Two sides tested one another’s resolve but timeframe meant it was probably unrealistic to expect deal
It was if the two delegations in the Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad hoped that the sheer number of negotiators flown into Pakistan could overcome the handicap of having only a finite number of hours in which to settle a 20-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, now overlaid by complex new issues such as future control of the strait of Hormuz and US compensation for its attack on Iran.
Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators, including many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) present to ensure that no gains made in the field were relinquished at the diplomatic table. Diplomats fanned out across political, legal, security, economic and military files. One Iranian-drafted technical explanation on nuclear facility safety ran to more than 100 pages.
Continue reading...Hundreds of officers deployed to regain control of O’Connell Street on sixth day of protests by farmers and hauliers
Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting about fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have rocked Ireland.
Mounted units and hundreds of officers regained control of O’Connell Street in a peaceful operation that emptied the thoroughfare of trucks and tractors on Sunday morning.
Continue reading...TheAmazingShrinkingMan has added a photo to the pool:
Spent the day in Kabukicho visiting an exhibition of Shunga called, ‘A Contest of Allure: Hokusai and Eisen – Kabukicho in Full Bloom’ which features dozens of original prints by the masters of woodblock printing, and the most notable names in shunga, Katsushika Hokusai and Keisai Eisen.
I first ran across shunga (literally, ‘pictures of spring) in an Erotic Imagery in Art class I took in university. Shunga is out-and-out early 19th century porn. The images we looked at covered every Pornhub search category except possibly ‘step-mother, step-sister.’ They covered every conceivable means of connection, self-pleasure, bondage, MILF, girl-girl, threesomes, toys, methods for dealing with ED, and positions that nobody has even come up with names for. (And don’t forget tentacle porn — the most famous shunga of all time features a fisherman’s wife hooking up with two lucky octopi.) The bulk of the exhibition was extremely explicit.
Two general observations: First, neither artist has a very good handle on proportions. The male characters in the prints are armed with members somewhat larger than the business end of a baseball bat. Second, even though Eisen ran a brothel to raise money, neither of the artists seem to have a clear idea of where on the body female genitalia is actually located. Let’s just say that the women in these prints could not safely wear a modern bikini.
The great thing about the exhibit is that photography is completely unrestricted. The only rule is no flash. The prints that were hung on the walls were impossible to capture because of reflections, but the prints in the display cases were great. I think I photographed every single print.
I’m not sure how explicit works of art are allowed to be on social media, so this photo is the title page of Eisen’s marriage manual entitled Iro Shinan (An Erotic Manual of Instruction.) Anyway, we had a good time wandering around Kabukicho on a wonderfully warm and sunny Sunday afternoon.
