#repatriation center

[trendynewsnow]

Italian Court Suspends Migrant Detention Orders in Albania

Italian Court Halts Migrant Detention Orders in Albania A court in Rome has delivered a significant ruling by suspending the approval of detention orders for seven migrants who were recently relocated to a repatriation center in Albania, a facility established by the Italian government. This decision, made on Monday, marks the second time the Italian administration’s attempts to outsource the…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Airman From Rockcliffe Given Suspended Sentence," Ottawa Citizen. October 7, 1943. Page 12. --- Sgt. Joseph Gerlach, of the R.C.A.F., Rockcliffe repatriation center, was this morning given suspended sentence by Magistrate A. H. Lieff in county magistrate's court, after being found guilty of a charge of theft.

Gerlach attempted to steal a number of sheets, blankets and pillow slips from the Rockcliffe air station.

John O'Meara of Ottawa, who previously had pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault against a young woman, was sentenced to six months in jail to date from the time of his arrest on September 12.

[zvaigzdelasas]

The Onondaga claim that the United States violated a 1794 treaty, signed by George Washington, that guaranteed 2.5 million acres in central New York to them. The case, filed in 2014, is the second brought by an American Indian nation against the United States in an international human rights body; a finding is expected as soon as this year.

Even if the Onondaga are successful, the result will mostly be symbolic. The entity, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, has no power to enforce a finding or settlement, and the United States has said that it does not consider the commission’s recommendations to be binding.

“We could win against them, but that doesn’t mean that they have to abide by whatever,” Mr. Hill said in an interview.

The 2.5 million acres have long since been transformed by highways and utility lines, shopping malls, universities, airports and roller rinks.

The territory encompasses the cities of Binghamton and Syracuse, as well as more than 30 state forests, dozens of lakes and countless streams and tributaries. It is also home to 24 Superfund sites, the environmental detritus of the powerhouse economy that helped central New York thrive during the beginning and middle half of the 20th century.

Most notorious of these is Lake Onondaga, which once held the dubious title of America’s most polluted lake.

Industrial waste has left its mark on Onondaga territory, leaving the nation unable to fish from its streams and rivers. The history of environmental degradation is part of what motivates the Onondaga, who consider it their sacred responsibility to protect their land.

One of their chief objectives in filing the petition is a seat at the table on environmental decisions across the original territory. The other is an acknowledgment that New York, even if only in principle, owes them 2.5 million acres.[...]

Some Native nations have been willing to drop land claims in exchange for licenses to operate casinos. But the Onondaga say they are not interested in cash. Nor are they interested in licenses to sell cannabis or operate a casino — which they consider socially irresponsible and a threat to their tribal sovereignty.

There’s really just one thing that Mr. Hill says would be an acceptable form of payment: land.

The Onondaga insist they are not looking to displace anyone. Instead they hope the state might turn over a tract of unspoiled land for the nation to hunt, fish, preserve or develop as it sees fit. One such repatriation effort is underway: the return of 1,000 acres as a part of a federal settlement with Honeywell International for the contamination of Onondaga Lake. The United States has not contested the Onondaga's account of how the nation lost its land. Indeed, the lawyers representing the United States in the Onondaga case have centered their argument on legal precedence, noting that courts at every level — including the U.S. Supreme Court — rejected the Onondaga’s claims as too old and most remedies too disruptive to the region’s current inhabitants.

To the Onondaga, the logic required to square these contentions seems unfair. Why should the United States be allowed to steal their land and face no obligation to give some back?[...]

In New York, [...] Native people were not considered to have standing to sue on their own behalf until 1987.[...]

In 2005, the Onondaga filed a version of their current claim in Federal District Court in the Northern District of New York, naming as defendants the State of New York, its governor, Onondaga County, the City of Syracuse and a handful of the companies responsible for the environmental degradation over the past centuries. A similar case filed by the Oneida Nation was, at the time, pending before the Supreme Court.

But just 18 days after the Onondaga filed their petition, the Supreme Court rejected the Oneidas’ case. The decision referenced an colonial-era legal theory known as the Doctrine of Discovery, which holds in part that Indigenous property claims were nullified by the “discovery” of that land by Christians.

The “long lapse of time” and “the attendant dramatic changes in the character” precluded the Oneida nation from the “disruptive remedy” it sought, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the majority decision.[...]

[L]awyers for the Onondaga used the rejection as the premise for a new argument. They contended that the U.S. court system’s refusal to find in their favor proved that they could not find justice in the United States.

The petition filed before the international commission amounts to the most direct challenge of the United States’ treatment of Indigenous people to date in terms of human rights — and the first to apply the lens of colonialism.

“What the Onondaga litigation is doing right now is to force a political dialogue with the colonial occupier,” said Andrew Reid, a lawyer representing the Onondaga, adding that a favorable finding could prompt a political conversation about the United States’s treatment of native people on the world stage.

Representatives for the State Department declined to be interviewed and did not respond to requests for comment. But in legal documents, the United States contended that the Onondaga’s central claims have been rejected in prior cases; that they have had “abundant opportunity” for their case to be heard; and that they are merely unhappy with the outcome. It also contended that the commission has no jurisdiction, given that the bulk of the nation’s losses took place two centuries before it was established.

“The judicial process functioned as it should have in this matter,” the United States wrote in legal papers.

15 Mar 24

[copperbadge]

The Parthenon in Nashville felt very familiar to me, because like the MSI in Chicago, it was built as part of an exposition, then just kinda...stuck around (and was rebuilt for permanence, also like the MSI). So it's a bit of a muddle of various things -- cultural center, outreach organization, art museum, architectural landmark, and just sliiiightly a tourist trap. That's not derogatory; I love a small, weird museum.

The bottom level is predominantly an art museum; they have a nice collection of American 19th-20th century paintings, a gallery about replicas and restoration, and a rotating gallery which at present is running a very interesting exhibit on repatriation. I had a really good time but the highlight of the collection -- at least, the visible one, since part of the gallery was closed -- was the painting on the left by Frederick Judd Waugh, "Widening Sea". I love a luminous waterscape. The other odd object there on the right is a replica of an ancient crane, which would have been used to build the original Parthenon. It's about as tall as me, and very fun to look at. I can only imagine it was a kick to build.

[ID: Two photographs; left, a photo of an oil painting hanging on a wall, depicting a rocky shoreline, a dark sea beyond with a streak of illumination, and a sunset above the sea, mostly hidden behind luminous white clouds. The whole effect makes the painting glow. On the right, the as-mentioned scale model of the crane, which looks a bit like a catapult that has gotten away from itself, surrounded by explanatory placards and marked off with a low barrier.]

[communist-ojou-sama]

I'm gonna be real with you, if the situation was flipped and Liberia was the US's prized colony and geopolitical attack dog, and "repatriated" Black usian settlers were massacring the indigenous Liberian population via extrajudicial kill-squads, I can't imagine being narcissistic and self-centered enough to try to caution or police people for calling the perpetrators "vicious gangsters" because of the way gang affiliation is pawned onto black people within the US.

I simply would not say something stupid like that or prioritize my own feelings in that way.

[lesbianchemicalplant]

STARR COUNTY, Texas — The Biden administration announced today that for the first time it will waive environmental, public health and cultural resource protection laws to fast-track construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Texas. The administration says it will take “immediate action to construct barriers and roads” along the border, including through fragile habitat near the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. “It’s disheartening to see President Biden stoop to this level, casting aside our nation’s bedrock environmental laws to build ineffective wildlife-killing border walls,” said Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Starr County is home to some of the most spectacular and biologically important habitat left in Texas and now bulldozers are preparing to rip right through it. This is a horrific step backwards for the borderlands.” The waiver sweeps aside 26 laws that protect clean air, clean water, public lands, endangered wildlife and Indigenous grave sites. The announcement marks the first time the Biden administration has used the REAL ID Act waiver authority. “Every acre of habitat left in the Rio Grande Valley is irreplaceable,” said Jordahl. “We can’t afford to lose more of it to a useless, medieval wall that won’t do a thing to stop immigration or smuggling. President Biden’s cynical decision to destroy crucial wildlife habitat and seal the beautiful Rio Grande behind a grotesque border wall must be stopped.” Wall construction in Starr County could harm recovery plans for endangered ocelots, which depend on contiguous wildlife corridors of protected habitat along the Rio Grande. Two endangered plants, the Zapata bladderpod and prostrate milkweed, are endemic to the area and will likely also be threatened by wall construction with their protections stripped by the waiver. Last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a damning report detailing the severe damage the border wall has caused to wildlife, public lands, and Indigenous sacred sites and burial grounds along the U.S.-Mexico border. Beyond jeopardizing wildlife, endangered species and public lands, the U.S.-Mexico border wall is part of a larger strategy of ongoing border militarization that damages human rights, civil liberties, native lands and international relations. The border wall impedes the natural migrations of people and wildlife that are essential to healthy diversity. Today’s action seeks to waive the following laws: 1. National Environmental Policy Act 2. Endangered Species Act 3. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 4. American Indian Religious Freedom Act 5. Federal Water Pollution Control Act 6. National Historic Preservation Act 7. Migratory Bird Treaty Act 8. Migratory Bird Conservation Act 9. Clean Air Act 10. National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act 11. Eagle Protection Act 12. National Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 13. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 14. Archeological Resources Protection Act 15. Paleontological Resources Preservation Act 16. Safe Drinking Water Act 17. Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act 18. Noise Control Act 19. Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 20. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 21. Antiquities Act 22. Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act 23. Farmland Protection Policy Act 24. National Trails System Act 25. Administrative Procedure Act 26. Federal Land Policy and Management Act

(October 4th, 2023)

[sanctaignorantia]

A few things I've been thinking about and find subtle links to Death Stranding

Chakras and Death Stranding

This text has content that I took from a book of Reiki handouts that my mother has, so the view of Chakras here is from the viewpoint of Reiki practice.

Chakras are round energy centers and in the East they are seen as whirlpools of energy, little cones (funnels) of spinning energy. They are large, shiny and translucent and, in normal human beings, have a diameter of five to ten centimeters, reaching 20 centimeters in diameter in spiritually developed people.

The size of the Chakras varies according to our energy and spiritual development and can vary according to the individual's energy (positive or negative energy). And each Chakra resonates with a color that derives from its vibration frequency. Each one vibrates with a sound or mantra that corresponds to a musical note and also relates to a natural element: earth, water, fire, air and ether.

In the Oriental view, each Chakra is represented by petals like flowers, depending on the complexity of each one. Ancient writings mention that we have up to 88,000 Chakras throughout our bodies, in other words, we have countless energetically sensitive points, but most of them play a secondary role.

But let's just talk about the 7 main Chakras through which the human aura is connected.

source

The Chakras are responsible for the energy flow in the human body and their main function is to absorb prana, which is the energy coming from the Sun, metabolize it, feed our aura and, finally, emit energy to the outside.

Knowing this, let's talk about Death Stranding, we know that Sam, when he dies in his baby phase, is repatriated by Amelie in his Beach. Amélie "seals" Sam's body with a mark and brings him back to life, causing Sam to gain a peculiar scar and live around without a navel. We're talking about the Umbilical/Sacral Chakra here, and according to the Reiki view this is the second Chakra.

We're going to talk about the other two Chakras that, for me, were also "affected" by the repatriate/shot mark, but let's start with the Umbilical Chakra first.

Name: Svadhishthana Location: Navel area Color: Orange Auric body: Emotional Element: Water Music note: D Mantra: Vam Number of petals: 6

This chakra is for the propagation of the species, in other words, reproduction. Its correct activity makes us love life. It is the Chakra that concentrates the qualities that have to do with sexuality, curiosity, the creative search for material pleasure, a taste for beautiful things, art, emotions and relationships with other people. This chakra is the seat of fears, ghosts and negative fantasies linked to sexuality and behavior towards another sex. If it malfunctions, it can turn life into a small personal "hell" which ends up being reflected in the people we live with and relate to.

Blockages in this Chakra usually result in physical symptoms such as illnesses related to body fluids (larynx, lymph, saliva, bile). Blockages in the sexual center often result in mental symptoms such as fear of physical proximity and disgust for the body, a mania for cleanliness, incomprehension, a mind that is too focused on reason, an excessive emphasis on impulsive feelings, rhythmic disorders, isolation, frigidity, impotence, lack of sexual appetite, fear of falling.

This Chakra together with the first are important and if they function incorrectly the other Chakras won't be able to function properly either.

I could say that due to the size of the damage caused by the shot, not only the Umbilical/Sacral Chakra was affected, but also the Base Chakra(#1) and the Solar Plexus(#2), because all three are located exactly in the center of our body's balance.

So let's look at a basic summary of the other two Chakras (first and third) to complete the analysis.

-> Basic Chakra (first)

Name: Muladhara Location: Base of the spine Colors: Red and black Auric body: Etheric and physical Element: Earth Musical note: C Mantra: Lam Number of petals: 4

It lies between the anus and the sexual organs, on the line of the pelvic girdle. This chakra is open downwards and represents the human being's connection with planet Earth, with the material and physical world. It is linked to our earthly existence, our survival. The more open and elevated this Chakra is, the higher our physical energy (disposition) will be.

-> Solar Plexus Chakra (third)

Name: Manipura Location: Mouth of stomach Color: Yellow Auric body: Mental Element: Fire Musical note: E Mantra: Ram Number of petals: 10

It represents the personality and concentrates the qualities of the rational and personal mind, vitality, the will to know and learn, the action of power, the desire to live, communicate and participate. It is the point of connection with other people. This Chakra is the one most closely related to our ego and therefore absorbs a lot of energy from the first two Chakras.

In summary, I find it interesting how I could find a little sense in the location of the Chakras in relation to Sam's injury, and in relation to what the mark of the repatriate represents for him. I don't know if Kojima did this consciously, but there is something that makes sense, for sure.

The center of the human body (CORE)

One of the funniest things for me was realizing that they chose Sam, a guy who doesn't have his "center" complete because of a brand. In other words, metaphorically speaking, Sam has no "balance" at all because his center has been "affected", and yet he is the Man Who Delivers, the guy who stacks things and needs to have good balance and core strength to do what he does.

How to "close the body" to negative energy

In my religion we say that if you want to go somewhere or meet someone and you want to protect yourself from any negative energy that the place or someone might inflict on you, you just have to wear an adhesive plaster on your navel, so this symbolic action will protect you from negative energies, because that's where we receive and donate energy, so it's an open field. There is the possibility of something or someone sucking this energy from us consciously or unconsciously, just as we can lose this energy unconsciously too.

This doesn't literally mean having a closed body, because the expression can mean another type of ritual that leads us to literally close the body, something much more complex than just "covering the navel", but technically it can be said that this is closing a door to things that can affect us.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Elizabeth Weiss

Published: Jan 20, 2024

Recently, the Navajo Nation has embarked on a mission to stop flights to the moon, especially those intending to deposit human cremated remains (commonly referred to as “cremains”). The Navajo Nation regards the moon as sacred, arguing that depositing cremains—or any objects, for that matter—constitutes an act of desecration. This controversy centers around the Peregrine Mission 1, a NASA-spon.sored expedition to the moon. Two private companies, Celestis and Elysium Space, plan to use this mission to transport the cremains of individuals who opted for a lunar resting place.

Upon receiving a letter from Buu Nygren, the Navajo Nation’s President, the White House convened a meeting to hear their objections to those flight plans. Although the White House correctly concluded that the government did not have the authority to stop the flight or hinder the private companies’ plans, one may wonder why these religious concerns of the Navajo Nation were ever seriously considered in the first place. Typically, the U.S. government refrains from interfering in scenarios where religious beliefs are at stake, as evidenced by the longstanding conflict between fundamentalist Christian creationists and the teaching of evolution in schools.

Yet, the case appears different when it involves Native American traditional religions��a loosely defined amalgamation of beliefs, often intertwined with Christian elements, and lacking formal sacred texts. In these instances, the US government has been bending the First Amendment of the Constitution so greatly that it is bound to snap.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This means that the federal government should be neutral towards all religions, avoiding favoritism to any denomination. Although the U.S. Government generally avoids supporting or discriminating against specific religions, as demonstrated by the diverse holiday displays ranging from nativity scenes to the Satanic Temple altar in Iowa, traditional Native American religions have been the exception to this strict adherence to the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

This exception is evident in NASA’s collaboration with the Navajo. In NASA’s 108-page education guide, “Story of the Stars,” intended for “Classrooms and Community-Based Educational Events,” Navajo religious beliefs are treated as being of equal importance to NASA’s scientific research. On page 3, the guide contains a statement from the Navajo: “We are the Holy People of the Earth. We are created and placed between our Mother Earth and Father Sky.” Further evidence of religious support in this guide is a story stating, “After the creation of the Earth, sky, and the atmosphere, the Holy people realized the whole university was entirely dark.” It is interspersed with tales of sacred directions, seasons, beliefs, and rules of life. Notably, in the acknowledgements, Leland Anthony Jr. is listed as the project’s “spiritual advisor.”

Given this content on NASA’s website, it’s hardly surprising that the White House would hastily convene a meeting with the Navajo Nation to consider the validity of objections to moon flights. However, these considerations favor one religion and teach one religion, thereby violating the US Constitution.

Another example of the Federal government showing a denominational preference appears in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA aids in the repatriation and reburial of human remains and artifacts deemed “sacred,” or as grave goods, or objects of cultural patrimony. A specific instance of this favoratism within NAGPRA is the requirement that at least 2 of the 7 individuals on the review committees “must be traditional Indian religious leaders.” Additionally, each NAGPRA meeting begins and ends with a “traditional Indian prayer.” For example, Armand Minthorn’s prayer at the January 5, 2023 meeting started with, “Today, as we come together, we thank our Creator for our life, our family, and our friends. And we ask our Creator today to give us strength and courage to go on and go forward.”

Perhaps most troubling is the acceptance of Native American religious creation myths as evidence for present day tribal affiliation to past populations. These tales have been leveraged to empty museums and universities of research collections–collections that might otherwise contribute to advancements in forensic identification techniques, aiding today’s Native American crime victims.

Final examples of the US government supporting Native American religions involve discriminatory practices based on sex. For instance, at the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, religious traditions led Inuit elders to forbid female archaeologists from handling certain artifacts. Similarly, when the California Department of Transportation archaeologists collaborated with the Kashaya Pomo tribe, the tribe’s religious protocols dictated that menstruating women be isolated, prohibited from conducting fieldwork, kept away from Native elders, and forbidden from talking about spiritual topics!

It is time for the US government to stop its unconstitutional denominational preference of Native American religions. Stopping these preferences would uphold the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, protect scientific endeavors, and prevent discriminatory practices.

==

You shouldn't be any more comfortable with the Navajo making demands based on their religion than Xianity or Islam. Being loosely defined and vaguely "spiritual" doesn't change any of that.

Imagine an Orthodox Jew dictating "that menstruating women be isolated, prohibited from conducting fieldwork, kept away from Jewish elders, and forbidden from talking about spiritual topics" and being able to get traction and compliance from the government (and government institutions).

Your religion's rules apply to you, not me. If your religion forbids putting cremains on the moon, don't send any cremains to the moon. If your religion demands the moon be honored, go honor the moon. Over there.

[trendynewsnow]

Italian Navy Transfers Migrants to Albania Amid Legal Challenges

Italian Navy Ship Transfers Migrants to Albania An Italian navy vessel made a significant docking at the Albanian port of Shengjin on Friday, transporting eight migrants. This transfer comes approximately one month after a prior group of migrants was denied entry due to an unsuccessful vetting process. The newly arrived group will now undergo asylum processing before being relocated to the…

[brickcentral]

It's story time again at #brickcentral and here's the final story made by @jbarchietto:

"The space station of colony 60434 is in full swing. For the past month, this mission has been working at the very edge of the system to study new energy sources.

The mineral planet is home to deposits of Stud crystal, a compound used to power most of the Legonauts' equipment.

Among the natives, the alien who stole the crystal has finally found his family. He alerts them to the Legonauts' drilling operations, which endanger the sacred crystals. A delegation comes to meet the scientists and ask them to stop drilling.

After handing over their stock of crystals to the aliens, the team instructs the scientists to find an alternative with the materials available locally, to save the mission.

After several weeks of fruitless research, a reconnaissance mission is sent to analyze a rift where a weak energy emission has been recorded.

Arriving on site, the expedition discovers the remains of a ship that has been missing for 30 years, but still appears to have energy.

The famous Commander Benny welcomes them and tells them about his journey, including how he was able to survive thanks to the energy derived from mushrooms growing in the rift.

It's time for the reconnaissance mission to call the station to repatriate samples and prepare a catalyst to replace the old crystal batteries.

Since this episode, the legonauts have made friends with the locals and life is good on this colony, which has been promoted to a central research center for the space program."

So here's the conclusion! How was the experience? Did you enjoy reading it? Let us know in the comments! If you want to read the complete story and go behind the scenes visit the blog post Stay tuned for the call for action for future collabs on our Discord server!

@theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[abeautifulblog]

Story time with Sam!

(transcript below the cut)

A discord conversation between gremble and gemlord:

gremble: tell me again the story of the time you didn’t get laid because the guy noticed you had a tupperware full of human remains on your kitchen counter

gemlord: alright so

I was working for a cultural resource management firm in [redacted]

me and my buddy colleague were excavating a native american grave that someone had found on their property.

to be excavated and repatriated to the tribe in the area for reburial, right

so [redacted] and I get back to the lab and find it completely shuttered

nobody there, lights off

so we both kind of shrug and just take a skeleton apiece

which I bring into my house and leave on the counter in a big plastic bin

and then, you know, forget about

gremble: as you do

gemlord: Later, I have a gentleman over for netflix and chill and the Chill part is like, in progress, when he suddenly goes "... sam, what the FUCK is on your kitchen counter?!"

and like, the skull was front and center.

there was no way I could pass it off as anything other than human remains

and because I am a goblin, the FIRST THING OUT OF MY MOUTH is "the last man who did me wrong. 🤨"

i tried to explain but the magic was uh

gone

[tilbageidanmark]

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS WEEK (#192):

TRANCES (1981) is an infectious documentary about the influential Moroccan avant-pop band 'Nass El Ghiwane'. It's like 'The last Waltz' but in Casablanca. A must for fans of traditional Arabic music.

This was the first film that Martin Scorsese restored when he launched his "World Cinema Foundation" in 2007. My 4th Moroccan film. A transcendental experience [with one caveat: They gave amazing concerts to large, ecstatic crowds - and not a single woman in the audience!] This is the 9th film from the Scorsese's list that I've seen. I must remember to come back to it very soon.

🍿

(Another concert, but of a completely different kind: Andrea Bochelli's LOVE IN PORTOFINO. This is for the folks who like to sit in the square by the water when the evening falls, dressed in white cottons, sip white wine while eating fried clams or seafood pizza, while listening to Bochelli's frothy, sentimental baritone.)

🍿

POOL OF LONDON (1951), my 5th drama-Noir from mostly-forgotten master Basil Dearden. Sailors on leave and a jewel heist, as well as a sensitive interracial romance, the first white and Jamaican relationship in British cinema. Crisp on-location scenes and good character development.

Next: His 'The League of Gentlemen'.

🍿

I've developed an interest in the emerging sub-genre of 'Domestic Workers’, mostly movies from South America and Southeast Asia. Many of these are fantastic; 'Àma Gloria', 'The second mother', 'Lina from Lima', 'Roma', 'The maid', 'Ilo Ilo', 'The chambermaid', Etc.

But I did not expect for the documentary YAYA (2018) to emerge as the most touching of this week's movies. A young filmmaker in Hong Kong, Justin Cheung, turned the camera on his own family, to explore their relationship with the woman who took care of him the first 22 years of his life.

Philippine Au-pairs in Hong Kong are some of the most exploited and abused workers in the world. And while his helper-maid was not mistreated, she gave up her own life to take care of somebody else's kids. Recommended! 8/10.

🍿

FELLINI X 2:

🍿 (I have no idea why I never seen this masterpiece.) LA STRADA (1954), is the sad and poignant story of simple-minded Giulietta Masina, who was sold to 'brutish strongman' Anthony Quinn for 10,000 lire. She's a mythic, Chaplinesque 'Fool' who's being abused and mistreated as she joins him traveling round the countryside in their little freak-show. Until she dies of a heartbreak. Its tragedy is accented by Nino Rosi's sentimental score. 8/10.

🍿 THE MAGIC HOUR (2008), my second screwball comedy [After 'Welcome back, Mr. McDonald'] by Kōki Mitani, "The Best Japanese Filmmaker You've Never Heard Of". A failed bit actor gets a job to play a mysterious hit man, not realizing that the movie he's starring in is going to be 'real'. It's a lighthearted meta-film about making a movie, not unlike 'Day for night', but set in some seaport gangster-land. It's like 'Casablanca' but with a Nino Rosi like score. Includes a cameo of director Kon Ichikawa, the last before his death.

🍿

3 MORE BY KEN LOACH:

🍿 THE OLD OAK, the latest (and probably his very last film) from the 88-year-old socialist Brit. A warm and 'humane' story full of small and heartfelt emotions, it kept me in tears from opening to the end. Ordinary people who suffer in so many ways. The inhabitants of a decaying ex-mining town can barely manage to hang on, and now they have to deal with a group of Syrian refugees - "Foreigners!" - who had lost it all in the war, and are being repatriated to their midst. Loach's films are usually about working-class Brits who's been getting the shaft for generations, and sometimes retain their humanity. And so is this one. 9/10.

🍿 “First they called you a terrorist, they they called you a hero”.

11′09″01 SEPTEMBER 11 is an anthology film from 2002. Eleven filmmakers contributed each a segment of 11 minutes and 9 seconds with different perspectives on the World Trade Center attacks. Some of the productions were better than others. Ken Loach had a Chilean exile in London write a letter to the families of the victims with the story of the Chilean September 11 attack of democracy (1973/CIA/Kissinger/Pinochet). In the Iranian segment, a teacher in a refugee camp was trying unsuccessfully to tell her young pupils about the attack. A poor boy in Burkina Faso imagined that he saw Osama bin Ladin in the market, and that he can use the $25M reward money to help his dying mom. Claude Lelouch told of a deaf French woman who sits next to the TV, but misses the news because she can't hear it. A Bosnian woman goes to the scheduled demonstration about the Srebrenica massacre. Etc. A mixed bag.

🍿 TIME TO GO is his 1989 documentary, pushing for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland. I actually don't know more than the average laymen about Irish history, so I need to take a reading course about the "Troubles" and what brought it.

🍿

Another first watch: TRAINSPOTTING (1996). There were half a dozen films which I avoided until now, because I felt, rightly or wrongly, that they are too distressing: 'Requiem for a dream', Lars von Trier's 'Melancholia' (actually, all his movies), 'Salò', 'Funny Games' (both versions), 'A Serbian film', 'Kids', Etc. But now that I crossed 'Come and see' off this list, I also took a stab at this disgusting Scottish Heroin-chic shite-storm. Now I can say that I saw it too.

Well, I like Kelly Macdonald, and didn't expect her debut in an under-aged sex scene... Another plus, an appropriate use for Lou Reed's 'A perfect day'.

🍿

TIME PIECE, a terrific experimental 9-minute short by Jim Hanson which was nominated for an Oscar in 1965. A rhythmic masterpiece: "Help!" 8/10.

Extra: ROBOT (1963), another prophetic Hanson short, precursor to 'HAL9000'. I'm sure that both these films will be mentioned in his new bio-pic.

🍿

2 EARLY FILMS BY LINDSAY ANDERSON:

🍿 THE WHITE BUS (1967) told of a a taciturn young woman without a name who takes a double-Decker bus tour in a city without a future to experience some bizarre scenes without any rhyme or reason. It includes some surrealistic flourishes (A sudden tableaux of 'Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe', a fantasy about suicide, a long tour in the library where the pompous major keeps complaining about filthy books...). But what is the point of it all?

It was edited by Kevin Brownlow, and filmed by Miroslav Ondříček, But it will mostly be remembered as the film debut of one 30-year-old Anthony Hopkins, as a German Thespian reciting Brecht. 2/10.

🍿 O DREAMLAND (1953) is a macabre documentary short about a loud amusement park in Margate, Kent, and the multitudes of middle class patrons (and their many children) who visit it without much amusement in their eyes. It's melancholy and miserable and dour. 7/10. A fun Fair without the fun. (Screenshot Above).

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"This guy is a one-man crime wave!"

FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE (1926), one of Harold Lloyd's most successful films. Including some great chase and slapstick gags.

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The first time I saw DEREK DELGAUDIO's IN & OF ITSELF, I was blown away. The next 2 or 3 times I thought it was great. There's something that compelled me to return to this Magician-"Mentlist" installation piece again and again. But after 4 or 5 times, i realize what he's doing, and his shtick is not as polished as f. ex. Derren Brown's. Yes, he has a few numbers that looks fantastic (A random audience member picks a random letter from a pile, and opens it to read a personal letter from her dying father... The final sketch where he "knows" what secret cards did each and every member of the audience had picked), but for the rest, he's mostly manipulates us with shaggy anecdotes and tall tales of personal pains. And really, they are not as profound as he wants us to believe they are.

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Hiroshi Teshigahara's HOKUSAI is a 1953 documentary about the woodblock artist, but a bit too old fashioned. I recently saw his 'The face of another', and should have watched 'Woman in the dunes' instead.

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THE SUITCASE was episode 7 of 4th season of 'Mad Men', the exact middle of the series (46/92). I've seen it numerous times, and it's still one of the most emotionally gripping. Jon Hamm will never be as perfect as he was as Don Draper. And it's pretty amazing that he and Peggy Olsen never even kissed, let alone sleep together. 10/10. Re-watch ♻️. [*Female Director*]

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"If there's one thing about me, it's repetition"...

My first by British comedian Steward Lee, his latest LIVE AT THE LOWRY came recommended by Hoots maguire, so here I am. Lee is a different kind of a stand-up: Dry, self-referential, erudite, and circular. His improvisations are jazzy. Recommended.

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2 ALTERNATIVE-QUEER ANIMATIONS:

🍿 THE FINAL EXIT OF THE DISCIPLES OF ASCENSIA (2019) is a strange - and weird - story made by one young Jonni Peppers. It is done very much in the aesthetics, and spirit, of Don Hertzfeldt's 'World of Tomorrow', although it's far from being that coherent. A confused young woman joins an all-women UFO-cult, which, like the Heaven's Gate dudes, eventually "ascends". It doesn't really have a clear message, but it has quiet a few moments of beauty. Peppers is working with Victoria Vincent, whose film 'A dog that smokes weed' I've admired. The two songs she plays are very pretty. [*Female Director*]

🍿 HOW TO FIND LOVE IN AN UNBECOMING AGE, a first film by a young lesbian about hot dating today. Could become a series. 7/10. [*Female Director*]

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3 MORE SHORTS BY FEMALE DIRECTORS:

🍿 3 MINUTOS (1999), a short Brazilian masterpiece. The phone rings in a kitchen, and the answering machine picks it up. A woman's voice is telling him that she decided to leave. Recommended. 9/10.

[This is actually the second film by Ana Luíza Azevedo I've seen. She co-directed 'Barbosa' with Jorge Furtado.]

🍿 LIKE TWENTY IMPOSSIBLES, my first by Palestinian Annemarie Jacir. A small Palestinian film crew is trying to cross a border checkpoint, and is subject to humiliating abuse by the Israeli soldiers. There were other films about the exact topic, the grinding brutality, the hopeless struggle just to stay human - "The cruelty is the point". And this was made in 2003, before the whole occupied territories turned into the big concentration camp it is today.

I promised myself that I will stop watching these traumatic films, and I will. But surprise! When the credits rolled, it appeared that this horrible true-to-life documentary was actually "Fiction"! The ugly film was so realistic, that it was a huge relief to discover it was "Only Art". 8/10.

🍿 THE INCREDIBLE THEFT OF CELINE'S BELOVED (2020), a cute French love letter to Wes Anderson. A 14 year old girl receives a surprise package in the mail. It's as if girl herself directed this story. 6/10. [*3 Female Directors*]

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2 EARLY SHORTS BY RIAN JOHNSON:

🍿 I started watching his heist story 'The Brothers Bloom', but couldn't finish it. Maybe I'll do it next week. Meanwhile I tried -

In BEN BOYER AND THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF AUTOMOBILE MARKETING, the voice of Carl Jung approaches a guy taking a shit with an archetypal explanation through the air-filter vent. The topic? The subconscious meaning of car brand logos. Made for $99 in 2001. With Pink Floyd 'Atom Heart Mother' score.

🍿 In THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DREAM ANALYSIS (2003) a young woman dreams somebody else's dreams. A student film that feels like one. 2/10.

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(ALL MY FILM REVIEWS - HERE).

[fantastic-nonsense]

Re: your Wonder Woman story ideas. I'm really interested in what you have in mind for a storyline centered around ancient artifacts and their home countries. Because I don't think a lot of greek myth-inspired stories ever really touched on that issue (which is a shame).

Okay so the original set-up I had in mind for this story is basically this: Diana gets a call from Helena Sandsmark saying that the Gateway City Museum has been broken into and one of their priceless artifiacts is missing. Diana promises to find it, and at the end of the issue, she does!

....in a warehouse full to the brim of other stolen and "discretely discovered" (aka, found and not reported) artifacts. Whoops, she's just stumbled over a massive underground antiquities black market operation and now it's probably her duty (as Wonder Woman, as a diplomatic ambassador, and as someone who's worked closely with antiquities and museum people for ages) to make sure everything gets handled properly and repatriated safely.

Cue massive squabbling and ongoing negotiations between Diana (who found everything and has placed the contents of the warehouse under Themiscyran protection), the countries of origin (who want their stuff back), the museums any of the artifacts were stolen from (who say because it was stolen from their museums they should have rights to it regardless of whether or not the countries of origin think the artifact should be theirs to display), private dealers (who want to snap up the artifacts that aren't legally bound for a new home), US museums (who want to temporarily display the stuff in their museums while repatriation negotations happen), and the US government (who says because the artifacts were found on US soil it should be their job to repatriate everything, not Diana/Themiscyra).

Oh yeah....and also the superheroing community and various mythological entities, because of course the black market dealers couldn't leave well enough alone and just grab normal artifiacts. No no, they were also planning on selling a whole bunch of stolen cursed stuff and magical relics and mythical statuary. Including a bunch of stuff of Greek and Amazonian origin, because why wouldn't they be there?

So this sets up a nice solid arc where I could either a) take a series of connected issues to show Diana personally handling and/or returning artifacts to their rightful home (and the trials and tribulations of doing so) or b) every once in awhile when I'd need a break from telling other stories, another artifact's negotiation process is done and she has to go return it. Boom, nice fun breather oneshot or mini-arc.

Some of the repatriation stories would be bog-standard "country of origin and museum in another country are fighting over who gets to have it. Diana mediates" stories. Others would be Diana journeying to return a stolen relic to its rightful owner (kind of like Damian Wayne did during his Year of Blood arc in R:SOB). Either way: it allows for a nice, fun ongoing set of stories that I could return to at literally any time to keep the run going. It would also allow me to bring back a lot of Diana's various civilian supporting casts that we haven't gotten to see in a long time (particularly the museum/antiquities/linguisitics crowd like Helena Sandsmark and Julia Kapatelis, the UN crew that was Diana's embassy delegation, and her DC supporting cast). I think it would be fun.

[arkipelagic]

The urns were likely constructed approximately 2800-1000 years ago. During this time, burial urns were a common form of interment in coastal areas, in caves, and on hilly terrain. Earthenware jar burials are more common across the Philippines, but the limestone urns are mostly found in Cotabato. Burial urns like these are typically used for secondary burials, which means the jars are not the first vessel for the deceased, but rather an individual’s final resting place after they are first laid to rest.

The urns each had matching covers at their time of use, but natural disasters like earthquakes and even human disturbance over the years moved and damaged some pieces. The urns are either squared or rounded with geometric lining, a foot or more in height, and quite heavy. The covers or lids feature anthropomorphic, human-like bodies protruding from the center. Some have limbs that extend out to the edges of the cover. Several covers have geomorphic lines and patterns that match the urns. Faces are highly individualized, carved with distinct facial features, including ears, earring holes, noses, smiles, frowns, and other expressions. It is hypothesized that the figures on the urns were meant to identify the deceased. The urns were noted to have human remains inside them when they were first acquired in the 1970s, although now their location is mostly unknown.

Research in Maguindanao, the province of Cotabato, only began in the 1960s, but archaeologists have reported many anthropomorphic vessels from this region. Several urns recovered were buried along with other smaller jars that carried personal adornments such as shell and ceramic bracelets and iron plates.

… At the conclusion of this exhibit, it will be reevaluated where this collection will go and how it will best serve the involved communities. These artifacts will likely be repatriated–returned back to the Philippines–and placed first under the care of the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila. As a cultural agency of the Philippine heritage the National Museum serves as a repository of archaeological materials. Although there are limestone urns elsewhere among private museums in the Philippines and the U.S., repatriation of these artifacts back to the Philippines is the first step to invite the Manobo back to the conversation to determine who will be the next stewards of these cultural materials. Closer to home, the future location of the collection in the Philippines reinforces the community’s place over how the artifacts are managed, exhibited, and shared.