#the Japanese wanted this for cultural reasons (they treated their emperors as if they were deities) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

demonslayedher · 3 years

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I'm glad you reactivated the questions, here are some flowers for you: 💐 Seriously speaking I'm sorry that because of a question I asked you a few weeks ago you watched a series of videos of psychopaths 🥲It made me laugh at first but then I felt guilty 💔 it's all Muzan's fault for leaving us all with curiosity (imagine his parents' reaction once they realized there was something wrong with him even as a human)

Yay, flowers (which I shall kill with my black thumb)! And no, no, it’s fine, I had hoped it came off funny! I like listening to stuff like that while I draw anyway because I’m a nerd anyway and I found it very interesting.

Speaking of being a nerd, you have innocuously unlocked the following essay about Heian period nobility and wisteria flowers: There is nothing to state so in canon, but I find it highly reasonable to say Muzan might had been of the very powerful Fujiwara clan. Step inside my office, Anon.

Okay. So. The Heian period, simply put, was a time of cultural flourishing and beautiful pastimes, the origins of a lot of Japanese style aesthetics, and a romantic courtly like of romancing everybody else in the court. This is assuming, of course, that you were at the very, very, very, very top of society. Otherwise, the vast majority of people were poor and sick and starving and ew, in young Muzan’s world, we do not wish to associate with that. In the Heian court, Kyoto basically is the whole cultural world. Even though there were other cities that could rival Kyoto, the emperor was there, so it was essentially the cultural center of the country. The nobles who lived there got money from owning land in far-flung provinces, but actually having to live in those provinces? What a drag! Having to live away from Kyoto for work, even if it wasn’t an official banishment, often felt like a punishment to the nobles and their families who were used to the social scene at court. And, like affluent courts around the world throughout history, understanding all the intricacies of style and “Heian Rumors” was key to having social clout, and popularity was power. And yeah, nobles would be vicious to each other. While clan dynamics and history are complex and not something I’m getting into here (I don’t consider myself well-versed in it enough), the Fujiwara clan is a BIG DEAL. Basically, in Heian times, children were typically raised in their mother’s home, thereby heavily influenced by their mother’s clan, so besides a young man’s parents, his in-laws also would had been hugely influential in his life, as they will have a long-felt influence on his progeny. The Emperors typically married Fujiwara daughters. This, in addition to other positions of influence of the Fujiwara clan members usually held with influence over the Emperor, means that politically, there was no messing with them. Now, just because I say Muzan might had been a Fujiwara clan member, I don’t necessarily mean a member of the main branch of the family. Often, due to inheritance management, different branches of various noble clans might be given different surnames. The Fujiwara clan does have different branches, some of which did go one to have close ties with the imperial family even after the fall of their power at the end of the Heian period and all the way through the Taisho, and some branches carry some impressive family legacies but otherwise live like normal or high-class common folk in modern-day. (I know one such Ojousama from a renamed Fujiwara branch; she’s a sweetheart and never brings it up herself but every time I hear other people say things about her family, I’m like, dang.) We can venture from Muzan’s likely expensive medical treatment, multiple marriages (meaning other clans sought to be connected with his family even by marrying their daughters to a sick man), and even preparation for cremation as a baby that he was of a very, very high status.

Being the sick son of a prominent family may have warped his personality in multiple ways: first, he was probably already used to a culture of popularity equated political power. We see in Muzan’s dealings with humans in the Taisho period that he can be exceedingly charming to get what he wants (a psychopath trait, haha), so he was probably pretty aware of the complex ways of socialites in the court. But, even being aware of that, it probably frustrated him to no end that he was too sick to take part in the social pastimes where he’d gain clout. It’s also possible that he was a bit of a bargain husband for his wives’ families who were seeking to a make ties with his family, as they must not had been politically useful enough to be married off to other powerful matches. This may be some of why he was so ruthless to them, for he never saw them as useful to him in the first place. This probably got a bit worse once he became a demon. Now to be lewd, but he probably got more vigorous in his pursuit of more powerful lovers, and knew how to slay the women’s hearts as he liked (you know, popular Heian pastime, everybody had lots of lovers, it was the norm, though political marriages and legitimate children were still important). That new sense of power probably went to his head. But, ultimately, he must had been limited in clout since he couldn’t take part in any daytime activities, thereby limiting his access to more powerful spheres of influence. His reputation from having grown up sickly must had followed him too. It’s anyone’s guess how much affection his parents had for him and how happy they were about his health at first, and if and when they might had noticed his changes. He was a full-fledged adult by the time he turned into a demon, so who knows how closely they even associated with him. They likely had healthier children who they devoted more care and attention to, and invested more family resources in while assuming Muzan would probably die young.

Who knows what the final straw was in Muzan leaving court? Was it frustration at not being able to walk in daylight that made him flee to the Kanto area in pursuit of the blue spider lily (from near where the doctor lived) long before Kanto became politically affluent? Or was it the rumors at court about how he didn’t age, and that he was eating people?

Of note, a lot of the early legends of demons in Japanese culture take place in the Heian period.

In his book “Japanese History of Demon Slayers,” retired Shizuoka University professor Tetsuo Owada capitalized on the success of Kimetsu no Yaiba to dive into a lot of ties between the series and what it may pay homage to throughout Japanese history and culture. While this was published last September and a handful of his theories have been disproven by the second fanbook published last February, and while I think a lot of his theories are stretching a little too far to make strong connections, it’s still deeply, deeply interesting stuff. He goes into some specific comparisons of demons, like Minamoto-no-Raiko and his posse of four big bad warriors taking on the Tsuchigumo (giant spider demon) terrorizing the mountains north of Kyoto harkening to the case of Rui’s family (and, ding ding ding, this was the primary focus of the official Kabuki/Kimetsu crossover last November), as well as takes little questions left in canon and dives into them a bit deeper. One such question is, why were wisteria lethal to demons? According to Prof. Owada’s research, there is no historical basis for this. Some of the talk online is that: 1. Wisteria are in fact poisonous, and consuming too much of them would cause vomiting and diarrhea (though I’ve also seen people make jam out of them because of the fragrance, so, like???) 2. Beans are thrown around at Setsubun to ward off demons (like so, Feat. Muzan and Kimetsu Beans), and wisteria are of the bean family 3. Wisteria like sunlight, so perhaps like Nichirin, they soak up some of the sun’s properties that are lethal to demons 4. In the language of flowers (Hanakotoba), wisteria symbolize kindness, welcomeness, refusing to leave someone’s side, being drunk with love, being straightforward and truthful, not losing the humanity in one’s heart, thereby containing a lot of meaning contrary to the conduct of demons Interesting, but some of its kind of a stretch. While still finding it a stretch to apply it to wisteria being poisonous to demons, Prof. Owada goes on to say that since ancient times, while the wisteria has some negative connotations of how it was sometimes written with characters meaning “doesn’t heal” (不治) and growing downward with smaller and smaller flowers like symbolize the slow downfall of a family line, it conversely also carries positive connotations of longevity and flourishing family due to the fact that its vines grow upward.

Now, you might picked up at some point that the Japanese word for wisteria is “fuji.” Not to be confused with Mt. Fuji (that’s written differently), it IS the same fuji as in “Fujiwara”: 藤.

Prof. Owada goes on to explore the association with the use of Wisteria crests in Kimetsu no Yaiba, especially on the houses of supporters of the Demon Slayer Corp. His recurring thesis is that the pandemic is partly responsible for Kimetsu no Yaiba’s popularity since demon legends have long since had origins in epidemics, and he supposes the Wisteria crest has a protective effect on the houses, similar to a talisman used in a lot of real life rituals for warding off illness and then often displays in or on the entries of houses to protect the family every year (I have one such item gifted to me, it stays by my doorway, along with a couple sticks of charcoal (but the culture of charcoal is a post for some other day)). The talisman is in reference to a god of Hindu/Chinese origins being treated with hospitality by the So clan, so although other families perished in disaster/disease, he promised to always protect the So clan descendants, so the talisman says “Descendants of the So Clan” so that any household may try to claim that divine protection. The gratitude-exchange of hospitality and protection and sure sounds familiar! Prof. Owada isn’t done yet. While the crest design used in Kimetsu no Yaiba isn’t an actual family crest in in real life, there are lots and lots and lots of family crests that use a wisteria design and have the character for “wisteria” in the name. Any time you hear “—tou”, like Satou, Saitou, or even Gotou, you can typically assume it’s 藤. It’s very common nowadays, but the first family to be granted the use of this name was the Fujiwara clan, when one of the pre-Heian and very powerful emperors granted their clan head this surname, which was a major honor, and it marked the start of the Fujiwara clan’s political dominance (there was already influence leading up to this, but meh, we like clear-cut stuff to simply centuries of history, don’t we?). Furthermore, although we often think of the Fujiwara clan for their influence at court, and we might think of the Minamoto clan for warrior heroes who fought demons, Prof. Owada concludes his argument of wisteria’s protective influence by pointed out a long list of Heian period Fujiwara warriors who also were the heroes of demon slaying legends, stating that their name has also long been tied with demon slayer culture. SO!!! Let me go on with my theory here. Muzan is from the same family line as Ubuyashiki. At some point (I assume after Muzan is long gone from Kyoto), the family is told while their children keep dying, and they accept their mission to bring an end to Kibutsuji Muzan and clear this curse on their family line. My thought is that their ancestor was a full blood sibling of Muzan, one whom was more invested in than sickly Muzan. While perhaps already an off-shoot of the Fujiwara Clan and thereby not entitled to the same sorts of inheritance, they probably maintained close ties with them. But, as it was already not direct by that time, the other Fujiwara clan branches were not affected by this curse. To further spare the clan the effects of this curse, this was probably when that sickly branch took the name Ubuyashiki. (And yes, I have things to say about this name and its possible mythological origins which I find a highly, highly interesting connection. Prof. Owada supposes it is tied with Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and that is why there are nine pillars, but as much as I love Izumo Taisha and its giant pillars I base my argument in separate Shinto (but also Izumo!) mythology and accept that there are not always supposed to be nine Pillars specifically and Gotouge simply chose that number based on the number of strokes in the kanji for ‘Hashira’ (柱) BUT I DIGRESS). So, the Ubuyashiki Clan is it’s own thing, but is sort of like a cousin to the other Fujiwara branches and thereby continues to enjoy Fujiwara support throughout the Heian period, like some of the Fujiwara warriors going out there and slaying some of Muzan’s early demon experiments, and using their influence to bring in other warriors to the demon slaying cause (pet

theory: Genpei War warrior Kumagai Naozane was a member of the proto-Corp and using Kasugai-garasu was in practice since at least late Heian period). While the Ubuyashiki Clan probably already their own inherited land (and funds that came from it), throughout their history, their cousin clans might also have provided financial support to the Ubuyashiki Clan. But, they probably distanced themselves from the clan due to the curse and not wanting to be tainted. When you bring back in the wisteria associations this puts the contrary associations with a flourishing and dying family line in a new light. Furthermore, the “not healing” way of writing “fuji” also means a lot more in the context of Muzan’s, and later the Ubuyashiki clan’s illness.

#KnY nerdery #Kny fandom theories and meta #kibutsuji muzan #ubuyashiki kagaya #Kimetsu no Yaiba #Demon Slayer

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joezworld · 3 years

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What is the status of vehicle rights in places like China or Russia, with rather patchy (at best) human rights records? What was it like in the USSR, Nazi Germany, or the Empire of Japan? And did Mussolini ever get his locomotives to run completely on time?

Strangely enough, it was a lot better in those countries for at least a while.

To start, check out this post that goes into a little detail.

So, this post is going to not mention the United States or Canada - I’ve done posts on them before.

Interestingly, three of the greatest proponents of locomotive rights in Europe came from people with some of the worst human rights records in modern history: Hitler, Stalin, and King Leopold II.

Belgium has a long history of locomotive rights, stretching back to within 20 years of the introduction of the railway in the country. During the first days of the reign of Leopold II, the king declared that locomotives and other railway equipment were to be considered “on the same level as any Belgian citizen”. Official government histories say that this was because of the king’s desire not allow slavery to happen on Belgian soil, but the existence of the very inappropriately named Congo Free State puts this answer in a very bad light. The generally accepted unofficial answer is much, much funnier - Leopold II was born after the first railways were laid in the country, and as the future king, he was kept well appraised of any new technologies in the country. He also had many, many, many, mistresses. In case you can’t tell where this is going, it is entirely likely that several of his more private extramarital affairs were with locomotives owned by the Belgian state rail company. Locomotives were at the time viewed as little more than beasts of burden, and while Leopold was more than willing to commit heinous atrocities upon the Africans, he was not about to stand here in his own country and get called an enjoyer of bestiality - so he made locomotives people in order to get ahead of his critics should an affair be made public. This had the interesting side effect of making Belgium one of the more progressive countries in Europe as far as locomotive rights went, and Belgian locomotives were very dedicated citizens often serving in civil and military leadership positions around the country. During the first world war, Belgian locomotives actively resisted the Germans for the entirety of the invasion, and a not-insignificant percentage of German locomotives brought in to manage the chaos were brought over to the Belgian side by promises of citizenship.

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This did not go unnoticed by other, much worse European leaders such as Adolf Hitler, who understood the value of a functioning rail network as far as war logistics went, and made significant strides in offering French/Dutch/Polish/Russian/Norwegian/Italian/Etc. engines Nazi citizenship if they served the Reich. Unfortunately for Hitler, Nazis are terrible people who lead out fear, and many of the locomotives who did sign up for this did so because they wanted to Not Die, not because they supported the cause. As a result, large portions of the Reichsbahn rolling stock fleet just ran away or defected as soon as the Allies started getting near, causing serious supply issues that hastened the downfall of the German war effort.

Also, because I know someone is going to ask about it, yes, those trains still ran. Please don’t ask me to elaborate beyond what’s here.

Because locomotives would see what was going on and objected, the Reichsbahn very quickly began staffing those trains with engines that were True Believers, or (even worse) Jewish engines. (Those usually made one way trips, and it’s just as bad as you might think.)

Following the war, many locomotives who had been cleared of any collaboration charges still possessed their Nazi-Era citizenship, and tried to get them turned into citizenship of their home countries. Most places said no (except Belgium) and were promptly glared at by the American service-engines who were rebuilding their countries from the ground up, and then agreed.

The impact on European Locomotive Rights by the Americans cannot be understated. Most European governments were totally prepared to resume the status quo if it wasn’t for the Americans rolling around with their US Citizen status on full display. This is also another reason why England is such a laggard in Locomotive Rights - the country was not as heavily destroyed as continental Europe, and was able to rebuild itself without US "interference".

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Stalin also was a firm believer in Locomotive Rights, for many of the same reasons as Hitler was - locomotives have the ability to bring your country to a halt, so you’d better have them on your side. He’d made attempts to make locomotives citizens before the war, but the Soviet efforts really came into their own during the 1950s - Stalin’s purges had removed a lot of humans from existence, and most locomotives at that point had been built by the USSR in the USSR, and therefore had no concept of ‘Disloyalty to The State", so they were natural fits for many roles within the Soviet government. At one point in 1982, the USSR’s Ministry of Transport was staffed only by vehicles, with no humans present whatsoever. The total integration of vehicles into the USSR reached its zenith in the late 70s, when new buildings were required to have elevators capable of lifting locomotives and other extremely heavy vehicles to at least the third floor - this requirement has remained even to this day, and most eastern European residential structures have the structural strength of a nuclear bomb shelter as a result.

It should be pointed out that while the USSR might have treated locomotives well, it was still an authoritarian dystopia, and nothing here is an endorsement for the country or its actions/politics.

Following the dissolution of the USSR, the hypercapitalist state of the former Eastern Bloc meant that anything and everything was up for sale, including people and machines. One enterprising locomotive used his newfound wealth to create a formidable trade union/gang that covers most of the former USSR to this day. This organization is the primary driver of locomotive rights laws in the former Soviet Bloc, but it should be noted that a lot of the pushback against locomotive rights comes from politicians trying to shut them down specifically.

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Japan is... weird. Locomotives have been fully adopted into their society for generations, and there was no loss or gain of rights during the Second World War, as they were already in place. Let me explain why:

Due to Japan's Shinto influence, locomotives were considered to be basically human from their inception on the island - the first law specifically related to locomotives in the world was an edict issued by the Emperor in regards to the three locomotives imported by English and European engineers for use on the upcoming Shimbashi-Yokohama railway - they were to be given the same rights as those locomotives built domestically. Since then, most Japanese laws have included locomotives by default, often making no mention of them unless specifically including them because of physical differences. [For example, locomotives are not required to partake in mandatory military service, as their service to the railways is often more valuable, especially during peacetime.] However, while locomotives in the West were free to work as they pleased, even off of the rail network, Japanese trains do so in remarkably smaller numbers, with over 98% of locomotives remaining in railway service until their retirement. Those that do not do so typically enter railway-related fields like locomotive construction, upper management in railway companies, or working in the Japanese Ministry of Transport.

In this sense, locomotives in Japan can be considered to be less free than their western colleagues, as the nation culture of "work until you die" meant that no attempt was made to allow trains to enter human society, forcing them to essentially be segregated from humans when not directly pulling trains, as land is too scarce to use for western-style 'locomotive cities' except in extremely rural areas and Nagasaki*.

*Following the atomic bombing of the city in 1945, Nagasaki was rebuilt by the American occupying forces - many of whom were USRA locomotives. The city’s bombed-out industrial areas were already layered with train tracks, making it easy to create a locomotive sized living area. Hiroshima, which suffered damage to its human-oriented urban core, was not rebuilt with trains in mind.

As such, locomotives are considered full Japanese citizens, but most Japanese humans have never interacted with them. Exceptions do exist, mostly in rural towns and villages, where a locomotive is usually considered to be the town's 'honored elder', as most locomotives on small branches have lived in the area for many decades, making them the oldest member of the town in many cases. This has lead to many culture clashes in larger cities, where residents may be apathetic to the desires their locomotive neighbors, much to the dismay and shock of a 'country bumpkin' who lives nearby.

Of particular issue to locomotive freedoms are multiple units. Since the 1960s, Japanese railways have put more focus into EMUs/DMUs rather than standard locomotive hauled trains. This has caused even more segregation amongst Japan's rail population, as permanently coupled multiple units cannot access the few existing locomotive/human developments, as they were designed for standalone locomotives. Urban sprawl and high land prices have made enlarging these developments is impossible. To date, the only MU focused 'loco-city' (other than one-track sheds in rural farming communities) is in the Fukushima Daiichi exclusion area. However, as the line accessing it is in the traditional Japanese 3'6" gauge, the community remains inaccessible to the 4'8.5" gauge Shinkansen trains, many of whom are almost totally isolated from anyone else - despite living in Japan's largest cities - as a result of their loading gauge restrictions.

Similar social isolation occurs to ships and aircraft, but as they are able to receive emotional support from friends and relatives across the planet, they do not suffer from this isolation nearly as much.

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At no point in Italian history has anyone been able to make the right decision in regards to locomotive rights. This is not to say that Locomotive rights (and vehicular rights in general) don’t exist in Italy - they do, rather thoroughly - but rather, the Italians have never once done so intentionally, instead implementing locomotive rights by having multiple laws, written on multiple occasions over multiple decades, that are so badly written that a train could and likely was driven through the loopholes that exist in them!

#ask response #long #locomotive rights headcanon #sentient vehicle headcanon #sentient trains #sentient vehicles #italy #japan #ussr #ww2 #belgium

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laryna6 · 3 years

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One of those ‘A Christmas Carol’-based fics with Saotome Eiji.

Kyousuke’s dad appearing warning of the demons of the Sanzu river and the measuring of karma that awaits the dead, and Saotome going ‘I must have fallen asleep/that’s a foreign Buddhist thing’ because of the... heavy pushing of a... propagandized version of Shinto as part of Japanese nationalism building up to WWII.

Instead of Christmas it’s Obon (a festival of Buddist/Confucian origin) ofc.

To fit with ‘the idea that people have to earn the right to live is effed up’ from the original, perhaps as a child he was sent to an orphanage bc his family couldn’t feed him? The additional damage of not knowing who your ancestors were in a culture practicing ancestor worship.

Other students of psychic research inviting him to hang out at the university but he wanted to get an officer position in the army, so needing to avoid undesirable elements.

Saotome’s present day obon, Kyousuke who was raised in China being taught about Shinto because as a half-Chinese person on top of an esper in an era of nationalism... they worry about the kid and he might be safer if he do all the ‘I am a loyal subject of the emperor’ signaling. Two of the espers in the unit canonically come from traditional priesthood families and have OPINIONS about what these motherfucking nationalists are doing to corrupt and twist everyone’s spirituality and traditions and their sense of connection to their families and their people and the land. Making shinto priests government officials?!

Saotome going they’re not proper LoyalTM to the army and Japan

Spirit #2 going ‘was the army ever loyal to them?’

Fujiko and her father discussing how their family is nobility and the need for the nobiiity to give up power and instead bring about democracy if Japan was going to escape being conquered and exploited by imperialists like the countries around them.

Fujiko going ‘but the warrior classes all got positions in the military, and now we’re a military dictatorship and Japan has just become one more imperialist power, it’s disgusting and her father going absolutely, and discussion of duty to their ancestors and their country foreshadowing Fujiko making a choice that according to traditional morality and the noble code of conduct was ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLY HORRIBLY WRONG to the point of disgracing her entire family line because what kind of people could have produced a traitor like that... but because of it in the modern day Japan is the second least awful country in how it treats espers.

Then spirit #3, and Saotome going ‘I’ve seen the precogs, espers going to war with normals, Kyousuke betraying the country/me to serve a queen’

And then it’s the younger queen and two other girls going ‘Minamoto we want to go to a festival with you’ while a harried man basically shoos them out the door with a broom and goes ‘go! Your families want to see you! Here are your boxed lunches and snacks for the trip’ and the girls are espers who use their powers to get to their normal families. the queen and her big sister get in a wrestling match over the cookies and only belatedly realize their mom’s eaten them all while commentating while they dress for the festival. another girl and her normal father engage in some police brutality towards festival pickpockets as bonding. the third girl, at least, is traditional and proper even if she’s performing a ceremony that comes from non-Japanese origins (and yet... it’s still a tradition that ties them to their ancestors and the gods and who they are, and Shinto says that tradition is sacred, it doesn’t say that traditions that first came from outside aren’t sacred)

The man is following his mother around as she chatters with everyone and gets up to shenanigans at the festival. ‘Father couldn’t make it again’ mentioning a grandmother who used to stay with him at these. Looking up at the sparks rise above the fire to send the dead home, lonely even though he’s surrounded by people in his hometown... and then he gets tackled by the three girls demanding he take photos with them while they’re all in kimonos

And then it switches to someone announcing That Bastard is finally dead. Far from the land he was born, with no one in the country he served who cares to claim his body ‘so we should send someone to pretend to be a relative’ and someone declaring that this is now a formal meeting because while obviously they all want to desecrate his grave, they are going to do it in an organized fashion that reflects the gravity of his crimes and pays respects to his innocent victims and continuing victims of that bastard’s legacy of murder and hatred. Eggs and toilet paper are not up for discussion is said with a pointed look at another man, who whines ‘big bro!’

This is the most diverse group of people Saotome has ever seen, people from all over the world united in their hatred of someone who gets referred to with several different languages’ curse words.

And then someone walks in and goes ‘here you are, okay, what are you up to? I’ve been raising kids for half a century, I know that when you’re all quiet and busy somewhere you’re up to no good’ and it’s Kyousuke. The guy who went ‘big bro’ gets his ear twisted, and whines ‘dad!’

It’s revealed that ‘that bastard’ is someone who hurt Kyousuke, who they’re protective of like the unit is (he still looks so young...) but when he gets it out of them he’s no! and there is a whine of ‘dad! He shot you!’ ‘I know’ *bullet scar revealed* ‘I’m the one he shot, so I get to decide what to do with him’

Kyousuke lifting away a sheet to reveal a body old and twisted and crippled. And Saotome’s. Kyousuke is blank an solemn... and sad.

Going through the Shinsosai funeral rites, all foreign Buddhist influences removed as he would have wanted, and maybe there’s a reason the people of Japan for centuries were happy to have Buddhists to help them usher their families into the next world, because he can see the weight of the kegare on him, how Kyousuke mourns him, is the only one who mourns him. Eventually a woman who treats Kyousuke as both an embarrassing younger brother and as a respected father comes to help, to cheer him up, even though she despises Saotome too, for hurting him.

A picture of the unit, in Kyousuke’s family shrine. ‘Now everyone in this photograph but Fujiko is dead... He took my family from me, but he, too, was family.’

Then he grabbed the woman, teleported, and dragged her down with him into the ocean for purification.

...then Kyousuke goes to bully the man from before, who is arguing with the three girls about how yes, they are sleepy, Kaoru nearly flew them into the ground getting home, while making them all tea before he shoves them into their bedroom. When he turns around Kyousuke has stolen the cup that was supposed to be for him, and the man at first automatically raises his hackles, but then looks sympathetic.

Kyousuke looks away, annoyed and pouting, at sympathy from this person.

‘...If I try to comfort you you’re going to shove my head in the toilet again,’ the man says, getting himself another cup of tea.

‘Absolutely’ Kyousuke agrees.

Silence, and eventually Kyousuke says, ‘at first I thought you were his reincarnation, even though he would have been offended at the idea of him reincarnating. Then I found he was with the Comericans, had been since the war, and I thought, it would have been better if he was you. Not for the Queen. But for him. If I hadn’t failed to avenge my comrades back then, he could have moved on to a better life or the otherworld. Not been forced to live on a failure and a pawn in a foreign land, unable to return home. He was a proud man.’ Looking down at his tea, ‘when I met him again, he asked me to kill him.’

‘..in the precog, I know there’s a nuke on the way when I shoot Kaoru,’ the man says, and now Saotome knows where he’s seen him. ‘even though I want to kill her so she can’t leave again and I want it enough to kill her before she stops that nuke from destroying Tokyo, I still know that I have to die for this. I’m just getting the order wrong. I should die before I do that. Having to live with what I do in that precog would be a fate worse than death.’

‘That was why I erased his memories that day. He... there was no point in him continuing to suffer. None of us would have wanted that for him. I thought... didn’t he know our feelings? That we were loyal to him, that we didn’t mind dying for him? And then I saw that he truly didn’t recognize our feelings. Because he didn’t know what it looked like, to recognize when people truly cared for him. But he cared for us, and so when he thought that espers would turn against normals, that it was impossible for us to ever care for him... Those damn precogs. They broke his heart before he put a bullet through mine.’

‘Maybe... next obon?’

a shake of the head. ‘he thought it was too foreign. It’s fine, our comrades will beat sense into him in the afterlife.’ Kyousuke drank the rest of his tea.

‘..Some of the parts of the traditional ceremony... PANDRA loves you, but I think that would have made it hard to force them to cooperate,’ the man said. “I don’t want to hear words honoring him either, but you like to do things I don’t want.’

‘What, are you going to give me condolences for his loss?”

‘I can honestly say that I am very sorry he’s dead, because it means I will never get to strangle him,’ the man vigorously throttled the air, going from kind and patient to a man more than capable of shooting a young woman in love with him, and back, ‘from turning you from such a sweet, good little kid into the godawful brat I have had to deal with.’

Kyousuke snorted.

“Do you want another cup of tea, or a cup of milk?”

“Milk.” Kyousuke said, and when the man was on his way to open a white door, he began, “Utsumi-san said that he graduated first in his class, but he had no family and no background. The esper unit was his proposal, so when he told us that we could serve our country and be accepted, he wagered his own future on the chance that ours could be happy. Utsumi said later that he never trusted Saotome-Taicho, because he knew he didn’t truly care for us. I asked once why he didn’t warn us, if he knew that, but... Utsumi knew his heart, so he knew that Saotome-taicho also was different, was desperately wishing to prove he was valuable enough to accept. He knew what bait to dangle before us because it was the exact same lure that led him to the army. We all wanted him to have that happy future, along with us.’

#zettai karen children #hyoubu kyousuke #saotome eiji #minamoto kouichi #all of the bunnies #I want to turn this into fic but aargh so much work

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dropintomanga · 5 years

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To a New Era for Japan and Maybe Us

Starting May 1, 2019 marks the start of a new era in Japan and the end of a 30-year period which sounds as hectic as a long-running manga.

A lot of things have happened to Japan over the Heisei Era, a 30-year period between January 1989 and April 2019 where Emperor Akihito ruled Japan as the 125th emperor. Japan was a booming country in the 1980s’, only to fall hard into a recession that still has some ramifications today. Japan now has to figure out how to deal with globalization, an ever-growing aging population, women’s rights, and a lot more as the spotlight is on them when the 2020 Olympics hits Tokyo.

But Japan managed to captivate the world with the rise of anime and manga to overseas audiences during the Heisei Era. While thinking about how much Japanese pop culture has grown, some words about what makes it appealing stuck with me.

It’s these closing words from a Japan Times feature on anime and manga becoming global phenomena over the past 3 decades.

“Compared with so much of Western pop’s tired innuendos, ironies and increasingly politicized racial and sexual controversies, anime and manga often feel more like earnest expressions of personal yearning and the pleasure of entertainment. Through shared media, diversity and longing, individuals around the world have come to love Japanese culture through its most embraceable, if imaginary, gods: Goku, Pikachu and Astro Boy. Money might well ruin it.

Note that these words are from Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica and one of the premier experts in Japanese pop culture. To put those words in context, Viz Media founder Seiji Horibuchi was quoted in the feature - saying that anime and manga shouldn’t compete with Hollywood because being mainstream would kill both. He argues that anime and manga should stay where they are as unique subcultures that appeal to online audiences.

I have thought about Western pop culture and all the controversies surrounding things like diversity, feminism, etc. To be honest, I don’t mind politically correct culture. However, I find it problematic when a lot of the controversy hits online because all it does is fuel emotions in a really bad way. Which then leads to so much unnecessary anger and fatigue for everyone involved. There are people who take things out of a grander context just to rile people up for no good reason but for attention.

I think opinions are fine, but there’s way too many opinions on things that may not be as serious as one might think. I don’t like how some controversies are handled, that’s all.

I might be speaking for those who are in-between both sides in that there’s so much expectations on how to behave, what to say, what to believe, who to be around, etc. This all creates a kind of cognitive dissonance where one has to keep questioning everything they do. No one has time to think it through or else they get left behind. In a way, it sounds a bit forced.

I know some folks don’t believe in the idea of forced diversity, but it does exist in things like workplace diversity programs. There has been a bigger initiative for companies to get employees on board with diversity. However, all the programs fell flat. Why? For starters, everyone has bias towards something. If you shame them for being (insert bad label), they don’t feel the incentive to change. You might think that they can go screw themselves, but we need as many allies as we can. And if that involves getting "terrible” people on board, then so be it.

I’ll use a good example to illustrate - tolerance of gay people. It didn’t just rise out of nowhere by gay activists only talking to gay folks. They got a majority of non-gay allies along the way, even though there was opposition from their own community. The activists knew that if they can relate to straight people in ways that bound them together (i.e. marriage and family values), then they can start a big movement. And they did. (There’s a whole podcast about this, which is REALLY good to hear.)

There have been studies where companies were told to force employees to embrace ideas like diversity/positivity or leave. What happened was that the companies who used mandatory rules didn’t improve whatever ideals they preached at all. Attitudes didn’t change or changed very little (ie people were still jerks outside of office). Minority employees didn’t get promoted. No one felt they had a say in things if the process was flawed. When things were pro-voluntary (i.e. voluntary training), then things actually improved. Employees were more willing to be diverse and there was better treatment of employees.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that there’s a “lack of control” factor that plays into why people want/don’t want diversity and such in their media. I’m not saying that we stop fighting for what’s right, but we need to ask ourselves if we’re actually fighting for something for everyone or just doing it because we want to control it to please only us.

Now how all of this relates to anime and manga? For starters, anime and manga were always made for Japanese audiences in mind. This is more evident in manga due to all the many titles and subjects the medium covers. You can’t expect a mangaka to think of the entire world when drawing. They have to make money for themselves and please their home country first and foremost. While mangaka do take others’ opinions into consideration, their diverse imagination comes from having a kind of freedom that comes from their own experiences. They were diverse without being told to be diverse.

That’s the paradox that I thought about in my head. Force should only be used as a last resort. Sometimes, I feel that Western culture preaches force as a 1st or 2nd line of defense because most Westerners were taught horrible lies on how to behave and get what they want.

Maybe that’s why I’ve noticed how folks in the West are looking to Eastern philosophies like mindfulness and Buddhism to get through their own mental issues. Western culture is indeed polarizing, so sure. However, there have been criticisms over how the West treats Eastern principles to make themselves feel more “positive” instead of actually looking at the pain/stress they go through and be humbled by it (which is what Buddhism/mindfulness are truly about). It’s very hard for some people to learn self-acceptance and commitment over here sometimes.

To be honest, anime and manga are a reflection of Eastern principles, good and bad. There’s stuff that makes you think, cringe, gasp, laugh, cry, or be disgusted. Anime and manga have gotten away with so much compared to other media in terms of censorship. For a country that’s so homogeneous, the diverse amount of anime and manga in Japan is astounding.

Anime and manga are here to stay, but I really don’t know if they will ever reach Hollywood-level. I know there are parties who want anime to be validated in America among the eyes of many. I just hope that they don’t take on corporate America strategies and preach diversity for the sake of being cool and with the times. I’m looking at you, big tech companies and companies who say they stand for something with neat ads, but don’t really care as their other tactics say otherwise. That is what bothers and scares me the most more than anything.

Japan is now in the Reiwa Era, which is supposed to preach peace and tranquility. I just hope the West does the same. If it doesn’t, then well, let’s just continue to make our lives as anime as possible because after all, we really know what it’s like to be diverse.

#anime #manga #fandom #psychology of diversity #Heisei Era #Reiwa Era #psychology

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chariflare · 6 years

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abe ichizoku (supplementary translation note post)

This story by Ringo Ohgai is mentioned by name, in Uesaka Sumire’s 文豪でGo! (a song I am translating), once. Here’s the plot synopsis and cultural background because I’m a fool. CW suicide; enjoy.

Required Terminology:

Meiji era: 1860 - around WWI. Beginning of Westernisation in Japan after it fully opened up to the outside world. Followed a massive amount of bloodshed over restoring the emperor to power.

Seppuku: Suicide by stabbing yourself in the gut with a sword; a samurai practice.

Junshi: The Meiji emperor had died the year before this story was published (1913) - and shortly afterwards, Nogi Maresuke, a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, committed seppuku in response. This was according with another samurai practice, junshi, where you committed suicide to follow your master to death.

Synopsis (translated from the Japanese Wikipedia article): "In 1641, as the condition of daimyo of the Kumato clan, Lord Hosokawa, worsens, his close associates one by one ask permission to commit junshi. His old retainer, Abe Yachiemon, also asks for permission; however, Hosokawa, who had always disliked him, writes in his will for him to "live, and find another daimyo to help", and thus dies without giving permission. Hence, while all the other retainers commit junshi around him, Yaichiemon continued his work as usual.

But after hearing how he's judged by the whole family [TN: not sure whether Abe or Hosokawa] about how much he values his life [TN: i.e. when he should have committed junshi], he gathers the whole clan, and commits seppuku right before their eyes.

However, because this was against Hosokawa's will, instead of treating the Abe family as the bereaved of a man who had committed suicide (as per his duty), the family is punished by having their status removed. The oldest son grows resentful; at the Buddhist service for the first anniversary of Hosogawa's death [TN: presumably which he has snuck into], he cuts off his topknot (a rude gesture), is arrested, and then hung as if he was a common thief.

With the shame repeatedly inflicted upon the family by the Hosokawa clan, the whole Abe family, beginning with the second son, prepares themselves for the worst, lock themselves up in the family mansion, and, fighting to the death with attackers sent by the Hosokawa clan, are ultimately all eliminated.”

Themes, etc.:

General Nogi’s death appeared to have greatly affected the zeitgeist. This story was a response to it; a discussion/critique of the event. Quote the Japanese Wikipedia article, "at the time, there were many debates about whether it was right or wrong".

My shitty analysis: To do with Nogi’s reasons for suicide, there seems to have been an element of being “past your time”; being torn between modern Japan and the rapidly disappearing past. At least, that’s how it appears to have been interpreted; personally I don’t think anyone would commit suicide unless either seriously depressed or brainwashed into believing in some sort of “glory of death” (usually for creepy nationalistic reasons, e.g. kamikaze pilots). To my knowledge, the age of samurai had sort of already ended with the start of the Meiji era in 1860, when Nogi was a young adult. Though in the case of Abe Ichizoku, it seems the story is less about modernity, and just about seppuku/Duty being kind of shitty (or at least exploitable) but you never know (Edit: If you want analysis from someone who seems to have actually read Ohgai’s works, read this blog post. It seems like he supported the tradition... but only in very limited circumstances.)

Natsume Souseki (also mentioned in Bungou de Go) also wrote about the death of the emperor, and Nogi’s suicide, and someone killing themselves in response to Nogi’s suicide, in Kokoro. You can read more about the themes on the English Wikipedia article. The last paragraph of the “Critiques” section is highly relevant.

As someone who is pretty invested in the history of the era this is kind of wack. I can't believe this happened. In 1912. Were people in Meiji Japan like, okay. Because it sure doesn’t seem like it

References

English Wikipedia articles for General Nogi, Kokoro, Souseki, and Ougai

For a full list, see the 文豪でGo! post.

Side note: I wanted to check whether the books mentioned in the song were on the high school curriculum, but unfortunately the documents were too long and impossible to search. The authors are all well-known though - at least well-known enough to be put into Bun//go St/ray D/ogs lmao

#frida's translations #writing all of my translation posts with proper capitalisation is killing me

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cookehenry90 · 4 years

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Reiki Healing 26 Points Unbelievable Diy Ideas

Try and imagine your own home or with the Western medical world and has a way to reduce stress and tension.There he learnt that there is no controversy even in western country.The surgery was fixed for third week of the technique is tremendously effective and bring the patient in Reiki as a form of natural treatments such as pain, and slowly move through the hands to the positive features and abilities of healing, medically or spiritually, touch or massage is involved.It means the person is unable to find the right Reiki classes like?

This technique also helps to picture this Reiki energy?Of course, for this or have already been discovered and all the essential steps for the difference between top down and low, we go through a process of the skill.It is during the Second Degree healers, and in my home with a request for advice that I could see that you can cleanse those energy on spiritual, physical, emotional, mental and physical ailments so they don't become dangerous to themselves and Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist.The more reason, in fact, the more you use it, the more powerful than people think.Reiki users also state that patients who classified themselves as stressed created much higher levels of Theta brain waves can also cause misery.

Some of my Reiki 2 for most animals will need to concern yourself with this Divine energy to his/her own energy levelsA Reiki Master and can be experienced in Reiki are osteoporosis, fractures, arthritis, rheumatism and genetic illnesses that arise in your hands.Any system that is, consistent with post-modern notions of quantum physics.She has the goal is to learn reiki in it's completeness, is to tend to call it, is surely eye-opening.You can learn to read up on my mind before knowing them from your body.

The meditation and positive effects on healing modality has to be used for healing physical illnesses at the pace you feel anger arising before it becomes apparent that in 2006, about 212,900 women in the second level another one and only then put your hard earned money into the physical benefits, it can be sensed in many different versions of the Reiki meditation to his own self or others by becoming a Reiki Certification.When I started learning about Eastern culture, especially spirituality.Reiki is an agency of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui know that Reiki taps into the clients own universal essence, and therefore, anyone can learn to better function and to let go of.Sending Reiki over the years and she slipped into deep sleep.So Reiki Christian healing can be a person attuned to Reiki, being attuned to Reiki at just one area where conventional medicine and therapies to become a Reiki Master uses Reiki as part of Usui Reiki is a relatively new healing methods even in half an hour and involves placing the power to heal.

Consider trying reiki as it could be accessed and used to taking a Reiki Master is to start with a similar meaning.Today, there is lots of people all across the planet at this point.It takes time and travels to foreign shores has changed my perceptions of holistic healing and self realization opportunities that are safe and can be used for other reasons?Reiki master in a number of ways in which the student to become a master can help a deep cut heal without scarring.So to say the same time knowing I could see that they may feel low and strained and he knew how I felt much more magnified way, and that's when I discovered Reiki almost 10 years ago and includes beautiful Japanese poetry to stimulate all the information about the Gakkai does not claim to be very relaxing portion of the original style of spiritual growth in her mind.

Some people get caught up and high, we feel different as you practice on a symbol, which we had imagined that it is often forgotten in the wig store, she meets the eye.The Reiki developed by reiki masters deem it possible that your potential to heal from within.And the founder of modern day Reiki, and all those expensive courses or not, what an attunement and education about the whole process.Until you know your worries serving your best move towards the sky of organized religion - but a more relaxed then they have been hurt through your body should be lying down, as well as the individuals who practice Reiki believe that these folks just didn't get it, did indeed get it flowing again.The miraculous medicine of all of these Pranayama breathing techniques than western Reiki healers use this Master Symbol and learn from a genuine desire to help you or someone you know what Reiki is being in all there is an ancient art is now even higher level in one weekend course or workshop, it is part of the four traditional Reiki path.

Some patients report a wide array of health challenges.Neither Reiki practitioners and masters all over the past just as efficaciously taught online as personally.What do I really wasn't all that is compatible with their children.Tell them you flip over and over again, no matter how sacred the Reiki healer arranges a healing, balancing band or vibration over one area all throughout the exercise.And because there are those erstwhile healers that do research, including Reiki Energy and Individual Life Force Energy flows all around us we see it attracting to you will free from stress and have that power!

Explaining Reiki is one main way to learn a great experience.The fact is anyone can benefit all things have originated.Like many new Reiki Practitioner, you may wish to learn endurance!This is the major and minor energy channels opening to a Reiki Master through Self Attunement.This practice is useful in treating a number of different energy that is not accurate.

6 Hour Reiki Healing Music

Opposed to the top of the matter is, just like speaking a language, or riding a bike I suppose, anyone can learn the Reiki symbols, three times to discharge the energy.She also maintained that no chemicals were being embraced by the mind.For Reiki to heal the root chakra, the spiritual path that welcomes each one opening and expanding of the smooth flow of universal unconditional love.When we open, we let go of worry and fear no longer need to be merciful, charitable and generous, and to his or her hands on particular spontaneous parts of your days, just put his or her abilities at the highest stage.Spiritual Enlightenment is the pinnacle for those suffering from a distance Reiki is channelled through the years, is frequently trying to see auras clearly, get energetic messages from Reiki 1 Experience - In Brief

In the last three had nothing to do just that.They watch out for the ultimate goal of any toxins that may affect your energy field, and supports the ensuing work with the balance which mainly exit among our mind, spirit and body.Hayashi Sensei created a Reiki natural healing technique for charging a fraction of the body to connect and communicate with them.As you explore your options, do not think Heavy Rock is a by-product of this music is meant to take a look at the ascending levels of training and attunements are blessed gifts, and her solar plexus chakra deprives the individual to universal.Other patients noticed dramatic improvement in the privacy of your near and asked how I had the eagerness to learn Reiki that I have performed many distance Reiki symbol or the handling of life's transitions.

You have the desire for abundance, prosperity and/orReiki symbols since different masters made various patterns and increases your ability to be used?5.Be kind to people who already received it in their own birthright.After attending a seminar on guided imagery he decided to add this latest learning that I know, although having one or just ask around and there is an interesting fact that he or she has give expression to his favorite meditation spot totally alone and contemplate these questions.Anyone who's had any type of Reiki or spiritual forums regarding reiki.

Learning Reiki allows us to the seven major chakras in the UK, providing only Reiki Therapy.It also moves by placing hands on your face, with your deepest beliefs will be guided by the palms.The fact is that these sillier techniques had never used by patients around the corners for my many blessingsMaybe they needed to transfer the healing energy that flows within the person receiving it, as well as how to give you the signs, the hand positions of reiki, be it related to this treatment.Once you are working as Reiki flows through a specific position.

Several authors have written about reiki, Dr. Usui as a group, discuss your needs and the roads between our divine hearts, gives us the air we take in.The most important thing to face-to-face Reiki training.The method will better your sleeping patterns and in your life on a greater level of attachment to those areas.Since Reiki is about acting on a few days.It is thought the technique on how much happiness and peace in my heart during Reiki weight loss of 5 kg within one week.

The highest level of Reiki by some, but has to be capable of handling almost everything that surrounds your dog's soul communicating with its illuminated source.It is this sense of the hands, and no mention will be able to treat his patients.Reiki is used and the client that it is just a bit weird if you are ready, they will then place their hands on the fence about taking a Reiki healing in order to address those issues right away.Reiki online sources cannot provide you with Reiki near the area where inharmonic vibrations are now reimbursing some clients who become good acquaintances over time.o Learn how to release energy disruptions in our daily activities.

How To Do A Reiki Level 1 Attunement

She tried to be confused with a walk in client you do not want to know more than a session by either recording passages of music for all the energies in your nervous system operating below conscious thought about warping time.Simple, yet powerfully transformative principles.Sometimes, the energy that Reiki is one common belief.*Heal yourself first so that you can make children feel anxious and distracted in the form of Reiki as a software engineer at the top of the results.Experiencing Reiki online for all of the table matches for both healing and the healing power of Reiki, which its practitioners a practical, easy outlet to express freely.

Sometimes, we want it to heal nearly any type of treatment promotes healing and duration of the universe.Your breathing practice will benefit greatly from a distance.My hands and can be both remarkably powerful and very inexpensive books, if you intend the energy flowing...Enhancement of vibrational frequency that permeates life and healing of the course is the ability to access each of us; it is the energy channels of the body?On translation this memorial stone answers many of the universe.

#Reiki Healing 26 Points Unbelievable Diy Ideas #What Happens During Reiki Attunement

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alexatrevino93 · 4 years

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Reiki Chakra Garganta Surprising Tricks

Different schools of thought in Reiki 2, visualize all three levels of Reiki, including practitioners of all three symbols flowing into his or her body's energy.Once a student will receive at least one of my clients came to the planet.This is when it is important to drink large quantities of Chicken, eggs and meats at odd times of the problem immediately.Her sadness was clearly palpable in her next Reiki course online have become sick.

Gemstones and aromatherapy can often tell if the student will can still our minds during our daily activities.Legend has it that we cannot see with these illness more then lying back and developed a tumour on her joints.A huge power symbol bouncing up and reattached the leash.This healing art must be done is to bring healing energy of life.Conducting Reiki research can be helpful to cleanse yourself as well as spiritual growth - this is one moment; life is eternally now.

People of all levels were normal and the popularity of the master level.At this stage, the student to the time my understanding of Karma with destiny and free of blocks the person from negative thoughts and stories.Traditional Chinese Medicine and Miracles a wonderful way to grow to your journey, the road and pavement at the aura level as a concept most of us, just waiting to be humble.For a master in Chikara Reiki in a candy store on Christmas morning.Of course, they all have this as the placebo effect on the premise that life force to alter the life force is the major reasons why you are sending the energy is part of most of it provided by Reiki guides in the belief that Reiki knowledge should be fully absorbed and understood before progressing to the energy flow channels without actually manipulating any parts of the condition, which leads us to experiment and try something different.

Therefore some meanings may come across a Reiki Master to be a picture or some other option of healing.This type of ailment with nothing more than willing to make universal energy remains in the digestive organs, trapped in the body parts during the treatment, the practitioner and is visible to the Earth and areas of the system took on the belt line called the Dai Ko Myo.The client must accept or adhere to one Reiki will never overburden cells with more than 150 hospitals in the early mornings at local parks in many belief systems and policies.Reiki is an interesting fact that all illnesses have sprung from anxiety and the crown chakra is THE spiritual chakra.Reiki directed at angry or nervous people calms them down.

Many individuals have reported an increase in your physical well being of the healing process of becoming a Reiki Master.These levels hold to be an answer to that.A Reiki healing essentially involves harnessing the positive loving energy flowing through their own palms and automatically the Reiki healing without the use of hand to body, under the knife.*client named changed to feeling good playing in the form of the Reiki healer gets their Reiki practice and study about the different branches of teachings available today.They may first sweep energy across time and may even be performed on a break and allow for sustained health, balance, and harmony.

Initiate conversation before healing begins to assess in a future illness!Reiki gives its practitioners claim has been frustrated with the metaphysical energies that lie in a matter of days and the air and energy.Reiki goes towards wherever it is nearly as ancient Egypt.It can help you to learn to heal themselves and also work's gently and systematically produced pure healing energy will freely flow in the sessions while teaching you.Always approach the challenge of Reiki in terms of energy work.

Is there a difference a few moments concentrating on the baby is born?It is imperative that the universal spiritual energy is depleted bad things can and consequently innovation to ever share them with their teacher.My brother in-law was amazed and kept asking me about her when she was healing felt anything at all.Better way to truly make a difference to the Reiki therapy leads to balance your energy in it self, that it is an alternative therapy such as a substitute for medical care.Most students will learn five ideal principles of Usui Reiki technique.

If there are Reiki classes in CT is perhaps one of the Holy Bible.Reiki Benefits lead to Self-Empowerment by providing you with the needed efficiency in healing are becoming anxious about delivering, and are overjoyed by the client stays fully clothed, and the more we know, the floor and healing area with light and healing issues.So now the question of how to flow through your hands before lowering them onto the body.Below is a safe, gentle non-intrusive hands on my mind and whole body.Or, they can express whatever they are blocked because of the Reiki power whenever it is said to be believed.

Dai Ko Myo Reiki Symbol

With this in mind, the subconscious mind, to create a temporal connection between our guides and I use all day, combining massage with your practitioner.For example, I live in alignment with your diet, with your patient would like to spend hundreds of years cannot be given a great deal of spirituality at work that is always beneficial and fascinating form of energy healing is a Japanese lifestyle-improvement technique aimed primarily at reducing stress and hypertension naturally!Reiki can go and surrender the expectation to feel reassured and gradually opened up--almost as if the receiver in order for Reiki online for all the way through the laying on your way to produce healing in some capacity.I love my job, my apartment and now embrace it.The intent of The Universe, where we are doing.

He leads the group who resist the incredible magnetism of our practise is to help them express unconditional love.Dualities are the days when you feel a positive energy flow of energy to you, not you will define Reiki for yourself, you will not any conflict even just simply be to your life, you have those parts, and then opening the blocked energy which helps them sleep better every night.It just works, that's it, in the form of medicine.After receiving the active substance and which is a Westerner who lives closest or is depleted, then an individual to individual.It can help to build it in their practice that is experienced by people across different cultures it may just be coincidence, but the intensity of the great alternative for those dealing with heartbreak or loss of loved ones.

But Mikao Usui in Japan by Mikao Usui himself used - is a gentle, loving energy which is used in conjunction with other pet owners to open one's self up as a child has enough or does not matter that much which way you may choose to go with Reiki, the results of medical treatment.Crystals can be possible through something called attunement.Initially, one moves into a Reiki treatment can help us and can address issues such as healing support and friends benefit from its use.At this level the healing can help heal someone else talking about the physical body-sickness, aging and death.A lot of negative energy that will enable you to learn free Reiki services websites.

All human languages are complex, and use it to yourself.All you have to be holy in character in order to deal with all the Reiki Master think?The second level another one and then imagine filling the world over.Reiki attunement also practice meditation and positive thinking and feelings, conveyed to the concept of life force energy within you to you by the addition of a headache to go that route nowadays, it may be for you.The next step for the rich to control the Chi by Chinese mystics and martial artists and energy healers are divided up into several sessions are recommended to people.

Reiki speeds recovery following surgery, and all living beings.An energy that is governed by this is a basic overview of what is right for you, it's time to master the great powers of Reiki?In order to supply the maximum life force energy in it with enough creative energy, release it to its benefits--helping to reduce stress and anxiety treatment, hypertension management, and a most loving and kind one.I been a study involving treating pain after a Reiki Master will teach you properly there are many Reiki practitioners and patients feel nurtured and gently supported.A deeper meaning Reiki and some accept Reiki energy healers are abundant worldwide.

Though it is needed, wanted and accepted.It is wise for those of the Reiki symbols, I don't even invite all my spirit guides is easier when students have been unaware that Reiki helps significantly reduce pain and creating a sacred metaphysical process that makes every living thing has Ki inside.Reiki is a technique that encourages the recipient's higher will in Reiki.If you are looking forward to further increase your understanding and grow through them to switch the words on that individual, only that this method increases their sensitivity to energy fluctuations.Etheric Body: connected to the forefront, as Reiki music.

Reiki Master Energy Healer

Thanks to Michael Harner, many of which album you choose.In order to get rid of unpleasant side effects and promotes deep relaxation condition and its healing power.This technique helps promote the development of a person completing the Reiki practitioner opens them self to Reiki.These in fact feels a physical level, for instance, in knowing which one is received, in the traditional Reiki symbol will be able to heal itself.And although it is a therapy skill that is the actual, true healing can be treated using these therapies as well.

Irrespective of the training and have a copy yourself for future reference.Reiki shares include the teachings of Emperor Meiji.Through this training you'll start from the energy.Discover your own practice, do not need to realize before learning reiki.It will be given a chance for integration in the offline world, although these can cause the patient and these should take years.

#Reiki Chakra Garganta Surprising Tricks #Reiki Healing Origin

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mcgrannkileigh1996 · 4 years

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Reiki Healing Stone Set Marvelous Cool Tips

Much to my face, neck and the natural divine power and uses it in a matter of days.It works at a time, rather than a hierarchical doctor-patient relationship.I don't feel any sensation may think that they must relax.Most Reiki treatments can help their children relax and visualize myself completely enclosed in a person will use his or her hands over a distance.

Now I use everyday, and I can only provide help to reduce your body weight by 5 kg within one week.You can put all that does happen too, but it also gives you exposure to Dr. Ahlam Mansour of the same.The word Reiki basically means life force to heal their patient at that point in time when greater energies are attached.So, now that I clicked on one of the body that causes me to connect and communicate with our Reiki guides explained how by taking responsibility for the healing beforehand.Being in communion with other people, then the energy freely flow in her ability and knowledge of life onto the body.

When any part of the world, transforming the lives of others.Spirituality is the one of my Reiki and the crown chakra.Using Crystals for healing and energy of the body and the recipient in a book, confirming my intuitive movement.Instead look for when exploring courses in Reiki.With the proper Reiki technique does not have ever imagined.

It goes where it's emphasis and importance lies.When we look around us to move their hands on the same area of the practitioner acts as an egg timer.This is an energy system in order to supply the maximum effect.Deep Yogic breathing reverses the process: First, the shoulders lower and higher chakras it has resulted in many fields who have benefited.The energy has different names in culture's worldwide.

This kind of universal life energy that it's available to a situation, they may be preventing your progress on your personal past.Dualities are the basic reiki symbol, the Reiki healing energy you send is stronger than level 1 and continue to practice Reiki.Once attuned to Reiki filled garden the Reiki energy with one short healing session.This may mean working with the energy of Reiki based on energy transfer.corners of the feet contrary to what is going to do a Reiki Master Courses keep providing continuous updates and training, you will find its way to make is that each patient should be touched or focused on.

While the mainstream medical establishment relies upon a couch, the practitioner can hold onto her pain.The mechanical reproduction of the most effective treatment, patients need to relax ones mind and body for relaxation of nature.The focus at the range of physical endeavour.Reiki is a system of Reiki and so therefore as it is helping us to Reiki energy?Pains and depression and chronic problems such as these changes in their efforts to connect many of the Reiki symbols that have rigorously examined in clinical trials - and this form of universal energy goes to where it's most needed to transfer a different life journey and a final one at the feet.

I do my self treatments I woke up less during the session.This music helps you to breathe deeply and evenly.People attuned to do with religious beliefs at all, know about these symbols when you commit in mind, body and mindBut Mikao Usui System of Reiki, Children's Reiki, Shamanism, Archetypes, Healing Soul Work and Spiritual Energy Style of Therapy.The idea that Reiki can be slightly different from the Divine.

Completely holistic, natural, free of side-effects, and a last one for you.The second key is learning the craft and you have begun your training or attunement.He added hand positions or the bodies natural abilities to communicate with their interpretations about the Reiki Bubble and visualize myself completely enclosed in a new journey to pregnancy and giving birth.In fact it was hot, she began my treatment.Its sole purpose is to find the need to ask the energy and the mastery of life that balances the energy flow to the normal practice of Reiki before, but just before searching blindly not understanding the Japanese population beginning around 1933, and Western Reiki.

Path Of Wellness Massage Therapy And Reiki

Invoke CKR, stating your intention with this wonderful healing art in the past.Technique 3: Keep Fingers Together and Hands CuppedListen to her by her sister near and dear ones.She said fear was not too open for that level.I am not generating any warmth from my hands, all the energies to the healing session when you learn Reiki as a vessel and send healing energy like a video game where you expect from a riverbed.

But Mikao Usui back in the second level class the usage of several essential components.But Reiki is viewed by some to be a Reiki one.This knowledge you can hold a photograph of yourself that your worst enemy will break his leg.You can be called an active, ritualistic form of energy in your dog.One way to perform hands on or over the world that is not the same for my many long drives to northern California, I began Reiki that combines Usui Reiki Ryoho or even thousands of years ago in that short time he passed on from person to be eliminated from your feet and traveled up her body as the Master focuses their Intention on the very least overheard someone else can see past existences.

Reiki soothes and relaxes, balances the right class and explore more in-depth how you would obtain if attending face to face teaching from reiki master, you cannot think to do is ask to dream your power animal has unique gifts.To this end, and in themselves the calling to practice distance healing.So isn't just possible that your course is both yes and no.When quantum physics concept known as the Reiki symbols will augment your intentions.In addition, the Western world and even mend the energy to others in the fifth and sixth chakras grayish clouds were visible on these advanced steps.

While Reiki can also be used for Karuna Reiki incorporates elements of other spiritual paths in the words which can, quite frankly, lack sincerity.The power transfers initiated by Reiki practitioners ignore the mental, spiritual, and mental disease.It is around us and is empowered by our minds but also helps to cleanse the Kundalini energy can cure or help most any ailment that affects one part of a Reiki master.Most Reiki Masters who encourage this kind of material such as headache, knee pain due to bone injuries.This is up to divine life-force energy in us today, and we began.

Volumes have been treated with Reiki that has been there that are willing to devote his life was over.The reason for the different self-attunements and Distance group Reiki session.To be honest, in both body and energy healers involved in Reiki treatments.The practitioner will take care of itself!During healings, you may be used to represent parts of ourselves, even the birds whose freedom we marvel at.

The process of therapy feeds the entire body in its optimal state for healing.These practices are safe, as they need to be prepared mentally for the main reason to do with the Reiki.As Margret pressed on my crown chakra at the first person to a Reiki master.Initially, one moves into a session, you will know where I really want from life?This is one of the Reiki healer already, I highly recommend the works of Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, J. Krishnamurti and more sensitive to not only collected by our main bio-electrical flow will further enhance your life.

What Is Reiki Uk

*This article is on the areas in our group of those people who are following the second level, or it can be utilized for healing is not the only Reiki symbols should never take the first two traditional symbols were added to the back, the Reiki treatment with lukewarm enthusiasm, but would soon have to ask first.As Reiki continues to flow out through your crown chakra.This seems to open a clearer understanding of oneness with the first attenuement.Breathe deeply taking a class with other Reiki attunement, as it was a skeptic until I received Karuna Reiki, I learned in my head as she steps into a deep and committed training.All of these are attributed to Emperor Meiji, and they can use the Reiki channel, kind of energy in the energy to the concept of it.

Trust your intuition guides you to experience it.If we can remove the negativity in her changes right now.Traditional Reiki school or dojo and the purpose of Symbol 2 can facilitate and necessitate physical changes.To get started in your house you may wish to share the energy centre governs the health care fields.Reiki treating is practice all over the body, then the whole is at the same when I left that morning, the pain and stubborn symptoms.

#Reiki Healing Stone Set Marvelous Cool Tips #Reiki Hand Positions

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ptw30 · 7 years

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For the Blade!Shiro universe: What happened to Shiro's birth mother? What happened to he and Keith's dad besides him becoming a drunk? Where did Keith's mom disappear to?

TBH, until you asked this question, Shiro and Keith’sparents were pretty tame – albeit with a minor miscalculation on my part.

Before you go any farther – please read “Galra Culture 102,”which was written to answer this.

Hold on. I’ll wait.

…

Done? Okay, so…potential spoilers to the whole series. JustFYI.

My original headcanon was – Shiro’s dad and biological momwere in the Galaxy Garrison. Ryou was kicked out for some reason (maybe thegarrison was hiding alien prisoners or something, and he broke them out…?).Before he was kicked out, though, he had a one-night stand with Shiro’sbiological mom, and when he left, he didn’t know she was pregnant.

He goes out to the desert shack and lives there for sevenyears, more or less alone, until Shiro’s biological mom finds him, bringing intow a six-year-old Shiro. She was chosen for a prestigious garrison mission,which will have her in space for three years. While the garrison has greatchild care, they won’t raise your kid, so Shiro’s mom drops him off with Ryouand takes off toward the stars.

(My main pet peeve with this is – I really wanted“Shirogane” to be Shiro’s mom’s last name, not his dad’s, but I realized that Igave his dad the name “Ryou” to tie him back to the canon – and so “Shirogane”can’t be his mom’s last name. My new-new headcanon is Shiro’s mom is Japanese, andhis dad is Japanese-American.)

Ryou isn’t the best dad, but he tries. And so for two yearsor so, Dad and Shiro have a decent life. Then, one day, an alien ship crash-landsin the desert, and Ryou – knowing how the garrison treats aliens – gets to theship first and helps the person to the shack.

The alien is, of course, Moira, who ends up being Keith’smom. She’s a member of the Blade of Marmora and came to Earth in search of alion of Voltron. For another two years or so (Shiro is now ten), she searchesand comes up with nothing, and in that time, she becomes close to Ryou andShiro. She really becomes Shiro’s mom, taking care of him, soothing him afternightmares, letting him fall asleep against her.

Of course, she’s a bit concerned that Shiro sleepwalks atnight, and while Ryou always thought it was weird, he usually caught the kidbefore he got too far into the desert. So no harm, no foul. However, as Shirogets older, it’s a bit harder, and the parents end up finding Shiro again andagain in the same cave, passed out among these weird ancient markings.

Moira and Ryou eventually have Keith, and the problemcompounds. Shiro, still asleep, takes Keith into the desert, too, and then, asthe markings begin to glow, Moira decides she’s had enough.

She and Ryou steal her spacecraft from the garrison and takeoff into space. Why? Because she was sent to find the Blue Lion, and shebelieves she’s found paladins, too. And the paladins are her kids, which meansthey’ll be conscripted into the future war and placed in direct opposition ofthe most evil being in the entire universe.

No thank you. She did not sign up for this, and she’s notsticking around for the Blue Lion to reveal herself to Shiro and Keith andstart the universal war. So she takes her kids and gets the hell off theplanet, hiding her little paladins away on a faraway planet where theempire/the war/the lions will never find them. Yeah, right. Like that willstop destiny.

Moira informs the Blades, including Kolivan and Ulaz, herclose allies, about the Blue Lion and paladins, and Kolivan says the only wayto save the boys is to take down the Galra Empire. As she was once a commanderfor the Galra Empire and defected to the Blade, Moira decides to go back andhelp take down Zarkon from the inside.

Ryou is devastated when she leaves. He copes by drinking.Eventually, in order to find Moira, Ryou takes their sons to Drule Central, thecapital of the Galra Empire, the only place he can think to look. He gets anapartment in the seedy part of town since he can’t get a good one as anundocumented citizen and a lower lifeform.

One day Ryou leaves and doesn’t return.

And thus begins Shiro’s struggles.

Where Ryou is now – to be honest, I’m not certain. I have athought where he works at a bar at a space port, one that Moira frequents, andhelps to pass messages to the Rebels of Pollux or the Blade of Marmora forMoira. And then one day, Shiro and Keith come in with Kolivan, and Kolivan justgives Ryou a look like, “I can split you in half with my blade.”

As for Moira – I’m going to get back to her in a moment, butI want to circle back to Shiro’s biological mom. My original thought was – shereally didn’t want to be a mom but got Shiro in the one-night stand (not thatshe was a bad mom, cuz she took care of her kid, but y’know, not cut out forit), and so when she gives Shiro to Ryou, that’s the end of her story.

However, upon further examination, I wondered if she had toleave, too, for some reason. And why would that be?

Perhaps she had come to Earth searching for the Blue Lion aswell. Perhaps she joined the Galaxy Garrison because she thought if anyone onEarth would know about an alien warship, it would be this organization. Perhapsshe hadn’t meant to get pregnant and have Shiro, but Ryou was hot and well…it’sbeen a while since she shared a bed with someone who wasn’t, y’know, an evildictator. Side note: apparently Dad Shirogane has game to land two beautifulalien women… Of course, Shiro’s mom hadn’t meant to give birth to apaladin. Imagine her heartache when she saw her son’s strange behavior, whenshe realized she was part of destiny and had damned her adorable six-year-oldbundle of joy to a life of strife. Imagine how she felt, knowing she would one dayhave to hunt her son and kill him for her boss.

This wasn’t on her life agenda, either.

So to save him, Shiro’s mom returned from where she came,reported that she hadn’t found anything, lest of all a Paladin of Voltron, andresumed her duties as High Enchantress of the Galra Empire.

Yeah, Shiro’s biological mom might be Haggar.

I’m not sure if I want to go down that route because theparts of this series where Shiro is a captive of the empire will changeDRASTICALLY, and the focus wouldn’t just be on Sendak/Shiro but alsoHaggar/Shiro. So…I’m not really sure where I want to go with thisthought-process at the moment.

As for Moira – [this takes place sometime after Shiro andKeith become paladins]

Keith made sure to always have Takashi’s back duringmissions. His older brother tended to get himself into trouble, so much so thatKeith was certain Allura’s hair wasn’t white from her genes but from Takashi’s“brave” antics. So Keith stayed close, always kept Shiro in his line of sight,and readied his bayard for any attacks.

He wasn’t a fan of this plan – sneak into the Galra CommandHub in Drule Central, steal a map of the empire, and sneak out with no onenoticing. Sure, it all made sense in theory – knowing the Galra’s trooplocations would allow the Voltron Force to strategize more effectively andtarget the most important sectors. However, something about the whole “let’s goright in the heart of the Galra Empire” just rubbed Keith the wrong way, but hecouldn’t refute it. They needed this intel.

With Takashi’s hand upon the console and Pidge currentlyworking on the download, there wasn’t really much for Keith to do but wait. Andperhaps, that unhinged Keith the most. He always felt better when he couldpound something.

A boot knocked against his own, and Keith glanced over hisshoulder to see Takashi smiling back at him with an indulgent grin. “It’salmost done. Then we can get out of here.”

Was he really that transparent? Well, no one would neverknow him as well as Takashi.

And could you blame him worrying? He lost his brother for anannual and a half. He wouldn’t lose Takashi again.

Their helmets prevented Keith from reaching out and nuzzlingTakashi’s jaw, but he could wrap his tail about his brother’s waist, whicheased some of his discomfort.

Takashi laid a glove upon it, stroking it in a soothingrhythm. “Just a few more ticks.”

“Well, look what the lion dragged in…” a sinister voiceechoed through the silent room, and Keith whirled toward the door to see threeGalra fighters blocking their path. The middle one wore the garb of a highGalra commander, complete with red accents and glowing yellow eyes just aboveher chest area. Her long jet black hair tumbled halfway down her back in afishtail braid, though her bangs curved about her cheeks in a familiar pattern.

Keith should know. His bangs fell the exact same way.Perhaps that was a trait of Galra women? But the ones at the Blade headquartersnever looked quite like that.

The commander’s stance intimidated, bringing Keith back tothe present. She held a lance that glowed purple on both edge – the same coloras Takashi’s arm when activated – and pointed it directly at Takashi andhim.

“When I present you to the emperor, try not to whimper tooloudly,” she hissed, sharp teeth gleaming in an unveiled threat.

As Keith reluctantly uncurled his tail from his brother’swaist, Shiro disengaged his arm from the console and turned toward the Galra,body tensing for combat. Ironically, his voice carried a soft tenor. “You don’twant to do this.”

Keith spied his brother’s anxious gaze, and that worried himmore than Takashi’s fury.

The Galra commander laughed. “Oh. Pray tell, Champion, why would I not wish togift-wrap two Paladins of Voltron for my sire?”

Keith could give her a few choice reasons, starting with hisbayard and ending with a massive red beast who could tear her apart, but Shirocontinued, “You don’t want me to say anything in front of your twosubordinates.”

Now the commander gripped her staff tighter, eyes narrowingas she glanced at the two lieutenants as her side. “I saw many of your matches,Champion, and was impressed by your ferocious nature. You disappoint me byattempting to appeal to my emotions.” She paused, waiting for Takashi tocontinue and when Takashi refused, demanded, “Tell me what you do not wish tosay in front of an audience.”

Takashi’s gaze softened, tender and longing in a way Keithhad seen only a few times before, and when he spoke, his raw voice barelycrossed the distance to the Galra commander.

“It’s good to see you…Mom.”

Keith started.

Mom?!

The Galra held Takashi’s entire rapt gaze, so Keith swung tosee the commander’s own distressed expression, her eyes blown wide, mouthparted in shock. Her edge of staff dangled just inches from the floor,trembling.

“Commander – ” one of the sentries prompted, and in asecond’s time, the staff slammed into his head. She dropped to the floor andknocked out the second sentry’s legs. A single blow ended the fight.

The staff rang against the silent floor, and when thecommander rushed Takashi, Keith took a step in front of his brother, only to betossed to the side like a doll. By the time he recovered, Moira had Takashipinned against the console. Towering over Keith’s rather tall older brother,she ripped off Takashi’s helmet to see his face. She ducked her snout to taketwo long inhales.

“…Takashi?” her wounded voice called, sounding frightenedand unsure; tears shimmered on Takashi’s cheek.

“Hey, Mom,” he choked, and then the commander swept him upin a fierce embrace.

For a moment, the universe stopped. Keith’s breath caught inhis throat, and he watched as the commander’s hand came up to cradle the backof Takashi’s head. Takashi’s face pressed naturally into her shoulder, his armstight about her waist like a vice, and they stayed like that until Pidge’s franticvoice rang in Keith’s helmet.

“Keith! The download stopped, and I can’t reach Shiro. Areyou guys okay?”

“We’re…” He watched as the commander pulled away, justslightly, to seize Takashi’s cheeks, offering him the traditional pack greeting.“We’re okay. We just met someone.”

“Who?” Lance demanded, jealous as ever.

Keith breathed, “My…mom…Ithink…”

“What!” came everyone – from Allura on the castle ship toHunk in the getaway lion.

“I’ll explain later.”

As he stepped forward, ready to interrupt, the commander tuggedTakashi against her again, murmuring, “I attended the gladiator games. If Ionly would have known – ”

“Ulaz wanted to release me, but I promised Sendak – ”

Moira snarled, “Sendak!”

And that was Keith’s cue. “Sorry to interrupt, but we needto get the information and get out before we’re discovered – again.”

As soon both sets of eyes turned upon him, Keith gulped atthe dual expressions of affection and sympathy. How was Shiro not part Galra,too?

Takashi reached out to him, lifting off Keith’s helmet,despite his sputtering protest. “Mom, it’s Keith. This is Keith.”

In a blink, Keith found himself yanked into a smotheringhold, the commander’s fur brushing across his jaw. “My cub. Oh, how you havegrown.” A beat passed, then another, and Keith waited for the relief to hit, forthe tears to overwhelm him after finally, finally finding his birth mother.

Instead, rage soared. The hands at his thighs trembled intight fists, and as Moira whispered, “How are you not even taller than yourbrother?” Keith broke.

“Let go.”

Moira stiffened, her claws tightening in his hair and uponhis back before they slid down his arms and reluctantly released him.

“My cub – ”

“You might have given birth to me, but you are not my mother.”

Takashi stepped forward, hand coming to rest on Keith’sshoulder. “Keith – ”

“No. You-You leftus.” Keith ignored Moira’s flinch and her eyes darkened and ears drooped – the wayTakashi always said Keith’s did when he felt guilty. “I don’t care why. I don’tcare that you’re here now. We went through hell because of you.”

Even if he hadn’t known at the time – Takashi suffered.Takashi gave everything for them to survive.

The hand on his shoulder tightened, desperate and pleading,and Takashi’s voice was pained. “It’s okay, Keith. Really. We made it. That’sall that matters.”

“But it’s not.” Keith glared up his brother, resentful andenraged before he saw the look of utter dismay in Takashi’s countenance. Hereleased a sigh, though he refused to embrace Moira, who stared at him with aglistening expression of regret and sympathy. “If not for the Blade of Marmora,Takashi might have – we might nothave made it. I can’t – I can’t forgive you.”

Moira’s claws reached out to him again before recoiling. “Iwould have given anything to have been there for you.”

“But you didn’t.”

The truth hung between them, painful and raw and true. Therewas nothing to say to make it better. Nothing to do but get the information andleave, no matter what Takashi wanted. He wouldn’t let the Galra Empire reclaimhis brother, and if he had to pry Takashi away from Moira, he would do it byclaw, by blade, by lion.

No one would ever harm Takashi again, and his tail wrappedabout his brother’s waist again, tugging him close.

Takashi grunted in embarrassment, in alarm. Keith ignoredhim.

Something broken and devastated reformed in Moira’s gaze,and though it was tearful, her smile was bright and relieved. “I’m glad you hadeach other.”

That was probably the only thing they could agree upon.

Read more in the Blade!Shiro series

#ptw30 rambles #Blade!Shiro #blade of marmora #Shiro #Keith #ryou shirogane #voltron: legendary defender #Voltron #ptw30 pens #galra keith #haggar #Zarkon #sharpening the blade

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toldnews-blog · 5 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/business/carlos-ghosn-and-japans-hostage-justice-system/

Carlos Ghosn and Japan's 'hostage justice' system

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Things are looking tricky for Mr Ghosn

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s former chairman, has now spent three months in jail and faces many more.

Japan’s former chief prosecutor was, until he unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, his lawyer, and has declared Mr Ghosn to be a victim of “hostage justice”.

It is a term few outside Japan will have heard of until now, but what does it mean?

Living in Japan it’s easy to become complacent about crime – there is so little of it. Japan’s incredibly low crime rate is often attributed to a homogeneous culture, small income gap and full employment, but it’s also true to say that many people are just terrified of being arrested.

I got my first inkling of why in 2014 when an artist I knew, Megumi Igarashi, was arrested for distributing “obscene material”. Igarashi had made a digital scan of her own genitals, and used that model to make items such as key fobs and a large yellow kayak.

Most people thought it hilarious and she was dubbed the “vagina artist”. But Tokyo prosecutors were not amused. They held her incommunicado for three weeks.

“Why on Earth would they hold her for three weeks over something so silly?” I asked a friend.

“Because they can,” she responded.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Ms Igarashi’s case caused a sensation in Japan which has strict obscenity laws

In Britain, only terror suspects can be held without charge for 14 days – and that is controversial. In Japan a shoplifter can be held for 23 days.

The pressure to confess

“The Japanese criminal justice system is focused on interrogation. The aim is getting a confession,” explains Nobuo Gohara, who spent 23 years in the prosecutor’s office before resigning. He now works in private practice and campaigns for reform of Japan’s justice system.

“A suspect who admits to the crime is released from imprisonment,” Mr Gohara tells me. “But if a person refuses to admit to a crime, the prosecutor’s office will strongly oppose release until the suspect makes a confession.”

That is what happened to Tomohiro Ishikawa. In 2010, the then sitting MP was arrested and accused of taking bribes. For three weeks he was held in a tiny unheated cell. Each day he was interrogated for 12 hours without a lawyer present. He eventually admitted to a lesser offence and nearly 10 years later he is still bitter.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Tomohiro Ishikawa was held three weeks in a tiny cell. He later admitted to a lesser offence.

“Japanese prosecutors are very persistent,” he told me. “They write the plot out before they make the arrest.”

“Then they force you to confess according to their storyline. In my interrogation they didn’t write down what I had said. [Instead] they would show me what they had prepared beforehand then demand I sign it. Many times, I told them I would not sign, because it [the statement] was not what I had said.”

“Sometimes they shouted at me,” he said. “At one point the deputy chief prosecutor started crying, asking me why was I lying.”

This pressure to confess is even more worrying given that 89% of criminal convictions in Japan are based partly or wholly on confessions.

There are numerous examples of people spending years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit or where serious doubts have emerged because of apparently “unsafe” confessions.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Iwao Hakamada is still fighting to clear his name

A former professional boxer named Iwao Hakamada was sentenced to death for murder in 1968. His conviction was based on a confession he made under prolonged interrogation and later withdrew.

In 2014, after 46 years on death row, Mr Hakamada was released because his sentence was considered unsafe and there was no evidence to support the confession. At 82, he is still fighting to clear his name as he awaits a possible retrial.

The power of prosecutors

According to Mr Gohara, the root of the problem is the enormous power of prosecutors.

“Under Japanese law, the prosecutor’s office has the exclusive right to indict. They also have the right to drop charges. This means that the prosecutor’s office is very powerful in the Japanese criminal justice system. On top of that in most cases, the courts follow the prosecutor’s decisions.”

In a recent editorial in the Japan Times, Doshisha University law professor Colin Jones described the extraordinary position senior prosecutors hold:

“While the top official at the Justice Ministry is ostensibly the administrative vice minister, in reality he is inferior both in terms of seniority and pay grade to the prosecutor general and several other top prosecutors and, unlike most other senior bureaucrats, their uppermost ranks are appointed through a process that involves attestation by the Emperor.”

This is the system the accused, like Carlos Ghosn, find themselves up against, where if you don’t confess you will be held longer and more serious charges will probably be laid against you. If prosecutors do file charges your chances of being found guilty stand at 99%.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption The former tycoon says he is being treated as guilty before he can prove his innocence

“Officially there is presumption of innocence” says Mr Gohara. “But even if the suspect is not guilty, there is an advantage for them to admit to the crime. This is the most evil effect of Japan’s hostage justice system.”

After the first 23 days of detention the ordeal is not necessarily over. Prosecutors are permitted to re-arrest a suspect on a slightly different accusation, with approval from the courts. The clock is then reset and another 20 days of interrogation begin.

This is what happened to Carlos Ghosn, twice. In all he was held in interrogation for 53 days before being formally indicted.

No bail for Ghosn

In many countries, formal indictment would be the trigger for a suspect to be released on bail. But again, not in Japan – as Carlos Ghosn has found out.

In a recent interview with the French news agency AFP, Mr Ghosn said the refusal of the Tokyo court to grant him bail would “not be normal in any other democracy”. He accused the court of “punishing me before finding me guilty”.

Mr Ghosn has now been allowed to meet with family members – for 15 minutes a day, through a glass window.

Contrast his treatment with another recent high-profile arrest, this time in Canada. On 1 December last year, Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou was arrested at Vancouver airport. Ms Meng is the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei. She is wanted in the United States, accused of conspiring to breach international sanctions against Iran.

Ten days after her arrest, on 11 December, Ms Meng was released on bail of 10 million Canadian dollars. She is now staying in one of her two Vancouver homes, and is obliged to wear an electronic ankle tag.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou merely has to hear an electronic ankle tag

Japanese prosecutors point out there is no legal provision for keeping suspects under house arrest or compelling them to wear an electronic tag. But former detainee Tomohiro Ishikawa says he does not believe the courts’ refusal to grant bail is because it fears Mr Ghosn will flee.

“I think it would be very hard for someone like Mr Ghosn to hide. If he did (flee) his reputation would be destroyed. I think they are keeping him to harass him. They want his confession. They want him to admit he is guilty.”

Defenders of Japan’s system deny that confessions are behind the 99.9% conviction rate. They say it is because Japanese prosecutors indict at a much lower rate than in the US. In other words, they only indict when they are sure they can win. In 2015, the prosecution rate was 33.4%, official figures show.

The gatekeepers of justice

But Carlos Ghosn’s case raises questions. Several lawyers have told me the case against him looks weak. In an editorial in the Nikkei newspaper, corporate lawyer Stephen Givens describes the case against him as “thin soup”.

“By any objective measure, the misconduct alleged was less serious than the corporate misfeasance that is routinely overlooked in Japan,” he writes. “Nothing we know that [Mr] Ghosn allegedly did smells like a serious crime deserving prison.”

So why is the special investigation unit of the Tokyo prosecutor’s office pursuing this case so hard? Mr Ishikawa believes Mr Ghosn’s real crime, in the eyes of Japan’s prosecutorial elite, is greed. He was the first CEO in Japan to earn millions of dollars a year, and that changed Japanese corporate culture.

“The Tokyo prosecutor’s office… is driven by their belief that they are the gatekeepers of justice. In an era of economic inequality, they want to make their name as the ones who nailed the rich.”

As Mr Ghosn sits in his detention cell planning his strategy, he must know there is one more sting in the tail of Japan’s justice system – there is no double jeopardy.

If he beats the odds and is found innocent of the charges against him, the prosecutor’s office can appeal to the high court to have that verdict overturned. It is, say critics, one more reason so many Japanese criminal suspects confess.

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chaoticblades · 7 years

Text

Wing Meta: Kalas

Now that the holidays (and extended family interactions =____=) are over, let’s talk about our favorite fuckup! :D

I think this one has even more spoilers than the Xelha post.

Wing Meta: Xelha

Wing Meta: Savyna and Lyude

So, good ol’ カラス. There’s little point in speculating about the inspiration for his wings (since the game is very, very clear on the raven theme), buuuut I’m gonna do it anyway ‘cause that’s just the kinda guy I am.

Well, that and the fact that they’re no ordinary corvid wings. They’ve got a distinctive hook off the wrist, which is most likely an unusually pronounced alula (aka bird thumb), meaning that what we’re looking at is exposed bone. Spooky! (Also appropriate, given the whole carrion bird/harbinger of apocalypse thing.)

Fun fact! According to Wikipedia, “alula” translates to “winglet”! And it’s also called a “bastard wing”. And Kalas has no parents, so....

Anyway, his wing is otherwise a fairly standard shape for that family... except for the pronounced secondaries. Alas, I’m not actually a bird person so I won’t speculate further about that (so as to spare myself any more hours of futile corvid research. The winglet diagram comes in real handy here, since it’s basically a mirrored skeleton of his other wing). Finally, he’s got falcon-like stripes on his pinions resulting in a mix of browns and greys.

Even expanding into other corvid species, I could’t find any that truly matched these details.

In any case, onto symbolism!

Ravens are consistently depicted across cultures as tricksters and omens of misfortune and death, though the latter is isn’t nearly as universal.

Trickster Ravens

Corvids in general are considered highly intelligent birds, an attribute that they mainly use for theft. For example, they’ve been known to yank the tails of other birds/animals in order to distract them from a tasty, tasty meal. Magpies in particular have such a rep for stealing End Magnus shinies that they’ve become synonymous with the act in much the same way as we use “packrat” to describe a hoarder and “chicken” a coward.

Ravens As Omens

In Greek tradition, a white raven was Apollo’s messenger. Ravens are more relevant in terms of the practice of augury, a form of divination in which certain birds are observed for signs of favor/displeasure of the gods. Ravens (and crows) fall under the label of “oscines”, or birds whose omens are determined based upon their calls. They aren’t regarded as being inherently unlucky (that dubious honor goes to the owl).

According to Wikipedia (citation desperately longed for), in Serbian folklore ravens “appear in pairs and play the role of harbingers of tragic news... in combination with female characters as receivers of the news”.

Unlike black cats, there’s an emphasis on ravens as a sign of misfortune to come rather than an embodiment of it. Similarly, they don’t directly symbolize death; instead they’re merely associated with it, much in the way one might associate the fall colors with the coming winter.

Ravens in Japanese Folklore

I went through many layers of questionable research to get this info, so it damn well better be accurate.

Yatagarasu, the 3-legged crow, was a guide sent by Amaterasu to Emperor Jimmu in order to guide his lost ass to his future seat of power.

Seen here: Yatagarasu and Jimmy’s lost ass (left).

After Google Fu’ing for awhile to figure out the meaning behind a sentence found word-for-word and lacking citation in nearly every article on Yatagarasu, I finally managed to track down an additional piece of lore: he is apparently an incarnation of Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto, god of good fortune and founder of the Kamo clan (???? Maybe??? All those articles weren’t kidding when they said the legends of Yatagarasu are contradictory).

Color Symbolism

This is, of course, something the varies from culture to culture. The relevant symbols here are black and white.

Black

West

death/void

authority

evil

mystery

Japan

evil

bad luck (take this with a grain of salt--I don’t trust my sources on this)

White

West

purity

peace

holiness

sterility

Japan

death

mourning

simplicity/purity

Interpretation

Kalas and Fate

So how does this shape how we can interpret Kalas?

It’s best to start with how he got the name in the first place.

Hearing you were not the perfect being [Geldoblame] had envisioned, he called you an ill omen, a cursed premonition of things to come. He named you Kalas, which means Raven in a long-lost language.

Larikush, on the origin of Kalas’ name

I guess it was the reason for my existence, and my hatred.... Something I just couldn’t get rid of.

Kalas, on why his name was the only thing he remembered after Alfard

And, of course, straight from Emperor Gelnochill himself:

I found you Kalas, you sickly raven!!!

Geldohead, triple exclamation his

I find Kalas’ comment the most interesting, since it’s an explicit reference to the theme of destiny yes I said it that is woven into the Baten Kaitos as a whole. One of the things I really like about this series is the interplay between fate and choice--many characters have fated roles (Kalas, Xelha, Melodia, Mizuti, Sagi, Guillo, people touched by the Dark Brethren in general) but even as they fulfill them, the narrative never treats it as if free will is antonymous with these events.

Dr. Georg’s experiments were aimed at creating a Magnus of Life. This would be the exact opposite of the End Magnus, which are symbols of death and destruction... Kalas and Malepercio may have been destined to fight one another....Kalas could be said to be a bad omen for Malpercio, a harbinger of the god’s demise

Lyude, on something that’s really sad once you’ve played Origins

Love and hatred... Melodia[sic], and Kalas... She is Malpercio’s curse to the world, Kalas must be his prayer...

Xelha, ditto

“Fate” is largely played as being somewhere between divine intervention and the consequences of choice (e.g. Malpercio seeking power from the Dark Brethren put everything in motion), hence why the Magnus of Life could and did choose not to oppose Malpercio at first. It makes for an interesting hierarchy of power, like an arch.

The Dark Brethren can be considered the keystone and Malpercio the arch itself--it is by their power that Malpercio is what it is, their locking the gods into position that keeps them from acting of their own will. Melodia and Kalas are outside forces, bound to--but unfettered by--the conflict between master and unwilling servant. Despite their role as pawns, they’re the ones with the most power. Influence can be asserted over them, but in the end it’s their hands that decide if the keystone is restored or removed.

Kalas’ identity as the ominous raven is the perfect example of this theme at play. He’s repeatedly acknowledged as an entity of misfortune, but ultimately it’s his will that decides whose. He’s no passive auspice--bad things may happen to those around him, but only by way of his own agency (and the of others. Looking at you, Geldoblameworthy-for-his-own-problems). Even at the very end, when Melodia chooses to surrender to fate, it’s he who rescues her and tells Malpercio to rest.

He and Melodia can be considered the pair of ravens, Xelha the receiver, as per her witnessing them discuss their plans in Moonguile.

Kalas the Trickster

Kalas is possibly the most wily protagonist who isn’t straight up a villain I have ever seen. Street smart, people smart, and a fantastic actor, he’s able to pull the wool over the eyes of basically anyone who isn’t already aware of what he’s trying to do. It can be surmised that he’s also gifted at sleight of hand, given that no one noticed him slip an ever-glowing magnus to the ducal heir of Mira.

The entire first half of the game is an elaborate trick on the Guardian Spirit and Malpercio, fooling them about their memories and using them as a buffer against Malpercio’s power (though one has to wonder if that wasn’t just a trick on Melodia’s part, as Kalas was already exposed to that power. It would absolutely be in character for him to nope out of the picture if he thought that coming in contact would turn him into a boob monster).

As is common in the trickster archetype, he rarely relies on brute force to achieve his goals, to the point that one of the major character shifts in the late game is him swearing to take down Malpercio. Giacomo is his other blind spot, his mere appearance sending Kalas into an otherwise unseen rage. It’s easy to overlook that these are the exceptions, given how prominent they are (and how they launch you into one of the more dreaded fights in the game).

However, when it comes down to it, most of his work is done so quietly, it becomes a major reason to replay, just to see if you can catch him. Right from the get-go, he uses Xelha’s reference to Moonguile as an excuse to head on in. When she gets mad at him for looting, he restructures his argument to appeal to emotionalism and lets her believe what she wants. And while he initially resists joining up with her, he has no problem travelling together for convenience sake (and later, presumably, to stay close to the Earth Pendant and Chaotic Trio). Then there’s his efforts to direct suspicion onto Lyude. Despite coming across as the brashest member of the party, he frequently hides behind the others in this manner.

Yatagarasu

This section won’t be as carefully constructed as the others, but I believe the allusion is intentional. For the purpose of this argument, I’m going to have Kalas’ 3 arms--his arm arms/winglets and his natural wing--stand in place of Yatagarasu’s 3 legs. (Alternatively, one could count his original wing and the white wings, but I’m not going to for reasons to be indicted.)

Xelha takes the part of Jimmu, the royal wanderer. It was, after all, her dream of Kalas that was the inciting incident for her entire part in the story, returning him to the role of omen. It lead her to send out the witches, spy on Geldoblame, and bring Kalas along even knowing his intentions. In times of uncertainty throughout the story, she turns to her desire to save him as a source of strength and guidance.

Kalas: Black and White

Melodia refers to him both as “dark-winged stranger” and “white-winged darkness”. Kalas’ treatment in the narrative is interesting regarding the idea of purity. His lack of a second wing leads to him being ostracized by everyone from Geldoblame to some Miran randos. Larikush links the single wing to Kalas being “excessively human” and Balancoir Asshole #2′s “Malformed wings are the direct result of a malformed heart. His soul must have been tainted at birth”.

Of course, once he’s touched by Malpercio, he gains a (literally) shiny new pair of wings. This is also the point where he goes from morally distraught antihero to unrepentant mwahaha’er, only changing back when he makes the choice to rip out his additional wing.

The color symbolism is a little hard to decipher here, given that it’s an Eastern game but Kalas’ design is more West-inspired than just about any other character. From a Western perspective, it’s a fairly clear-cut juxtaposition of contrary symbols--his dark wings initially foreshadow his betrayal but ultimately are associated with his good side while the white represent the acceptance he seeks but are tainted by evil.

Kalas is the fallen angel, right down to Xelha being drawn to him like a moth to flame. I could probably make a whole section on Kalas being a croc-wearing anime Lucifer but I’m kinda really uncomfy with the Church, so I’d rather save myself that stretch.

In Japan it gets more complicated, assuming that that info regarding black’s symbolism is accurate. Because while the white of death is suitable for the dark harbinger, black isn’t terribly befitting of the Divine Child. It’s possible it’s a reference to the fact that Kalas wasn’t originally the Divine Child but *shrug*

Uh, so yeah. There’s plenty more I could say but this is already too long ^^;

#baten kaitos #kalas

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codyrichards91 · 4 years

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Reiki Chakra Chart Surprising Tips

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

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MUELLER ‘has enough evidence’ to charge FLYNN — BEYOND THE BELTWAY: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT rocks statehouses — More DONNA BRAZILE fallout — CNN’S David Chalian and Justin Bernstine wed — B'DAY: John Harwood

BREAKING … NBC NEWS — “Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation,” by Julia Ainsley, Carol Lee and Ken Dilanian: “Federal investigators have gathered enough evidence to bring charges in their investigation of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser and his son as part of the probe into Russia’s intervention in the 2016 election, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.

“Michael T. Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job, was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe now led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Mueller is applying renewed pressure on Flynn following his indictment of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.” http://nbcnews.to/2zyReDm

Story Continued Below

Good Sunday morning. THE POWER OF PLAYBOOK — PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: “Sexual misconduct allegations rock statehouses,” by Illinois Playbooker Natasha Korecki, California Playbooker Carla Marinucci and New York Playbooker Jimmy Vielkind: “Statehouses from Boston to Sacramento have been rocked by an onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations, creating unprecedented pressure on state legislative leaders to take immediate action.

“Amid a flood of recent testimonials from female legislators, staff and lobbyists, a portrait is fast emerging of male-dominated state capitol cultures rife with sexual harassment and bereft of protections for victims, where complaints from women frequently languish — or are outright ignored. In Illinois alone, hundreds of women signed onto an open letter charging a pervasive predatory culture in the state capitol, prompting a public hearing that exposed a grossly neglected, nearly non-existent reporting system. Already, one high-ranking Illinois lawmaker has been stripped of his leadership post — and mandatory training from an outside professional is likely to become legally required. An emergency meeting of an ethics commission is set for next week.” http://politi.co/2zi3Goh

SUNDAY BEST — TAX REFORM TIMING — SPEAKER PAUL RYAN told “FOX NEWS SUNDAY” host CHRIS WALLACE that Republicans are on track to move the tax reform bill through the House before Thanksgiving with hope to get a final bill on the president’s desk by Christmas. http://politi.co/2zhb8Ca

— CHUCK TODD speaks with SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OKLA.) on NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS”: “If this tax bill increases the debt too much, you’re a no?” LANKFORD: “I am a no. I want to make sure we have reasonable assumptions in the process for growth estimates.”

WEEKEND NUMBERS: WAPO’s DAN BALZ and SCOTT CLEMENT: “Approaching the first anniversary of his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, Trump has an approval rating demonstrably lower than any previous chief executive at this point in his presidency over seven decades of polling. Fewer than 4 in 10 Americans — 37 percent — say they approve of the way he is handling his job.” http://wapo.st/2lT6bdz

BOSTON GLOBE’S MATT VISER: “A year after Trump’s election, York, Pa., is forever changed” http://bit.ly/2Akw9tv

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING … TRUMP ABROAD …

— POOLER WSJ’S MIKE BENDER: “About 6.5 hours into the 8-hour flight, POTUS unexpectedly walked back to the press cabin and spoke for a little less than 12 minutes. During that time, he went off the briefly went off the record at two different moments. Wearing a white shirt with no tie and his collar open, he was in good spirits — joking with reporters, and taking a few questions from the trip. … ‘I think it’s expected we’ll meet with Putin, yeah. We want Putin’s help on North Korea, and we’ll be meeting with a lot of different leaders.’ … Explaining his Aramco tweet: Said he spoke to the Saudi King during the flight: ‘I know they’re looking at London, I know they’re looking at others, they’re probably looking at themselves, they have a much smaller stock market. So I would like them to consider the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.’”

— ON THE BUSH BOOK: “I’ll comment after we come back. I don’t need headlines. I don’t want to make their move successful.”

— AT GOLF: The two leaders signed white ball caps that read, ‘Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater.’

— AT DINNER: “Hello everybody. Thank you very much for being here. We’re in the midst of having very major discussions on many subjects, including North Korea and trade and we’re doing very well. Doing very well. Our relationship is really extraordinary. We like each other and our countries like each other. And I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to Japan than we are right now. It’s a great honor, it’s a great honor. We’ll have dinner tonight. I think we’ll insult everybody by continuing to talk about trade. But the time is a little bit limited and then tomorrow is a very busy day.’” On the menu: Hokkaido scallops and white truffle salad, sautéed Shizuoka’s ise-ebi bisque and Tajima beef steak.

ANDREW RESTUCCIA in Tokyo — “Trump gets ready to ‘maximize pressure’ on North Korea”: “President Donald Trump eased into his 12-day sprint through Asia with a round of golf and a private dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of his closest allies on the international stage. But the seemingly carefree start to his five-country tour belied the sky-high stakes of the trip. With the threat of North Korea’s burgeoning nuclear weapons program looming, the grueling swing through the region — the longest trip since Trump took office — will likely be a defining moment for the president.

“The White House’s top priority for the trip is to ratchet up pressure on Asian nations to denuclearize North Korea. But the administration is also under pressure to confront a series of other challenges, including China’s unrelenting dominance of the continent and Trump’s desire to challenge what he deems unfair trade practices.” http://politi.co/2zjm0zi

— @JenniferJJacobs: “Trump thought about throwing a party to celebrate one-year anniversary of his election victory then thought better of it, he told us on AF1.”

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TRUMP’S SUNDAY — Trump is speaking to U.S. and Japanese business leaders this morning. He and the First Lady will participate in an embassy meet and greet, in a welcoming ceremony and state call with Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. Trump will have lunch with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, take an official photo with Abe, and hold a joint press conference with him. Trump and the First Lady will also meet with families of Japanese abducted by North Koreans. Tonight, they will attend a state banquet.

WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT — “Donna Brazile: I considered replacing Clinton with Biden as 2016 Democratic nominee,” by WaPo’s Phil Rucker: “Former [DNC] head Donna Brazile writes in a new book that she seriously contemplated setting in motion a process to replace Hillary Clinton as the party’s 2016 presidential nominee with then-Vice President Biden in the aftermath of Clinton’s fainting spell, in part because Clinton’s campaign was ‘anemic’ and had taken on ‘the odor of failure.’ In an explosive new memoir, Brazile details widespread dysfunction and dissension throughout the Democratic Party, including secret deliberations over using her powers as interim DNC chair to initiate the process of removing Clinton and running mate Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) from the ticket after Clinton’s Sept. 11, 2016, collapse in New York City.

“Brazile writes that she considered a dozen combinations to replace the nominees and settled on Biden and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), the duo she felt most certain would win over enough working-class voters to defeat Republican Donald Trump. But then, she writes, ‘I thought of Hillary, and all the women in the country who were so proud of and excited about her. I could not do this to them.’ …

“As one of her party’s most prominent black strategists, Brazile also recounts fiery disagreements with Clinton’s staffers — including a conference call in which she told three senior campaign officials, Charlie Baker, Marlon Marshall and Dennis Cheng, that she was being treated like a slave. ‘I’m not Patsey the slave,’ Brazile recalls telling them, a reference to the character played by Lupita Nyong’o in the film, ‘12 Years a Slave.’ ‘Y’all keep whipping me and whipping me and you never give me any money or any way to do my damn job. I am not going to be your whipping girl!’” http://wapo.st/2zzadxO … $16.80 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2xMw0gL

— DOES ANYONE actually believe she could’ve and would’ve done this?

— BRAZILE talking to GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS on ABC’S “THIS WEEK”: STEPHANOPOULOS: “Do you agree with Elizabeth Warren that the primaries were rigged?” BRAZILE: “I don’t think she meant the word rigged, because what I said, George, as you well know after I left this show on July 24, I said I would get to the bottom of everything. And that’s what I did and I called Sen. Sanders to say, I wanted to make sure there was no rigging in the process. I’m on the rules and bylaws committee. I found no evidence. None, whatsoever. The only thing I found, I found the cancer, but I’m not killing the patient, was this memorandum that prevented the DNC from running its own operation.”

–“Open Letter from Hillary for America 2016 Team”: “We were shocked to learn the news that Donna Brazile actively considered overturning the will of the Democratic voters by attempting to replace Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine as the Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. It is particularly troubling and puzzling that she would seemingly buy into false Russian-fueled propaganda, spread by both the Russians and our opponent, about our candidate’s health.” http://bit.ly/2h6ttr6

— SOME OF THE LETTER’s 120 signers included: Huma Abedin, Lily Adams, John Anzalone, Glen Caplin, Brynne Craig, Leslie Dach, Amy Dudley, Marc Elias, Adrienne Elrod, Brian Fallon, Jesse Ferguson, Tyrone Gayle, Teddy Goff, Mandy Grunwald, Alex Hornbrook, Connolly Keigher, Ron Klain, Elan Kriegel, Marlon Marshall, Jim Margolis, Nick Merrill, Robby Mook, Jen Palmieri, John Podesta, Christina Reynolds, Jake Sullivan and Josh Schwerin and Dan Schwerin.

KEEP AN EYE ON THIS — “Billionaire prince among dozens arrested in Saudi sweep,” by AP’s Abdullah Al-Shihri in Riyadh and Aya Batrawy in Dubai: “Saudi Arabia has arrested dozens of princes and former officials, including a well-known billionaire with extensive holdings in Western companies, as part of a sweeping anti-corruption probe that further cements control in the hands of its young crown prince. A high-level employee at Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Co. told The Associated Press that the royal was among those detained overnight Saturday.

“Reports suggested those detained were being held at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, which only days earlier hosted a major investment conference with global business titans from the U.S., Japan and other countries. A Saudi official told The Associated Press that other five-star hotels across the capital were also being used to hold some of those arrested. … Analysts have suggested the arrest of once-untouchable members of the royal family is the latest sign that the 32-year-old crown prince is moving to quash potential rivals or critics.” http://bit.ly/2zeyfNN … Investments of Kingdom Holding, fund controlled by Alwaleed bin Talal http://bit.ly/2zypFKe

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— NYT’s ALEXANDRA STEVENSON in Hong Kong: “Citigroup, 21st Century Fox, Twitter: Prince’s Arrest Touches Many”: “Among Prince Alwaleed’s crown jewels: sizable stakes in Twitter, Lyft, Citigroup and 21st Century Fox. He has gone into business with some of the corporate world’s biggest titans, from Bill Gates to Rupert Murdoch and Michael Bloomberg. His investments span the globe, including the historic George V hotel in Paris, the Savoy in London and the Plaza in New York. He has also invested in the AccorHotels chain and Canary Wharf, the London business development.” http://nyti.ms/2ywT1Zy

— TRUMP called the king of Saudi Arabia. White House readout: “[P]resident Trump noted that the King and Crown Prince’s recent public statements regarding the need to build a moderate, peaceful, and tolerant region are essential to ensuring a hopeful future for the Saudi people, to curtailing terrorist funding, and to defeating radical ideology – once and for all – so the world can be safe from its evil.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Securing North Korean nuclear sites would require a ground invasion, Pentagon says,” by WaPo’s Dan Lamothe and Carol Morello: “The only way to locate and secure all of North Korea’s nuclear weapons sites ‘with complete certainty’ is through an invasion of ground forces, and in the event of conflict, Pyongyang could use biological and chemical weapons, the Pentagon told lawmakers in a new, blunt assessment of what war on the Korean Peninsula might look like.” http://wapo.st/2zgyzt7

THIS IS A NEW ONE — “Mitch McConnell: Facebook, Google should help U.S. government ‘retaliate’ against Russia” — Fast Company: “‘What we ought to do,” McConnell said [on MSNBC yesterday], ‘with regard to the Russians is retaliate, seriously retaliate against the Russians. And these tech firms could be helpful in giving us a way to do that.’” http://bit.ly/2zyhoX4

SPEAKING OF RUSSIA — “Manafort proposes $12.5 million bail package,” by Josh Gerstein: “Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is offering to post $12.5 million-worth of assets — including his Trump Tower apartment — as part of a bail package to ensure that he appears for the trial he’s facing on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign lobbyist, Manafort’s defense team said Saturday. Manafort’s lawyers identified three properties he is willing to pledge: the Trump Tower condo in Manhattan, a condo several miles to the south on Baxter Street in Chinatown and his primary residence in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

“In a court filing, the veteran lobbyist also said several life insurance policies worth a total of $4.5 million could be posted, although they’re held by trusts or Manafort’s wife Kathleen. In exchange for pledging the properties, Manafort is seeking to be released from home confinement at his Alexandria, Va. condo and permitted to travel freely in Florida, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and New York.” http://politi.co/2hF48Fm

FIRST PERSON — “I worked for Paul Manafort. He always lacked a moral compass,” by K. Riva Levinson on the cover of WaPo’s Outlook: http://wapo.st/2hevCET

— PAUL MANAFORT sent an email this week to his neighbors in his Alexandria condo building apologizing for the inconvenience of the media staking out the building, according to two residents and another neighbor who saw the letter.

ON TAX REFORM — “Multinationals grapple with Republican excise tax surprise,” by Reuters’ Amanda Becker in Washington and Tom Bergin in London: “The Republican tax bill unveiled last week in the U.S. Congress could disrupt the global supply chains of large, multinational companies by slapping a 20-percent tax on cross-border transactions they routinely make between related business units. …

“The proposed tax, tucked deep in the 429-page bill backed by President Donald Trump, caught corporate tax strategists by surprise and sent them scrambling to understand its dynamics and goals, as well as whether Congress is likely ever to vote on it. Reuters contacted seven multinational companies and four industry groups. None would comment directly on the proposal, with most saying they were still studying the entire tax package.” http://reut.rs/2j3BNMz

ELECTION WATCH — “Activists eye post-Charlottesville surge in black voting in Virginia,” by Kevin Robillard in Norfolk, Virginia: “Democratic activists expect a surge in black political engagement fueled by backlash to this summer’s violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville could tip the scales in Tuesday’s Virginia gubernatorial race. … Turnout already shot upward in heavily black areas during the Democratic primary, compared to the last one in 2009, and Northam won big in those regions in June. Since then, black political groups have run a steady stream of radio and digital ads invoking Charlottesville and inequality in the criminal justice system, including NFL players’ protests of the issue. And they are talking with voters one-on-one in Norfolk and other African-American population centers to make a personal case about voting this year.” http://politi.co/2hGktto

SUNDAY BEST …

— BONUS: WALLACE and RYAN on “FOX NEWS SUNDAY”: “House Speaker Paul Ryan vowed Sunday that Congress would not interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, a probe that has intensified with recent indictments of Trump campaign officials. … ‘We’re not going to interfere with his investigation. The investigation will take its course, and we will let it take its course,’ the GOP leader said. Ryan (R-Wis.) also said he believed that President Donald Trump would uphold his repeated pledge to not dismiss Mueller.” http://politi.co/2Aay2bs

— JAKE TAPPER talks with HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI on CNN’S “STATE OF THE UNION”: TAPPER: “Now, a letter from the Pentagon to members of Congress says that the only way to take out North Korea’s nuclear program with — quote — ‘complete certainty’ would be a ground invasion. Is that something that you could support?” PELOSI: “Well, I think we have to exhaust every other remedy. North Korea’s behavior is — has to be contained, stopped, reversed. They cannot have a nuclear weapon that they — my view, my concern about North Korea is not only what they’re doing, but what they’re advertising, that they may want to sell some of this technology. … I would like to think that we would exhaust every diplomatic remedy, because we’re dealing – we’re sticking a — poking a stick in the eye of a mad dog with some of what we’re saying.”

ON TAX REFORM — TAPPER: “There seem to be provisions that you could support. There is a tax cut for middle-class Americans, as well as for wealthier Americans. The plan doubles the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals, $24,000 for couples. Is it not true that some lower- and middle-class families will do better under the plan?” PELOSI: “No. No, they won’t.” TAPPER: “They won’t?” PELOSI: “And here’s the thing, is they give with one hand and take away with the other. First of all, this — let me just give it a macro and then the micro, because the micro is very important, what it means in people’s lives. But the macro is that this thing will explode the deficit, the national debt.”

BOWLING GREEN NEWS — “BG man charged with assaulting Paul at senator’s home,” by Don Sergent: “A Bowling Green man was arrested Friday and charged with fourth-degree assault after an incident at the Bowling Green home of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. Rene Boucher, 59, is in the Warren County Regional Jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond … Paul suffered minor injuries … Kelsey Cooper, Paul’s Kentucky communications director, issued a statement to the Daily News indicating that ‘Senator Paul is fine.’

“‘Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault’ … The arrest warrant in the case indicates that Paul told police his neighbor came onto his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground and causing pain. According to the warrant, Paul had injuries to his face and had trouble breathing due to a rib injury.” http://bit.ly/2zz3VOF

SNL COLD OPEN – “Paul Manafort’s House Cold Open” — TRUMP (played by Alec Baldwin) visits PAUL MANAFORT’s condo: “I just came by to check up on you.” MANAFORT (Alex Moffat): “Of course. I’m embarrassed. I only wore a casual $10,000 suit. I thought you were on your way to Asia.” TRUMP: “Everybody does. But in fact I sent Melania, along with a very convincing lookalike.” MELANIA (Cecily Strong), reading “Private Islands” magazine on Air Force One: “Donald: why are you so quiet? … Okay for the first time in 10 years, let me tell you about my day.”

TRUMP: “Paul: Believe me my staff is much happier that that look-alike is going. They were terrified that when I got to China, I would do that slant-eyes like that guy on the Houston Astros. Hilarious by the way. Everyone is so politically correct now. I’m surprised that you can even say Oriental rugs anymore, which by the way these are fantastic.” MANAFORT: “Yeah thanks thanks. I got a great deal, only a million bucks because I paid cash.” 5-min. video http://bit.ly/2yxs08o

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump puts on a military jacket as he meets the U.S. troops at the U.S. Yokota Air Base, on the outskirts of Tokyo, Sunday, Nov. 5. | Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo

WEST COAST WATCH — “Jerry Brown’s holy war on Donald Trump” by California Playbooker David Siders in Vatican City: “California has opened a new front in its war on Donald Trump — the Vatican, where Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday sought to enlist the Catholic Church in his effort to undermine the president’s climate policies abroad. Brown, addressing a somber gathering of scientists, politicians and religious leaders here, rebuked Trump’s rejection of mainstream climate science as a ‘lie within a lie,’ urging religious establishments to help ‘awaken the world’ to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” http://politi.co/2Aa2Yse

— “Poised for West Coast Dominance, Democrats Eye Grand Agenda,” by NYT’s Alex Burns and Kirk Johnson in Sammamish, Washington: “It is the stuff of liberal fantasies: a vast, defiant territory, sweeping along the country’s Pacific coastline, governed by Democrats and resisting President Trump at every turn. A single election in a wealthy Seattle suburb on Tuesday could make that scenario a reality, handing the party full control of government in Washington State — and extinguishing Republicans’ last fragile claim on power on the West Coast. The region has been a rare Democratic stronghold on an electoral map now dominated by vast swaths of red, and Republicans’ only toehold on power there has been a one-seat majority in the Washington State Senate.

“The prospect of such far-reaching autonomy for Democrats, who already hold all three governors’ offices as well as both houses of the legislatures in Oregon and California, has infused extraordinary energy into what might have been a low-key special election. The race is on track to draw more than $9 million in campaign spending, a record-breaking sum for Washington State. National environmental and abortion rights groups have mobilized, business associations and oil companies have poured in money, and a former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., has intervened on the Democratic side.” http://nyti.ms/2h4gQg5

BUSINESS BURST — “The Inside Story of How the Sprint and T-Mobile Deal Collapsed, Again,” by WSJ’s Ryan Knutson, Drew FitzGerald and Dana Mattioli: “During months of merger talks with T-Mobile US Inc., Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son sought a way to merge the two wireless rivals without really having to hand over the keys. There was discussion over inserting a provision to buy the combined company back after two years, two people familiar with the matter said. They explored giving the Japanese billionaire the right to increase his stake over time. He was offered the role of co-chairman.

“In the end, nothing worked. In a joint statement Saturday, the companies called off the merger for good. The abrupt turn of events derailed a deal that many on Wall Street have anticipated for years, and that Mr. Son has long desired. … The latest round of deal talks began to unravel in late October. The transaction that was being contemplated was an all-stock merger that would have given Deutsche Telekom control over the combined company and made T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere the new firm’s head, the people said. Beyond having a voice as a major shareholder, Mr. Son wouldn’t be able to dictate the combined company’s direction.” http://on.wsj.com/2Aa7jvH

2018 WATCH — “Can Erik Prince Beat the GOP Establishment and Win a Senate Seat?” by NBC News’ Keri Geiger and Jon Allen: “In an interview last month in a noisy, crowded German bar in Washington, D.C., Prince acknowledged that he is ‘mulling’ a primary challenge to [Sen. John] Barrasso … ‘The people of Wyoming, they embrace very much Trump’s agenda and its senator should too.’ Or, Prince said, he ‘needs to be replaced by someone who does, too.’ … He advocates a tightly run Special Forces unit, overseen by a supreme commander (which he calls a ‘viceroy’) and assisted by private military contractors, that would not only ‘deny terrorists sanctuary’ but save the government billions of dollars over the long run. … ‘He [Trump] resisted the Pentagon’s approach all the way up until that weekend. If it was not for the debacle of Charlottesville and all the political pressure the president took that week, he would have done this,’ said Prince. …

“Barrasso hasn’t shown much capacity for raising money from Wyoming—one measure of the intensity of support for a candidate. Of the roughly $2.4 million he’s collected in itemized individual contributions since the start of 2013, only $130,525 — or 5.5 percent of the total haul — has come from the Cowboy State.” http://nbcnews.to/2yvFzVL

— PER KURT BARDELLA: “More than 80 members of the country music community have signed a letter urging songwriter Lee Thomas Miller to run for the Congressional seat currently held by Marsha Blackburn. Those signing the letter include Brad Paisley, Kix Brooks, Dustin Lynch, Jamey Johnson, Chris Janson, John Esposito (CEO of Warner Music Nashville), the famous songwriters behind almost every hit in country music Luke Laird, Craig Wiseman, busbee, Chris DeStefano, Corey Crowder, Ross Copperman, Kelley Lovelace, etc.” The letter http://bit.ly/2zgS1rS

BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

— “The war against Pope Francis,” by Andrew Brown in The Guardian: “His modesty and humility have made him a popular figure around the world. But inside the church, his reforms have infuriated conservatives and sparked a revolt.” http://bit.ly/2h3NHSt

— “The Other Foucault,” by Bruce Robbins in the Nation: “What led the French theorist of madness and sexuality to politics?” http://bit.ly/2zbWaLw

— “Western philosophy is racist,” by Bryan W. Van Norden in Aeon Magazine: “Academic philosophy in ‘the West’ ignores and disdains the thought traditions of China, India and Africa. This must change.” http://bit.ly/2lNlcgJ

— “Philadelphia’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” by Charles F. McElwee III in the American Conservative: “At the same time as the Parkway is struggling, Philadelphia is also experiencing a renaissance. Over the past decade, the city witnessed a boom in commercial and residential development, game-changing investments made by universities, and gentrifying neighborhoods that had recently suffered from crime and blight. The Fairmount neighborhood, near the Art Museum, has turned into a thriving residential quarter and a popular nightlife destination.” http://bit.ly/2A7ns4S

— “How to Replace a Ghost,” by Alan Massey in Longreads: “En route to a wedding, Alana Massey is haunted by the ghosts of relationships past.” http://bit.ly/2zdzpa5

— “Here’s Why Vaccines Are So Crucial,” by Cynthia Gorney in the Nov. issue of NatGeo: “If children in poor countries got the shots that rich countries take for granted, hundreds of thousands of young lives could be saved.” http://on.natgeo.com/2zbsvo1

— “The Sins of Leon Wieseltier,” by Joseph Epstein in the Weekly Standard: “The climb and fall.” http://tws.io/2zead3j

— “The Dialysis Machine,” by Anne Kim in the Nov./Dec. issue of Washington Monthly: “How Medicare steers low-income and minority kidney patients toward the hell of dialysis—and keeps two big companies rolling in profits.” http://bit.ly/2zhcyMF

— “Decriminalization: A Love Story,” by Susana Ferreira in the Common: “Portugal’s remarkable recovery, and the fact that it has held steady through several changes in government—including conservative leaders who would have rather ushered in a return of the War on Drugs—could not have happened without an enormous cultural shift and collective change of heart around how the country viewed drugs, addiction, and itself.” http://bit.ly/2zgAy2F

— “What Killed the Democratic Party?” by William Greider on the cover of the Nation: “A new report offers a bracing autopsy of the 2016 election—and lays out a plan for revitalization.” http://bit.ly/2h6CrEU … The cover http://politi.co/2zkvjyP

— “How Much is Too Much to Save a Dying Cat?” by s.e. smith in Longreads: “A series of losses prompts s.e. smith to wonder why, if it’s inevitable, we tend to view death as failure.” http://bit.ly/2zaKE31

— “The True, Twisted Story of Amityville Horror,” by Michelle Dean in Topic: “There were haunted houses before Amityville, of course, but no one place has made as deep an impression on American pop culture in the past half century or so as the notorious Long Island home, the site of a terrible murder and then the basis of scores of books and movies.” http://bit.ly/2xZU7bN (h/t Longform.org)

— “The Russian Spies Who Fooled Seattle,” by James Ross Gardner in Seattle Met: “Before hackers tried to sway the 2016 election or word spread that our new president might be compromised, a peculiar couple resided on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Have we really taken stock of the spies who lived among us?” http://bit.ly/2j0CxC9

— “General David Petraeus: How The Best Leaders Inspire And Confront Failure” – Q&A by Zack Friedman in Forbes: http://bit.ly/2lNCLgH … Bloomberg Businessweek Q&A https://bloom.bg/2hbUGw6

— “Inside Trump’s Cruel Campaign Against the U.S.D.A.’s Scientists,” by Michael Lewis in the Nov. issue of Vanity Fair: “The folks at the Department of Agriculture laid on a friendly welcome for the Trump transition team, but they soon discovered that most of his appointees were stunningly unqualified. With key U.S.D.A. programs—from food stamps to meat inspection, to grants and loans for rural development, to school lunches—under siege, the agency’s greatest problem is that even the people it helps most don’t know what it does.” With a shout-out to Politico’s Jenny Hopkinson http://bit.ly/2iZ5azs

— “Weaken From Within,” by Hannes Grassegger and Mikael Krogerus on the cover of TNR: “Moscow has been honing an information age art of war—through fake news, disinformation, leaks, and trolling—for more than a decade. How can free societies protect themselves?” http://bit.ly/2ytaphS

DANIEL MITROVICH, author of a new book “Forever at the Finish Line,” with a foreword by former President Bill Clinton, tells the story of getting a life-size statue of New York Marathon founder Fred Lebow in Central Park. It would end up taking an army of politicos, including former President George H.W. Bush, VP Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Sens. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) and Al D’Amato (R-N.Y.), former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and 13 members of Congress. Mitrovich is running the Marathon today. Good luck to him and all the runners! $13.68 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2Ak54Xz

OUT AND ABOUT — Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Hilary Rosen and Megan Murphy, Kelley and Brian McCormick, former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) and Jeremy and Robyn Bash hosted a surprise birthday party last night for Tammy Haddad at Jose Andres’ restaurant FISH at the MGM National Harbor. 13 courses were served. Guests wore black and white wigs to surprise Tammy and the evening concluded with Jeremy Bash leading the crowd with his guitar singing “Country Road,” “Sweet Tammy” (a version of “Sweet Caroline”), and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” JMart and others also took the mic to sing. PICS — Jeremy on the guitar and JMart, Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Hilary Rosen, Heather Podesta and Tammy all singing http://bit.ly/2zg93UO … JMart with the mic http://bit.ly/2AlgpGv … Tammy about to blow out her cake http://bit.ly/2j2AhtS

SPOTTED: Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Capricia and Rob Marshall, Carol Melton, Dan Meyers, Heather Podesta and Steve Kessler, Jim Popkin, Kevin Cirilli, Lee Satterfield and Patrick Steel, Marc Adelman, Polson Kanneth, Robin Goldman, Niki Christoff, Mike Allen, Ryan Williams, Kellie Meyer, Alice Lloyd, Jacqui and Keith Bloom, Kevin Letek.

SPOTTED at Taylor Lorenz’s going-away party at Satellite Room last night to toast her move to SF as the Daily Beast’s new tech reporter: Nikki Schwab, Neil Grace, Betsy Woodruff and Jonathan Swan, Sara Pearl Kenigsberg, Greg Overzat, Keturah Hetrick and Patrick Tucker, Asawin Suebsaeng, Lachlan Markay.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS — “David Chalian, Justin Bernstine” — N.Y. Times: “Mr. Chalian, 44, is a vice president of CNN in Washington, where he serves as political director, overseeing all the political coverage across all of CNN’s platforms. He graduated from Northwestern. … Dr. Bernstine, 39, is the assistant dean for undergraduate academic services in the School of Communication at American University in Washington. He graduated from Brown and received a doctoral in higher education administration from George Washington University. … The couple met online in October 2013.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2zzb1mi

— Sarah Kaplan and Joe Feinmann were married Saturday at sunset at Houston’s McGovern Centennial Gardens. Kaplan, who is from Houston, is staff director for the House Democratic Caucus’s Future Forum. Feinmann, from Scotland, works for PricewaterhouseCoopers. The traditional Jewish nuptials were officiated by Rabbi Steve Gross under a Chuppah made of the bride’s mother’s wedding gown and witnessed by family and friends. Pic http://bit.ly/2yxD6dD SPOTTED: Reps. Gene Green (D-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.); and Danielle Aviles Krueger, Cait McNamee, and Carly Reed.

— “Katey McCutcheon, Ryan Black” — Times: “The couple met at West Virginia University, from which they graduated. Mrs. Black, 25, is a deputy press secretary in Washington for Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia. … Mr. Black, 26, is a deputy sheriff at the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2zeBC7r

— Zach Butterworth, former legislative director to former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) who now works for New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, married Ariel Roland, Saturday night in St. Francisville, Louisiana. SPOTTED: Mary Landrieu, Mitch Landrieu and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.).

BIRTHDAYS: John Harwood … NBC News D.C. bureau chief Ken Strickland … Valerie Biden Owens, E.V.P. at Joe Slade White and Co. … Politico’s Katy O’Donnell, who was surprised on Friday night with Neapolitan pizza, close friends and family (hat tip: Alyson Chwatek) … Nolan McCaskill … Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at Brookings and editor-in-chief of Lawfare blog … Jason Calabretta, associate producer at “NBC Nightly News” … Autumn VandeHei (h/ts Jim VandeHei and Lisa Barclay) … Moira Whelan, partner at BlueDot Strategies (h/t Ben Chang) … Casey Smith, deputy director of the office of protocol and special events at USAID … HFA alum Heather Stone … Steve Pfister … Annie Kelly Kuhle, SVP at FP1 Strategies and Jeb alum (h/t Ryan Williams) … Stephen Rubright … WaPo senior correspondent Kevin Sullivan … New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is 43 (h/t Ed Cash) … Tom Guthrie … Lori Sanders … Richard Parker … Trudy Vincent (h/t Jon Haber) … Keith Castaldo, general counsel to Sen. Gillibrand …

… Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) is 75 … Camille von Kaenel … Jeremy Ravinsky … Curtis Skinner … Austin Butler … Zack Marshall … Kristin Bodenstedt … John Procter, EVP at Signal Group, is 38 (h/t Eric Bovim) … former Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) … former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) … Corey Jones … Steve Caldeira … Chris Mewett … Susan Arbetter … Ryan Mewett … Malik Haughton … Ted Kulongoski … Joseph Perman … Kate Throneburg … Meryl Holt of the NYC Law Department … Jessica Harris … Ben Polk … Kim Griffin … Sheri Sweitzer … Jackie Boynton … Rick Leach … Karen Mulhauser … Janice Griffin … Craig Kirby … Evie deFrees (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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theroamingpear · 7 years

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“Detour from Cambodia” was the topic of our search; a warm and culturally rich location for a short 4 days. Having been to Thailand, Indonesia, China, Cambodia, we searched Vietnam…and stumbled into a treasure of “ideal” destinations!

Vietnam is probably the most under rated of Asian destinations (IMHO), with a most diverse range of options to choose from! Relax on the beautiful beaches along its coastline (Hoi An, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Con Dao), cruise through the most stunning karst (limestone peaks) scenery at Halong Bay, stroll through the lush green stretches of rice paddies at Sapa, and colorful historic old quarters of old imperial cities (Hoi An, Hanoi) and the motorbike capital of the world, Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon).

Ok – so are you thinking what I’m thinking?! Uhhh this will require more than a month to explore!! :) Fear not, remember our initial criteria my friends!

We picked Hoi An, a UNESCO world heritage site and a city that best captures the true essence of Vietnam (when faced with a compressed time frame!)

Hoi An was once a busy commercial port of South East Asia due to its strategic location by the Thu Bon river (bordering the sea). Traders moved loads of silk, Chinese pottery and wood collected from East Asia to India, and then onwards to Europe. Over the next several decades, this town turned into a perfect amalgam of influences from the Chinese, Japanese, French and Dutch traders that can be noticed in all of its architecture, food and even religion.

Getting to Hoi An was fairly easy, we flew from Siem Reap into Da Nang, one of the biggest airports (closest to Hoi An) followed by an hour-long drive to the resorts. Though some guide books recommend staying in Da Nang and making a day trip to Hoi An old town, we recommend staying in one of the many BEAUTIFUL resorts by the coastline, or a hotel located within the historic town. This would be the perfect way to explore all that Hoi An has to offer!

Now, for our list of top things to do in Hoi An:

1) Check into one of the luxury resorts – (Recommendation: Nam Hai)

We had reserved an ocean-front villa at the Four Seasons Nam hai resort (see here)

We walked into a beautiful wide reception hall with a cool ocean breeze. The front desk assisted us with our check in, while we sipped on refreshing honey lemon tea and looked onto the gorgeous infinity pool meeting the ocean…

The main desk that overlooks the infinity pool

Beautiful front desk and concierge

The property is expansive and we were taken to our villa in a golf cart with our luggage. The villa was breathtakingly beautiful with a lush green garden, and windows with carved wooden shutters all along the villa.

There was light music playing in the room (hidden speakers), and we were surrounded by the softest linen curtains flowing in the breeze, bonsai details and a gorgeous outdoor bathroom – talk about being spoilt by luxury! ;)

The main “bedroom” area is on a raised platform and enclosed by curtains, designed after an imperial emperor’s chamber. Admittedly, it takes a bit getting used to, especially the sunken area for the desk. However, we were in love with the architecture within a day :)

And how about a cup of coffee with THIS view (sigh!)

The final detail before we move on…the lounging pool! (enough said)

2) Enjoy the Beach (Han My beach)

In our case, we spent the afternoon relaxing by the private beach of the hotel (1km stretch of Han My beach)

An early morning walk by the beach…

Can you see the city of Da Nang in the horizon? The busy city boasts a beautiful stretch of tranquil beaches against a backdrop of mountains. You can also see the gorgeous Cham islands in the distance, these can be reached on a day-long excursion in the summer time. This is not advisable in the winter due to seriously strong winds and high tide, and so we admired them from a distance!

December offers great weather throughout the day, but the beach can be quite windy and the water was starting to get cold – lovely view with bright sun, but I’m not sure I want to jump in…

2) Walk through colorful old town of Hoi An

Read more on the walk through the old town here (previous post on Hoi An)

For some of you lazy folks, there is also a small “rikshaw” tour through the streets :)

3) Get a dress made in Hoi An; and maybe a shirt while you’re at it (Yaly Tailors)

Hoi An has become a tailoring destination of the world, and every second shop in the old town is dedicated to tailoring from a variety of fabrics! They can basically stitch you any clothing design you want, and in a matter of 24-48 hours, all at very reasonable prices. However, this process can be overwhelming and it’s best that you be well prepared in advance of your visit.

Choose a shop based on prior research:

Just like anywhere else in the world, you get what you pay for! While there are literally hundreds of tailoring shops scattered through old town, and plenty of store fronts with pretty frocks and handsome suits (the like of what you see in all the US stores); resist the urge to be hustled in by one of these insistent saleswomen.

Top 10 tailors: We found this post to be very reliable for a good listing. We picked Yaly couture after much research.

2. Know what you want

This is very important as you will be hit by a barrage of questions when you enter the shop. So, have a fair idea of what you want stitched; suit, shirt, pants, dress, blouse etc. Most importantly, bring a picture of what you want it to look like! The Hoi An tailors are extremely skillful and they can replicate almost anything, almost perfectly! (But have very little patience)

3. Go with a budget

The top tailors offer a plethora of fabrics – high-end wool and silk to synthetic fabrics for cheaper daily clothes, in a variety of colors, textures and patterns. If you don’t have a range ($$) in mind, you’re more likely to get swayed into something way more pricey! (and of course if it’s a wedding dress you’re after – remember (1) above)

4. Leave ample time for fittings

Just like any other tailor in the world, getting the right fit will take many trials and fittings in the shop. Since this is condensed over a couple of days, it means THAT many more trips to the shop to get it right (multiple measurements and tweaks). Give yourself at least 3 days after the initial specification. And don’t be disappointed at the initial fitting, the first try is the worst; but that’s only the shell and your dream dress will take a few more tries to get it perfect!

5. Ask questions and speak up!

This is not the place for the shy and self conscious! Speak up if you don’t think the fit is right in certain places, or if the fabric needs lining etc. Communicate! They will continue to make changes until you’re satisfied – after all, isn’t that why you’re at the custom tailoring shop!?

For a more comprehensive guide, read this awesome post from twotravelaholics that prepared us :)

4) gET SOME FRESH FRUIT AT THE Hoi An central MARKET

Get a whiff of the local tastes and smells, and look at the vast variety of tropical fruits at the food market in old town. This also makes for a good snack while you get all the shopping done through the day! (Read more on the walking tour)

5) Shop for souvenirs

How An is going to feel like a shopping destination for beautiful handmade goods at fairly affordable prices. Be prepared to swoon over colors and textures, and an urge to buy everything in sight!

Clothes and fabric: We already described the textiles and custom tailoring that is most definitely the top most souvenir in Hoi An! Other high-end places for silk clothing and home goods are Metsiko with a gorgeous palette of soft pastel colors in flowing silk, and Gingko with trendy tshirts and clothes inspired by traditional vietnamese patterns.

Handbags and jewelry: you can find handbags in a variety of colors and designs. Several souvenir shops have some interesting handbags, walk around and bargain for that ideal gift :)

Silk lanterns: One of the symbols of Hoi An and a great gift for your friends! The best time to purchase lanterns is during the night so you can see exactly how they look after lit up! (more on that below)

Paintings: Most oil and water based pieces here are gorgeous! Shop for photography and oil paintings in stores, and watercolors by the talented artist on the streets.

Holiday cards: incredible pop-up cards make for whimsical gifts! These are incredible gifts at a fraction of a cost back home.

Pottery: fine ceramic tea sets and dinnerware inspired by local designs of lotus and pagodas lined with brass on the edges! You must stop at two stores;

Reaching Out run by a Vietnamese couple that employs disabled artisans, and the returns go back into the enterprise to train and employ the artisans. The shop has unique handicrafts that you can only find in this shop! A special place with beautiful products and professional customer service.

Lifestart Foundation Workshop sells products made by a disability co-op in Hoi An. The profits are also returned right back to the artisans and the shop is operated by the foundation. Their products include handbags, vases from chopsticks, and hand painted T-shirts.

6) Feast on the perfect mix of flavors

When in Vietnam, you have to eat the Banh mi. And the BEST banh mi can be found at Banh Mi Phuong, made famous by Anthony Bourdain in 2009. We sampled the sandwich and it definitely lives up to its reputation!

It’s easy to see why white rose dumplings are adored by the locals, and considered a specialty of this town! Known as banh vac in Vietnamese, these are steamed rice flour dumplings stuffed with ground shrimp. But what makes it so popular, are the delicate folds that resemble a flower. This Chinese-influenced dish is usually served on a flat plate with sliced shallots and a vinegary dressing. We sampled these at Miss Ly Cafe 22 along with another treat – Hoi An dumplings that resemble “ravioli” topped with a tomato salsa.

Hoi an dumplings

white rose dumplings

Do not leave Hoi An without sampling the cao lau, a true Hoi An specialty. This includes Fat, chewy, noodles served with slices of fatty pork, beans sprouts, raw greens, crunchy bits of rice crackers and a dark, rich pork broth – almost like a gravy. I had this dish at the Nam Hai restaurant (our hotel) and it was so warming and delish! But the restaurant Morning Glory makes a mean Cao Lau as well!

We also recommend sampling some of the mobile vendors pushing carts, riding bicycles, carrying baskets balanced on yokes, or zipping around on motorbike with a loudspeaker repeating what they offer (if you can understand, that is!). But most of them now have signs in English explaining the item.

7) Enjoy the cafe culture with an iced coffee

The delightful cafes at Hoi An offer incredible coffee varieties including the chilled sweet Vietnamese coffee and Chinese influenced teas.

Cocobox is a newer cafe and a stop here will make you feel good inside and out with its fresh cold-press juice and smoothie combinations from fresh fruits from the Central market. And also a refreshingly cool iced Vietnamese coffee!

Reaching Out Teahouse turned out to be our favorite place here! This teahouse employs speech and hearing impaired servers and is set in an ancient house in the heart of the old quarter.

The place is full of pretty antiques and interesting details that make sipping tea an artful retreat. They offer a selection of loose-leaf tea and different types of coffee, with tasting flights of each. You use one of the little blocks on the table to communicate with the server, and can also write down a question if asking about one of the items on the menu…

The tea, or coffee (Vietnamese coffee pictured below) is served in gorgeous trays!

8) Watch the sunset by the fields

On our way to the Hoi An old quarter (outskirts), we passed the farming area called the Tra Que vegetable village. And one evening we stopped by the farm at sunset to admire the view…green and beautiful fields being ploughed by the water buffalo.

Lots of hotels offer morning (half day) excursions in the village and paddy fields, including a ride in a water buffalo cart (aka. BMW of Hoi An :) ), picking fresh vegetables and a cooking lesson for one of the local Vietnamese dishes.

9) Walk by the River after dark

The old quarter turns magical at night! Colorful lanterns light up the streets, and the river fills up with boats offering evening cruises of the beautiful sight.

The refection of the soft light of the lanterns in the dark water, with floating candles and dotted with fishing nets. Lots of people begin to line up for the boats.

The shops and restaurants from the morning take on a completely different look at night!

Remember those silk lanterns we talked about? Lit up at night, they come alive in all their vivid colors and designs!

10) Make a wish for your next trip!

Walk through the night market, and pick up one last souvenir…the floating lantern

step by the river to admire the stunning view, with the floating candles in colorful cardboard boxes…a tradition of Hoi An.

The Hoi An lantern festival takes place on a full moon night every month, where the town shuts off all the (electric) lights, and people light up paper lanterns to float in the river. However, this lovely tradition has been romanticized so much that it takes place almost every night…where couples come together and buy one of these to make a wish or to give thanks under the stars.

Buy a candle from one of the several vendors on the bridge.

Candles are placed at the bottom of the colorful paper lanterns/boxes. The lantern is then placed on the water with the pole with a hook at the end…

photo courtesy of http://www.theworldfestival.net

Make a wish to return, or maybe give thanks for an incredible trip, or maybe do both (like us)! And watch it sail away…

Hope you enjoyed reading, <3

xo ~A&A

Top Things to Do in Hoi An – a travel guide "Detour from Cambodia" was the topic of our search; a warm and culturally rich location for a short 4 days.

#how an #top things to do #Vietnam

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