#student strike of 1970

[nickysfacts]

To every student who’s protesting at their college or campus across America: don’t stop standing for what is right and you are the ones who are helping to change America for the better!

☮️🇺🇸☮️

[macabre-discotheque]

every now and then i will have a thought about the 70s and then spontaneously combust into a thousand fla[gets dragged away by security]

[transit-fag]

can i ask you about the 1970s?

Have you ever heard of the Kent State Shooting? Basically in 1970, The Governor of Ohio sent to Ohio National Guard to end anti war student protests over the expansion of the vietnam war into Cambodia which were taking place at Kent State University due to fears that a student strike would lead to violent revolutionaries taking control of the city of Kent and by the 4th day of protests which was may 4th, the protests and tensions had escalated to such a degree that the university and town both decided to shut down the student protests, but when the protests happened anyways the National Guard fired tear gas from a grenade launcher into the crowd and when that didn't dispell the protests, the national guard began to advance on the protestors leading to 10 to 50 of the protestors throwing rocks at the national guard leading to more throwing of tear gas at the crowd. Later due to unknown causes that lead up to it, at least 29 of the 77 the national guard members present shot their 66 rounds into both the protestors and students not involved in the protests who were passing by, injuring 9 students and killing 4.

[drsonnet]

On This Day: Kent State shootings leave 4 students dead!

Four Kent State University students were killed and nine were injured on May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war and may have contributed to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

Students dive to the ground as the National Guard fires on faculty and students May 4, 1970, to protest the war in Vietnam. File Photo courtesy of Kent State University Archives

The Kent State Shootings

“… Give Peace a Chance (iastate.edu)

On This Day, May 4: Kent State shootings leave 4 students dead - UPI.com

[darkcircles4lyfe]

To Build Something Else

Whenever I read a fanfiction that takes place in the future where the hero kids continue their schooling as normal and emerge as pro heroes into the existing system, I always kinda view it as like, “AU where things weren’t as bad” or “AU where everyone is still pretending that this is the way things should be” or “AU where good and evil are morally uncomplicated.” I’m not trying to call anybody out—I’ll still read and enjoy these sometimes—but that’s how I’ve always looked at it. I’m starting to notice other people feeling it too. I’ve read fics where they point out how redundant and unfair it is to go back to being students after saving the world (remember how many pros straight up quit and left a bunch of kids to keep fighting?). I’ve seen people acknowledge how trauma will affect their ability to keep going. Perhaps the trickiest thing to wrap our heads around is how the villains will fit into it all if not through death, punishment, or imprisonment. What about all the other trappings of society? The heavily regulated quirk use, the government-funded pros aiding police control and contributing to cover-ups that maintain the illusion of peace. Hero idolization, quirk counseling, civilian helplessness. Judging a person’s worth or character based on their quirk…

It would sound too obvious and cheesy to simply point out that society isn’t “just the way things are,” that change is possible. We all know this, and yet we struggle to pinpoint exactly where to aim our sights, find the source, make any meaningful progress. The other day I read some articles from my university’s student newspaper around 1970, and it made me feel sick wondering if progress is really an illusion. Fact is, it’s easy to intellectually deconstruct society, but very difficult to imagine how to build something else.

In this fictional world, heroes have offered a mythical vision of safety and triumph. When All Might arrived, everything was going to be okay. But let’s not forget how this story began: with a moment where All Might paused, like a bystander, and in his place, a desperate civilian kid hurtled forward without any common sense. If you ask me, it wasn’t that Izuku was so good and pure and selfless, it was that he disregarded everything.

And so the person who “saves the world” (if we can even reduce it to such a concept) is not the person who puts everyone at ease and makes crowds cheer. It’s the person who makes everyone hold their breath, with a feeling in the air like the pressure changed, and it smells like rain. It is natural to be worried about the future. It’s honest. It means you can see what’s really going on. Hero society has never felt this exposed, but the people are held back from the edge of despair because there is also so much potential brewing. Electricity about to strike. The world will NOT go back to the way it was, no matter what. That much is certain. But what if we still live to see the dawn? What then? What if one person’s courage to break the mold makes all the difference?

I’m not just talking about Izuku, you know. I’m talking about Horikoshi.

To an extent, I’ve given up on predicting how exactly things will play out, because if nothing else, I can tell he’s planning something big—so big, I can’t quite picture it. I’m watching and waiting for the one person who can. I just know where he’s coming from. I think about how he’s never come this far before because his other stories were snuffed out. I know he used to struggle to see the future of his career. I relate to his stubbornly rebellious resolve to do what he wants anyway. To keep dreaming. I know that emotional sincerity is his specialty. And now he’s even directly breaking the fourth wall, having characters talk about what’s supposed to happen in comic books. Gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, we’ve been shown how something else can happen. He’s not done yet.

[opencommunion]

"Britain in the 1970s is a country for whose crisis there are no viable capitalist solutions left, and where, as yet, there is no political base for an alternative socialist strategy. It is a nation locked in a deadly stalemate: a state of unstoppable capitalist decline. This has had the deadliest and most profound ideological consequences. Although, under the guardianship of social democracy, Britain backed off a little from the 'law-and-order' state whose construction was well under way between 1972-4, the exceptional form which the capitalist state assumed in that period has not been dismantled. The mobilisation of the state apparatuses around the corrective and coercive poles has been coupled with a dramatic deterioration in the ideological climate generally, favouring a much tougher regime of social discipline: the latter being the form in which consent is won to this 'exceptional' state of affairs. Such an ideological thrust is difficult to delineate precisely, but it is not difficult to identify its principal thematics and mechanisms. Between 1972 and 1974, the 'crisis' came finally to be appropriated — by governments in office, the repressive apparatuses of the state, the media and some articulate sectors of public opinion — as an interlocking set of planned or organised conspiracies. British society became little short of fixated by the idea of a conspiracy against 'the British way of life'. The collective psychological displacements which this fixation requires are almost too transparent to require analysis. To put it simply, 'the conspiracy' is the necessary and required form in which dissent, opposition, or conflict has to be explained in a society which is, in fact, mesmerised by consensus. If society is defined as an entity in which all fundamental or structural class conflicts have been reconciled, and government is defined as the instrument of class reconciliation, and the state assumes the role of the organiser of conciliation and consent, and the class nature of the capitalist mode of production is presented as one which can, with goodwill, be harmonised into a unity, then, clearly, conflict must arise because an evil minority of subversive and politically motivated men enter into a conspiracy to destroy by force what they cannot dismantle in any other way. How else can the crisis be explained? Of course, this slow maturing of the spectre of conspiracy — like most dominant ideological paradigms — has material consequences. Its propagation makes legitimate the official repression of everything which threatens or is contrary to the logic of the state. Its premise, then, is the identification of the whole society with the state — the state has become the bureaucratic embodiment, the powerful organising centre and expression of the disorganised consensus of the popular will. So, whatever the state does is legitimate (even if it is not 'right'); and whoever threatens the consensus threatens the state. This is a fateful collapse. On the back of this equation the exceptional state prospers.

... In 1971, some Sierra Leone students who occupied their Embassy were charged and convicted of conspiracy, appealed, and were denied by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, in the infamous Karama decision. This decision ... perfectly embodied the Lord Chancellor's view that 'the war in Bangladesh, Cyprus, the Middle East, Black September, Black Power, the Angry Brigade, the Kennedy murders, Northern Ireland, bombs in Whitehall and the Old Bailey, the Welsh Laguage Society, the massacre in the Sudan, the mugging in the tube, gas strikes, hospital strikes, go-slows, sit-ins, the Icelandic cold war' were all 'standing or seeking to stand on different parts of the same slippery slope'. The conspiratorial world view can hardly be more comprehensively stated. ... The conspiracy charge was perfectly adapted to generalising the mode of repressive control: enormously wide, its terms highly ambiguous, designed to net whole groups of people whether directly involved in complicity or not, convenient for the police in imputing guilt where hard evidence is not, both at breaking the chains of solidarity and support, and of deterring others, directable against whole ways of life — or struggle.

... As the crisis deepens, and the forms of conflict and dissent assume a more explicitly political and a more clearly delineated class form, social anxiety also precipitates in its more political form. It is directed against the organised power of the working class; against political extremism; against trade-union blackmail; against the threat of anarchy, riot and terrorism. It becomes the reactionary pole in the ideological class struggle. Here, the anxieties of the lay public and the perceived threats to the state coincide and converge. The state comes to provide just that 'sense of direction' which the lay public feels society has lost. The anxieties of the many are orchestrated with the need for control of the few. The interest of 'all' finds its fitting armature only by submitting itself to the guardianship of those who lead. The state can now, publicly and legitimately, campaign against the 'extremes' on behalf and in defence of the majority — the 'moderates'. The 'law-and-order' society has slipped into place."

Stuart Hall, Chas Critcher, Tony Jefferson, John Clarke, and Brian Roberts, Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order (1978)

[mybeingthere]

Franca Sonnino, Italian, b 1932.

A slightly awkwardly gallery-translated text: "Born on February 13, 1932 from a family of Jewish origins, Franca Coen, married Sonnino, grew up and still lives in Rome. After graduating in Literature, she devoted herself with love to her family, her artist’s hands weave the first threads to create sweaters and scarves for her children, home furnishings, and blankets for their nest.

It is the early 1970s, Franca’s children are still small, and on the floor below their apartment, located in the Balduina area, lives a small and lively Sardinian woman: the artist Maria Lai. A mutual fascination immediately arises between the two women, the world that Maria Lai brings with her captures the attention of the young housewife. From time to time she brings her the fabrics for her works (Franca’s husband works in the textile sector), but sometimes she brings her the dinner that Maria, immersed in her work, forgets to prepare. These were years of intense work for Maria Lai, who saw numerous students and young artists enter and leave her house-atelier, willing to learn her art. But what strikes Maria in the density of people that surrounds her is precisely that discreet neighbor with lively and curious eyes, and above all with very skilled hands. In their time together, which they both seek more and more often, the two women cultivate their bond through long discussions and readings. Franca observes Maria’s work and creation, while the latter urges her with one of her most emblematic phrases: “use your hands to create useless things, do not make useful objects anymore”. Read more https://www.repettogallery.com/artist/franca-sonnino/

"Thread, Sign, Space" curated by Simona Campus, Paolo Cortese.

Exhibition 15.10.2022-12.01.2023.

https://www.grammaepsilon.com/artists/franca-coen-sonnino...

[dbtucson-blog]

It has been hot. Not June hot when it’s like a very dry oven, but monsoon hot. Small humidity when you’re from other parts of the country but stifling combined with the heat. 

The heat is what pumps the monsoon moisture our way and for the bulk of the entire summer we have had much higher than normal monsoonal moisture to deal with. Typically it will rain for a few days to a week or two, then dry out for a few days and back into it. This year it has been relentlessly sticky. And when the humidity is high our temperatures don’t drop at night like they do when it’s dry. For weeks we were lucky if the nighttime low fell below 80.

At 71 years old, Tumamoc Time is an important part of my life. It gets me back in shape when I fall ill or suffer a physical injury. In shape or not it inspires me day or night with a front row “seat” to the beauty of the desert and the changes of the land, plants, animals and sky over the course of the day, and the year.

People ask, “When do you go up Tumamoc.” I say, “When it’s closest to 70 degrees.” Lately the closest has been still above 80 and sweaty so my trips to the hill have been fewer. But when I get back I can feel the change almost immediately, even if it takes me a month or more to make it to the top again. And I AM back on the hill, albeit in the dead of night.

Yesterday felt like June for the first time since May. And the continually damp weather has stalled a desert mission I’ve been trying to get done, well, since June I guess. 

I’ve been working on a ten-year project with performance artist Laura Milkins called The Forty Seasons. Each season we do an environmental portrait somewhere in southern Arizona. Logistically it’s stressful but it’s always so much fun when it’s happening. We might have an idea going into it that goes straight out the window once we get to the location. Laura is a superb improvisor who finds grand and intimate things to do in a landscape. Occasionally I manage to keep up. My work mainly comes later.

In the spring we ended up improvising both the location and the rest, and as typically takes place, a half dozen or so distinct improvisational segments  took place that were worth editing. Without spoiling it, one involved a particular saguaro that just happened to be where we decided to start shooting. And what happened was spontaneous and beautiful. Just shot at the wrong time of day. Still, it gave me an idea for our next shoot. And so I went back to see if I could find one saguaro in a forest of them.

Cut to the chase, I did not.

Yet.

In the northern part of the Ironwood National Forest is a striking mountain range that almost looks like the back of a Stegosaurus. I used to see this armor plated, jagged hunk of rock from Avra Valley in the 1970s when I was a geology student at UA doing field work for a geomorphology and remote sensing class. About seven years ago I figured out how to get there. And on average I’ve been back about once a week wherever possible ever since. There’s a lot to take it and it looks so different from various locations on the stretch of dirt road that runs alongside. A tiny bit of elevation shows you what a forest of saguaros this is. But there’s so much more.

In the past couple of years I’ve started to notice the ripple of ridges that parallels its length, each rise growing higher and higher as you approach the mountain from the road. The crests are  only 100 feet or so high, but that’s 100 feet higher than the one before. So you’re climbing constantly, trying to avoid cholla and prairie dog holes and rattlesnakes and the critters that are watching you that you likely will have no awareness of unless the wind shifts and you catch their scent. 

Naturally this was the backdrop to my needle in the haystack quest. And it was around 100 degrees when I headed there in the late afternoon, also seeking to know when the shadow of the mountain would overtake that saguaro. So I was working against the clock, and all common sense.

Going into today’s attempt I knew where I had parked and had a GPS anchor to take me there. I knew that we had started walking straight in from the road toward the mountain. Things were fairly familiar at the start because I’ve worked from this parking spot before. But the further out you get, the more uncertainty there is about how far off to the north or south you might have traveled. That was the challenge.

And then there was the actual experience.

I love the last couple of hours of the day in the desert, particularly toward the end of summer. It’s less intense than at the solstice but still beautiful in the way it touches the highest parts of the landscape at different times and changes your whole perception of where you are. 

As it turns out, that section of the desert floor wasn’t shaded by the mountain this time of year at all. Good to know for a future dusk shoot. Yes, I could look this up in the Photographer’s Ephemeris but there’s no substitute for using your own eyeballs to watch the transition into dusk and darkness.

My job was to find the saguaro and see how things looked when shadows started to engulf that section of landscape. But I was carrying an actual camera and a phone with a good camera, and I did need to stop to wheeze now and then. The shots I took are not the best. More of a quick snapshot thing rather than a seriously composed shot. But weak as they are they carry a little bit of the beauty of the rapidly changing light in the desert in early September, in a year when the desert has been made “lush” with above average rain.

Looking forward to expanding my search. Patience and endurance are the secret superpowers of the elderly. 

[aaknopf]

A multi-generational saga courses across the pages of Ædnan, by Sámi-Swedish author Linnea Axelsson, translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel. The verse epic follows an Indigenous Sámi family who have herded reindeer for generations, as the forces of colonialism and modern development of their ancestral lands threaten their culture and livelihood. The story is told by a small chorus of characters from the 1910s through the current day, and we become especially close to Lise, who left her Sámi family, following her brother Jon-Henrik, to be educated at a residential school for “Nomad” children. This excerpt from Chapter XII takes place in the early 1970s, along the Great Lule River Valley, where the state-owned Vattenfall company was developing hydroelectric resources, and Lise is graduating into a world unimaginable to her parents.

. .

The river climbed silently up the hills

as soon as Vattenfall whistled it came creeping:

–

Streamed backwards up its deep channel and drowned the earth

When the great Suorva Dam for the third time was to be regulated

–

Entreaty

shone from Mama’s eyes

–

She explained clearly to the Swedes 

that the fishing will suffer if the water rises

–

There was probably no one who understood what she was saying

– –

After the social studies lesson I went with the others to sit on the gymnasium floor

–

Almost all of Malmberget’s students had been dismissed from class

– To participate in the miners’ strike meeting

 –

Someone had heard that Olof Palme was coming

that he would travel all the way up here 

–

To the mining company’s and Vattenfall’s world the one that he himself had helped build

–

It is what he is guarding

It is all that he can see

–

The mine boss’s voice

flowed wildly above the crowded hall which was hot with bodies

–

His voice was so robust his conviction so intense

–

I glanced at Anne who was sitting beside me leaning against the wall bars

and she smiled back at me

–

Soon we would be leaving school too 

–

And could start working join the union

–

You took the job you wanted that’s all there was to it 

– 

Switchboard cleaner or cook

with the old folks at the Pioneer or the children in day care

– –

I spend the weekend up at Mama and Papa’s 

–

I stand with Jon-Henrik

 –

Watching the river flow murky across the slope

–

That brushy slope

where he and I used to go it’s underwater now

 –

How are our tracks ever to be heard Among the Swedes’ roads and power stations

–

It’s Jon-Henrik who says this he had also been drawn down to the dam

–

To work for Vattenfall as soon as school was done

 –

I’m surprised when he says

That he’d preferred to have taken up with the reindeer

–

Been elected into the Sámi community

And learned to guide that wandering gray soft ocean across the world of the fells

–

Just as the lot of us were once taught at the Nomad School that this is what the Sámi do

that this is how we all live

–

He laughs and says:

–

Who knows what the spring flood will bring with it

this drowned  earth may yet be fertile

More on this book and author:

Learn more about Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson.

Check out The Rumpus for a conversation between Linnea Axelsson and Susan Devan Harness about Axelsson's Sámi heritage and the decision to write Ædnan in verse. 

Click here to read Linnea Axelsson's op-ed piece for LitHub on Scandinavia’s hidden history of Indigenous oppression.

Visit our Tumblr to peruse poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series.

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[justforbooks]

Alexander Knaifel

Russian composer whose sparse musical landscapes create a spiritual ambience of meditative calm

Alexander Knaifel, who has died aged 80, did not set out to be a composer. As a student in the 1960s, he studied the cello with Mstislav Rostropovich until injury intervened. Then he redirected his energies towards composition, at a time when the Khrushchev thaw could accommodate the musical modernism of the Soviet Union’s second avant-garde period (the first having come in the years around the 1917 revolution).

But the cello retained a significant role in Knaifel’s output. Rostropovich went on to commission and premiere three religious works that reflected both Knaifel’s adoption of Russian Orthodox Christianity around 1970 and his conviction, which appealed to Rostropovich, that experience can be heightened by performers thinking – “silently intoning” – a text as they playe the music.

Chapter Eight – Canticum Canticorum (The Song of Songs, 1993), a work “for church, choirs and cello”, unfolds slowly over the course of an hour. With three a cappella choirs adopting a cross formation in Washington National Cathedral in the US, the premiere was recorded for the Teldec label and released under the title Make Me Drunk With Your Kisses (1995).

The Fiftieth Psalm (1995) is for solo cello. Psalm 50 in the Orthodox numbering is Psalm 51 in the west: Miserere/Have Mercy. With his concern for “playing as if singing”, Knaifel felt that “only Rostropovich could articulate this text”, and his recording of it was released on the ECM label in 2005.

Blazhenstva (1996) is a meditation on the Beatitudes, Jesus Christ’s sermon on the mount. Rostropovich’s last cello student, Ivan Monighetti, later recorded it with Knaifel’s wife, Tatiana Melentieva, as the soprano soloist with the State Hermitage Orchestra from St Petersburg for another ECM release.

That 2008 recording also features Monighetti playing a piece in the modernist style that preceded Knaifel’s more ethereal approach, his Lamento for Solo Cello (1967, revised 1986). Built upon serialist tone rows, and with a striking approach to timbre and performance techniques, it is also highly expressive.

From the same period came his Monody for Female Voice (1968), again written in a modernist style, with modal phrases juxtaposed with glissandi descending in quarter-tones and wide intervals. Premiered by Melentieva, it was written with her crystal-clear tone and extensive vocal range in mind.

Knaifel first made his mark with the opera The Canterville Ghost, given a semi-staged student production in 1966, at the end of his studies at the Leningrad Conservatory. Based upon the humorous ghost story by Oscar Wilde, it was taken up by the Kirov Orchestra under Alexander Gauk in Leningrad in 1974 and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky in London in 1980. A 1990 recording with Michail Jurowski directing the Moscow Forum Theatre, reissued on Brilliant Classics in 2012, brings out the young composer’s confident delivery of musical humour and mastery of orchestration.

In Knaifel’s more ascetic and contemplative works, solo lines and single sustained pitches are spun out over long durations – sometimes over the course of two hours – almost to the point of stasis. In the more minimalist language of what he called his “quiet giants”, he was ahead, among Soviet composers, of either Giya Kancheli or Arvo Pärt, in presenting pared-down content that is rich in spiritual ambience. There is no obvious parallel to Knaifel’s music in the west, although it bears some similarity in style to that of the American composer Morton Feldman.

Of two large-scale works from the 1970s, Knaifel said: “In Jeanne, I discovered the number, in Nika, the word.” He reworked a Joan of Arc ballet into Jeanne, Passion for 13 Instrumental Groups (1978), a work of extreme asceticism drawing on the principle that the universe is built on numbers and proportions with rational and symbolic power, while Nika, 72 Fragments for 17 Performers on Bass Instruments (1974), was the first of his works to use unspoken texts.

Agnus Dei for Four Instrumentalists A Cappella (1985), with a characteristically paradoxical title, is powerful in impact given its sparse musical landscape and the sense of meditation that this creates. It utilises a wide range of literary examples, ranging from the liturgical to quotations from the diary of a young girl, Tanya Savicheva, who died during the siege of Leningrad.

These texts, printed in the score as well as in the audience’s programme notes, are never heard in performance, with the musicians being instructed to “think the text” as they play. Knaifel maintained that the word does not needed to be explicitly stated for the work’s spiritual intention to be understood.

His compositions of the 1990s and beyond increasingly displayed a religious aesthetic and an even more ascetic musical language. Texts both secular and sacred were present, but, in line with the Gnostic tradition, Knaifel asserted that “truth” must be hidden and revealed gradually to the listener in order for it to have validity.

This approach found its fullest and most original expression in In Air Clear and Unseen (1994), for texts by Fyodor Tyutchev, piano and string quartet, with its extremes of register, periods of silence, silent intonation, religious symbolism and virtuosic performance techniques. A recording by the pianist Oleg Malov and the Keller Quartet was released on ECM in 2002.

Knaifel’s opera Alice in Wonderland, premiered in Amsterdam in 2001 with a cast including the baritone Roderick Williams, has a libretto based upon Lewis Carroll’s narrative. But the text is rarely sung, instead being either mimed, or even in a few instances, coded visually, through coloured lights playing on a backdrop on stage.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Alexander was the son of Russian-Jewish parents: his father, Aron Knaifel, a violinist, and his mother, Muza Shapiro, a music theory teacher, had been evacuated from Leningrad at the time of the siege. From the Leningrad Central Music School (1950-61) he went on to the Moscow Conservatory, where his cello studies under Rostropovich were ended by a nerve inflammation in his left hand. At the Leningrad Conservatory (1963-67) he studied composition with Boris Aparov, a student of Shostakovich.

In 1979, Knaifel was blacklisted by the Soviet authorities as one of the “Khrennikov Seven”, including Edison Denisov and Sofia Gubaidulina, following the premiere in Cologne of his improvised piece A Prima Vista (1972), attracting the ire of Tikhon Khrennikov, leader of the Union of Composers of the USSR.

Knaifel turned his attention to writing film scores, written in a more conventional idiom. There were 40 in all, including those written for his frequent collaborator, the Russian director Semyon Aranovich.

Working with the composer on preparing a number of written texts for publication led me to appreciate his childlike sense of wonder alongside his warmth and playful sense of humour. This sense of a child’s world was apparent in both the Alice opera and its predecessor, the surrealist song cycle A Silly Horse (1981), of which a recording by Melentieva and Malov was reissued on the Megadisc label in 1997.

Knaifel married Melentieva in 1965. She survives him, along with a daughter and a grandson. 

🔔 Alexander Aronovich Knaifel, composer, born 28 November 1943; died 27 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[xtruss]

Study Finds 99% of Pro-Palestine 🇵🇸 🇵🇸 Protests At US Universities Are Peaceful

Data from ACLED, leading source of realtime data on political violence and protest activity across the globe, belies claims of Biden and Trump that Student Spring movement — campus protests against Israel's war on Gaza — is violent.

Police have arrested around 200 protesters from the anti-war encampment at UCLA, with the campus police restricting access to the area, and police helicopters hovering overhead. Photo: Reuters

A new report has found that 99 percent of pro-Palestine protests at US colleges have been peaceful, despite remarks from President Joe Biden characterising such demonstrations as violent and ex-American leader Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans supporting police crackdown on students and scholars.

"While some notable violent clashes have recently taken place, such as on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, where demonstrators and counter-demonstrators fought at a student encampment overnight on 30 April, the overwhelming majority of student protests since October — 99% — have remained peaceful," data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data [ACLED] revealed.

ACLED report showed that student-led pro-Palestine demonstrations in the US — dubbed "Student Spring" - have almost tripled from April 1 to 26, surpassing the total for the entire month of March 2024. "The arrest of more than 100 students at Columbia University in New York around 18 April heralded a new wave of campus demonstrations," said ACLED, a credible source of real-time data on political violence and protest activity around the World.

A graduate student from the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University, who chose to remain anonymous because of the fear of getting suspended, told TRT World that anti-war protests on the campus were characterised by peaceful demonstrations.

"We received support from the faculty during these moments, which shows the sense of solidarity and encouragement within the academic community that includes students and staff at GWU".

Columbia University has announced that all classes at its main campus will be hybrid until the end of the spring semester.

The burgeoning wave of student protests against Israel's brutal war in Gaza sweeping across top university campuses throughout the US stands as an echo of the anti-Vietnam War movement that indelibly shaped the spirited and often polarising discourse in the nation during the latter half of 1960s and early 1970s.

The ongoing demonstrations not only reflect the deep-seated discontent surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict in the US civil society and youth, but also serve as a potent precursor to the collective efforts that ultimately brought an end to the Vietnam War.

Divestment From Entities Supporting Isra-hell

ACLED data is a trusted resource for development, humanitarian, and policy organisations worldwide, including the UN and is used by governments globally, including the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia.

Since April 18, over 2,300 students and faculty have been arrested on college and university grounds amidst a surge of pro-Palestine protests sweeping across the US.

While protesters' demands vary, a common theme has emerged: urging colleges and universities to divest from entities supporting Israel because of Tel Aviv's role in the widespread killing and mayhem in Gaza, which some experts believe has already assumed genocidal proportions.

Students Strike First Victories

The wave of student protests has extended beyond the US, reaching other countries as well including France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Australia and many Middle East countries.

Protesters in some universities struck initial victories and ceased their demonstrations after school leaders made deals with them.

The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus arrests on 46 campuses across the nation since April 17.

Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or with firms linked to Tel Aviv's war on besieged Gaza, where Tel Aviv, according to Palestinian data, has killed at least 34,622 Palestinians - 70 percent of them babies, children and women - and wounded over 77,867 while some 10,000+ are feared buried under debris of annihilated buildings.

[theoutcastrogue]

Prison Paintings by Gülsün Karamustafa

"Prison Paintings is a series of fifteen paintings in acrylic on paper made by the Turkish artist Gülsün Karamustafa between 1972 and 1978. The works present an emotive sequence of images showing women of all ages in prison settings. They are painted in bright bold colours in a quasi-naïve style. The sombre subject matter draws on the artist’s personal experience of being incarcerated in Turkey in the early 1970s. The Prison Paintings were painted from memory, after the artist had been released from an institution intended for female prisoners serving life sentences. The paintings depict intimate and private moments in the lives of the women prisoners and reflect Karamustafa’s personal observations of daily life in prison. With scenes of inmates sleeping, playing cards or cooking, and portraits of others behind bars or shown in head shots with their prison numbers writ large across their chests, Prison Paintings can be seen as a response to the climate of political repression in Turkey during the 1970s." [Tate]

Context

"Problems occurred as a result of the politics of the nineteenth government and the Americanization of the 1950s in postwar Turkey. This led to the sociological and political confusion of the 1960s, as influenced by the leftist movements in May 1968. The country went through a significant change: besides the student clashes between right and left wing groups, economic problems led to large-scale migration from small villages to bigger cities, creating a hybrid city culture. Despite the traumatic effects of the 1960 and 1971 military coups, the leftist youth of the 1970s dreamed of a better future. In such a chaotic environment, Karamustafa was jailed for six months for concealing a political fugitive soon after her graduation from Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul in 1969. The series Prison Paintings (1972) depict those years of imprisonment: women in vibrant reds, oranges, purples and blues are depicted sleeping in the prison dormitory, or waiting in line to get a bowl of soup. The video Making of The Wall (2003) documents some of the imprisoned women, recalling the days of torture and hunger strikes they experienced. The trauma is alleviated, yet certain memories remain present." [Ibraaz]

[mothy-chan]

Many people started talking about their au based on the future diary, and I just have an idea that I’ve been working on for a long time.

Ahem.

This is future diary X Glitchtale (undertale fan au).

Here our characters will find themselves in a new fantasy world with monsters. Some characters will even... Become monsters. In any case, I'll tell you everything now...

Meropos is the content on which all events take place. A fictional corner of the world.

People here draw magic from the main trait of their character, which manifests itself in the soul.

People share life on the lands of Meropos with monsters. Creatures of various types and colors. And their relationship is very strained.

Now it's 1960-1970. A war with two countries ruled by monsters and half-breeds of humans and monsters.

In general, this au is also a glitch fan au, and there is a lot of lore that I need to explain, and it will be complete fucked up, so I will show my boys in general terms.

(Yes, here au in au and au drives.)

Yukiteru. Distinctive feature: patience. (one of the key features is the soul, which gives magic based on the most striking character trait).

A boy who spent several years in siege. His parents were killed, he lived in devastation and constant danger. There was no place to even steal food; he ate bread made from grass and earth, and collected water from an ice hole. He even had to run away from people who were so mad with hunger that they decided to eat the unfortunate boy instead of bread and land.

He was lucky to leave this city by boat, he was transported to the capital, where he was not only assigned to work, but also placed under the care of Keigo.

Yukiteru had to not only be force-fed, but also taught to live first. The boy was quiet and melancholic, Keigo's tutelage did not make it any better, since the man treated his pupils more like soldiers: Yuki began to show more aggression, but at least he had other guys who could calm him down, hug him and feel sorry for him.

Yuno. No distinctive feature.

Just a sweet, good girl. She was adopted by a wealthy family, and Yuno responded by becoming an almost perfect daughter. Smart, beautiful, loved by the residents of her city. She has no problems with her head, is doing well at school, and has also started a career as a singer. In her repertoire you can find patriotic songs.

One day went to a party at John’s house (father brought her), after which she became friends with the old man and even began to come to his parties from time to time to dance and sing with him. They get along well, despite the age difference.

Takao Hiyama. Distinctive feature: Bravery.

He was a teacher, but he was forcibly taken into the army as an officer.

Despite his incredibly menacing appearance (almost 230 centimeters tall, a large and stern man), he was very affectionate and kind to his students, and in particular he got along well with girls.

Takao is a herbalist and cook, knows how to brew tea, alcohol and other medicinal infusions, gets along well with monsters, is not afraid of and is accepted.

So strong that he can tear a lion to pieces with his bare hands and overcome a bear, but does not attack animals unless necessary or unless in a fit of rage.

Has a bear friend in the forest, whom he feeds with berries and mushrooms. In principle, he gets along well with animals.

He was Naoka's teacher a long time ago, and from that time on he developed an unhealthy attachment to her.

There is a luxurious garden around Takao's house.

Takao hates Keigo for daring to steal his love, but Keigo doesn't feel the same hatred for Takao. Dislike, and Keigo also likes to tease the redhead.

Keigo Kurusu. Distinctive feature: justice.

Field Marshal. A stern, mysterious military man who inspires fear among his people.

Keigo's only relative is his mother, Irena, who killed her own husband when he beat his son for a stolen toy, after which he gave the boy to another person to raise.

Keigo, like Karyudo and John, is under a curse: not only will he live too long, but he also does not need sleep and food, which is why he has mental problems.

Hates being touched. Constantly washes his hands. Naoka had to try very hard to get him to accept her and agree to take her hand. When she succeeded, the man could no longer live without her touch.

Keigo was on good terms with John and gets along with Tsubaki. He considered them to be his mom and dad, as they helped him a lot in childhood.

Keigo has many children that he adopted, and some of them became orphans due to him killing their parents (most often because they were oppositionists or spies working for the enemy).

He is strict and harsh towards them, but they have more or less good relations, especially among all the adopted children he loves Masumi, who respects his mentor.

Affectionately calls Minene "Nuna".

He is proficient with firearms and good at strategizing. Thanks to the magic of his trait, he can shoot homing bullets.

Tsubaki Kasugano.

A monster with small and large snakes on its head instead of hair. Because of them, she has no eyes, but she does not need her own, since she sees through the small reptiles on her head. She lived a long time, Irena's old friend, and has a slight dislike for people.

Her cult exists as a refuge for broken monsters. She took the blind Yomotsu and his monster friend there, as well as many other victims of the war.

She appears to be a calm and collected young lady. She is quite caring, as Keigo has become very attached to her and even considers her to be his mother.

Karyudo Tsukishima. Distinctive feature: patience.

Scientist, pharmacist. In fact, started working in this field to earn a lot and provide himself with a dream life in old age. Closer to 20, John noticed his success and invited him to work together. They conducted many experiments, terrible and unpleasant, and Karudo made a lot of money from it. Despite his callous and slightly stern nature, the rest of the time he appears as a wonderful, humorous grandfather who is simply having fun. He often comes up with unusual competitions or skits. He got along very well with Takao and more often sticks to him outside of work, invites him to the theater and helps him get a job as a tutor at school so that he can again feel the joy of working as a teacher.

Obsessed with dogs. So much so that he turned his only daughter, Hinata, into a hybrid of a dog-human monster, depriving her of reason and the right to further life, since her body was mutilated.

John Bacchus.

His body itself is human, but he has a curse that makes him look like a monster to people (this does not apply to the monsters themselves or Keigo). He is calm and collected, sometimes arrogant and very sarcastic. Reasonable, but honest and very affectionate with some people he likes.

He treats Yuno warmly, sends Tsubaki medicine and food, and treats his employees well. The only problem is that he is waging a war against people and this includes all the concentration camps and ghettos.

He was close to Irena and also treats Keigo with warmth. For some time in childhood, he looked after him and acted as a substitute father for him. For Keigo, he became a real father, but John, at an older and more conscious age, began to show sympathy for his pupil in a romantic way.

He can drink a whole barrel of wine without harming himself.

Yomotsu Hirasaka. No distinctive feature.

A blind boy who was abandoned by his mother and found by another family of monsters. They took pity on the child and took him with them. Their son became Yomotsu's good friend. At some point, he joined Tsubaki's cult and became her faithful assistant. He is the caretaker of the mountain, thanks to his hearing and intelligence, as well as the help of his followers and friend, he guards it very well.

Minene Uryu.

During the capture of the city, her parents were killed, but Minene survived and was among those unlucky enough to go to the concentration camp where Karyudo worked. He chose her for his experiment to create a monster-human hybrid. The experiment was to merge the soul of both types into one (not only magic is concentrated in the soul, but also the personality, character, and mind of a person, and the monster’s body is added to all this, since after the soul breaks, the monster’s body crumbles into dust). Minene was turned into a fish monster, and her consciousness began to burn, since two personalities were fused in one soul. Minene almost went crazy; fortunately, the concentration camp was quickly liberated by soldiers who walked under the command of Keigo. They took Minene home with them, but she felt so bad that on the way she managed to wound several of her saviors.

She was locked in a cell, Naoka was assigned to her as a doctor and warden. While the higher ranks were deciding what to do with the fish girl, Naoka managed to become imbued with the fate of Minene and persuaded Keigo to take the child under her care.

Minene has become brighter and cheerful, she can often quarrel with Keigo, but she is still grateful to him for saving her. Naoka is like a mother to her, and she is very happy when she comes to visit her.

Nishijima Masumi. Distinctive feature: bravery and kindness.

An ordinary boy living in the capital and studying at school not only science, but also his magic. Studied very well. He had some problems with this, since he could not come up with a spell that would combine the magic of two traits, but the teachers decided to help him by calling Keigo. While the two of them were training, Masumi managed to become attached to the teacher, and Keigo liked him too.

His parents were killed the day after Masumi's birthday. The teacher took pity on him and took him under his wing. They communicated well with each other, he began to consider Keigo a father.

From the orphanage he became best friends with Minene, although they constantly quarreled and could fight.

He is kind and brave, tries to be fair, but often rushes ahead. Became chief of police when he grew up.

His body is very warm, so he will keep you warm in winter (unlike the body of John, Minene, Keigo, Ryuji and Tsubaki. Possibly Irena).

Ryuji Kurosaki.

A bullfinch monster who became a man. He is cunning and cheerful, he cares very much about his boss, because he is afraid that he might be killed. There are many feathers left on his body, and his cheeks are unnaturally red, and his fingers are long and black. He often keeps an eye on all the employees who work near John to make sure they don't do anything wrong.

Naoka Kurusu. Distinctive feature: persistence.

A plague doctor, most often working as a pathologist or at the front, helping the sick. In principle, a kind woman with a touch of dark humor and a love of alcohol. By herself, she’s already gotten used to all the crap that’s going on around her, so she doesn’t care anymore. not scary.

Wears a doctor's coat style coat and a plague doctor mask, although her trait's magic allows her to walk through an area contaminated by any poison without taking damage. She is also immune to poisons and has tried arsenic and liked it.

Unlike Keigo, she is very nice to children, although they are afraid of her, because she works in a very specific field, and often tells stories that are not the most pleasant to hear.

Her plague doctor mask contains a canned crow monster whose voice she can hear. She communicates with him and they take care of each other together.

Due to the fact that Naoka wears a mask, she herself began to mutate and resemble a crow: she has black feathers all over her torso, paws instead of feet, and the woman also began to be drawn to carrion. She often caught herself wanting to eat the rotten body of some animal (Ryuji, unlike her, constantly eats rowan berries or fruits with nuts).

Takao was her teacher and friend, but she did not know about his love for her.

Mao, Hinata and Kosaka. There is no distinctive feature.

Ordinary children, Yuno's best friends at school, often go for walks with her. After Hinata disappeared, Mao tried for a long time to find out where, until she heard rumors of what Karyudo had done to her daughter.

Kosaka often appears as a protector not only of Yuno, but also of Mao. During the war, he helps Mao and the distraught Hinata escape.

Kosaka himself wanted to join the army and was accepted, but unfortunately he died at the front.

Irena.

Keigo's mother and wife of the nameless thief. For a long time, she was a mother to Keigo, and a quiet and meek woman to those around her, until one day she suddenly killed her own husband. Then she showed herself to be cruel and very aggressive.

She had a strong connection with John, they may have been friends, but now she told him to go to hell.

That's all for now. Yes, to a greater extent this universe is devoted to military themes (the entire order, in principle, is based on the war between people and monsters, the non-acceptance of the two species).

There’s still a lot of lore left behind, which I’ve skipped for now because I’m tired of writing a post of 1,172,672 words. If you are interested, please clarify, plus it uses the canons of two universes and my own developments.

HAVE A GOOD DAY BRO 🩷🩷🩷

[hardworkandguts]

Dear Brother

おにいさまへ...

(Anime + Manga)

Shoujo by Riyoko Ikeda / Osamu Dezaki

Era: 1970s, 1990s

Rating: A

Plot: Nanako Misonoo enters the prestigious all-girls Seiran Academy, where she finds the social scene dominated by the Magnificent Three: talented artist and walking pharmacy Rei "Hana no Saint-Juste" Asaka, the athletic "Kaoru-no-kimi" Orihara, returning from a long illness, and the elegant leader of the student council Fukiko Ichinomiya. She is unexpectedly selected to join the exclusive sorority, setting in motion events that would turn the letters she sends to her "brother", cram school teacher Takehiko Henmi, into what could be evidence of several investigations into what the hell is going on.

Length: 39 episodes, 17 chapters.

Thoughts: Well, there's the Riyoko Ikeda story about bringing down an unjust system that mostly causes strife to the people inside and those who have to deal with it, and then there's also Rose of Versailles. While not as known as well as the historical classic, it doesn't take long to understand why - this has to be one of the most melodramatic things I've ever seen. And you know what, it's just amazing to watch his incredibly messed up all these girls are.

From the characters, while Nanako is perfectly normal, other than constantly be in situations she probably should have taken a hint things were going from bad to worse but just stood there, deer in headlights mode, there are two who are perfectly normal: Nanako's old friend and best girl Tomoko (who gets more airtime than in the manga), and the school's only grown up and resident mom Kaoru, both who have the witness the chaos Fukiko and the sorority leave behind, the later setting the stage for the conclusion of the story after having enough of it. Then there's Rei, the main tragic figure in this story, almost permanently zonked-out from pills mixed with an unhealthy obsession with Fukiko, the nature of their relationship being discovered one the first major plot points and highlights Fukiko's position as the main human villain in the story (the weight of the sorority in the school's social matters at the absolute top) as her attempts to manipulate both Rei and Nanako border on sociopathic, while Mariko is probably the character who both needs a hug and friends the most in the history of the medium, and would probably be far happier in a regular school where she could be the local tsundere sticking her tongue out at every boy instead of being in Mean Girl central.

It's a point often made with Sailor Moon, but this is another case of a show of the early 90s (an adaptation of the mid 70s, to boot) is more daring in its portrayal of yuri relationships than a lot of modern shows who have a kiss on the cheek that can be taken either way, good job let's go home. Also daring on the portrayal of a lot of other things, from suicidal ideation, drug use (the ultimate taboo), incest (no, it's still drug use), the societal stigma of divorce and what happens after to the families who go through it.

Visually, it's a Dezaki piece, alright. You have his Postcard Memories, the very limited animation using panning and zooming to stop many scenes from being completely still, compensated with striking character design, using very clean lines and crisp shadowing detail. Honestly, you could stop it at any point, and in most cases you'd end up with something that could be out of a cover. Not to say it doesn't have flaws: for instance, the box cutter episode has much nicer animation than some previous episodes that could mostly be recreated in PowerPoint. It also uses vignettes and almost stage lighting framing to highlight scenes, giving this an almost theatrical appearance, which goes pretty well with the constant melodrama.

Finally, reading this Bluesky thread of someone watching it for the first time is great fun because it can be so messed up. Also, where you'll see the original version of some of the comments made here.

Recommended to: do you like DRAMA?

Plus:

At its best, it looks incredible. Really love this sort of style with very crisp, dramatic shadows, every scene with a close up looks like it could be a freeze-frame by itself. Dezaki making himself almost redundant.

Adaptation expands greatly on the source material and every character comes up better for it.

It's very fucked up, in a "oh, don't tell me she... yup, she did it" way.

Minus:

Well, it's *extremely* fucked up, when it's not being *extremey* melodramatic. Also loses a bit of steam by the end as it ties everything together, but that's more on how off the charts the first two thirds are.

Rei just scrambling through her pockets taking out all sorts of pills like she has Raoul Duke's suitcase trying to find painkillers is both funny and EXTREMELY dark, like with Rose of Versailles some humour was taken out on the adaptation, played straight (like in this case) or pushed into Tomoko. Maybe that's why she's best girl.

Some episodes are really lacking in animation quality and go off-model a bit too much.

[ronnansink-blog]

A Legendary Snapshot: The Electrifying Budo of Yoshimichi Sato Sensei

If you close your eyes and imagine the roar of the crowd, the echo of metal against wood, and the snap of a perfectly executed stance, you might find yourself in the midst of a classic Sports Illustrated spread from an era long gone. The 1970s were the pinnacle of high-octane sports culture, where athleticism met artistry in ways that still inspire fans decades later. Now, imagine this energy distilled into a single black-and-white photograph—a timeless frame capturing Yoshimichi Sato Sensei demonstrating the lethal grace of Budo. His Sai glints under the lights; his Bo cuts through the air with authoritative power. The hush of the onlookers betrays an unspoken reverence. Each movement is a testament to discipline, training, and an unbreakable spirit. Indeed, this remastered classical material of Yoshimichi Sato Sensei in black and white offers more than just a historic look back; it’s a living, breathing tribute to the enduring power of martial arts.

From the perspective of a martial arts aficionado, there’s nothing quite like witnessing a demonstration of vintage Budo in action. But even if you’re a casual observer, or a sports fan looking for that burst of adrenaline that only a Sports Illustrated–caliber event can deliver, the visual and emotional impact of Sato Sensei’s performance is undeniable. In this remastered footage, he moves with uncanny precision. The Sai—those short, pronged weapons—glint menacingly, capturing the aura of a different time and place. With every block, strike, and twist of the wrist, Sato Sensei seems to defy the limitations of the human body. There is poetry in the motion, a fluidity that belies the inherent danger of the weapons he wields. Then comes the Bo, that long staff that can reach out and dominate an encounter before an opponent even closes in. In Sato Sensei’s hands, it’s like a maestro’s baton: every shift in stance and angle orchestrates a new possibility for defense and offense.

We often talk about the 1970s with a sense of nostalgia. This decade saw the rise of new fitness movements and a renaissance of global sports. Martial arts exploded in popularity—films starring iconic figures like Bruce Lee swept across continents, capturing the hearts of mainstream audiences. But while Hollywood glamorized the spectacle, real practitioners like Yoshimichi Sato Sensei quietly labored in the dojo, honing their craft to a level that transcended cinematic flair. For the serious student of Budo, whether it’s Karate, Kobudo, or any number of related disciplines, the 1970s were a time when lineage, respect, and tradition were still front and center. There were fewer cameras, fewer editing tricks, and fewer ways to ‘doctor’ a performance. Skill spoke for itself, and Sato Sensei’s skill speaks volumes.

When you watch this remastered classical footage, the first thing you notice is how the black-and-white film intensifies the experience. It strips away the distractions of color, focusing your attention on shape, form, and technique. Every bead of sweat on Sato Sensei’s brow seems highlighted, telling the story of a seasoned veteran who has poured years of discipline into this moment. The arcs of the weapons come alive against the stark background. The Sai’s triple-pronged silhouette stands out like a calligrapher’s flourish on white parchment. The Bo’s straight lines carve the air with decisive authority. You can almost hear the collective gasp of the spectators who, even in a decade saturated with martial arts intrigue, knew they were witnessing something special.

In the world of sports commentary, there’s nothing more riveting than a performance that transcends its immediate environment. We love the underdog stories, the record-breaking achievements, the legendary coaches who can change the game in a heartbeat. But there’s also a special place in our sports pantheon for displays that pay homage to time-honored traditions. Think of the stealthy fluidity of a gymnast’s floor routine, the mesmerizing footwork of a champion boxer, or the graceful arcs of a figure skater’s triple axel. While these feats may come from different sports, they share a universal allure: the power of discipline and mastery to inspire an audience. Yoshimichi Sato Sensei’s demonstration is exactly that kind of performance. It’s a piece of living history, a demonstration of what’s possible when decades of training meet an unquenchable thirst for excellence.

Sato Sensei’s skill set in Sai and Bo can serve as a window into the broader universe of Budo. Budo, at its core, isn’t just about fighting or self-defense—it’s a way of life, encompassing character development, physical conditioning, and moral ethics. Many of us look at sports primarily as entertainment, but anyone who’s stepped onto the mat knows that practice sessions can be grueling, repetitive, and often humbling. Yet it’s exactly in that grind where martial artists find their center, where they learn respect not only for their weapons, but also for the traditions and teachings passed down through generations. Watching Sato Sensei perform in the 1970s is like gazing into a portal that reveals the fruits of that labor.

We mustn’t forget the supporting cast in this black-and-white spectacle: the eager eyes of students and spectators, the hushed reverence in the dojo, and the synergy that occurs when a master shares his craft. In many ways, the presence of an audience shapes the performance. When a martial artist knows that people are watching, especially if those people include peers and students, there’s a heightened sense of responsibility to honor the art form. This demonstration isn’t just about personal glory—it’s about preserving and passing on a piece of cultural and historical significance. Decades later, that sense of responsibility is still palpable. The footage, remastered for new generations, serves as a bridge that connects the old guard to the new.

When Sports Illustrated covers a game, a match, or a performer at the top of their field, the hallmark is detail and storytelling. We don’t just see the big plays; we get to know the athlete, the coach, the strategy, the backstory that led to that moment. Likewise, it’s important to contextualize Sato Sensei’s demonstration. The Sai and Bo weren’t the only stars of the show. During the 1970s, dojos were breeding grounds for multi-disciplinary skills. Practitioners trained in everything from nunchaku to katana, not to mention the unarmed forms like Karate or Judo. The synergy between various weapons and empty-hand techniques underscores a holistic approach to combat that Budo is famous for. Sato Sensei, with his unstoppable Sai and commanding Bo, encapsulated that synergy perfectly.

Let’s also highlight the physicality required. It’s one thing to wave around a staff; it’s another to channel every ounce of one’s body into each strike and block. In high-level Budo, every movement starts from the feet—the stance is the foundation. Power travels up through the core and finally extends to the arms and hands. When wielding a Sai or a Bo, the martial artist must harmonize speed, accuracy, and control in a matter of seconds. Overextension can lead to injury or a fatal opening in real combat. Under-commitment can render an attack ineffective. Watching Sato Sensei handle these nuances so effortlessly speaks to the years of sweat equity he invested in his training.

Yet for all the physical prowess on display, one of the most captivating aspects of this remastered footage is the spirit behind it. Martial arts masters often speak of ‘kime,’ or the focus and energy that culminates in a single, decisive action. You can see that intensity etched into Sato Sensei’s expression. His gaze is unwavering, his posture unyielding, and his technique uncompromising. Every flick of the wrist, every pivot of the hips, is an extension of his will. This is what makes a demonstration like this so special—it’s not just a show; it’s a testament to personal mastery, a narrative of a life dedicated to the pursuit of Budo excellence.

In an era where everything is digital, filtered, and often fleeting, this black-and-white moment from the 1970s offers a refreshing jolt of authenticity. It reminds us that certain values—hard work, dedication, respect—are timeless. For those who are new to martial arts, or simply intrigued by the storied history of athletic achievement, witnessing Yoshimichi Sato Sensei’s demonstration can ignite a spark of curiosity. For seasoned practitioners, it can inspire a renewed commitment to the art form. And for the sports enthusiast who thrives on jaw-dropping performances, it delivers a show worthy of prime coverage in any era.

When the lights dim and the last echo of the Sai fades away, we are left with an indelible mark. The decade might have been the 1970s, the film might be black and white, and the demonstration might be contained to a few frames of footage—but the impact spans generations. That’s the true power of sports and martial arts alike: the ability to transcend boundaries of time, culture, and even technology. Watching Sato Sensei’s Budo demonstration is like opening a Sports Illustrated from a dusty archive—suddenly, you’re transported to a front-row seat of a historic moment. You feel the intensity, marvel at the mastery, and walk away with a renewed appreciation for what humans can accomplish when they fuse passion.

[leftistfeminista]

THE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT LASTED ELEVEN MONTHS and THE DAY MOTHERS STRIPPED NAKED.

On March 3rd 1992, mothers of the political prisoners stripped naked at Uhuru park to demand for the release of their sons caught in Moi's torture chambers.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the political atmosphere in Kenya was characterized by brutal government repression and terror, under the de-facto single-party rule of President Daniel Arap Moi. 

Any form of political dissension was swiftly met with government interrogation, detention, and torture, using the justification of the Public Order Act, the Chiefs Authority Act and the Sedition Law. 

This resulted to the arrest, killing and exiling of many students, politicians, lawyers and journalists. Those arrested were tortured and thrown in prisons, some came back alive while others died in the torture chambers and prisons. 

On Feb 28th, 1992, Mothers of Political Prisoners, aged between 60-80 years presented a Petition with a list of 52 political prisoners who had been imprisoned for perceived anti-government statements, ideas, and actions, to the then Attorney General, Amos Wako. 

The mothers then proceeded to a now famous corner at the Uhuru Park in Nairobi for an undefined hunger strike. The mothers were supported & led by the late Nobel Laurent, Prof. Wangari Maathai who joined them in their protest, which was ignored by the mainstream media, KBC & KTN. 

The mothers set up camp in the Uhuru (Freedom) Park that is located across the infamous “Nyayo House Torture Chambers” and not far off is the Parliament Building. There, they staged a hunger strike and waited for the release of their sons. 

The striking mothers soon garnered much support for their cause. Several sympathizers set up a tent under which the mothers could sleep, and many frustrated Kenyans came forward and openly recounted their stories of torture. 

These supporters joined in on the mothers’ singing of traditional Kenyan songs, which included such lyrics as, “Go and take the child back…” The mothers set up banners and handed out flyers to curious Kenyans as they continued their vigil. 

On March 3rd, the Moi government decided to forcibly disperse the demonstrators. Government police forces beat protesters with batons, fired gunshots into the air, and hurled tear-gas into the tent where protesters were gathered. 

Wangari Maathai who was criticized by President Daniel Arap Moi, being called a “madwoman” & “a threat to the order & security of the country”, was was beaten into the coma. This made it to the newspaper headlines, causing uproar across the nation and criticism internationally. 

To ward off the police, two of the protesting mothers stripped their clothing and dared the police to kill them. They shouted “What kind of government is this that beats women! Kill us! Kill us now! We shall die with our children!” 

Perhaps the mothers were inspired by the 1922 bravery actions of women led by Mary Muthoni Nyanjiru, who stormed a police station in Nairobi to demand the release of Harry Thuku. Men who had come along started retreating upon coming face to face with armed colonial police. 

In disappointment, Nyanjiru stripped to shame the fleeing men, and asked them to give women their trousers since they were brave. The charged crowd overrun the police station, and Mary Nyanjiru was shot dead on that day. Her brave actions aroused people into active resistance. 

Back to 1992, the police officers on seeing the nakedness of mothers in their 60s, responded by turning away and leaving the scene. According to Maathai, the tactic of disrobing was particularly effective in stopping the police because.... 

... “In the African tradition,people must respect women who are close to their mother’s age, & must treat them as their mothers. If men beat mothers,it is like sons violating their mothers, & the mothers respond by cursing them & they cursed them by showing them their nakedness.” 

The news of the violent beatings of the mothers sparked riots all over Nairobi. Transportation workers boycotted their work in protest of the govt beating the mothers, & large crowds of stone-throwing demonstrators had to be dispersed by tear gas-firing riot police.