#if it were easy to make an entire international institution

[yurozo]

the monomyth, (leon kennedy x reader)

the exodus, also aptly known as retirement, has been sending leon for a loop. you are there to pull him back down to earth. (smut/fluff/overuse of greek references)

a/n: 18+ readers only! anyone under eighteen will be personally chased by me at full running speed. i am very much a classics nerd, as will be glaringly obvious in about three seconds. i love you nerd leon, no one understands you like i do.

shoutout to @vaaaaaiolet who was forced to listen to me ramble about this fic for three entire days

a single structure repeats itself in an endless loop of tragedy and non-tragedy, operating through the cycles of aristotle’s poetics in order to create a universal narrative of the roman hero. prologue, parados, episode, stasimon, and exodus– recycled and reused to form the endless configurations of misfortunes that befall the heroes. what is pervasive, and often tragic, about these heroes is not their moral struggles against the physical evils, but instead an internal and divine battle against a common enemy– time. 

ultimately, what defines the perfect tragedian hero is the prevailing feeling of inescapability. they cannot run from the ties of fate that rely on them as a catharsis for conflict, and instead must emotionally resolve themselves to their social positions as a weapon for the gods, regardless of the institution’s ideology. this priori of obligation forced by an infinite and perfect consciousness is what makes the tragic hero tragic; this life is not one that they choose for themselves, but one they are forced to live until that last grain of sand slips through the hourglass. 

leon’s eyes had started to burn thirty minutes ago, long ignored in favour of another jstor binge at a truly ungodly hour of the night. he, at least, had the chivalry of keeping his phone brightness on the lowest setting, screen carefully tilted away from your resting eyes. 

this whirlwind of information had started with the myth of perseus, followed by odysseus, and then a countless amount of papers analyzing the hubris of the tragedian heroes. supplementary material for tomorrow’s breakfast conversation, so that he can talk at length over eggs and coffee across from your bright eyes and eager expression. 

that’s what always killed him, just how genuinely interested you were in whatever he said. god knows that was especially rare, particularly from the other women in his life. claire was always half-listening whenever he lost himself on a tangent, and don’t get him started on trying to get ada interested in anything he had to say. 

but ada was long gone, and claire was always delighted on your talent of getting leon off her back. 

how contentedly boring his life has gotten that the most exciting part of his day is your opinion on his recent fixation, just to listen to you fill in all the missing pieces he never realized were absent. you were like that in almost every aspect of his life, the golden glue that slowly puts poor humpty dumpty back together again. 

wrong type of mythology. regardless, you were something he never realized he desperately needed until that warm feeling of being content started filling his chest. a passing comment on his resemblance to a greek god had established this whole spiral– a form delicately cut in marble and praised over the centuries for the countless deeds committed in a long war to protect his people. 

perseus, maybe. or odysseus, but that was too easy. too cliche. leon was never one for divine glory, instead preferring the silent type of satisfaction that came from finally putting some good back in this world. or preventing more terrible things from happening, more like. a careful balancing act, another stupid cycle of finally feeling like a person again until he can get home and stop the dreams of people screaming in your ever-so-loving arms. 

bellerophon is the final choice. a figure riding into battle against the monstrous chimeric beast with only a tamed ally and a lead-tipped weapon. a hero that was never satisfied, choosing bigger and bigger fights until he falls from the heavens and into the dirt below. a god angered at his success, a product of an institution that brought him into a war he never asked for as a weapon, and left him crippled to wander the world alone when he ascended too far. 

maybe retirement really was getting to him. this so-called period of exodus, a final parting song and the materialization of the final crisis. 

you stir in your sleep then, arm sliding across his chest until your head is tucked against his bicep. he moves to rest his arm  underneath your head instead, which instead of achieving its original purpose of comforting you, only causes your eyes to blink blearily up at him. 

“get off wikipedia,” you mumble, shifting the blankets until it sufficiently covers the both of you. another thing he never noticed, how cold his legs were, sprawled uncovered on the mattress. this kind of comfortable routine is where you and leon thrived, so used to each other’s presence that accommodation was natural. “you should be sleeping, we have a big day tomorrow.”

“i’m on jstor. totally different site.” he supplies unhelpfully, earning a stern glare in return. his lips peck your forehead a moment after in apology. his version of proskynesis, a gesture of reverence towards his god that showed him admiration instead of ire.

“i was thinking of taking the bike,” the change in subject is nonchalant, like it’s not three thirty in the morning and you’re definitely functioning enough for idle conversation. 

“hell no,” you grumble, sinking further into the mattress. “i’m not getting on that thing with you.”

leon shifts until he’s on top of you, now wide awake and grinning slyly down. “not a fan of my chariot?”

“while i usually do love riding you, that thing is a death machine.” the glimmer of amusement in your eyes now match his own. finally, you’re actually awake. an unspoken question, a command, given from the divine to its mortal instrument. “and i’ve seen the way you drive it. i very much value my life.”

“that’s different. i can’t exactly go slow on those things when there’s rabid dogs chasing me.” he alleviates his statement with a slow string of kisses down your neck, soft and gentle like he can’t snap someone’s neck with his bare hands. “and i’ll be careful. promise.”

“like you promised not to get hurt in alcatraz?” your rebuttal doesn’t phase him, his mouth still preoccupied with tracing down your neck until his fingers start to pull the collar of your shirt down. 

“extenuating circumstances,” he mutters, lowering himself down the blankets until his mouth is in line with your hips. divine fate, maybe, or some other twisted machination of a higher being that decrees his near-death every six months. it’s hard to stare up and curse at the gods when they brought you to him, his own piece of olympus pliant in his hands. 

your hips lift off the mattress as he pulls at your shorts, another directive he is all too happy to follow. hunnigan would be furious at his obedience, like a dog all too happy to head the leash. 

“besides,” he continues, lips brushing against the frail skin of your upper thighs. “i’m officially a retired man. long past my prime.”

why does tragedy exist? is it purely to show the power of the gods, that they so fiercely defend the threads of fate that control every aspect of their existence? is it simply a consequence of the endless cycle of war invited by a world whose very frame requires an institution to desire it? regardless of its source, a world born of this mindset cannot escape an endless cycle of war that legitimizes a world-destroying violence, with no true winner other than the institution that began it. 

his clothes are pulled off quickly, following yours. scraps of fabric thrown haphazardly around the room, ignored in favour of hands tracing along the contours of your body. gentle, reverent. nails tracing down every scar, every piece of evidence that you are real, that you are alive, and there’s nothing within these four walls that can take this away from him too. 

“not too far past to not be horny in the middle of the night.” you huff, curling your hand in his hair to pull him back down to you. his breath ghosts over your thighs, his tongue darting out instinctively to wet his lips. 

“i’m a simple man,” he lowers his mouth to you, licking a premeditative stripe up your folds. “got a beautiful wife in my bed. just can’t help myself.”

the hand in his hair pulls him closer, and leon understands the simple action for what it is. a cue to stop talking and get to work, to use his mouth for something other than popping off one-liners at inopportune moments. a man’s place is on his knees, and all that.

where leon is rough in every aspect of his life, he is always careful with you. he eats you out like it’s somehow the last time he’s ever going to do it, and the first time he’s ever tasted anything so divine. equal parts eager and careful, even as his fingers prod at your entrance. 

you jut your hips up again, and he slips two in easily. every part of you is familiar with every part of him. his tongue and hands start a rhythm, a soft push and pull that slowly eases you to the peak. a peaceful trek to that coiled tension starting in your legs, thighs squeezing around his head in the way you know he likes. 

that one took a while for him to admit; that he liked the feeling of being crushed between you. it was a long-drawn experiment on how far on the pain threshold he could bear before it got too much for him, until it started to push past pleasure and more into the drowning in the too-high waters of a lab territory. years of experience has taught you where to stop, his secret little tells that no one else knew about burrowed deep into your memory for safekeeping. 

that furrow between his brow deepens, and you know to ease off a little. he kisses your clit in a silent thanks, before his rhythm resumes. while leon may not feel the decreased stamina of age yet, you are too aware of your limits to handle two orgasms, so you have the mind to pull him off before that point of no return. 

leon sprawls on the mattress next to you, hands gently easing you up until your knees are bracketing his hips. not usually his preferred position, considering his penchant for control. 

“my back hurts,” he mumbles softly, bringing your hand up to his mouth to kiss along your knuckles. “want you to ride me.”

“if you make another chariot joke, i’m seriously going to hit you.”

“ye’ of little faith,” his hand drops yours to line himself up with you, and a gentle push of his hips drives the tip of him into you. “i never make the same joke twice.”

your only answer is a shuddering gasp until you gain your bearings enough to sink down onto him fully. he lays still for a few seconds, letting you get used to the intrusion. his breath stutters in his chest as your hands lay flat onto it, right palm splayed right over his heart. 

an uneven thump, beating so fast in his chest that its a god-given miracle he hasn’t keeled over yet. 

there’s a unique type of mythmaking when it comes to the tragic heroine. it is a story of fear; innocence; fall from innocence; catharsis; being desired by the right people; being desired by the wrong people; by dangerous people; by excitingly dangerous people. revision is a privilege given to so few who desire it, and to be tender-hearted in a world defined by tragedy is to die. 

and yet, the fruit of consideration when it comes to tragedy is not the moral resignation that comes with that acceptance. instead, it is a revealing of the self’s utter dependency on others. the reason that tragedy works is that character is built through this adversity. just as the nature of goodness appears in the face of moral evil, tragedy shows what is fragile and ultimately human about us. 

but you are not a god, and he is not a myth. there is no divine fate here, only a random calculation of ethereal and clunky moments that controls so much of his life that he just has to live it. that dependence is the one good thing that has come from all the fighting, and the aching, and the loneliness. a perverted sort of serendipity that leon thanks the heavens for every waking moment. 

he is real, and you are real, and that’s enough for him. 

both of you are moving in tandem, chasing the upcoming release with a soft desperation. his hands are firmly grasping at your hips, kneading the flesh there like its the only thing tethering him to this reality. that heat of pleasure starts to coil in your gut, and judging by the twisted expression on leon’s face, he’s not too far behind. 

“please,” he gasps, shoving you down until your chest is pressed against his. “i need-”

“i know,” you answer softly, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips that delightfully juxtapose the depraved way his hips are slamming against yours. 

it’s like falling  down from the heavens, except this time there’s no splatter of a body onto the earth. only a light feeling crawling through his limbs, like that final moment of peace before succumbing to the darkness. if the gods had asked him now for a sacrifice, he would have gotten on his knees all over again to keep you. when tranquility was once the bane of his existence, now it is the center of it. 

you tense above him, like a goddess struck in stone until you are returned to the flesh, crumpling on top of him. a soft cough escapes him, a wheezing sound that signifies that you are most definitely crushing his lungs. the forces that be roll the both of you to the side until you’re facing each other, his hand unconsciously reaching for yours under the mattress. happy, warm, and sated– leon’s husbandly duties have officially been achieved. 

“i love you,” he whispers, and he doesn’t even realize the tear escaping his eye until you gently wipe it away. every part of him now is soft and malleable, even the parts so carefully hidden from everyone else. 

“love you too, old man.” 

a final kiss to your forehead before he tucks you into his chest, “we’ll take the car tomorrow.”

two more hours until he can eat eggs and drink slightly shitty coffee, and finally fill you in on his newfound epiphany. his arms wrap around your half-conscious figure, body curling around you like something to protect. you hug him tightly in return, bare skin soft on your cheek. your arms hold him like he is sacred too. 

[rederiswrites]

I don't see how trump turning America into a christofacsist state is any different than the norm? like it's been like that for native and black people since it's creation like we inspired the nazis in the first place so like what the point? oh trumps gonna kill everyone who isn't a white cis male! and? that's what america's best quality since day one

Okay I'm actually going to respond to this Edgelord Supreme bullshit, because as absurd as it looks written out like this, I actually do think a lot of people are feeling some half-articulated version of this despair and cynicism. Let's kick that in the ass.

First, let's get one thing straight. History has been terrible awful bad always and forever. There have been a thousand genocides and a million wars and a billion brutal, inhuman war crimes. Back in the days of the earliest civilizations, wiping out entire cities when you defeated them was basically just how things were done for many societies. The fact that we have international laws and international bodies of justice, however obviously toothless they remain, is the result of thousands of years of extremely mixed progress.

So at this point, you pretty much have to say either that a) humans are an incurable blight and don't deserve to live, or b) that we've done amazing, beautiful things and experienced billions of moments of happiness and created art and fallen in love despite all this, so we're still worth working on. Personally, I am very strongly in camp b. I see things worth living for a hundred times a day. There's really no comparison.

Second, the USA is not uniquely bad. It is terribly damaging to people both within its borders and all over the world. It is build on genocide and slavery. Many of its foundational institutions are deeply corrupted by these things. And guess what, that's uh....pretty common. No, really. The US is currently a big fucking problem. It's our turn with the big stick, for sure. But even then, we're not alone.

So how the fuck is this encouraging? It isn't. I'm not encouraging you, I'm telling you to fucking GET GOOD, because when you say shit like the above, what I hear is "Oh I SEE, I'm a TERRIBLE PERSON I guess I should just kill myself to make your life easier." I hear someone who would rather give up and call their country morally bankrupt and irredeemable than to PUT IN SOME FUCKING WORK.

Cynicism is so comfortable. It doesn't ask anything of you. "It's always been like this," it says. "Nothing's going to change."

Except things do change, and things have changed, and your entire premise is in fact absolute dogshit. The two presidential candidates are not remotely the same, and we are not, yet, a Christofascist nation. I could, as many before me already have, enumerate the million concrete ways in which your premise is just not true, but honestly I won't bother, because it's not a premise in good faith. What I mean by that is that even a cursory examination of the actual facts would totally trash your expressed beliefs, so you're not really interested in the facts.

Change for the better can happen. Change for the better has happened. It's just not as EASY as you want it to be. There are more steps. For example, you can't have viable independent candidates until you have campaign finance and voting reform. So you have to push for those things. For years, probably decades. Many people have died without seeing the realization of things they fought for, and yet those things have come to pass. You may die fighting the good fight and not see the victory. I may too. Meanwhile, you make the choices that will hopefully get the fewest people killed.

So stop acting like we're all just too shitty to bother about, and put in some fucking work.

[quinloki]

Birthday Request Event v2024

"It's my birthday and I'll write what I want to \o/"

Gift Details ♥ Reader Style: cisfem Character: Cracker Vibe: NSFW Consensual AU: Government Mandated Marriage AU Prompt: Bath/Shower/Hot Spring Gift Giver: @seafoamnautilus

Summary: You've been matched with one of the more prominent members of the Big Mom's Big Sweets international candy corporation, and... you're not really sure how. No sense in worrying about it however, time to enjoy the vacation Mama sent you on!

Content Notes: open air bath, oral sex, fluffy

This birthday party is 18+, consensual unless explicitly stated otherwise, and BYOB

You sat nervously in the hot springs, waiting for your soon-to-be husband to come join you.

The vacation had been decided by his mother. A way for the two of you to get to know one another without anyone else getting in the way. It was, perhaps, a bit much, you thought, but the sentiment was appreciated.

Several years ago the new world government had instituted a mandatory marriage system, to combat declining birthrates and failing population counts. People were getting married less and having fewer children, and so here you were - effectively nobody important, matched to one of the sons of one of the wealthiest CEOs in the entire world.

Big Mom’s Big Sweets were a world-wide business, and there were rumors that she’d had most of her children in order to ensure that they were able to keep the business in the family regardless of how successful it became.

Cracker might have been the 15th child born of 80 or so, but he was fairly high up in the company, and almost as well-known as his sister Smoothie and the current assumed heir apparent, Katakuri. He was more comfortable in front of a camera than his siblings and that’s how you’d known a bit about him even before the MatchBook had arrived at your home.

It still seemed like some sort of error. You weren’t anyone in particular. No notable heritage, and your family was only wealthy in the middling sense. You had a decent education and a stable life, but almost all of Linlin’s children were married to other heavy hitters.

There were rumors that she was controlling the match making process to some extent to force it to work out that way.

You sigh. Maybe you were here right now as a means of dissuading those rumors.

It’d been three weeks and she hadn’t demanded a Rematch, and neither had Cracker. He seemed genuinely happy with the arrangement, and you weren’t uncomfortable around him. His family and his wealth were intimidating, but he was, as you had quickly learned, surprisingly sweet.

He’d gone out of his way to help you feel comfortable, and even now he had let you get ready for the springs on your own, the moment you’d hesitated about it.

You heard the paper door slide open, and Cracker stood there with his hair down, a towel wrapped around his waist. You’d seen him with his hair down before now, but not while also practically naked. He was well-built, lithe, but solid, and the long locks cascaded down over his shoulders so neatly.

“How is it?” He questions, coming over to join you.

“Very warm, but not uncomfortably hot.” You reply, an easy smile on your face. You hope you can blame the hot springs if your face starts to turn red.

He’s… unfairly hot like this.

“Good,” he steps into the spring, coming close enough to talk comfortably with you, but staying far enough away to avoid making you uncomfortable. “Sorry about Mama,” he says with a sigh, draping his arms over the rocks and shifting as the water relaxes him. “She can be wildly stubborn about stuff like this, it’s best to just make the most of it.”

“Oh, no, it’s… it’s fine.” You assure him. Your smile’s a little nervous as he looks over at you, but you shake your head. “I haven’t been on vacation in years, I was overdue, and this is… it is nice.”

Cracker smiles, the expression putting a twinkle in his eyes. “All the better then.” He leans back, looking up at the stars, and letting himself melt in the hot water.

There’s idle chatter between the two of you. He complains about his mother a little, and promises he won’t let her hold you to any weird standards or stresses. He asks about what kind of wedding you want, so that he can push back on details with her in your place, and eventually a staffer arrives and provides you both with something to drink and snacks.

“Chilled sake and sushi.” Cracker’s brows furrow. “Booze and hot springs don’t mix. They should’ve brought us iced tea - ah.” He waves a card between his fingers and you move closer to him to take it. It’s a card from Mama, explaining that the extras are part of the gift.

“We can have it when we get out then.” You say putting the card back on the tray. Your gaze shifts from the tray to Cracker.

Wet. Naked. Close.

The steam’s made his skin shiny, and his hair’s sticking to his frame, and the sweet smell of the sake.

You reach out without really thinking, and brush his hair aside, finger drawing a line along his collarbone. His skin shifts as he swallows and you look up at him. Your heart beats faster in your chest, but you shift and move a little closer, letting your other fingers press against his chest until the palm of your hand is flat against his skin.

“Sorry,” you say softly, even though you don’t back away.

A smile tugs at his lips. “S’alright.”

“You’re… very handsome… like this.” You admit, gaze shifting down to his lips. Your tongue slips over your own and you can hear the water ruffle as he tenses.

“I… the scar…” He mutters.

You wouldn’t have guessed that it bothered him, considering how self-assured and in control he always seemed to be. Especially in front of the camera.

“Is it wrong, to say that it makes you more handsome?” You question, your gaze shifting from his lips back up to his eyes.

“… Not at all.” He lets his arms come down into the water, and you could feel his fingers press against the towel as he rested his hands on your waist.

“I want to do more than kiss you.” You admit, feeling heat flush your body for the first time despite all the time you’d been sitting in the springs.

“I think that’s what the booze was for.” Cracker grins, still guiding you closer.

“Then, we’d be doing what your mother wanted.” You point out.

“That we would,” he sighs, the smile growing wider, hands firm against your waist.

“… Just this once then?” You question, lips moving closer to his.

“Just this once.” He agrees, tilting his head as you lean down and kiss him.

You let your body rest against his as he explores your mouth slowly. Lips pressing heavy against you, tongue slipping over them, just barely putting on pressure, wanting access to something more, but not pushing you for it.

When your lips part sweetly for him he tugs on the towel wrapped around you, and you pull the cloth ties holding it closed, leaving him to pull it free and throw it over the tray of food and booze neither of you care about right now.

Hands against your back steady you as he leans into the kisses, as he leans into you. Hungry lips move away from yours tracing along your jaw, trailing down the curve of your face to the turn of your neck. He moves you both deeper into the springs, away from the doors and any more possible interruptions. Lifting you up on the far edge of the rocky pool, you gasp at the cool air against your wet skin.

“Cold!” You shiver as he spreads your legs, still in the deep warm water himself.

“You won’t be.” He promises, one hand bracing you and leaning you back as he licks against the insides of your thighs, shifting your shivering gasps into a trembling quiver of a different kind.

He wastes little time, plunging his mouth into your pussy, and devouring you. Wet and hungry his tongue flicks against your clit, before lapping at your labia as his thumb rolls against your clit sending jolts and warmth through you. You’re cold still, but not nearly as bothered by it as your body begins to warm from the pleasure he’s giving you.

Your fingers weave into his wet hair and he hums against your body. The deep vibration makes your body curl and you sigh pleasure into the air.

His hands move over your body, teasing your breasts, warming your back. You aren’t sure which he’s more desperate for, the sweet slick of your cunt, or the soft feel of your skin. But the firm touch becomes drier and warmer as he continues, and after a few long, delicious minutes, you no longer feel cold.

All your shivering is from the pleasure building between your thighs. Every sweet sound that drips from your lips spurs him on. You’re sure his jaw has to be getting tired, but just as you’re ready to ask he pushes his tongue deep inside your pussy.

Putting your hands over your mouth, you throw your head back and nearly scream as his tongue fucks into you. He has enough of a grip on you that you can’t squirm away as the pleasure builds, his breath hot against your slick.

He wraps his arm around your waist, holding you tightly against his face as he slides you off the edge and back into the water. A harried squeak of surprise turns into a deep, satisfied, moan as your eyes roll back in pleasure. The warmth of the water making the orgasm stain your muscles and skin instead of making your body tense and shiver as he carries you through it from beneath the water.

Hazy and panting for air, a little loopy from the deep orgasm relaxing you, you smile at Cracker as he comes back up for hair. There’s a big, satisfied grin on his face as he leans in and kisses you.

“All the best sweets are even better wet.”

[rosarenn]

I don't want to hear "oh I can't choose my sexuality," "oh I can't choose my gender" anymore.

It's bullshit.

If aces can teach us anything, it's that you do not need to be sexually attracted to someone to have sex with them, let along to date them. Sex workers and sluts (complimentary, admiring) also know this and can teach us.

If you are a cis woman dating cis men and complaining about it, that is a choice you are making. And the beauty of this fact is that it means you could choose differently.

You are not a victim of your birth. Your fate is not predetermined. You were not born this way.

Everyday you make decisions to pursue (or not pursue) cishet relationships, and if you so desire, you could choose differently.

It's a travesty that people can say in the same breath that gender is constructed, and that they were born cis or trans or straight or gay or whatever.

Gender is a performance. That means cis-gender as much as trans-gender. And if we follow this reasoning to its logical conclusion, we can see that heterosexuality is just as much of a performance. How can you be inherently, fundamentally heterosexual if gender doesn't exist in a static, external, fundamental way? It doesn't add up.

You can choose differently; we all can.

The game is fake. The stakes - the stakes are real. It's not an accident or a personal moral failing to be straight or cis. There is an entire society, a network of institutional power coercing you to be this way.

Be suspicious of your own desires! Critically examine your internal thoughts and feelings, to find the difference between what you truly desire and what desires were implanted in you through social conditioning. When your desires seem to align with dominant systems of power and supremacy, be extra suspicious of your own mind!

Let yourself explore, daydream, experiment. If you've never even let yourself imagine a different way of organizing your life, how can you know what you truly desire?

It's 2024. You can choose to be queer. You can choose to push back against hegemonic, supremacist culture. You can reject everything you thought you knew about yourself and build a new identity from scratch, if you wish. You can love in new and expansive ways.

It's not easy, but it might be worth it.

[zvaigzdelasas]

[CBC is State Funded Media]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the decision to invite an elderly Ukrainian Second World War veteran who fought for Nazi Germany an "egregious error" that "deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada." On Wednesday, he offered what he called "unreserved apologies" on Canada's behalf for the hurt it caused. Many experts say they're skeptical about the prospect of Canada's political leaders and institutions learning something from the now-infamous episode that capped President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Canada. Many historians will tell you that what we've witnessed over the last several days is history coming back to bite Canada — specifically over its refusal down the decades to acknowledge or own up to the decisions that allowed Yaroslav Hunka, who served with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), to immigrate to Canada in the 1950s.[...]

There was a reckoning of sorts in Canada during the 1980s. A public inquiry, headed by Justice Jules Deschênes, attempted to determine if Nazi war criminals and sympathizers ended up making this country their home and, if so, how many there were. The Galician division featured prominently in that investigation. Jewish groups, notably the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center, gave the inquiry a list of 217 former members of the unit who apparently had immigrated to Canada. (The Deschênes commission concluded that 86 per cent of those named never landed in Canada and "no prima facie case has been established against" the 16 under suspicion.)[...]

Trudeau, in his apology, said everyone in the House of Commons regretted "deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context." The old phrase "ignorance is no excuse under the law" might be modified in this instance to include the word "history." After almost eight decades, it would be easy to chalk this up to a history-challenged staffer working somewhere within the labyrinth of the House of Commons, or to failure on the part the now-former speaker Anthony Rota — someone simply ignorant of the complexities and grievances. That may well be part of the political calculation. With Rota gone and with the prime minister having apologized, the reflex may be to rebury the past and carry on to the next political crisis.

But one war crimes researcher and historian says the international stakes, given Russia's use of the event for propaganda, make a thorough investigation — and public airing — indispensable. "I think the Canadian government owes it to itself to determine how on earth this thing happened," said Efraim Zuroff, a director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Israel office and a specialist in Nazi war crimes in Eastern Europe.

It's not just about how such an invitation was extended. It's also about the airbrushing of history — Rota's carefully worded tribute mentioned Hunka having fought against Russia, as though Moscow had been the enemy at the time. "People are so ignorant [of] that history, it's pathetic," said Zuroff. "People suffer from such ignorance when it comes to the Holocaust and other things as well ... And it's a complicated subject. It took place in many different countries and played out to a certain extent in different ways."

Aside from the list involving the Galicia division, Zuroff has personally submitted to the Canadian government another 252 names of other suspected Nazis — or Nazi collaborators — from Eastern European countries other than Ukraine who are believed to have come to Canada. Out of that entire list, only one individual was ever charged. Following the Deschênes commission's report, the Criminal Code of Canada was amended to make it easier to go after suspected Nazi war criminals. Much of that work came to a screeching halt with the failed prosecution of Imre Finta, a former Hungarian police commander who was accused of organizing the deportation of over 8,000 Jews to Nazi death camps. He was acquitted on the defence that he was following the orders of a superior. Zuroff said the Canadian courts that accepted that verdict are the only ones in the world that recognize that legal defence — and consequently, no one else has been prosecuted. Since that case was tried in 1990, Canada opted to go after war criminals through the immigration system.

Any meaningful reflection on the Hunka tribute must include an examination of how Canada has dealt with these cases, Zuroff added.

Beyond the legal context, a leading scholar at the University of Ottawa, history professor Jan Grabowski, said the country needs to acknowledge how people like Hunka — who fought with the Nazis for what he hoped would be Ukrainian independence — got into Canada in the first place. Britain and countries like Italy, where some members of the Galicia division ended up, were eager in the late 1940s to be rid of refugees and surrendered soldiers. Canada willingly accepted them and by 1950 had made a special accommodation for Ukrainians. According to the Deschênes report, the prevailing feeling in the government at the time was that these former soldiers "should be subject to special security screening, but should not be rejected on the grounds of their service in the German army."

The context of the time, said Grabokski, is crucial, because when the Cold War began, Canadians shifted to a totally different "frame of mind."

"Anti-communists were prized above everything else," he said. "So we need to understand that this was a totally different political situation and most of the time, the Canadian authorities knew that they were letting in people who were allies of Hitler. But it was not enough, let's say, to make them hesitate." The B'nai Brith demanded this week that Ottawa take this opportunity to finally open all Holocaust-related records to the public, including the second part of the Deschênes commission's report, which has been kept secret for almost 40 years. Instead of reflection, though, Canadians might be in line for more political theatre.

28 Sep 23

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Dance of electrons measured in the glow from exploding neutron-stars

The temperature of elementary particles has been observed in the radioactive glow following the collision of two neutron stars and the birth of a black hole. This has, for the first time, made it possible to measure the microscopic, physical properties in these cosmic events. Simultaneously, it reveals how snapshot observations made in an instant represents an object stretched out across time. The discovery was made by astrophysicists from the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen and is published in the international scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

New method of observation shows the creation of heavy elements

The collision of two neutron stars has created the smallest black hole yet observed. The dramatic, cosmic collision resulted in, apart from the birth of a black hole, a ball of fire, expanding with nearly the speed of light. In the following days it shone with a luminosity comparable to hundreds of millions of Suns.

This luminous object, aka a kilonova, shines this bright because of the emission of large amounts of radiation from the decay of the heavy, radioactive elements created in the explosion.

By combining the measurements of the kilonova light, made with telescopes across the Globe, an international team of researchers, led by The Cosmic DAWN Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, have closed in on the enigmatic nature of the explosion and come closer to the answer of an old, astrophysical question: Where do the elements, heavier than iron, come from?

Observatories all over the Globe took part in the observations

“This astrophysical explosion develops dramatically hour by hour, so no single telescope can follow its entire story. The viewing angle of the individual telescopes to the event are blocked by the rotation of the Earth.

But by combining the existing measurements from Australia, South Africa and The Hubble Space Telescope we can follow its development in great detail.

We show that the whole shows more than the sum of the individual sets of data” says Albert Sneppen, PhD student at the Niels Bohr Institute and leader of the new study.

The explosion resembles The Universe shortly after the Big Bang

Just after the collision the fragmented star-matter has a temperature of many billion degrees. A thousand times hotter than even the center of the Sun and comparable to the temperature of the Universe just one second after the Big Bang.

Temperatures this extreme results in electrons not being attached to atomic nuclei, but instead floating around in a so-called ionized plasma.

The electrons “dance” around. But in the ensuing moments, minutes, hours and days, the star-matter cools, just like the entire Universe after the Big Bang.

The fingerprint of Strontium is evidence of the creation of heavy elements

370,000 years after the Big Bang the Universe had cooled sufficiently for the electrons to attach to atomic nuclei and make the first atoms. Light could now travel freely in the Universe because it was no longer blocked by the free electrons.

This means that the earliest light we can see in the history of the Universe is this so-called “cosmic background radiation” – a patchwork of light, constituting the remote background of the night sky. A similar process of the unification of electrons with atomic nuclei can now be observed in the star-matter of the explosion.

One of the concrete results is the observation of heavy elements like Strontium and Yttrium. They are easy to detect, but it is likely that many other heavy elements which we were unsure of the origin of, were also created in the explosion.

“We can now see the moment where atomic nuclei and electrons are uniting in the afterglow. For the first time we see the creation of atoms, we can measure the temperature of the matter and see the micro physics in this remote explosion. It is like admiring three cosmic background radiation surrounding us from all sides, but here, we get to see everything from the outside. We see before, during and after the moment of birth of the atoms”, says Rasmus Damgaard, PhD student at Cosmic DAWN Center and co-author of the study.

Kasper Heintz, co-author and assistant professor at the Niels Bohr Institute continues: “The matter expands so fast and gains in size so raidly, to the extent where it takes hours for the light to travel across the explosion. This is why, just by observing the remote end of the fire ball, we can see further back in the history of the explosion.

Closer to us the electrons have hooked on to atomic nuclei, but on the other side, on the far side of the newborn black hole, the “present” is still just future.

IMAGE: Artistic impression of a neutron star collision leaving behind a rapidly expanding cloud of radioactive material Credit NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, CI LAB

[fairydust-stuff]

Yut lung & Mr Chang black lagoon crossover

Chang curses, its a frusteratng situation  a half brother is better then a zombie. Still making a whore into a proper head of the triad was not going to be easy. 

This kid was raised to be a  pawn in his brothers games not a leader. There was flashes of something. The kid had good instincts and the way he had used his own brother as a shield to hide behind was impressive. 

“ Anything on our little Lynx?” He asked 

“ He’s being held at the National mental health institute, its a front for illegal experiments on criminals”Balalikia said in his ear. 

 “That takes care of one problem at least”  Chang said. Maybe the institute would fry the kids brains to the point they wouldn’t have to deal with him. “ Still keep an eye on him” 

“ About, your pet dragon,  According to my comrades, observation, He exserts poor control over his own men” Balalikia said into his ear. 

Chang nods it made sense. 

“ Also, he lets his own gang do whatever. Apparently Wang Lung Lee soured relations with their own gang to the point where, there’s quite a bit of tension ” 

“ In other words, we got a bunch of gang brats with no respect for authority” Chang wanted to sigh. 

“ ….Sing Soo ling the gang leader is around his own age, I understand.” 

 “ From what I observed, he’s definitely a soft spot” Chang agreed.

“ I’ve already issued the orders for an eye to be kept on Sing Soo Ling” 

“ Good, something tells me he’s going to be trouble” 

“ But for who is the question….this is disaster….the boy isn’t ready to lead. We may just have to put him down and assign someone else to puppet Hau Lung” 

“ Now lets not be too hasty, the kid isn’t a complete lost cause” Chang lights his cigar. 

“ I’ve also been keeping taps on Mr Golzine and his organization. You might find this interesting though they were struggling with the Banana Fish formula. They did perfect it enough to control their subjects until the task is done. Then they kill themselves” 

“ Hau Lung Lee is still alive” 

“ Precisely my point, i’d be careful if I were you Mr Chang. We both know how dangerous wounded children can be and I suspect this one is far smarter then he lets on”  

“ I see your point, i’ll let you know of any new delopments on my end as well” Chang hangs up. 

Bui Yuen frowns “ This kid, what do you want with him?” 

“ To take him to lunch ” Chang said with a straight face….

Yut Lung sits across from him at the restaurant . Chang senses a kind of apprehension coming from him. 

“ You seem tense, if its about the Vietnmames attacking. I have men everywhere for our protection” 

“ Its not that…its just i’ve never been out…”  

True Yut Lung  being a secret is what his entire sense of safety has relied upon. 

“ Don’t worry, I had the place reserved entirely, no one else will come in today” 

“ Thank you” 

Chang chuckled, it was amusing the son of one of the most powerful families in Hong Kong with a internation reach on a global scale and he was thanking him for privacy. 

“ I’m not making fun of you, I swear” he said as the kid sulked at him. “ Order what you like” 

“ Since you know this place it would be best if you choose the meal” 

Chang gives him a knowing look “ You don’t have preferences” 

The kid flushed. 

“ Ok, i’ll get us a bit of everything” 

 The bar is so low for this kid Chang muses. His world is even smaller then the average crimininals extending from his manor and occasionally into a seedy hotel. Still there’s no point in feeling sorry for the kid. That would be hypocritical since Chang intends to mold him into a pawn to be used for his own ends. 

Yut Lung thanks him again. Once their food arrives,  Chang asks about his hobbies and after some testing to see if the question was actually innocent, he’s treated to an excited little  ramble about new flowers in the garden. Before Yut Lung, clears his throat puts on that pseudo adult mask and resumes being stiff and composed. 

  He wonders if some of the kids cuteness is natural which sickingly enough might of been the reason he’d been popular. Whores weren’t just pretty faces and talent, they had to have something that drew people in. 

Despite himself, Chang feels a slight sliver of disgust in whatever passes for his heart these days. 

“ Please continue” 

Yut Lung frowns  “ I know your angle….you don’t fool me” 

“ Aww Yut Lung don’t be so cold” 

The kid studies him, Chang notices him digging his nails in the back of his hand under the table. 

“ I’m not sleeping with you” Yut Lung said coldly. 

Chang threw back his head and laughed  “ I’ll be the first to admit,  i’m a huge piece of shit but even I’m not that much of a turd.“ 

“ So what do you want then?” 

“ The bragging rights of turning a whore into a triad head” Mr Chang said dryly. “ I could do it better then my Fair Lady” 

Yut Lung  smiles sharply “ I will find out eventually” 

“ Dessert?” 

Yut Lung shook his head “ I don’t eat sweets…he would…..” Then Yut Lung’s eyes narrow with determination  “ Actually i’d love dessert” 

“  One treat won’t do anything honestly you could stand to gain a few pounds.”  Mr Chang argued.. Something on the salty side would suit your tastes ?” 

“Approrite” Yut Lung smiled.

Mr Chang slide a folder across the table to Yut Lung. 

The boy riffled though it surprise lighting up his face. 

“ You were never going to be in the know  not in his, organization….what are you even doing for him?” 

Yut Lung’s face said it all. 

Chang was amused  “ Let me guess ….he still see’s you as that little bed warmer with no actual skills” 

“ Its fine” 

Pretty smile portraying the right amount of teeth. Practiced, rehearseda a little robo doll. He’s seething inside Chang suspects. 

“ A favor like this doesn’t come free, what do you want?” 

Chang lights his cigar. “ Lets cut the shit! I know you made some bad business deals lately. Hardly a dent in your blood fortune, but its clear you were never groomed to head the Lee family. Simply to be a bargaining chip in the middle of transactions.” 

“ Your offering to help me?” 

“ Kid, i’ll be  your god dam guardian angel. ” 

Yut Lung looked at him squarely “ And the old man?” 

“ I’d rather eat my own shit then work with that idolt” Chang said bluntly. 

“ Ah but you see him and I are friends as well” 

“ Before you turn those documents into Dino in an attempt to gain favor, i’d suggest you think about your position…..” Mr Chang suggested. 

“ Are you threatening me , now that’s not very friendly is it?” Yut Lung asked with false innocence

“ I don’t need to do anything. A stupid predator, is still a threat to its prey. He’ll smell your venerability like a shark can sniff blood in the water.” Chang informs him.  “ His kind always does its like second nature for them” 

“ Can you smell me Mr Chang?” there’s a challenge in his voice. 

“ You reek of wine, and i’m not just talking social drinking.” he takes another drag of his smoke. Its an obvious sign the kid isn’t coping well. There’s a hint of vomit there too even his perfumes cann’t hide. He’s not just hitting the champane he’s drinking until he passes out or gets sick. 

He notices the tensing of Yut Lung’s long fingers. 

 “ Relax kid, i’m not going to devour you , after all we’re… friends now” he says mockingly. 

“ A large piece of pecan pie please after all you wouldn’t want me to still have an appetite after i’m done” Yut Lung looks him dead in the sunglasses. 

Mr Chang bursts  out laughing

[nsfwhiphop]

The "Interest-rate Monster" Metaphor Explained

Subject: Understanding the "Interest-rate Monster" and Its Impact on Global Economies

Let me break down the "Interest-rate Monster" metaphor in detail, so it becomes easy to understand, much like a professor would explain a complex concept to students.

Imagine the global financial system as a large, interconnected ecosystem that affects the lives of billions of people. In this ecosystem, there is an invisible force—an entity we’ll call the “Interest-rate Monster.” This metaphorical creature represents the harmful and manipulative practices of interest rates, particularly those controlled by powerful financial institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom.

How Did This "Interest-rate Monster" Come to Life?

The birth of this monster goes back to when global economies began relying on interest rates to manage and control money flow. Initially, these interest rates were a way to stabilize economies, ensure banks could lend money, and offer returns to investors. But over time, these interest rates became more than just a financial tool—they turned into a weapon, manipulated by powerful banking elites in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. to exploit other nations.

In the 1960s, this "Interest-rate Monster" was just an infant. It existed, but its influence was limited. It was still learning how to move—how to control global markets. By the time we get to the 1980s, this creature had grown into its early twenties, flexing its muscles. It started to bully nations, using its growing power to dictate terms to smaller, developing countries. At this stage, countries that couldn’t keep up with rising interest rates found themselves crippled by debt, unable to grow their economies without becoming more indebted.

The Monster’s Growth in the Modern World

Now, fast forward to 2024. The "Interest-rate Monster" has grown into a fully mature beast. It no longer just picks on smaller countries—it affects entire global populations. The control it has over interest rates means it influences everything from mortgages and personal loans to national debts and international trade.

In essence, most of the world cannot breathe without this monster looming over them. When interest rates are raised by central banks in the U.S. or U.K., it can send shockwaves through the global economy. Developing countries, in particular, often suffer the most because they rely on loans from international financial institutions, which are subject to these manipulated interest rates. These countries are trapped in a cycle of debt they can’t escape, suffocated by the weight of this invisible monster.

Where Does the "Interest-rate Monster" Live?

This monster has two homes—one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom. These two countries control the largest and most influential financial systems in the world, and they have a significant say in how global interest rates are set. While interest rates might seem like a technical economic tool, their manipulation by these nations can devastate economies worldwide.

When the U.S. Federal Reserve raises interest rates, for instance, the effects ripple across the globe. Countries that have borrowed in U.S. dollars or have trade deals linked to these interest rates suddenly find themselves paying more to service their debts. The same happens with the United Kingdom and the influence of the Bank of England. The monster doesn’t care who it hurts—it’s driven by the profit motives of the financial elite, and this is why it's dangerous.

Why Is It a Monster?

The reason we call it a "monster" is because it’s a force that feeds on the vulnerability of weaker economies. It has no morality or conscience; it simply grows stronger by exploiting others. The rich and powerful in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. benefit from high interest rates because it makes their investments more profitable. But for developing nations, and even for many working-class people in developed nations, high interest rates can mean economic hardship, fewer jobs, more expensive housing, and crippling national debts.

In short, the "Interest-rate Monster" thrives on inequality. It’s a system that rewards the few at the top and punishes the many at the bottom.

How Can We Contain or Defeat This Monster?

This is where the metaphor becomes a call to action. Just like in a battle scene from a movie where the heroes must come together to defeat a powerful villain, nations must unite to challenge the influence of the "Interest-rate Monster."

Acknowledging the Monster: The first step is for countries, especially those in the European Union, to acknowledge that this system exists and is harming them. Denial won’t work. This monster is real, and its effects are seen in the rising debt levels, economic crises, and inequalities in their own countries.

Waging Economic War: The next step is to strategically weaken this monster’s power. This could involve limiting the influence of American and British financial institutions in their own countries, possibly through economic policies that reduce reliance on foreign loans or create alternative financial systems that don’t depend on interest rates controlled by the U.S. or U.K.

Forming Alliances: Just as in a battle, alliances are crucial. Oppressed nations must come together, pooling their resources to fight this monster. By collaborating, they can resist financial exploitation and work toward creating more fair and sustainable financial practices.

Rebuilding Economies Together: Finally, just as every hero needs a plan after the battle is won, countries can work together to create new economic models that aren’t reliant on oppressive interest rates. They can form partnerships with regions like Mudug in Somalia, which can offer new opportunities for growth and development. By turning away from the traditional financial monsters and toward more balanced, fair economic systems, they can reclaim control over their futures.

Conclusion:

The "Interest-rate Monster" is a metaphor for the destructive and manipulative financial systems that have been allowed to grow out of control. Like any monster in a story, it thrives on fear and submission. But with knowledge, strategy, and collaboration, it can be defeated. Just as in the movie It, where the children must confront their fear of Pennywise, the world’s leaders must confront this economic threat and take back control of their economies. By acknowledging its existence, uniting with others, and taking decisive action, they can tame or destroy this monster before it causes further harm.

I hope this explanation helps you and your readers better understand the concept of the "Interest-rate Monster" and why it’s a critical issue for the global economy.

P.S.:

Synopsis of the Letter: This letter explains the metaphor of the "Interest-rate Monster," representing the harmful effects of manipulative interest rate practices by powerful financial institutions, particularly in the U.S. and U.K. The metaphor traces the monster's growth from its infancy in the 1960s to its dominance in 2024, where it controls global economies, bullying nations into debt and economic hardship. The letter offers a detailed breakdown of how the European Union and other oppressed nations can acknowledge, confront, and eventually defeat this metaphorical monster to reclaim economic freedom.

[jellogram]

I feel like unlearning christian-flavored internalized homophobia is a lot more complicated than people ever seem to discuss. It's more than just "meet some gay people and realize they aren't creeps" or "logically understand that God wouldn't be mad about this." Your entire worldview since you were born has been structured in a way that does not allow for queerness. Believing that you are a disgusting aberration for being queer isn't just something you were told, it's also the logical conclusion of the ten thousand other things you were taught. It goes like this

"The Bible is a true account of real world events" -> "God is good and knows what's best for you" -> "The Bible says God created woman to support man" -> "Man needs woman and woman needs man" -> "We practice this today in the form of marriage" -> "Marriage is a sacred institution joining men and women together to fulfill God's desires, which is what all humans find most fulfilling" -> "Queer people cannot fulfill this narrative" -> "Queer people are sinful and exist outside the umbrella of God's protection and will never be happy or loved."

If you just up and tell someone the last sentence without any of the preceding ones, they'll think you're crazy. You can only convince someone of that if you've completely molded how they view the world and themselves to fit into Christianity, by spoon-feeding them all the previous statements over time. It's a frog boil situation.

So when I was unlearning all this bullshit, you kind of work your way backwards. I thought that last sentence didn't sound quite right, so I thought "Okay maybe there's a way for queer people to fulfill the biblical narrative of marriage." But then that didn't sound quite right, so I thought "Okay maybe marriage isn't always a sacred institution under God" and so on until I realized it was completely stupid of me to swallow everything the Bible said as absolute fact. Which is an incredibly earth-shattering thing for a brainwashed person to reckon with.

I guess all I'm really trying to say is that recovering from internalized homophobia isn't as easy as just having a lightbulb moment where you realize it doesn't make sense. It's a step by step process, a series of realizations that not only were you taught untrue things about queer people, you were taught untrue things about EVERYTHING. And that's a long and rocky path to take.

[green-ann]

Meetings with V. A. Legasov

In the near future, at the initiative of the Council of Veterans of the Radiochemical Plant of the Siberian Chemical Plant, a book will be published entirely devoted to the history of the creation and development of the Plant. The creators are trying to make sure that not a single worthwhile detail is lost, so that people, thanks to whose work the plant "grew" in a short time and began to work successfully are not forgotten.

One of the brightest pages in the history of the plant can be called the work of Valery Alekseyevich Legasov, a simple engineer in the 60s, and later became a world-famous academician. He was one of the first to be at the site of the Chernobyl accident at that time, and was hardly one of the first to realize the seriousness of the consequences of this disaster and began to sound the alarm. Legasov's life ended tragically, for many reasons.

Today we present to your attention the memories of this man, written by Nikolai Vladimirovich Dedov. Nikolai Vladimirovich's notes should form the basis of one of the chapters of the new book.

Valery Alekseyevich Legasov arrived at the Plant in February 1961 with a group of graduates of the Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology. A very important period has come at the plant - the launch of facility No. 15. The international situation of that time dictated its own laws: it was necessary to eliminate the US monopoly in the field of nuclear weapons, so the commissioning schedule was very strict: the stock was loaded into the head department of the main workshop of the facility, first - not-irradiated, then - irradiated uranium blocks, while in the final departments, the installation and commissioning works were completing by an accelerated pace. Despite the urgent pace of installation, the acceptance of the equipment wasn’t easy: people were aware of their responsibility both from the point of view of the safety of the upcoming work and from the point of view of the importance of the events being held.

For us, students, who had just graduated from various institutes of the country, mainly of Tomsk, Moscow, Leningrad, the responsibility was very high: it was necessary to master and perform complex technological operations and manage subordinate personnel.

We worked in different shifts and met only during their changing, often staying on the second shift if necessary. We were young, physically strong, full of strength and energy (the medical selection of personnel was extremely strict).

Valery Alekseyevich, like everyone else, quickly joined the staff of the workshop and in August 1961 was appointed shift supervisor. From the very first steps, he won the respect of others, the ability to manage a shift team and workshop. The experience of relationships with people, accumulated during his work as secretary of the Komsomol organization of the Moscow Chemical Institute during his studies, affected him. Despite the intense shift work, we sometimes got together, often at Valery Alekseyevich's apartment, celebrated various holidays. Valery was an equal among equals, easy to communicate, never sought to stand out, although there were opportunities for this. Not everyone could resist the temptation to take advantage of such a situation: it was secretly known that his father was the head of the department of the Central Committee of the Party and, as they informally said, received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for participating in the revolutionary events in Cuba. We didn’t ask Valery about this: then it wasn’t the time to publicly discuss such issues.

Judging by the authority that Valery gradually and steadily gained, he had a good prospect at the plant, but Valery Alekseyevich in his spare time was persistently preparing for admission to postgraduate study and after two years of work in Tomsk successfully passed the exams at the I.V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. Candidate's and doctoral dissertations were defended, the topics of which were closely related to practical tasks. At the same time, V.A. Legasov was elected secretary of the Institute's Party committee. It was a hectic time. Academician Sakharov started a political fuss, and managed to find a number of supporters among good scientists, but weak politicians. The merit of V.A. Legasov as the secretary of the Party committee was expressed in the fact that, as V.D. Rusanov, an employee of the institute, now academician, told me, he tactfully and skillfully managed to guide those who got lost on the right path.

As Valery Alekseevich told me, Sakharov, as a mathematician, together with a group of his colleagues solved the task of creating a hydrogen bomb set by I.V. Kurchatov. This is something that other equally outstanding scientists of the Institute could have solved with the same success.

1975. The time has come for the re-election of the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences. A number of candidates were submitted, coordinated in the Central Committee of the CPSU. The candidacy of A.P. Alexandrov, at that time director of the Kurchatov Institute, was represented by Valery Alekseevich to M.A. Suslov, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and in the presence of B.N. Ponomarev, a candidate for the Politburo of the Central Committee. Valery Alekseyevich convinced Suslov that the time was coming to find and create fundamentally new solutions to energy problems and that the candidacy of A.P. Alexandrov as one of the creators of nuclear reactors was the most suitable in this regard. There were interesting moments during the interview. As Valery Alekseyevich told me, he said to Suslov: "Mikhail Andreyevich, you didn't understand me..." - to which Ponomarev immediately corrected him: "Mikhail Andreyevich understood you!" Valery Alekseevich didn’t immediately pay attention to Ponomarev's remark and during the conversation said again: "Mikhail Andreyevich, you probably don’t know…» and Ponomarev again immediately and firmly corrected Legasov: "Mikhail Andreyevich knows!" "That's when I realized," said Valery Alekseyevich, "that such expressions are inappropriate in conversations at this level."

As you know, A.P. Alexandrov was elected president of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

V.A. Legasov was appointed First Deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, and while A.P. Alexandrov worked at the Academy of Sciences, he actually had to lead a huge Institute at that time, although there were many corresponding members and academics there. All this spoke of Legasov's extraordinary talent as a leader. In 1976, he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences, at the same time he was awarded the USSR State Prize for a number of works.

Despite my fairly frequent business trips to Moscow, knowing Legasov's huge employment (by this time he was in charge of the problems of hydrogen energy, plasma reactor safety technologies), I tried not to take up his time, but when I had to call and meet, Valery Alekseyevich always found time for a good friendly conversation. He was always easy to communicate, never referred to the lack of time, didn’t show a shadow of arrogance, carefully asked about business, about mutual acquaintances, and offered to appoint the meeting time to the interlocutor. Only once, when I went to see him at the pre-appointed ten o'clock, the secretary informed me that Valery Alekseyevich had been urgently called to the Central Committee. The meeting was rescheduled for 4 p.m., but during this period of time Valery Alekseevich asked Doctor of Science V.D. Rusanov to acquaint me with the institute. Then, I learned a lot of new and interesting things: I visited the Tokamak, I was told in detail about the mechanism of isotope separation in cold plasma. I was particularly impressed by the visit to Kurchatov's house, which by that time had been turned into a museum. The guide was the director of the museum, the former head of security of I.V. Kurchatov. We looked through a lot of unpublished photos, I learned a lot about  Kurchatov's associates, about the meetings held here, about how outstanding scientists made fun of each other. Already during the construction of the house, the architect ordered to replace everything in wooden structures with oak, "This is forever!"

At the end of the day, a meeting took place. It should be noted the modesty and simplicity of the furnishings of his small office. I told Legasov that he had been appointed an official opponent for my dissertation. "When will be the defense?" - he asked. I replied that I would have time to complete the material by the fall (the conversation took place at the end of January). Valery firmly told me: "You will defend in March!" "I don't have time to..." "You'll make it!" I had to work hard.

After the defense, we talked with him about plasma chemistry at the plant. I complained that interesting work has begun, but the plant wants to carry out some administrative changes that may negatively affect the pace of work.

"Don't worry!" he said just two words, and I didn't think that with all his busy schedule he would remember our conversation.

Not only remembered. After that, our group continued to work quietly.

Valery Alekseevich had the talent to see the perspective of the problem. Already in those early years, I listened to his speech at the conference, when he spoke about the prospects for the development of powder technologies. And only at the end of the 80’s these works were given great importance in the West. By 2000-2004, special national programs were created in the USA and many other countries, in the development of which hundreds of millions of dollars are invested. Unfortunately, there are no funds for this in Russia right now.

A lot could be told about this extraordinary man. At least how in England (apparently the author means Vienna – translator’s note) his appearance in the hall, where the international conference was held after the Chernobyl disaster, was met with standing and applause from the participants, or how in the USSR he was already congratulated on being awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, but at the last moment his candidacy was crossed off the list thanks to the intrigues of some famous people. How he was not elected to the Interdepartmental Council on Chemistry. I know all this from the oral stories of his colleagues, our mutual friends.

Even such a strong, purposeful, efficient, cheerful person could not stand the intrigues of envious people.

The memorial plaque is rightfully installed on the wall of the house where Valery Alekseevich lived, in whose apartment we often met with friends, and reminds us of a resident of our city - an outstanding man who worked for the glory of our country.

About the author:

Nikolai Vladimirovich Dedov

The leading specialist of NIKI, Doctor of Technical Sciences

A former employee of a radiochemical plant

Defended his candidate's and doctoral dissertations on the job

Currently engaged in scientific activities

For the development of new technologies for the production of nanopowders, he was awarded the honorary title "Engineer of the Year-2002"

p.s. thanks to @donat5dio for sharing this article <3

@elenatria @legasovas @connihd @bewareofdragon @fuerst-von-argot @leonaevelyn @alyeen1

[whatisonthemoon]

What Was Japan’s Lost Decade? How Did It Happen?

What Was Japan’s Lost Decade? How Did It Happen? (December 12, 2022) Japan, stuck in a liquidity trap, faced a particularly deep economic crisis between 1991 and 2001.

What Was Japan’s Lost Decade?

Between 1991 and 2001, Japan’s once red-hot economy was in trouble. An asset bubble had formed in both its housing and stock markets, and when the Bank of Japan implemented a series of steep interest rate hikes as a way to tame inflationary pressures, you could almost hear the bubble pop.

Japan’s stock market tanked, and asset prices fell. Several big banks, which were overleveraged with speculative investments, either failed outright or needed to be bailed out by the government. Businesses folded, and unemployment rose. Japan became mired in a decade-long recession.

The country was actually experiencing a liquidity trap: It seemed like everything Japan’s central bank did to help didn’t work. Interest rates were cut, but fearful for the future, Japan’s citizens sat on their savings instead of spending them.

The government tried instituting large-scale public works projects, similar to what U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt implemented during the Great Depression, but that only increased Japan’s budget deficit. Finally, its central bank injected huge supplies of yen into the markets through quantitative easing, which lasted for five years. This, along with the resultant inflation, effectively got Japan’s citizens spending again, and the country began a slow recovery.

What Caused Japan’s Lost Decade?

The poster child of 20th-century economic growth, Japan had transformed itself from a largely agricultural nation in the 1960s to the world’s second-largest economy by the 1980s. Japan had figured out ways to make high-quality products cheaply, and these products found their way all over the world.

People sported Sony Walkmans on the street and drove Japanese cars around town. Kids watched Japanese cartoons on Japanese-made televisions. Movies like Shogun dominated the box office, and corporate success manuals extolled the virtues of “Japan, Inc.” Everyone wanted to know Japan’s secret.

A lot of it had to do with how Japan’s businesses were structured. They followed the traditional concept of the keiretsu, a close-knit network of business interests centered around a main bank. These groups took majority shareholder interests in one another instead of being financed through stocks or bonds, and as such, this “socially controlled” investment provided the perfect conditions to nurture, test, and perfect new ideas before they were brought to the larger market.

One well-known keiretsu is the Mitsubishi Group, composed of the MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and the Mitsubishi Corporation. Together, it employs over 80,000 people in the automotive, energy, chemicals, and food industries—essentially acting as its own supply chain.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade & Industry allowed easy credit to the keiretsu, in addition to a period of protection from foreign competition, so that their businesses would have time to become cost-effective production powerhouses. Once they gained dominance in their respective industries, the businesses would embark on export programs, which is how Japan’s electronics, computer, automotive, and aircraft industries grew so quickly.

Growing hand-in-hand with Japan’s successful businesses was a booming stock market. The Nikkei Stock Average hit an all-time high of 38,916 on December 29, 1989. In addition, real estate grew incredibly valuable—commercial land prices rose over 300% between 1985 and 1991, and it was said that one square mile in Tokyo’s government center was worth more than the entire state of California. A bubble had formed; that was plain to see.

As asset prices grew, so did speculation, particularly in real estate, which was financed largely by corporate stock profits. Banks were lending and not looking twice. Sometimes, collateral was not even required.

Depositors thought they were in safe hands because Japan’s banks were backed by the government, and in turn, the banks believed the government wouldn’t let them fail, so they bundled these deposits into packages of ever-higher rates of interest and risk, and sold them to speculators.

Worried about inflationary pressures, and attempting to quell the bubble, the Bank of Japan began a series of steep interest rate increases from 2.5% to 4.25% at the end of 1989, and then to 6% in 1990. But since rising rates made borrowing more expensive, speculators quickly defaulted on their investments.

Several of Japan’s biggest keiretsu banks began to fail, threatening to take entire industries down with them. The stock market nosedived. By December 1990—just one year from its all-time height—the Nikkei had lost over 43% of its value.

What Happened During Japan’s Lost Decade?

Between 1991 and 2001, Japan’s economy entered a deep recession. GDP declined, and borrowers became insolvent. Big banks failed, including the Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, and Nippon Credit Bank. The days of easy credit from banking networks were long gone, and to a large effect, the keiretsu unraveled.

Some businesses went under; in others, production simply slowed, but they lost their competitive edge as a result. The country, which once had guaranteed employment for life, now struggled with unemployment—which affected recent grads and young workers most significantly.

Consumer confidence plummeted, demand declined, and deflation took hold—it was a dangerous mix.

How Did Japan Recover From Its Lost Decade?

It seemed like everything Japan’s central bank tried to do to help didn’t work: Interest rates were slashed to zero, and kept there for a very long time; still, the recession continued. Land prices dropped 15% in some of Japan’s largest cities, which meant that homeowners owed more than their homes were worth.

The Japanese government tried to instill confidence through large-scale stimulus packages. It built new roads and bridges, even when they weren’t completely necessary, and by doing so, created new jobs. These efforts helped boost the economy, but it wasn’t enough to lift it out of the malaise—in fact, they just added to the country’s deficit in the long run.

What finally helped was the quantitative easing program Japan’s central bank began in 2001, which would last until 2006. By 2003, GDP reached a healthy 2% clip, and exports grew once again, due in large part to China’s emergence into the global marketplace, since many of China’s products depended on Japanese parts.

What Lessons Can Other Economies Learn from Japan’s Lost Decade?

The 2007–2008 Financial Crisis had shades of Japan’s Lost Decade written all over it: This time, the asset bubble was created by the U.S. housing market, fueled by toxic subprime mortgages. When the Federal Reserve began a series of interest rate hikes, many subprime borrowers, whose loans were tied to adjustable-rate mortgages, quickly saw their monthly bills shoot up, and millions of homeowners defaulted as a result.

Banks had made profits by pooling these loans into mortgage-backed securities, which were traded by investment banks around the world, and as the mortgages imploded, a series of dominoes began to fall, which affected investors up the ranks of the securities markets: Banks experienced a credit crunch, and investment banks, such as Lehman Brothers, declared insolvency. The crisis affected financial markets around the world and would usher in the Great Recession.

With Ben Bernanke at the helm, the Federal Reserve took notes from past crises and acted swiftly—and by doing so, some say Bernanke helped to avoid deflation and the economic stagnation that had plagued Japan for so long.

The Fed cut the Fed funds rate to 0% for an unprecedented 6-year period between 2008 and 2014. It also implemented a series of quantitative easing measures. The U.S. Congress approved a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which provided emergency aid to banks as well as underwater borrowers. In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed, safeguarding consumers from predatory home lenders and limiting banks to the amount of speculative trading they could undertake.

The U.S. economy was jump-started again by the middle of 2009—quite a speedy turnaround compared to Japan’s.

Related links below

Reverend Moon Rises Above Ailing Businesses (1999) Washington Post: Moon’s Japanese Profits Bolster Efforts in U.S. (1984) Japan & US at G7 can bask in multilateral momentum (2023)

The Lingering Tragedy of Japan’s Lost Generation by Roland Kelts (on Tetsuya Yamgami and the "lost generation") US, Philippines, Japan set to hold first-ever joint naval drills (2023) Japan to join Salaknib drills between PH, US armies (2023) Even in South Korea, Few Know Extent of Rev. Moon’s Empire (1988) US-Funding in Post-War Japan Why do these Japanese UC women agree to these brokered marriages?

[nithiyanantha]

Top 10 Tips from IAS Toppers: A Blueprint for Success

The Indian Administrative Service or IAS examination is regarded as one of the most competitive and esteemed examinations that occur in the country. Every year, there are lots of aspirants that want to become an IAS officer; however, only some of them achieve this title. Though the competition is too high, the things that create a difference between an IAS topper and others are the disciplined approach, smart strategies, and consistency in preparation.

In this blog, we will be discussing the top 10 tips from IAS toppers and a few strategies that helped them crack this IAS exam in one go. We will also consider how you will be able to apply these tips in your journey. Be it the nascent stage of preparation or finishing stages, the same proven strategies will keep you right on course.

Understanding the Syllabus Inside Out Familiarization with the detailed syllabus of the examination is one of the main mistakes many IAS aspirants commit. The IAS toppers, always in their interviews, mention getting acquainted with the entire UPSC syllabus. Deep understanding aids an aspirant to prioritize topics and streamline preparation.

How to do it:

Break the syllabus into smaller, manageable parts, namely Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Keep the syllabus handy for quick reference. Mark important topics and link them to current affairs. Pro Tip: A schedule that assimilates the syllabus is how many toppers were able to finish their preparation on time.

Making a Personalized Study Plan Toppers usually refer to how they made structured study plans according to their strengths and weaknesses. Having a structured and personalized study plan is essential to ensure you cover the vast syllabus efficiently.

How to Create an Effective Study Plan: Segregate your day for focused study sessions, which must be at least 4-6 hours. Segregate preparation into phases: 3 months of prelims, 4 months of mains, and 2 months of revision. Allot time for optional subjects to study, general studies, and daily current affairs. The TNPSC coaching centre in Coimbatore often brings it to the notice of aspirants that it is over mere following of a personalised study schedule but its religious adherence is imperative to bring consistent results.

Give Importance to Current Affairs The toppers regularly refer to keeping up-to-date with current affairs, which happens to be the most crucial part not only of the Preliminary but also of Mains and the Interview. Questions regarding national as well as international events are commonplace; therefore, updating yourself is of utmost relevance.

Sources of Current Affairs: The Hindu or Indian Express on a daily basis for news items. Government websites: PIB-Press Information Bureau. Current affairs monthly magazines: Yojana, Kurukshetra. Follow key debates in the Parliament and major National Programs. Toppers prescribe making short notes from these and going back to these notes during revisions. Institutes like tnpsc coaching centre in Coimbatore have classes specifically aimed at mastering current affairs.

Master the Art of Note-Making Note-making is a very critical element of effective revision and retention. The toppers of IAS quite often narrate how they could use some concise, clear notes to summarize all and make the revision easy in the last few weeks preceding the examination.

Key Tips for Note-Making: Big texts to be summarized into short bullet-point notes. Using different colored pens keeps things better organized. Keep updating the notes with important current affairs facts and figures regularly. Pro Tip: IAS toppers prefer digital notes for ease of updating and revision, but physical notebooks also are great.

Regular Answer Writing Practice That differentiates IAS toppers from all others is how they write. Mains is a subjective exam, and answer writing has to be practiced consistently to get that steady, compact response style.

How to Practice: Join a test series to get good feedback. Write at least 1 or 2 answers every day on whatever you study. A proper introduction, body and conclusion should be prepared for each answer. Many toppers join reputed coaching centres like TNPSC Coaching Centre in Coimbatore where they can attend answer writing sessions with good feedback for their improvement.

Give Importance to Mock Tests Mock tests for both Prelims and Mains are immensely crucial. They will be a guiding light on your preparation, pointing at your weaknesses and getting you accustomed to the stress of the actual exam.

Why Do Mock Tests Matter?

They will help you manage time effectively during the actual examination.

Whet critical thinking skills under pressure.

Help fine-tune preparation strategy by making a mistake analysis. IAS toppers take, on average, one mock test every week in the initial stages of preparation, and as time narrows between them and the exam date, the frequency increases.

Focus on Optional Subject Choosing the right optional subject brings a lot of difference in your Mains score. The optional subject constitutes 500 marks; hence, it is very important to choose a subject with which you are comfortable and interested.

How to Choose the Right Optional: Choose a subject that interests you and which you like studying, rather than only which is popular among students The material and resources should be available for study Success rate and Scoring can be seen by analyzing the trend of the optional subject. The leading coaching institutes like tnpsc coaching centre in Coimbatore offer counseling sessions in detail for choosing the right optional subject.

Revision is the Mantra Topper says that revision of class notes regularly is one of the mantras to success in the IAS exam. Multiple revisions help to retain a large amount of information, thereby making it easier to remember during the examination.

How to Plan Revision: Make a weekly revision schedule. Revise your class notes for each subject at least 2-3 times before the exam. Pay more attention while revising current affairs, NCERTs, and your optional subject. Through revision on a regular basis, the IAS toppers ensure that no part remains hidden or forgotten.

Keep a Positive Mind and Stress-free The length and difficulty of the IAS exam make it easy to overwhelm oneself. IAS toppers always talk of the need to keep a positive mindset throughout the preparation process.

Some Stress-Relieving Tips: Practice meditation or yoga in order to keep one's mind in tune. Take brief breaks in between extensive studying to get energized. Stay in close contact with friends and family who are emotional supports. A mind which is calm and composed attends the exam with confidence. Many toppers express their experiences about how being at ease helped them perform better during the actual exam.

Stay Consistent and Focused The IAS exam is really a marathon rather than a sprint. Consistency is the factor that creates a wedge between the toppers and others. Whether it is adhering to a daily study schedule or routine revision of notes, the IAS toppers feel there is a dire need for discipline.

How to Stay Consistent: Break down big goals into small, achievable milestones. Keep tracking your progress and realign your studying, if necessary. Keep your focus on the long-term goal even when motivational levels are low. Success means, in essence, putting up a well-planned study schedule, consistent efforts, and regular assessment. Many toppers at the tnpsc coaching centre, Coimbatore, will also agree with this. Conclusion Cracking the IAS exam is a challenge, but it is not impossible if one pursues some well-designed strategy. These top 10 tips from IAS toppers will help guide you with your preparation journey and keep you focused and organized. Remember that success comes only to those who are persistent, hardworking, and smart with their strategies.

If you need professional advice, then come aboard in tnpsc coaching centre Coimbatore, where academy professionals will extend mentoring through personalized coaching, test series, and study material, essential for keeping on the right track.

Hashtags:

IASToppersTips #IASPreparation #TNPSSCoaching

[radical78]

Study MBBS in Nepal: Ultimate Guide to Medical Education Abroad

Study MBBS in Nepal: Ultimate Guide to Medical Education Abroad

Nepal, a beautiful country situated in the Himalayas, is becoming a progressively common destination for Indian students who want to study mbbs in nepal for Indian students. Let's find out why study MBBS in Nepal is a good option for Indian students and the cost of MBBS in Nepal for Indian students.

Why Choose Nepal for MBBS? 

1. Similar Culture and Lifestyle

Nepal and India share many ethnic similarities. This makes it easier for Indian students to adapt to life in Nepal. Festivals,food, and traditions were quite similar, providing a home-like feeling.

2. No Language Barrier

The medium of teaching in Nepalese medical colleges is English, which is comfortable for Indian students. Moreover, Hindi is widely apprehended and spoken in Nepal, making regular communicating easy. 

3.Quality Education

Nepal has many reputable medical colleges recognized by International bodies like the Medical Council of India MCI , World Health Organization WHO , and others. These colleges offer quality education and have experienced faculty.

4. Affordable Fees

Compared to private medical colleges in India,the cost of study MBBS in Nepal is comparatively lower. This makes it a cost efficient choice for many Indian students and the cost of mbbs in nepal for indian students is pretty low compared to other countries.

5. Proximity to India

Nepal was geographically close to India,making travel between the two countries easy and affordable. Parents could visit their children without much hassle, and students could travel home during holidays.

Cost of MBBS in nepal for Indian students

Let's break down the costs involved in pursuing an MBBS level in Nepal. 

1.Tuition Fees

Tuition fees in Nepalese medical colleges vary depending on the institution. On average, the total tutorship fee for the entire MBBS course ranges from NPR 30 to 50 lakhs, approximately INR 18 to 30 lakhs .Some top colleges might have charged high fees. 

2. Admission Fees

In addition to tutorship fees, students ordinarily needed to pay an one time admittance fee. This fee could range from NPR 2 to 5 lakhs approximately INR 1.2 to 3 lakhs.

3. Living Expenses

The cost of living in Nepal was quite affordable. Monthly living expenses, including accommodation, food, and other inward expenses, typically ranged from NPR 15,000 to 25,000 approximately INR 9000 to 15,000 .

 4. Other Costs

Students should also budget for additional costs such as books, medical insurance, travel and extra expenses. These could add up to NPR 1 to 2 lakhs approximately INR 60,000 to 1.2 lakhs per year.

Top Medical Colleges in Nepal for Indian Students 

Here are some of the top medical colleges in Nepal where many Indian students enroll; 

1. Institute of Medicine IOM , Tribhuvan University: Located in Kathmandu, IOM is one of the most honored medical colleges in Nepal. It was known for its high standards of education and first class faculty. 

2. B.P. Koala Koirala of Health Sciences BPKIHS ; Situated in Saran, BPKIHS is another reputed college that offers quality medical education and has good facilities.

3. Kathmandu Medical College KMC :  KMC was located in Kathmandu and was affiliated with Kathmandu University. It was known for its modern day facilities and experienced faculty.

 4.Manipal College of Medical Sciences MCOMS :  Located in Bukhara, MCOMS was affiliated with Kathmandu University and has the best record for providing first class medical education. 5.

Nepal Medical College NMC ; Also in Kathmandu as well as NMC is another common option among Indian students. It was known for its best training and infrastructure.

Admission Process for Indian Students 

The Admission Process for Indian Students  to study MBBS in Nepal was comparatively easy.

1. Eligibility:  Students must have completed 10+2 or equal with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English. They should have secured at least 50% marks in these subjects.

 2. Entrance Exams; Indian students need to clear Entrance exams conducted by the several medical colleges or universities in Nepal. Some colleges also accepted NEET National Eligibility cum Entrance Test scores.

3. Application:  Students need to apply directly to the colleges they are interested in. The application process involves submitting documents, certificates, entrance exam scores, and other required documents.

 4. Visa Process; Once admitted, students need to hold a student visa for Nepal. The process is ordinarily straight and the colleges often assist students with visa formalities.

Benefits of Studying MBBS in Nepal 

1. High Quality Education; Nepalese medical colleges allow the best academic and active course training, ensuring that students are well prepared for their medical careers.

2. Global Recognition; Degrees from recognized Nepalese medical colleges are accepted globally. Graduates could work as a medic in India after clearing the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination FMGE . 

3.Cultural Similarity; The ethnic and ethnic environs in Nepal is like India, making it easier for Indian students to accommodate and feel at home. 

4. Affordable Living; The cost of living in Nepal is lower compared to many other countries offering MBBS programs, making it an efficient option for Indian students. 

Conclusion: 

Study MBBS in Nepal offers many advantages for Indian students.

From low priced tutorship fees and living costs to ethnic similarities and quality education.

 Nepal stands out with respectable medical colleges and an easy admission process as well as Indian students could attain their dream of becoming doctors without the heavy money load often associated with medical education in other countries.

[binarama001]

Studying MBBS in Nepal : Cost and Benefits for Indian Students 

Nepal, a beautiful country situated in the Himalayas, is becoming a progressively common destination for Indian students who want to study mbbs in nepal for Indian students. Let's find out why studying MBBS in Nepal is a good option for Indian students and the cost of MBBS in Nepal for Indian students.

Why Choose Nepal for MBBS? 

1. Similar Culture and Lifestyle

Nepal and India share many ethnic similarities. This makes it easier for Indian students to adapt to life in Nepal. Festivals,food, and traditions were quite similar, providing a home-like feeling.

2. No Language Barrier

The medium of teaching in Nepalese medical colleges is English, which is comfortable for Indian students. Moreover, Hindi is widely apprehended and spoken in Nepal, making regular communicating easy. 

3.Quality Education

Nepal has many reputable medical colleges recognized by International bodies like the Medical Council of India MCI , World Health Organization WHO , and others. These colleges offer quality education and have experienced faculty.

4. Affordable Fees

Compared to private medical colleges in India,the cost of studying MBBS in Nepal is comparatively lower. This makes it a cost efficient choice for many Indian students and the cost of mbbs in nepal for indian students is pretty low compared to other countries.

5. Proximity to India

Nepal was geographically close to India,making travel between the two countries easy and affordable. Parents could visit their children without much hassle, and students could travel home during holidays.

Cost of MBBS in nepal for Indian students

Let's break down the costs involved in pursuing an MBBS level in Nepal. 

1.Tuition Fees

Tuition fees in Nepalese medical colleges vary depending on the institution. On average, the total tutorship fee for the entire MBBS course ranges from NPR 30 to 50 lakhs, approximately INR 18 to 30 lakhs .Some top colleges might have charged high fees. 

2. Admission Fees

In addition to tutorship fees, students ordinarily needed to pay an one time admittance fee. This fee could range from NPR 2 to 5 lakhs approximately INR 1.2 to 3 lakhs.

3. Living Expenses

The cost of living in Nepal was quite affordable. Monthly living expenses, including accommodation, food, and other inward expenses, typically ranged from NPR 15,000 to 25,000 approximately INR 9000 to 15,000 .

 4. Other Costs

Students should also budget for additional costs such as books, medical insurance, travel and extra expenses. These could add up to NPR 1 to 2 lakhs approximately INR 60,000 to 1.2 lakhs per year.

Top Medical Colleges in Nepal for Indian Students 

Here are some of the top medical colleges in Nepal where many Indian students enroll; 

1. Institute of Medicine IOM , Tribhuvan University: Located in Kathmandu, IOM is one of the most honored medical colleges in Nepal. It was known for its high standards of education and first class faculty. 

2. B.P. Koala Koirala of Health Sciences BPKIHS ; Situated in Saran, BPKIHS is another reputed college that offers quality medical education and has good facilities.

3. Kathmandu Medical College KMC :  KMC was located in Kathmandu and was affiliated with Kathmandu University. It was known for its modern day facilities and experienced faculty.

 4.Manipal College of Medical Sciences MCOMS :  Located in Bukhara, MCOMS was affiliated with Kathmandu University and has the best record for providing first class medical education. 5.

Nepal Medical College NMC ; Also in Kathmandu as well as NMC is another common option among Indian students. It was known for its best training and infrastructure.

Admission Process for Indian Students 

The Admission Process for Indian Students  to study MBBS in Nepal was comparatively easy.

1. Eligibility:  Students must have completed 10+2 or equal with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English. They should have secured at least 50% marks in these subjects.

 2. Entrance Exams; Indian students need to clear Entrance exams conducted by the several medical colleges or universities in Nepal. Some colleges also accepted NEET National Eligibility cum Entrance Test scores.

3. Application:  Students need to apply directly to the colleges they are interested in. The application process involves submitting documents, certificates, entrance exam scores, and other required documents.

 4. Visa Process; Once admitted, students need to hold a student visa for Nepal. The process is ordinarily straight and the colleges often assist students with visa formalities.

Benefits of Studying MBBS in Nepal 

1. High Quality Education; Nepalese medical colleges allow the best academic and active course training, ensuring that students are well prepared for their medical careers.

2. Global Recognition; Degrees from recognized Nepalese medical colleges are accepted globally. Graduates could work as a medic in India after clearing the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination FMGE . 

3.Cultural Similarity; The ethnic and ethnic environs in Nepal is like India, making it easier for Indian students to accommodate and feel at home. 

4. Affordable Living; The cost of living in Nepal is lower compared to many other countries offering MBBS programs, making it an efficient option for Indian students. 

Conclusion: 

Studying MBBS in Nepal offers many advantages for Indian students.

From low priced tutorship fees and living costs to ethnic similarities and quality education.

 Nepal stands out with respectable medical colleges and an easy admission process as well as Indian students could attain their dream of becoming doctors without the heavy money load often associated with medical education in other countries.

[ayejayque]

Financial Management, Economic Development, & the Role of the Government

Financial Systems and Economic Development The financial system is made up of financial institutions and markets. For any national economy, this acts as a virtual backbone. The efficiency of the financial system plays a very vital part in the economic development of any nation. We assume the financial system to be a sure shot given. This is why the role of the financial system may not be that apparent. When we pay attention to the financial system, we understand its importance to the economic development of a country. I write this blog to explain how financial systems are the backbone of the economy of any nation. Interest rates balance: The financial system makes sure that all entities that are a part of it, behave in unison. Healthy competition is encouraged between all the players in the financial system. This means that this competition will be based on the lowering of the costs. In this manner, the positives of lower interest rates are given to the consumers. Because the financial system exists, it guarantees that interest rates remain constant across the nation. The central bank, which is leading the whole banking system makes this a possibility. If n financial system was non-existent, every region will have its own interest rate. This is entirely based on the accessibility of capital. If the financial system is stable, interest rates remain stable across the whole nation too. This means that all businessmen and entrepreneurs in any nation are on an even footing. Helps trade and commerce: Credit risk obstructs trade and commerce. If a seller is not sure about receiving payment for the goods sold, they will cease to do so, unless the previous payment is cleared. This decreases inventory turnaround and leads to a deterioration in trade and commerce. Financial systems make sure that payments are prompt and timely. When advanced technology came on the horizon, it became easy to remit cash to any part of the world, and that too in real-time. So financial markets and institutions help in commerce and trade. They even help improve the GDP of any country. Aids global trade: In international trade, the inherent risks become manifold. This is due to the fact that the seller and the buyer are in different locations and legal jurisdictions. It becomes difficult to enforce the contracts. The quantity of goods that are a part of import and export transactions is huge. This way the outstanding receivables become large too. This increases the overall risk of the transaction. All financial systems aid the global trade process. All importers and exporters use banks as intermediaries. The importer makes a deposit known as the LC or a letter of credit. This letter of credit is then given to the exporter by the bank, as soon as the goods reach the destination and are received. No party relies on each other. Both of them rely on and trust the bank. The bank has a higher credit rating. This rating aids in the reduction of risk. Many nations have special boards for export credit and promotion. They provide insurance and payment guarantees in global trade. If there were no financial markets, it would have a very negative impact on global trade. Attracts capital: If the financial markets are stable, it raises investor confidence. When this happens, investors from both domestic and international markets start to invest in the capital markets. This way more capital is available to domestic markets. With this capital, they can increase their economies of scale. This makes them extra-competitive in the global market. In the absence of financial institutions and markets, international investors will have a hard time seeking investment opportunities and also to follow through with them. Aids infrastructure development: Financial markets help in infrastructure development, too. It is difficult for the private sector to raise large sums of funds for projects with a high development period. Financial markets give the liquidity required by the investors. These investors can dispose of their securities and cash out as and when they like. The same investor is not under any compulsion to hold on to the security for the whole tenure of the loan. Crucial sectors like power, oil, gas, transport, telecommunication, and railways get huge funding at concessional rates because of the financial markets. Financial markets also permit governments to raise large amounts of cash. This allows them to continue deficit spending. When financial markets are not around, the governments won’t be able to persist with deficit spending. Deficit spending is very necessary to fund infrastructure schemes in the short run. Helps in creating jobs: The financial system funds entrepreneurs who are desirous of starting business operations. When businesses are created, they directly and indirectly, need the services of many kinds of professionals.  This way a lot of employment is created in the economy. A lot of employment is provided by the financial services sector. Most of these are lucrative white-collar jobs. They allow an employed person to enter the fray of the middle class. Financial systems are like the foundations and bricks of any building. The financial system is imperative. There is no economy without it. The Part of Government in Financial Systems The government maintains the financial system. Too much government involvement is also not advised. It interferes with the laissez-faire policy, which is significant for financial markets. The role of the government is a challenging role too. It must ensure the proper working of the financial systems. This must be done without any form of direct intervention. Interest rates and loanable funds: The central bank is the determinant of the interest rates in an economy. This number is of great significance to the economy. This decides the preferred time of the people. If the rate is high, people will postpone consumption till a later date. If it is low, we will see immediate consumption. The savings rate will also go down. Whatever is lendable in an economy is greatly impacted by the interest rates. The lendable funds have a great influence on capital formation and the economic process as a whole. Reserve necessities: The central bank of any nation can alter the lendable funds’ supply by changing the reserve requirements. The present banking system is a fractional reserve banking system. All banks need to keep a fraction of their reserves with the central bank. This is done prior to lending out the remaining money. So, if funds with the central bank increase, so does the total amount of lendable funds and vice versa. This way the government can increase or decrease the reserve requirement. This is simply done to regulate the money supply. Minting of money: The only authority that can create new money is the government. The government must make sure that extra money is not printed and floated in the market. Excessive inflation in the economy results in the failure of the whole financial system. A good example is the case of countries like Zimbabwe. Fiscal policy: The government regulates the financial system via fiscal policy. Countries with huge expenditures do not have well-developed financial systems. There is an infrastructure to sell government-backed securities. If there is no flow of money into private hands through the equity markets and banking, all alternate channels of financing remain weak. If everything is done by the government, the financing channels for the private sector remain paralyzed. There must be a balance between private and public sector spending. Transaction costs and taxes: If the transaction costs are high, the government can impact the credit markets. Transaction costs create resistance in the financial market. They do not allow investors to trade more often. The taxes and charges on the financial markets should be minimal. This is because whenever there is a turnaround in the financial markets, there is bound to be more liquidity in the financial system. Liquidity promotes investments. It also increases economic growth as well as prosperity. Deposit insurance: The banking system must be stabilized by the government. This is done through deposit insurance. Governments guarantee the safety of depositor funds all across the world. If this is not guaranteed, there would be very little funds in the bank. This way, the flow from idle to industrious will be impacted. Regulatory role: All financial institutions should have their own regulator. This regulator is supposed to stop malpractices. Malpractices endanger the safety of the funds of the investors. There are practices that diffuse the competition in the sector. There are guidelines that define the role of regulators in all nations of the world. Governments are supposed to keep up with the ever-evolving technology. This also is a very challenging task. The government is responsible for the growth of the financial system. What has been written above is just a trailer that depends on the actions of a government. This is why a government change has an instant and harmful effect on the working of the entire financial system.   Read the full article