where he could have a individual room) and to know if the Sun rises in the dorm despite Maleficent gothic vibes |

#twisted wonderland #silver #twst silver #silver x reader #twst silver x reader #twst x reader #gender neutral reader #twst scenarios #twst imagines #twst fanfic #fluff #wholesome #cherry's writing #cherry's mumbling about twst

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aimeedaisies · 4 months

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Today, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Day 1: Colombo

🌺 At a Welcome Ceremony at Bandaranaike International Airport, Her Royal Highness was received by dignitaries including the British High Commissioner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Andrew Patrick and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Ali Sabry.

🧵 The Princess’s first visited the MAS Active Factory, one of the largest apparel tech companies in South Asia to be identified by the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) as an important Sri Lankan partner.

👚 As President of the UKFT, Her Royal Highness had an opportunity to meet staff and tour the facility to hear more about their innovative designs and partnerships with UK brands.

🎂 Next, Her Royal Highness visited Save The Children Sri Lanka’s Head Office in Colombo. This year marks 50 years of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

💗 The Princess had an opportunity to hear about some of the programmes the charity has provided, which have contributed to humanitarian and development needs across the country, including in education, health and nutrition and vocational skills development.

👧 As Patron of Save The Children UK, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

🏥 Following this, The Princess Royal visited Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children to see Save The Children’s Social Emotional Learning Tool Kit Programme, Tilli, in action.

📚 Her Royal Highness met hospital staff who are implanting the Tilli programme which is a play-based, Social-Emotional Learning tool kit that incorporates evidence-based interventions such as games and story-telling to assist parents and teachers in facilitating meaningful child-friendly discussions with children on topics such as trust, consent, bodies and boundaries.

🇱🇰 The Princess Royal previously visited Sri Lanka in March 1995 with Save The Children to learn more about their projects in the country.

Video from Royal Family Instagram story | Posted 10th January 2024

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zvaigzdelasas · 6 months

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U.S., in policy switch, urges humanitarian pauses in Gaza - WaPo

After weeks of declining to back growing international calls for “humanitarian pauses” in Israeli airstrikes to allow a steady flow of aid to enter Gaza, permit American and foreign citizens to exit into Egypt and facilitate the release of hostages, the Biden administration is now fully in favor of them and is pressing Israel to agree.

The abrupt policy shift comes as [...] much of the world has declined to follow the U.S. lead in withholding public criticism of how Israel is conducting its war against Hamas.[...]

The administration’s public promotion this week of humanitarian pauses came after what one U.S. official said was “a lot of the groundwork in private communications.” But it still left the United States behind the curve of international opinion, as the U.N. General Assembly Friday overwhelmingly approved an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a complete ceasefire. Only 14 of the 193 U.N. member nations voted against the measure, including the United States, Israel and several Pacific island and eastern European states. Most close U.S. allies were in favor or abstained from the vote.[...]

Last week, the United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for humanitarian pauses, saying that the measure did not affirm Israel’s right to defend itself. Over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered to “consider” such pauses to protect civilians.[...]

Of the many civilians The Washington Post has contacted inside Gaza waiting to leave, none has said that Hamas or anyone else has physically prevented them from crossing. But the border gate is not operational.[...]

A range of countries and the United Nations have together sent hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to Egypt’s Arish airport near Rafah, where the Egyptian Red Crescent is organizing aid for delivery to Gaza. In recent days, more than 200 trucks filled with aid stood waiting on the Egyptian side of the crossing. Angry truck drivers staged a protest last week, demanding they be allowed to deliver their desperately needed cargo to “Palestinian brothers” on the other side of the border.[...]

Eighty-four truckloads have now entered Gaza from Egypt since last weekend, just a small fraction of the more than 100 a day that U.N. officials have said is the bare minimum for civilian survival. U.S., U.N. and Egyptian officials have said a main impediment to a more substantial flow is the length of time it has taken for Israel’s inspections of every truck[...]

Inspections that take 10-15 minutes during the normal flow of Egyptian-Israeli trade are now taking “hours,”

27 Oct 23

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