Chinese Math books with pro-American' images outrage China

China has ordered a nationwide review of school textbooks after illustrations deemed ugly, sexually suggestive and secretly pro-American caused public uproar.

The news has alarmed some experts and parents who fear the campaign is turning into a political witch hunt and represents an unnecessary tightening of the country's already stringent censorship of cultural publications.

Some Chinese internet users have criticized the pictures of children with small, drooping, wide-set eyes and big foreheads as ugly, offensive and racist.

Internet users have also accused the illustrations of being "pro-United States," because they show several children wearing clothes patterned with stars and stripes and in the colors of the American flag.

Many expressed shock and anger that such "substandard" illustrations had not only made it into textbooks published by the state-owned People's Education Press, the country's biggest textbook publisher founded in 1950, but had gone unnoticed for so many years (the textbooks have been in use nationwide since 2013.) Others questioned how these textbooks had passed the country's notoriously strict publication review process.

On Saturday, China's Education Ministry stepped in, ordering the publisher to "rectify and reform" its publications and make sure the new version would be available for the fall semester. It also ordered a "thorough inspection" of textbooks nationwide to make sure teaching materials "adhere to correct political directions and values, promote outstanding Chinese culture and conform to the aesthetic tastes of the public."

Under Xi, the Chinese government has banned foreign teaching materials -- including textbooks and classic novels -- in all public primary and secondary schools, stating that all teaching materials "must reflect the will of the party and the country."

 

ertuğrul 1890

Two historical incidents that deepened the friendship between Japan and Turkey are connected: The sinking of the Turkish frigate Ertugrul off the Japanese coast in 1890 and the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Iran in 1985.

Ertugrul was an Ottoman naval ship and her mission was to give the regards of Ottoman Sultan to Japan Emperor. After completing her mission, on the way back home, she was caught by a strong typhoon in the Japan shore and she crashed to the rocks and sank close to an island called Kusimoto.

"Ertugrul 1890" is an emotional film and it mentions about the friendship between Japanese and Turkish people. Though I think that some scenes are a little bit exaggerated, it helps us remember things like helpfulness, faithfulness and brotherhood.

However, the content is too much and the impression is diminished.
How could the Japanese insist at Tehran Airport to pick them up in front of the Turkish people waiting for their return flight? And I cannot help feeling uncomfortable when they board, as a matter of course, that airplane .
If they can't fly, they should consider escaping Tehran by car.

The difference between Japan Airlines, which prioritizes the safety of pilots, and those pilots  of turkish air, who volunteered to fly to Tehran, makes me feel nurvous.

Since ancient times, the Japanese have had the beauty of being a "people of the sea" and helping anyone who is in distress in the sea by throwing anything. That spirit may have been lost now days.

『海難1890』予告

Amazon Kindle supporting EPUB

Amazon is going to be supporting the EPUB format later this year. Users will be able to use Send to Kindle to upload EPUB books directly to their e-reader. Amazon is working on the system integration right now and should be rolled out globally in August. We will be able to send EPUB books using our Send to Kindle email address. The company will also be adding EPUB support to the free Kindle app for iOS and Android devices and the Send to Kindle desktop app for PC and Mac.

EPUB became the official standard for digital book formats in 2007 and received major revisions ever since. EPUB is the most widely supported vendor-independent XML-based (as opposed to PDF) e-book format; that is, it is supported by almost all hardware readers.  Amazon is basically the only company that uses their own book formats, while Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Books, Scribd, Overdrive and virtually everyone else uses and supports EPUB. It is the widely used format out there and if you want to download a book online, it will always be available as an EPUB file.

Laurus nobilis (bay)

Bay (Laurus nobilis), also known as bay laurel or the bay tree, is an evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves, known as bay leaves. Laurus nobilis one of the oldest shrubs in cultivation.

It’s an essential foliage plant for herb gardens – bay leaves can be used in a variety of dishes, including soups and stews and even ice cream, and are the main ingredient in a ‘bouquet garni’.

The bay, which was in the garden until last year, was accompanied by scale insects and eventually gave up.
This year, I have researched for prevention.  So, ready for planting.

I took a peek at various gardening shops, but the seedlings were not sold. I wonder if it will be avoided because it will be a big tree.
After all, I ordered online. Expected to arrive next weekend. As the rainy season comes, we plan to grow it in pots for a while.

Sorry Putin, the US fears China more

The US began with a swipe at Vladimir Putin's war, which had strengthened Ukraine, weakened Russia and united NATO. China deserves much more US attention. Russia may have started the worst war in Europe since 1945.

China's the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. 

China also gets a say in how this turns out.