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Say Hello to Black Jack
October 27, 2010 by Anna N
Japanese publishers tend to shy away of digital distribution, so I'm finding the case of Shuto Sato's Say Hello to Black Jack really interesting. I was interested to see the notice at Anime News Network that he's seeking English translators for his online comics site. Sato disclosed financial numbers for what he was making as a mangaka before switching to online distribution. I'll be curious to read an authorized English translation of Say Hello to Black Jack when it becomes available.
Here's some links for more information about Sato and Say Hello to Black Jack:
Manga Reality: The Case of Say Hello to Blackjack
Japanese Live Action Drama site
Mangaonweb (Sato's digital comics site)
Filed Under: UNSHELVED
Kekkaishi Volumes 8 and 9
One of this week's spooky manga picks is the always excellent shonen monster hunting series Kekkaishi. It is daunting sometimes to try to catch up on a long running series like Kekkaishi, but Tanabe's excellent pacing and character development make it possible to keep following the story even if you have skipped a few volumes. I've read the first five volumes of the series previously.
Kekkaishi Volume 8 by Yellow Tanabe
Things are growing more complicated for monster hunters Yoshimori and girl next door Tokine. Performing their duties as protectors of the mystical energy site located by their school used to be fairly straightforward, but now they're dealing with an organized effort from a group of ayakashi (monsters) who even have the ability to take on human form. They've been sent an ally named Gen from the Shadow Organization, where Yoshimori's brother has now risen to a position of power. Gen has been taken out of the fight and Yoshimori and Tokine have to fend off a large group of monsters by themselves. Yoshomori's latent power briefly manifests when Tokine is frightened, and the leader of the monster pack inexplicably calls off the attack, perhaps content in finding out something about Yoshimori's power levels that young kekkaishi doesn't even know himself. The remainder of the volume shows some of Gen's backstory as he struggles with the idea of continuing his assignment to help Yoshimori and Tokine. Gen is half ayakashi, and has the potential to turn entirely into a monster if he isn't careful with restraining his power. Yoshimori's older brother Masamori placed him with a special class within the shadow organization called the Night Troops, which is made up of other children similar to Gen. Masamori also seems to be playing politics within the Shadow Organization, so it is easy to see why Yoshimori might be suspicious of him.
It seemed to me like there was a tiny bit of character progression in the way Yoshimori was drawn. I thought he looked a little bit more angular in the face, perhaps showing him as becoming more mature as a person and in the use of his power since the series started. Tanabe's monster designs are always a highlight of the book, with Yoshimori's foes looking like demonic versions of a squid, Cousin It, a mutated bat, and an odd insect.
The ninth volume is devoted to some fun training sessions for Yoshimori, Gen, and Tokine when Gen's monster trainer Atora shows up suddenly to put them through their paces. She challenges them to capture her, and they're forced to work together as a team. Tokine and Yoshimori already have a rapport, but Gen just tends to rush off into battle and doesn't coordinate his actions with others. Due to some traumatic events when his power manifested Gen tends to hold himself apart from others. Atora was a fun character, who was always drawn with a sunny grin on her face. She announces her presence by blasting the door in and seems absolutely delighted at the opportunity to stage a mock battle. More importantly, she wants to check up on her pupil to see if he's finally making friends. She's accompanied by a giant bear named Raizo who is extremely cute even as he starts emitting dangerous electricity.
While the new three person team of kekkaishi begins to work together, the organized group of akakashi start acting up in mysterious ways. One of them drinks up the mystic swamp where the spirit Lord Uru lives, and Yoshimori is concerned about the fate of the nature god. This volume contained some of Tanabe's great arresting images. Yoshimori's grandfather thinks one of his old friends might be in danger of an attack, and a representative of the Shadow Organization breaths a giant smoky scorpion into existence in order to provide transportation. Gen and Yoshimori bond over lunch as they float on a cube of energy far above their high school.
I think it says a lot about Tanabe's skills as an author that a manga that juggles complex plots and a variety of characters is still easy to follow even if there are gaps in the volumes that you've read. One of these days I'll be totally caught up! In a world filled with formulaic shonen, Kekkaishi really is something special.
Dengeki Daisy Volumes 1 and 2
Dengeki Daisy Volumes 1 and 2 Kyousuke Motomi
Just what I need, yet another shoujo series to follow! I didn't run out and preorder the first volume of Dengeki Daisy when I saw it solicited. I tend to enjoy most Shojo Beat series, but I thought the idea of a girl getting over her brother's death due to her guardian angel "Daisy" who is reachable only by cell phone was maybe not the greatest premise for a story. Then I saw all the positive reviews for the series from other manga bloggers and I started to think I was missing out. When Viz sent me a copy of the second volume, I decided to give in and try the series, and I was very pleasantly surprised.
Dengeki Daisy starts out with a rather worn out premise, but the execution of all the details made the story seem fresh. Teru's older brother has died, but before he passed on he gave her a cell phone and said that the phone will connect her to a person named Daisy who will always be there to support her. As the volume opens poor but sassy Teru is treating the phone like a false diary, telling Daisy that she's doing fine when she's being bullied by the sadistic student council at her school. Teru isn't a helpless heroine. After she gets splashed with a bucket of water she turns a hose on the perpetrators. She's aided further as some balls thrown by a mysterious rescuer connect with the heads of her tormentors. Teru tries to throw the balls back in the direction where she thinks they came from, but they end up breaking a window at the school. Enter the creepy yet astoundingly young and handsome school custodian Kurosaki. Since Teru is too poor to pay to fix the window, he announces that she'll become his servant and puts her to work performing custodial tasks while he communes with his laptop. They quickly fall into the habit of bickering, as Kurosaki gruffly orders Teru around and she bids him farewell by saying "I hope your hair falls out by tomorrow!" Kurosaki always seems to be around when Teru needs help. When Teru needs help hacking into a computer in order to aid a classmate, she texts Daisy and the situation is quickly resolved. She asks Kurosaki if he's Daisy and he denies it.
That scene was where I thought there was an indication that Dengeki Daisy might be a little more interesting than the average shoujo manga. I think in a more conventional title, it would take at least a volume or two for Teru to register the suspicion that Kurosaki is Daisy. Bad boys who are secretly good are shoujo staples but Kurosaki is a superior example of the type. I found myself captivated by his expressions of unholy glee as he dealt with the people who were picking on Teru. He was gruff and surly with Teru, and only had a gentle expression on his face when she couldn't see him. Thankfully the evil student council plot is left quickly behind and the odd couple end up having to unravel something more interesting – industrial espionage. Teru's older brother was a genius engineer, and unscrupulous people suspect that since Teru's only inheritance from him was a cell phone it might be more valuable than it appears. While Kurosaki isn't revealing his identity as Daisy to Teru, he used to work with her brother and took the custodian job to watch over her. He's filled with guilt about the death of his friend.
Motomi's art easily shifts between different modes that expresses what the characters are going through. When Teru and a couple of her friends express solidarity, they strike a fighting pose straight out of comedic shonen manga and vow "Even if we are poor and are clothes are shabby! Even if we are ugly and girls don't like us! Our hearts bloom like flowers, beautiful and strong! And we're proud of it!!!" Kurosaki looks like a capable action hero when he leaps to defend his girl and when they share a quiet moment in the school's garden the backdrop of flowers and significant glances creates an emotionally charged mood broken only by Kurosaki telling Teru that she's stupid for thinking he's Daisy.
Teru and Kurosaki become temporary roommates after somebody breaks into her apartment. He puts her to work doing various domestic tasks like cooking, organizing CDs, and providing him with shoulder massages. One of the things I like is the emotional give-and-take between the couple. Kurosaki attempts to tease her after she announces that to her Daisy is the best thing in the world by asking her what would happen if Daisy turns out to be a total jerk like him. She says "That goes without saying, I'll love everything about you," then wacks him in the head. Kurosaki is momentarily dumbfounded and as Teru walks away she thinks "Even if you aren't Daisy, I've already fallen for you."
The supporting cast is rounded out by the addition of the new school counselor Riko. She is also someone who used to work with Kurosaki and Teru's brother. Riko's also interested in looking after Teru and when Teru seeks her advice she tells Teru that Kurosaki is a terrible, selfish person. Teru thinks that it is true that Kurosaki might be terrible because she has no idea what he's thinking, so she vows to become "a terrible woman whose thoughts are unreadable" so she can play with his emotions. Teru and Daisy's texts to each other provide an interesting counterpoint to the relationship between Teru and Kurosaki. He has more knowledge of her inner feelings, and Teru will sometimes confess something to Daisy and put on an entirely different facade for Kurosaki. Teru's troubles continue as she continues to be the target of people who are after her brother's research. The emotional strain of protecting Teru and holding back his feelings for her begins to weigh more heavily on Kurosaki, and the reader sees a flashback to a scene between him and Teru's brother that seems a little creepy.
One thing that I thought was curious about this manga was the author bios in the back of the books. I'd thought that Kyousuke Motomi was one of the few men working as a shoujo manga artist, but the author bios indicated the author was female. On the other hand, the self-portrait of the author looked like it had a very stylized mustache, and there's an a author comment about facial hair growth. So I'm not sure what to think, but I'd honestly be curious to read more shoujo written by men just as I enjoy shonen manga written by women.
Even though some of the plot points in Dengeki Daisy manga aren't very unique, by the end of these two volumes I was totally invested in wanting to see what happens to Teru and Kurosaki. The industrial sabotage subplot and the events surrounding the death of Teru's brother creates an ongoing mystery that works as a counterweight to the budding romance. Also, I find the idea of a romance between a high school girl and a seemingly benign yet emotionally traumatized hacker who is posing as a school custodian just creepy enough to be entertaining while not quite entering into the "No, this is yucky" territory of a manga like Black Bird. Teru seems to be extremely resilient and is able to cope with Kurosaki by coming up with quick put-downs whenever he seems mean. Dengeki Daisy manages to blend different emotional aspects to come up with a compelling story. I enjoyed reading this series because there's suspense, romance, action, and just enough comedy to keep things from being too heavy.
Review copy of volume 2 provided by the publisher
Saturday Morning Cartoon: FLCL Ending
I decided to steal an idea from Bully and start a regular Saturday morning cartoon feature. To kick things off, let's go back a few years and appreciate the gloriousness that is found in the ending credits to FFLCL. I saw this anime some time ago, so it is just a jumbled mess in my head of robots, vespas, aliens, and an inexplicable giant iron. One of the most memorable things about this show was the sound track, provided by The Pillows. I don't think you can listen to "Ride On Shooting Star" and not feel a little bit happier by the end of the song.
PR: Free Preview of Hetalia Volume 2 on Comixology on Oct 24
Since I have drunk the iPad kool-aid, I am enjoying reading online comics on it using Comixology. So I was psyched to see that Tokyopop is offering a sample chapter of the next Hetalia chapter on Comixology on Oct 24th. Here's the link provided for the download.
I wonder if Italy will be waving his surrender flag again. Oh, that wacky Italy!
Rescue Manga poll results
I threw together a poll about manga on hiatus over on Manga Views and thought the results were interesting. I didn't include every stalled manga series that I knew of because I was trying to represent a few different publishers. So it was interesting to see from the small section of the mangasphere that voted that the love for Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga remains so strong. I also had no idea how fervently people missed Nodame Cantible. I read the first few volumes of that series but lost steam a little bit. There were some good additions in the comments with votes for some horror and seinen manga, which tend to not be on my radar very much.
I miss many of the series listed on the poll, but I voted for Crown over Swan, just because Crown is so goofy, and I'm determined to just buy the rest of Swan in Japanese sometimes and at least enjoy the pretty pictures even if I can't really tell what's going on. Swan is one of those series that is so visual in its storytelling I think I'd enjoy reading it even in the absence of a translation.
Two from emanga: The Cinderella Inheritance and The Cinderella Solution
Harelequin manga might be a little bit on the disposable side – I don't know if I've read any that I know I'd want to reread but I'm just getting over a cold and there is really no better manga to read while you have a stuffy head. So here are quick takes on two Harlequin manga that have the word Cinderella in their titles. One manga was good, and one was not so good.
The Cinderella Inheritance by Carolyn Zane and Mon Ito
Cynthia has worked as the personal secretary to the patriarch of a rich family, Alfred Wingate. She's engaged to his womanizing grandson Graham, but decides that she has to call the engagement off because Graham is a pathological cheater. Things get complicated when Alfred dies and leaves his mansion to Cynthia, along with the qualification that she can't give the mansion back to the WIngate family. If she doesn't take it, it has to go to charity. Graham's long lost brother Rick shows up for the reading of the will, and promptly decides that Cynthia is a scheming woman who got close to his family in order to grab her share of the Wingate fortune.
The quality of these Harlequin manga can be erratic. Sometimes they are good in a brain candy type of way, but other times they really seem rushed. Some of the transitions between scenes in The Cinderella Inheritance seemed a little jerky and the plot elements were introduced randomly, without a real connection to the character's emotions or backgrounds. I'm never entirely sure if these execution problems are due to issues with the adaptation or the source material because let's face it, we're talking about harlequin romance novels here. Of course, Rick and Cynthia fall in love with each other while she's jugging the expectations of the Wingates that she marry Graham so the mansion will stay in the family. Of course she's just a good girl who is working her way for college, and while Rick is initially suspicious he finds himself falling in love with her despite his better judgment. I didn't find Ito's character designs very appealing, and the art was static. The characters just seemed like paper dolls put through the paces to satisfy a fairly predictable plot.
This title is skipable, but I enjoyed the other Harlequin Manga with Cinderella in the title much much more.
The Cinderella Solution by Kyoko Sagara and Cathy Yardly
Charlotte and Gabe are best friends. She's a bit of a tomboy and she goes along with Gabe to all of his typical guy-like activities like poker and football games. He even takes her out to a bachelor party right before she's supposed to be the maid of honor at his sister's wedding. They constantly compete with each other by making stupid bets. Charlotte has a bit of a psychological complex where she thinks of herself as unfeminine, which is absolutely ridiculous because Sagara draws her as a classic shoujo heroine with shining eyes and glossy hair. I guess the thing that signals that she isn't very girly is the fact that she always has her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
I've decided that I enjoy these Harlequin manga the most when the art is extra super-girly and this manga didn't disappoint in that category. Take a look at the cover where our cute couple is surrounded by both roses and weird blobby sparkly things. The character designs are cute, with bee-stung lips and perfect hair. The only odd thing is that Sagara tends to draw her men with extra long eyebrows, which sometimes gave Gabe a vaguely insectoid appearance. But, unlike the flat personalities in the previous manga, The Cinderella Solution really takes the time to establish the bickering relationship between Gabe and Charlotte. She's in agony performing her bridesmaid duties at the wedding and Gabe is the master of casually cruel comments like "Do you think Charlotte is the wife type? She'll be just fine single for the rest of her life." Goaded beyond her limits, Charlotte bets Gabe $1000 that she'll find someone to propose marriage to her in a month. She embarks on a makeover campaign, and soon finds a potential suitor when an eligible bachelor moves next door. Gabe is surprised by his growing feelings of jealousy as he sees other men notice his best friend. Charlotte uses the bet as a way of gaining more self confidence, and Gabe is soon confronted with the decision that he might have to give up platonic friendship for romance or lose her forever.
The Cinderella Solution was an enjoyable read simply because the characters were more fully developed, so I was interested in seeing the conclusion of their story. I tend to like romances more when some funny moments are incorporated, so I appreciated Charlotte inadvertently introducing herself to her neighbor while wearing a mud pack on her face and Gabe's unique approach to formal wear when he goes to spy on Charlotte and her wanna-be boyfriend at a party. This was definitely a better than average Harlequin manga title.
Access to electronic copies provided by the publisher
The Dreaming Complete Collection
The Dreaming Complete Collection by Queenie Chan
I'd read the first volume of The Dreaming before and enjoyed it, but I hadn't read the last two volumes of the series. I thought looking at the new omnibus edition would be a good pick during October. This was one of Tokyopop's more successful titles out of their big OEL push several years ago, and the collected edition features several color pages, bonus stories, and an author interview.
Identical twins Amber and Jeanie arrive at a boarding school called Greenwitch Private College placed far in the Australian bushlands. Their Aunt Jessie is headmistress at the school, but after getting the twins settled she takes off on an extended trip, leaving them alone to get adjusted. They soon find that the school isn't what it seems. The vice principal Mrs Skeener has a pathological aversion to twins. There's a mysterious locked room down one corridor that's been ineffectively disguised by wallpaper. Paintings in the school seem to tell the story of something horrible happening to girls in the Victorian era. Jeanie is the more outgoing twin, and she sets herself the task of unraveling the mystery behind the strangeness at the school. Amber is more sensitive to her surroundings and has horrible dreams, taking refuge in sleeping pills and the hope that she won't remember the details of her dreams when she's awake.
As befitting a manga called The Dreaming, Jeanie gradually gets a full picture of the school by piecing details of different stories together. She shares frightening dreams with her sister, where they are lost in the bush wearing victorian dress, trapped under trees that rain blood. Other students share details that allow her to gradually get a full picture of the school's history. Girls have gone missing before in the past, and when the ringleader of an ill-fated seance in the present day goes missing it looks like the disappearances are starting to happen again. The only criticism I have of the book is that it sometimes seems a little referential. There's the crazy older spinster character in the person of Mrs Skeener. Characters frequently refer to "odd rumors" and if you've ever seen a scene of girls trying a seance in a horror movie, you know that when Jeanie and Amber's classmates stage one it isn't going to turn out well. Still, if you've enjoyed gothic novels and episodes of the Twilight Zone in the past, there's a certain amount of pleasant nostalgia invoked in the reader by The Dreaming.
Queenie Chan creates a suitably gothic atmosphere for her book. The wide shots of the school surrounded by dense bushland look incredibly claustrophobic. There's plenty of detail included in the school's interior and the Victorian costumes of the phantoms that come to haunt the current students. Setting the story in Australia provides an interesting source of local ghost legends to draw from as well. I especially appreciated the feeling of the epilogue, which evoked the spirit of Daphne du Marier's opening line in Rebecca "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," as Jessie revisits her own history with the school.
I liked all the bonus content included with this omnibus. There's an extra story included at the end that shows how Greenwitch Private College will endure even after the twins' history with the place has ended. Omake episodes called "The Haunted Linen Cupboard" are included at the end of each volume, giving Chan the opportunity to make fun of some of the horror conventions that she uses in The Dreaming. Overall, this series provided old-fashioned horror fun with plenty of spooky dreams, evil old women, Australian spirits, and the occasional axe.
For more about Queenie Chan, visit her website.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Story of Saiunkoku Volume 1
Story of Saiunkoku Volume 1 by Sai Yukino and Kairi Yura
I've been looking forward to reading this manga series. Story of Saiunkoku is a light novel series in Japan which has spinoffs like an anime version and this manga version. I've watched a few episodes of the first season of the anime and enjoyed it very much, but I think that the manga stands on its own. You don't need to be familiar with the anime to enjoy the manga, you'd just need to have an appreciation for strong female heroines and Chinese-like fantasy world settings, and who doesn't like those things?
Shurei Hong is a young noblewoman whose family has fallen on hard times. Her mother is dead and she lives in a dilapidated mansion. Her father's salary as court archivist doesn't provide enough money to fix up the house or even afford a daily ration of rice. Shurei spends her time teaching the village children. Her ambition when she was young was to become a civil servant, and her father encouraged her in her studies even though as a woman she wouldn't be permitted to take the exam. Shurei is helped by Seiran, who came to the house originally a a servant but functions like an adopted older brother. Shurei's life changes when an adviser to the court comes to her with a proposition: Shurei will enter the court as the royal consort and try to push the emperor Ruyki into stepping up and leading his country. Ryuki appears on the surface to be a dissolute noble but it soon becomes clear that he has reasons for acting the way he does. He grew up as the youngest son in an abusive household, and his indifference functions like a kind of armor. Shurei has seen the way the people of the country suffer, and she won't stand for an emperor who will do nothing to help them.
One of my favorite things about Story of Saiunkoku was Shurei. Having a heroine in manga who places such a high value on education is rare, and she genuinely cares about her students and the people who don't have all the advantages of nobility. She's not stuck-up, and is quite capable of indulging in a bit of whining to Seiran about being forced to eat barley instead of the glorious rice that she craves, but she soon stops feeling sorry for herself and focuses on other people. Her main motivation for entering the court is the fee that she's promised if she manages to prod Ryuki into action. When she gets there she's astounded by the amount of waste as the nobles surround themselves with expensive trinkets while the common people go hungry.
If Ryuki was just sulking because he's a poor little rich boy, he wouldn't be an appealing character. But Shurei's arrival causes him to start opening up to other people. He notices that Shurei's hands don't look like they belong to a noble lady, and she explains about how hard she's had to work to build a home for her father and Seiran. He shifts from being closed off to expressing enthusiasm when Shurei gives him a present because no one had ever given him anything before. Seiran thinks that he's "An emperor as pure as a blank page…He seems almost unnaturally untainted and has no affectations. I'm sure he'll be able to change himself immensely from here on." The first volume of the manga was mostly concerned with Shurei and Ryuki getting to know each other, but I'm hoping that more attention gets paid to the supporting cast in future volumes. Seiran is a self-contained martial artist of great skill who just happens to share a name with Ryuki's exiled older brother. Ryuki is helped by the advisers Koyu and Shuei, and the archives that Seiran's father runs serve as a convenient place to escape all the court intrigue that surrounds the emperor.
Yura does a good job portraying the Chinese-influenced setting of Saiunkoku. The streets and wagons of the world outside the palace contrast with the overly manicured gardens of the court. One thing I liked about the adaptation of this manga is the way Ryuki's overly formal speech is presented in contrast with the more natural way that everyone else talks. It serves as a reminder of the way he's held apart from everybody else by his status. Ryuki asks Shurei to call him by name by saying "It's unfair that only we don't get to be called by name. Our name is so neglected – don't you feel sorry for it?" Story of Saiunkoku has plenty of humor to contrast with the more touching moments portrayed in the manga. Seiran hugs Shurei when she breaks down thinking about the way she's teaching students to become good civil servants instead of taking the exam herself, saying "My Lady, you've really worked hard, haven't you?" The directionally-impaired scholar Koyu is only able to meet the emperor and start tutoring him after Shurei intervenes, and he yells "From here on I shall no longer hold back. Please do prepare yourself" while throwing down stacks of books.
I think this series will appeal to anyone who enjoys fantasy shoujo. The heroine surrounded by a group of handsome men might appeal to fans of Fushigi Yugi. The emphasis on geopolitics and learning to rule a country would also appeal to anyone who's read the novels or seen the anime Twelve Kingdoms. I'm happy to find a new fantasy shoujo series to follow just when some of my current favorites might be ending in the next year.
Manga for Your Quarter-Life Crisis
Note: this piece originally appeared on The Bureau Chiefs as part of my Anna Reads Manga feature.
It is easy to find plenty of manga about intrepid boy ninjas or vampire boarding schools on the crowded shelves of your chain bookstore, but it is sometimes difficult to distinguish manga titles aimed at adults. This column will provide an overview of the best manga out there featuring characters in their twenties.
Ohikkoshi by Hiroaki Samura (amazon)
This is a single volume of short stories by the creator of the sprawling samurai saga Blade of the Immortal. Samura uses the short story form to indulge in writing humor and as a result the episodes included in this book have a slightly manic edge.
Sachi is the hapless protagonist. He and his friends hang out at horrible battle of the bands shows and skip their college classes whenever possible. He's hopelessly in love with Akagi, a woman whose boyfriend has just left to work overseas. Now is his big chance to ask her out, which he does in such an oblique stammering way it is easy to feel sorry for him. Sachi's friends conclude "Our pale-faced friend is drunk with the turmoils of youth!"
Other stories in the collection include an epic tale of manga artist tribulation as a woman takes her editor's advice, loses her comics gig, works in a coffee shop, becomes a kept woman, manages to attain mastery at the game of mah-jong, and ends up apprenticed to a mafia boss in a few short years only to finally become a manga master. A half-Italian half-Japanese teacher decides take revenge on Japan by sleeping with the country's women until he meets two girls who are immune to his charms. Some of the elements in Ohikkoshi will appeal to fans of Brian Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series. Characters break the fourth wall and comment directly at the reader. When Akagi and Sachi go on a horrific zoo date, information about the animals is listed in game stat format. Samura will often shift into alternate art styles for a panel or two. Ohikkoshi has a bit of a rough and frenetic feel, but it is hard not to be captivated by Samura's sense of humor.
Office Ladies Need Love Too
Josei (manga aimed at adult women) is probably the scarcest manga genre translated in English, which is why I cherish any title that portrays the life of a post-college woman instead of a starry-eyed high school girl.
Suppli by Mari Okazaki (amazon)
Minami is 27 years old. Her relationship with her boyfriend is going nowhere. Every morning she gets dressed for work feeling as if she's putting on battle armor. She heads into the office on a Sunday only to find all of her co-workers already there. Minimai is paralyzed by the thought of ending up like her boss – a single woman in her 40s. When her boyfriend dumps her, she throws herself into work, trying to prepare new presentations and socializing with her co-workers. She tries to avoid being alone in her trashed apartment, but she lives so much in her own head that she doesn't pick up on the crush one of her co-workers has on her. Okazaki frequently interposes nature symbolism like water, fish, or grass with Minami's urban office environment. Suppli has a melancholy feel that reflects the anxieties of its main character. Sometimes Minami's only connection with another person is sitting with a co-worker in a break room at the office, watching the sun rise.
Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
This fourteen volume series is sadly out of print but it is well worth tracking down. Sumire maintains an intimidating presence at her workplace. She reacts coolly when her boyfriend breaks up with her and her co-workers are afraid to comment to her about it due to her bitchy reputation. As she returns to her apartment after a long day of work she finds an injured boy sleeping in a cardboard box. Sumire takes him into her house and feeds him. She jokingly offers him a place to stay if he'll be her pet, which means following all her orders. He accepts. She names the boy "Momo" after her childhood dog. Having somebody else to care for eases Sumire's tension from work.
Momo is just as ambitious as Sumire, except he's pursuing his studies as a modern dancer. Sumire and Momo enjoy domestic life together but things may change when Sumire gets a new boyfriend who miraculously fulfills her requirements for height, salary, and education. She seesaws back and forth between portraying her idea of the perfect career woman and indulging in wrestling TV shows when she's at home with Momo. Tramps Like Us balances a light and fluffy chicklit quality with a sensitive portrayal of an unconventional but evolving relationship.
Asano comes by his emphasis on aimless twentysomething characters honestly; he was in his early 20s when he started publishing his stories.
What a Wonderful World by Inio Asano (amazon)
Toga has always been "the reliable one" among her group of friends, but she drops out of school and struggles with the idea of reactivating her musical ambitions. A schoolgirl engages in a dangerous contest to win social capital. A man briefly visits his daughter and ex-wife in a park. Aimless ronin studying for their college entrance exams have a memorable encounter with a basket case they meet in the street. Some of the characters are seen again briefly in other stories, making the lives of the different people in What a Wonderful World seem interconnected.
While reading about the lives of people who haven't figured out what they want to might seem like an invitation to wallow in ennui, this manga lives up to its title. Asano captures the small moments that people use to define themselves. A change in hairstyle, the realization that the reliability of a relationship can be a comfort, and the loss of an apartment each contribute to a moment of reflection that lets someone move on with their life. As I was reading the manga and enjoying the combination of the prosaic and surreal in Asano's art I realized that I was especially struck by the pacing and paneling. There was frequently a small jolt or surprise right before I'd turn the page to read the conclusion of a story, and this lent a dynamic feel to the manga even when some of the stories were just short sketches.
Solanin by Inio Asano (amazon)
A later work than What a Wonderful World, Solanin shows what Asano can achieve with more maturity. Meiko works at a job she hates. She's crushed in the subway on her way to work, and has difficulty listening when her boss yells at her because she's distracted by his hideous nose hairs. When she goes home, she's greeted by her boyfriend Taneda. He works part-time and aimlessly pursues his dream of music. Meiko's horrible job pays well, and she's saved up some money. One day she abruptly decides to quit.
She lazes around and tries being domestic, but quickly realizes that too much free time can be boring. Taneda can't deal with the idea of being the breadwinner, and their relationship begins to suffer from the strain. Meiko encourages Taneda to pursue his dream of making music. Although Meiko is the unifying character, Solanin frequently makes narrative detours that show readers the inner worlds of other members of Taneda's college band. The shifting point of view is a literary device that I enjoy in novels, and it definitely contributed to the depth of character development in this manga.
Small details in the way the characters' interacted with their environment made their world seem surreal. Bunnies with Xs for faces appear on key chains and Taneda's CD. Meiko watches a bizarre bear attack training news story on TV. Taneda has a "me summit" where all the aspects of his personality wear a different slogan on their t-shirts to comment on his life. Towards the end of Solanin Meiko begins to come into her own in an unexpected fashion. She's still supported by her group of friends, but the conclusion is bittersweet. Solanin captures the restless feelings many people have as they move into adulthood.
Online Manga
Online manga can be a little difficult to track down if you are trying to avoid the many sites that exist to host scanlations (fan translations), or in the most egregious cases, hosting scans of the American manga editions. Fortunately in recent months more American publishers are putting manga online for free sampling or to make it easy to subscribe for electronic access. I'll give an overview of some of the places you can go to read manga online legally.
FREE ONLINE MANGA
Viz Media caused a stir when it started serializing manga chapters on its sites Shonen Sunday and Sigikki. This is the place to go if you are looking for quirky seinen manga, as the parent Japanese magazine Ikki tends to specialize in the obscure. There's a wide variety of stories and art styles on display. Chapters gradually rotate off the site as the print volumes are published.
Here are capsule reviews of my three favorite Sigikki series:
Afterschool Charisma – This series takes place in a school filled with clones of famous people from history. Napolean seems to be in the middle of a growth spurt, Mozart is an arrogant jerk, Marie Curie wants to play the piano instead of studying radium, and Freud is a creepy teen with a pageboy haircut. The ordinary boy Shiro Kamiya, whose father is in charge of the school and the cloning project, attends school along with the clones. Shiro innocently asks his father to help Marie with her musical ambitions, but what happens to her is not what Shiro intended. Will Shiro find out the truth behind the school? The art in Afterschool Charisma looked the most shoujoish to me out of all the Siggiki series. Sometimes it was difficult to tell apart the female characters, but the male characters were a bit more individual and had more personality. Teen-clone-Freud is hilarious.
House of Five Leaves – Masanosuke is a poor masterless samurai with a personality defect: He falls apart when he attracts attention. Thus he does a poor job of acting intimidating and keeps getting fired from his bodyguard jobs. Yaichi hires him for a day' work. Masanosuke is struck by Yaichi's confident air. But it turns out that Yaichi is a member of the criminal group the House of Five Leaves. Will Masanosuke continue to work for kidnappers in the hopes that Yaichi's calm demeanor will wear off on him? I enjoyed the art of this series, as Ono has a loose and fluid style of drawing which serves to highlight Masanosuke's defeated body language and his eyes, which look hollow eyes of someone who isn't eating very well. Most samurai stories feature a main character who is more of a traditional bad-ass type, so I thought this twist on the genre was interesting.
Children of the Sea – Children of the Sea is as beautiful, deep, and mysterious as the ocean that the characters inhabit. Ruka is a young girl who gets in trouble at school for violently retaliating against a teammate at sports practice. She decides not to go home and goes on a quest to see the ocean. She travels to Tokyo at night and reaches an ocean view. A mysterious boy makes the pronouncement "The sea in Tokyo is kinda like a broken toy" and leaps over her into the sea. Ruka runs down to rescue him. Umi was raised in the ocean along with another boy named Sora by dugongs. They maintain their connection to the sea, and their skin becomes unbearably dry if they aren't submerged in water very long.
Mysterious ocean animal disappearances have started to plague scientists. Animals seem to become spotted with light before they vanish like ghosts. Ruka's father works in an aquarium where Umi often hangs out. As Ruka tries to escape her troubles in school she spends more and more time in the aquarium, meeting Umi and Sora's foster father Jim. He's a foreigner with mystical tattoos who loves to surf. Sora is sickly and spends a lot of time in the hospital. He's suspicious of Ruka even though Umi says that she "smells like them." Ruka sees Umi and Sora occasionally glowing with the unearthly light that the ocean ghosts emit. Are they going to be the next to disappear?
Shonen Sunday is a companion online manga site aimed at the younger set. Viz uses it to serialize new series like Rumiko Takahashi's Rin-Ne and Yuu Watase's Arata, but it also serves as a way to sample some of Viz's lesser known backlist titles like the excellent monster hunting series Kekkaishi.
Kekkaishi – The hero of the story is Yoshimori. He's young and weak and struggles with his training to become the successor to his family's long-standing demon hunting tradition. His secret friend is the older girl next door Tokine, who belongs to a rival demon-hunting clan. Both Yoshimori and Tokine are aided in their demon hunts by demon dog sidekicks, who provide comic relief and guidance. Yoshimori isn't very savvy about hunting demons. Tokine saves him and is injured in the process.
The story picks up again when Yoshimori is 14 and Tokine is 16. She criticizes his lack of refinement when demon hunting and counsels him to save his power. He doesn't want to see anyone get hurt in front of him anymore and is determined to become a better fighter. Their school is conveniently located above a reservoir of power and at night they pursue the hunt. The manga blends action and humor as Yoshimori tries to fulfill his cherished ambition of making the perfect cake and dodges his grandfather's training attempts. There are darker forces at work behind the sacred site that Yoshimori is sworn to protect. The story lines and character development are more complex than a typical fighting manga, which makes for a rewarding reading experience for those who like manga with a little bit of monster fighting and slapstick comedy.
Other major manga publishers like Tokyopop and CMX do tend to put up sample chapters of their manga, but I think Viz's decision to set up separate online magazine sites with highlighted content gives their content greater prominence. I wish that in addition to the shonen and seinen sites Viz would put up an online magazine where readers could sample shoujo manga, especially after the demise of Shojo Beat magazine. Shonen Jump will soon be the only manga anthology magazine on the newsstands in the US. Yen Plus recently announced plans to discontinue their print magazine in favor of going digital instead. I think the next few years will hopefully give publishers a chance to experiment with digital manga magazines.
PAYING FOR MANGA ONLINE
This is an area where some of the smaller, more experimental publishers have more developed sites.
eManga
This is the online publishing arm of Digital Manga Publishing, which is probably best known for their yaoi titles, although back in the day they put out editions of some wonderfully weird stuff like Bambi and Her Pink Gun and Project X – Nissin Cup Noodle, a manga about the invention of noodles in a cup. While a casual reader might expect the titles on eManga to be only yaoi, there's actually more variety there, with plenty of manga adaptations of harlequin romances and the shoujo classic Itazura Na Kiss. Reading manga there operates on a points system, where $10 will get you 1000 points, and online access to selected volumes may be priced anywhere between 200-400 points. If you follow digitalmanga on twitter, they'll often give away free online access to selected volumes.
Netcomics
Netcomics is mainly a specialty publisher of Korean comics, or manhwa. They've used their online platform to publish American manga style comics and Japanese manga as well. Paying for manga on this site works on a chapter by chapter basis, with each chapter costing 25 cents. Single chapters from most titles are available for preview as well. Titles are sorted by genre, so it is easy to find series that might fit your mood, if you are looking for romance, comedy, or science fiction manhwa. Some of Netcomics' titles that had print editions for the first few volumes have the later volumes only available online. I hate it when series are dropped, so while someone wanting to collect print copies of an entire series might be disappointed, it does seem like a good way of making slow-selling titles available to readers.
I can't say that we've reached a level of mature development with the legal manga that's available for readers. It would be nice if other publishers also followed Viz's Sigikki model. But at least a handful of sites is available for fans who want to do the right thing and avoid scanlations. Hopefully the next few years will have more manga publishers experimenting with their online presence.
PR: Blumanga available on emanga.com
Gardena, CA (October 14, 2010) – Digital Manga, one of the manga industry's most unique and creative publishers, is proud to announce an online collaboration with TOKYOPOP, a leading manga publisher and pop-culture digital entertainment company. The partnership will launch with the addition of twelve new titles from TOKYOPOP's BLU Manga yaoi imprint to eManga's online library.
The BLU Manga yaoi will be available for purchase through eManga's online manga service, emanga.com, which streams content through an Adobe Flash player, allowing readers to access their library wherever they have an internet connection. Originally sold for $14.99 in print, the BLU volumes will be available on eManga.com for $5.99, making it more affordable than ever to read old and new favorites.
The first twelve BLU titles will include: Liberty Liberty! by Hinako Takanaga, Calling by Miu Otsuki, Croquis by Hinako Takanaga, Cute Devil by Hiro Madarame, Isle of Forbidden Love by Duo Brand, Blood Honey by Sakyou Yozakura, Love Knot by Lemon Ichijo, Madness volumes 1 & 2 by Kairi Shimotsuki, Scarlet by Hiro Madarame, Secretary's Love by Tohko Akiba and Stray Cat by Halco.
For more information about our eManga system and to begin reading right away, visit www.emanga.com and click on the TOKYOPOP tab under "publishers".


On April 17, 2005 Mark Guerrero performed at the the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona for the posthumous induction of his father, Lalo Guerrero, into the Arizona Music Hall of Fame. Mark sang his dad's compositions "Los Chucos Suaves" and "Tin Marin de do Pingue." The 21 inductees that year included Glen Campbell, Jessi Colter, Dyke and the Blazers (of "Funky Funky Broadway" fame), and posthumously Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, and Lalo Guerrero.
"Los Chucos Suaves" and "Tin Marin de do Pingue"
"Los Chucos Suaves," and "Tin Marin de do Pingue"


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Jai Vijayan
7 Common Breach Disclosure Mistakes
How you report a data breach can have a big impact on its fallout.
Not Having a Plan
To a large extent, how well you report and disclose a breach depends on how well you have planned for it in advance. Make sure the response plan cuts across functions and includes members from marketing, communications, and legal, says Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at Tripwire. "The worst time to figure out how to respond to a breach is while it's happening," he says. "Make decisions ahead of time, not in the heat of the moment.
The plan should include who will release breach information, what information will be released, and when. "If you don't do it correctly, not only can you have extra damage to your brand, but you increase your likelihood of being sued, which drives up the cost of the breach," says Laura Lee, executive vice president of rapid prototyping at Circadence.
Image Source: Shutterstock
Oldest First | Newest First | Threaded View
Panera example
Another common way that organizations frequently downplay/cover up a security issue: Dismissing out of hand the security researchers who notify the organization of the vulnerability as a nuisance or criminal.
Happens a lot. See, e.g., Panera.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How do I add content to my Wordpress news/posts page without adding content to the top of every individual post? I am running the latest version of WordPress along side a classic/legacy custom theme.
My issue is I am trying to add a header above posts on the news page, but this header gets applied to EVERY post.
Is there any way to add this content to just the news page and not individual posts?
I would like the news page elements to show up on only the news page, and to be able to separately style the template for posts.

A: use the function is_page() define which page you want to target (Codex)
for example if your page slug is 'news'
if( is_page('news'){
    //your code
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Back to School…Shootings
The Author Citlali Cruz Jimenez
Published online October 11, 2018 9:54pm
Web Editor Ennia Hernandez
In the first 21 weeks of 2018 there was about 27 school shootings, meaning probably one or more shootings per week. On February 14, 2018 there was a major school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students were killed, 14 were wounded and 5 had life-threatening injuries.
The students returned to a more secure school after the summer break with automatic locking doors, more security cameras and an increased amount of security on staff. The Broward County School District made a decision last year that require students to only take clear backpacks to school but they later ended that requirement. Metal detectors have been suggested countless of time but the district is concerned about getting 3,000 students to walk through metal detectors everyday. Metal detectors already exist in other school that are located in high crime neighborhoods but students think that it feels more like a prison than an actual school.
Students at Springdale High School returned to school August 13th. During school hours, students are required wear their school ID at all times, these safe precautions also require teachers and staff to wear a yellow lanyard with their school ID, but even with the schools safety protocols that are currently put in place, do students think SHS safe?
Some think that SHS is not safe because there are so many open spaces and unlocked doors. Sophomore, Margarita Cortes, says "anyone can just walk in and out of the school from the courtyard because it's open."
SHS has two resource officers, Officer Cardenas and Officer Scott, some students think that the school should have more officer because just two can't control all 2,000 students at SHS. Others think that it is not helpful to have that police officers Student, Matthew Peters, stated that no matter how many police officer there are don't really do anything.
"The teacher are the ones who always stop the fights. They are only [officers] around for emergencies." he stated.
When talking a subject like school safety, it's nearly impossible to avoid the topic of guns. One students said "anyone should be allowed to have their own gun for protection" but many students can disagree with that. Others also believe that age limits should be raised and background checks should be stricter when purchasing a firearm.
"I feel like the age limit for owning a gun should be 21 years old or older because us as young adults, we don't know what we are doing." said Fatima Chavez, a Junior at SHS.
According to the Gun Control Act of 1968 a licensed dealer can sell a handgun to an individual but they must be 21 years old or older while long guns can be sold to 18 year olds. The State of Florida raised the age limit for purchasing any gun to 21 but the National Rifle Association later filed a lawsuit against this change saying that it was unconstitutional.
Some students disagree with the age limit being raised because some feel the need to be protected by gun but others also believe there should be a better and more efficient to trace the guns that people own.
Some students here at Springdale don't even see the police officer at all. For example students Daniela Escalona and Margarita Cortez said that they didn't know that schools have SROs then they wouldn't think Springdale had any because they don't usually see them around.
Marjay Hignite, a psychology and history teacher at Springdale, said that having two police officer is a good amount because the students can get to connect with the officer and stop being afraid of them. She also stated that it's less pressured for there to only be two officer.
"When you get to a school where there is one police officer there is a lot of pressure on the officer, because if they are sick or their kids are sick then they can't stay home without feeling responsibility for their school. So it's tough to be the only officer, so it's nice that we have two." she said.


Buenos Aires, October 29th. Through a group of orders (resolutions) published in the Official Register last Friday October 26th, the secretary of Ag-Industry cancelled permissions to export grains and by-products for around a million metric tons.
It were Export Declarations (DJVE's as its acronym in Spanish) registered by large local exporters in the latest days of August, previous to the Argentinean Government re-imposed export taxes to grains like wheat and corn. In only two days, exporters registered 8.5 million metric tons of grain and by-products, an unusual volume.
The Government, through the Ag-Industry secretariat started an investigation to determine if DJVE's were legitimates or only a maneuver to elude paying new taxes.
Two months later, the Secretariat determined that the local branch of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM Agro Argentina) registered 660,000 tons of wheat, corn and soybean without had bought it. Meanwhile Amaggi Argentina, the trading company linked to Brazilean mogul of soybean, Blairo Maggi, suffered the cancellation of exports for 95,000 tons and Monsanto Argentine suffered also the cancellation of 100,000 corn exports.
In the local circuit of traders, brokers and commodities analyst it speculate that in the next days new orders from the Ag-Industry Secretariat could cancel other export permissions to other large grain companies.


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CANCER JUSTICE NETWORK
OPEN LETTER TO CEOs AND BOARDS OF HOSPITALS: CAN YOU HEAR US?
From Steve Sunderland, PhD, Director, and Nemat Moussavian, MD, Medical Director, Robert Harris, DD, Cancer Justice Network
Dear Healthcare Leaders:
We want you to change your hospitals into "New Hospitals" of justice. Can you hear the voices of people who are dying because health care for people who are poor and minorities is so poor in our city. You must know the following:
* Minorities, seniors, people who are poor and with disabilities are dying in greater percentages from the COVID-19 virus than the rest of the population. CAN YOU HEAR US?
*People who are poor and live in certain city neighborhoods have 35 years less of life expectancy than other city neighborhoods. CAN YOU HEAR US?
*Seniors are in vulnerable health realities and have limited access to healthcare. CAN YOU HEAR US?
*People who are poor are more likely to die of cancer than any other population. Inadequate treatment and follow up have gone on without accountability. CAN YOU HEAR US?
*Infants continue to die at horrible high levels. CAN YOU HEAR US?
There is no program of outreach to work on these healthcare crisises from any hospital. Monies from the Hamilton County Indigent Care Levy have not been targeted to these problems. Politicians have not helped to reduce these health disparities.
What needs to be done by Healthcare Leadership? Create a "New Hospital."
1. Each hospital needs an Equity Task Force that reports to the CEO on the programs and progress on these critical health care needs.
2. Each hospital needs an educational outreach program that partners with churches, community centers, senior centers, and school-based clinics with accountability for the numbers of people educated about critical health needs.
3. Each hospital needs a Community Based Navigator Program to insure the community that their health needs will be joined to community navigators that will accompany patients to the hospital.
4. Each hospital needs a free transportation process to assist patients in gaining access to timely treatments.
5. Each hospital needs training in being friendly, welcoming, and compassionate with patients and insuring that procedures to the hospital are clear, user friendly, and culturally sensitive.
Justice in healthcare can be provided if the above steps are implemented. The City's high risk population no longer needs to be imprisoned by old notions of hospitals. Now is the time to listen, to review, and to act.
MUCH TOO SOON?
The numbers of U.S. dead is above 67,000 people. Many are seniors, too many are minorities, people with disabilities, and the poor. Is it too soon to be open for "normal" life? What can it mean to be "open" and "normal" at this time? The Cancer Justice Network has been thinking about the great needs of our friends that we have not seen at the church dinners for the homeless, or the health and senior centers, and at the health fairs. For a brief moment last week, there were many national news stories about the unequal results of the virus in these populations. The country "woke up" to the reality that there are large numbers of the general population that are dying in greater and greater numbers due to the standard reasons: lack of access to health care; no firm relationship with a primary care provider; no outreach to the poorest communities that have experienced the greatest mortality; reduction of food on a regular basis; the loss of even low incomes; and, the failure of the culture to make health care for all a priority.
> The Cancer Justice Network believes it is not too soon to consider a major reorganization of the systems of healthcare in Cincinnati. Going back to more and more mortality or a deepening of the health crisis for people of high risk, is unacceptable to those of us who are hoping for changes that both improve the specific health of those in greatest need and a recognition of the health needs of the entire community. This pandemic has shown that the health care system is fragile for everyone: people of all income levels have had to face hospitals with inadequate equipment to protect the physicians and other health care workers as well as dangerous occupational roles for transit, grocery, and emergency response staff. It is clear that no one is safe and no one is insured good health care and, most sadly, no one is in charge of raising the standards for community health care improvement. The governor has made courageous choices to close most of the state but his choices now seem under attack as thousands of citizens are forced to be out of work, encouraged to remain at home, and frightened about the necessity to suspend social relationships during this time. Our mayor and health commissioner have also followed up with similar warnings that are aimed at frightening the population into a major change in all social contacts. Overhanging all of these orders is the threat of long term unemployment, no healthcare from employers, reductions in pension incomes, and the increasing possibility of both limited employment and dangerous participation in local society.
> Now is the time for ideas to be shared about a rethinking of healthcare in Cincinnati. First, a commitment needs to be made from the hospitals to set up health outposts in those neighborhoods of greatest mortality. Hospitals should be provided with protective equipment as they establish centers for testing for the virus as well as expanding their exams to other chronic diseases. The UC Medical, Pharmacy, and Nursing Schools need to be rethought as an ongoing assistant to these efforts, with medical, pharmacy, and nursing students joining teams of physicians to provide in-neighborhood exams and treatment. Eradicating the virus's present invasion will need to be followed up for the rest of the year with more exams, given more often, and with greater success in welcoming the highest risk populations. The Cancer Justice Network needs to expand its staff of Navigators to accompany these teams of healthcare personnel, taking appropriate precautions to insure Navigator safety from the virus. Moreover, a Center for Community Navigation, with the capability of telemedicine, will need to be established and broadcast on a weekly basis to the community. This Center will update the community on what is happening in neighborhoods as well as provide Navigator-in-training classes that can be taken on-line. Navigators, both in person and on line, will need to work within the communities to encourage exams and retesting as well as participation in the follow-up for treatment and contacts with infected citizens. An army of trained Navigators, expanded to every high risk neighborhood, connected to different hospitals and health centers, visiting via television and in-person and face to face meetings at dinners and health fairs, will make a substantial impact on stopping the virus's spread and, importantly, the slowing the killing of vast numbers of high risk citizens.
> Yesterday, my wife and I visited a Hamilton County park. Dozens of families were out to enjoy the warm weather and the beautiful surroundings. Yet, no one had a mask on and no one reminded the population that lives were at stake. I wondered just what it will take for our community to accept that they are "Navigators" of public health and that their citizenship, if they want to raise the possibility of living, will require a different kind of action. The first stage of the virus coming to Ohio has been shocking; now, with gentleness for the difficulty involved in protecting the community, with recognition of the anger at the leaderless figures in our society that are watching as the local and regional economy is disappearing, and, with compassion for those families that have had a death or have had to postpone healthcare, a new path must be discussed and, with agreement about Covid justice for all, taken as soon as possible.
COVID JUSTICE NETWORK?
The Cancer Justice Network has been on hold since the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic. Our regular work of visiting people with a high risk for chronic disease at North Church, Over the Rhine Senior Center, Christ Church Cathedral, Booth Retirement Community, St. Vincent de Paul, the Bobbie Sterne Health Center, Crossroad Health Center has stopped. Navigation has been defined as being in the community, working face to face with people who are low income, homeless, minorities, people with disabilities, and seniors. The requirements of the State of Ohio to stay home, to avoid meetings of 10 people, and to close congregant meeting places, has removed the essential trust building ingredient of the relationships with our "friends." Added to this radical change, is the total focus of the hospitals and health centers on testing and treating the Covid virus. Navigating people to cancer exams, dental visits, and vision exams is no longer possible according to these rules.
The Covid virus has revealed that people with the highest risk, the poor, people with other underlying diseases, seniors, people with disabilities, and people of color, have had the greatest mortality. This medical condition comes as no surprise to the Cancer Justice Network. Our work to build relationships in the Cincinnati community has been in those neighborhoods and with people who are experiencing a 20 year life expectancy difference BEFORE the virus descended on these communities. We have met with people and navigated many to their first exam for cancer, their first meeting with a dentist, and their first change of glasses in decades. The spread of the virus has added an additional layer of mortality to an already dire situation. We find that the rules of social distancing have isolated us from our meetings and removed people we serve from being brought to hospitals and health centers for timely exams and treatments. Reduced to supporting people over the phone, we have tried to have navigation continue for people needing dialysis or for emergencies. But navigation by Navigators that accompany people to and from medical exams has effectively been stopped and is likely to remain in this condition for the foreseeable future. The Cancer Justice Network must now consider whether the future holds the possibility of Covid Justice.
So much in the human service community has been upset for every agency that it is hard to imagine the return of critical services to the population in greatest need. Without face to face meetings, how can navigation to essential and life saving services be offered? Without group settings for offering food on a regular basis, how can the nutrition needs of the people who are poor or homeless be met? Without access to hospitals and health centers for tests for cancer, how can true prevention be available to a population that is the cancer center of Ohio? Without rebuilding relationships with individuals and communities that regularly meet, how can people who suspect that they might have the virus be navigated to physicians, health centers and hospitals? Covid justice means answering these questions while also recognizing that pubic health safety is the highest priority. Covid justice means thinking anew about how to visit communities that have been invaded by the virus in ways that suggest access to medical assessment and treatment. Covid justice means training staff in nursing homes, senior centers, and homeless shelters in the signs of Covid 19 and encouraging action for people in need. The near future cries out for Covid Justice. As I write this note, close to 50,000 people have died in the US. And, there is no plan for Covid Justice for all. We applaud the Homeless Coalition, the United Way, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation for providing the first funding for homeless individuals and families that were in shelters and exposed to the virus. We applaud the Congress and the president for signing relief bills to provide limited resources. We are grateful that our transportation resources, Cincinnati Area Senior Services and OKI, are available for connecting some people. Our funding from the Congregation of St. Joseph continues to assist us in thinking through our local next steps. Yet, the increasing need for more resources for those in greatest peril, remains. What is Covid Justice now?
CREATIVE RESPONSES TO GRIEF: THE TUBMAN PROJECT #3
 "Even in the worst of times, such habits sustain, protect and in the most unlikely way, lift us up. I cannot think of a more compelling reason to foster the creative habit."—Twyla Tharp and M. Reiter(2006). The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for life. Simon & Schuster.
In the 1970s and 1980s I was a grief consultant to many Native American and Canadian nations. The nations were struggling with suicide, alcoholism, early child death, and extreme poverty. Many visits were heart breaking as I was introduced to personal, spiritual, and environmental examples of death. One of my guides on the Ojibwa Reservation in northern Wisconsin was a young member of the Red Cliff band, Walt Bressette. Walt was a gifted story teller, a well prepared environmentalist, and a keeper of the fire at the very start of the Iraqi war. "Keepers of the fire" were honored members of the community as they kept a fire going through all weather conditions. As the fire was tended, Walt, his friends, and I would have many conversations about what the war would mean for his nation and for the country in general. Walt was not ignorant of the impact of war on many of his fellow tribespeople and he worried that this war would be another damaging experience for too many Native Americans.
From time to time, Walt would tell a story about how his nation overcame wars, addictions, and poverty. At that time, his stories were about fishing rites and rights, a battle between Wisconsin fishermen who didn't want to observe the treaty and state law that permitted Ojibwa fishermen to have a first day of the fishing season to themselves. Ojibwa fishermen were threatened with rifles and pistols if they argued with the Wisconsin anglers. One year, Walt and I went to a gathering of the Ojibwa nations in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Bands of Ojibwa were invited to come and discuss the state of "nation," the problems and opportunities of that year. I was invited to be the opening speaker at the convocation on the first night. The meeting was held in a large hotel with an immense ballroom. I arrived early and planned to address the people at around 7-7:30pm. My host, a leader of the conference asked me if I would mind going on and sharing after "gifts" were presented to the elders. This kind of sharing was their tradition and acknowledged that these elders have travelled long distances to come and share at the meeting. I agreed. At about 7:30 the host invited all the elders to the stage to receive their gifts. About 30 elders of different ages came to sit on the stage. The host invited each to come forward to receive his gift and to introduce himself. It was a beautiful ceremony, taking 2-3 hours. After the last gift was given, the host addressed me and apologized for the long introductions and informed the group that I would be the opening speaker first thing in the morning.
Next morning I arrived at 9 at the conference hall and found no one there. About 11:30am the host arrived and said that the conference would resume after lunch, about 1:30. "Great," I said, as I pulled together my many handouts. At 1:30 the host rose to speak to the conference and said that they were in for a special treat. Their major philosopher had just arrived at the conference and, after living for a year in the forests of Canada, she was eager to share her knowledge. He also indicated that my talk would follow her presentation. Rising up from the audience was a woman of indeterminate age, dressed in an old and weathered dress, mostly brown. Her eyes sparkled as she held the microphone and began to share her ideas, thoughts she called, "The Four Circles of Life." As I listened to her, I began to realize that I was hearing one of the best talks of my life. Furiously, I began to take notes on each of her "Circles," detailing all that she was saying in as fast a scribble as I could but I couldn't keep up with her rapid speech and the many examples. I thought I was able to copy down at least the first three but she ended her talk before I could complete the fourth "Circle." She finished to great applause and sat down next to me. And smiled.
I told her how impressed I was with her talk and I indicated that I had missed the last part. "Oh, she said, "let me see what you have written." Happily, I handed her my notes which detailed the first three Circles. "I'd like to finish my notes with your fourth points," I said. "Well," she said, "the fourth Circle is really important. But, I think I have to destroy your notes. You'll remember the important parts." She proceeded to rip the pages of my note book into a dozen pieces. I don't remember what happened next.
She was teaching me a vital lesson about how wisdom is gained, used, and appreciated. Her knowledge, freely given, was a creative invitation to reflect on my life and the life of her nation. What was to happen as a result of her gift, what I was supposed to learn, what I was able to put into practice, was all an open question. I realized that her "Fourth Circle" was for me to fill in, for me to embrace, and for me to honor. I left that conference deeply appreciative of the gifts that continue to inspire my creativity.
TUBMAN PROJECT #2: MIEP GIES
"I've often been down in the dumps, but never desperate. I look upon our life in hiding as an interesting adventure, full of danger and romance, and every privation as an amusing addition to my diary. I've made up my mind to live a different life from other girls, and not to become an ordinary housewife later on. What I'm experiencing here is a good beginning to an interesting life, and that's the reason—the only reason—why I have to laugh at the humorous side of the most dangerous moments."
Anne Frank in Anne Frank's Diary: The graphic adaptation(2018). Adapted by A. Folman and Illustrated by D. Polanski. Pantheon Books. Page 129.
Anne Frank's story has intrigued me for the past forty years. Her sparkling personality has moved me in deep ways to think about hope, possibility, and courage. These qualities shine through in her diary and her short stories. In 1980, I had the chance to work with the Dutch foundation named for her and with the director of the international exhibit, Cor Suijk. Cor, a former Dutch diplomat, educator, and friend of Anne's father, Otto, had created a traveling exhibit to tell Anne's story and the history of the rise of Hitler as a warning about the dangers of intolerance. I had worked to bring the exhibit to Cincinnati and, in the process, Cor and I developed a friendship. We spent many amazing hours talking about the Frank family, the Netherlands during the war, Cor's family as too frightened or prejudiced against Jews to take more than one person for hiding, Cor's experience in the Dutch resistance, and Cor's good friend, Miep Geis.
The more I learned about Anne and her family's survival, the greater my interest in how Anne survived and why she chose to write her journal. Cor had many answers and they all circled back to Miep and her husband, Jan. One day, Cor asked if I would Iike to visit with Miep and Jan and ask them these questions directly. I traveled to Amsterdam and, with Cor, went to a small apartment in the center of the city. I remember two rooms in the apartment: one, a small living room with a large table on which was a large plate of Dutch chocolates and an adjoining room, smaller, that was filled with boxes of letters from school children and their teachers from around the world. Cor was a very close friend of Miep and Jan and he arranged for us to have an afternoon of discussion. For the next 4-5 hours we talked and finished the plate of chocolates. We laughed a lot, cried some, and discussed so many aspects of their lives as members of the Dutch resistance durning World War 2, especially what it was like to bring food to the Franks and four or five other families in Amsterdam that were in hiding. Miep and Jan described getting up before dawn each day and visiting friendly farmers on their bicycles and then separating and going to deliver the food to the different hiding places. Slowly, our discussion returned to Anne and the day of her capture. Miep, with tears in her eyes, said that she had to close up her apartment every August just to meditate on what had happened that day. "They just burst in; they knew where to go. And, they took everyone in the Attic except they didn't take me, " she said with quiet fury. "Take me, too," she insisted, "I do not want to leave my friends." Her request was ignored. "You are not a Jew but an Austrian," she was told as the Nazis left the house. Dazed, Miep went back into the house and found the pages of Anne's diary on the floor and rescued them.
We were quiet for a while. Finally, I asked her about Anne's energy, her desire to write her diary. Miep, now subdued by her memories, replied that Anne was so different, so amazing: "She was so energetic, so alive, so unwilling to be depressed and so interested in hearing the latest news." Cor interjected a comment: "Yes, dear friend, she was all those things because of you, because of your friendship, because of your courage, because of your showing her that you and Jan would not be defeated by the Nazis." Miep smiled and said nothing. Then she continued to describe Anne as the only one in the Attic that wasn't afraid, depressed, or resigned to her fate. "Anne was different, almost crazy, alway alive," Miep recalled with a smile and a loving look.
Later on we looked at some of the letters from children and teachers that filled dozens of cartons in the next room. "I answer every one," Jan said, "and it is important to share Anne's story." Anne, Miep, Jan, and Cor's stories continue to illuminate the darkness of their time and now as well. I can feel the warmth of their friendship, almost taste their chocolates, and know that their strength can be a hand forward in these times of confusion and despair. May their memory continue to burn brightly.
NAVIGATING THE CANCER JUSTICE NETWORK: NAVIGATORS AS PPE
 NAVIGATING THE CANCER JUSTICE NETWORK: NAVIGATORS AS PPE
The shortage of essential equipment to fight the virus is astounding. Each state has been shown to have little of the basic resources needed to provide minimum but life-saving conditions. Now, the statistics about mortality are revealing that minorities, the disabled, the aged, and minorities are suffering and dying in the greatest percentages. What is becoming clearer to the nation is the central truth of healthcare in the US: healthcare for many people doesn't exist, especially if you are in the known sectors of society that are high risk. For the past five years, the Cancer Justice Network has created the first Community Navigator Program to both model a just health care process and to actually provide navigation to health exams, dentistry and vision exams. We have worked in the areas that now are designated neighborhoods of lowest mortality. Thanks to the Cincinnati Health Department, we know which parts of our City have a 20 year life expectancy difference. And, this horrifying reality existed before the virus!
The model of health care that the Cancer Justice Network has implemented is based on the research of Harold Freeman, MD pioneered in 1985 at Harlem Hospital in New York City. Freeman, a cancer surgeon, found that bringing people into the hospital for exams in the earliest stage of their cancer, dramatically increased their life expectancy because their received timely cancer care. Hospital staff, called, "Navigators," went into the community and built trust with people who rarely felt their health needs were respected. In just 5 years, Freeman's Navigators changed the face of cancer care. Freeman became the first African American president of the American Cancer Society, joined the administration of George H.W. Bush, and led a research team looking at health inequities in the nation. Further research on the Navigation Model brought similar results and, the American College of Surgeons, now requires some form of a Navigation Program for the accreditation of every major cancer program.
The Cincinnati healthcare community has known about Freeman's research and has resisted starting this program even though cancer deaths for high risk populations in Cincinnati make the City the cancer capital of Ohio. The Cancer Justice Network has failed to convince hospitals in Cincinnati that navigation can make a critical difference to so many people in need in our neighborhoods. Even a visit by Dr. Freeman to Cincinnati four years ago to explain his model and the latest research did not convince even one hospital to attempt a program based on Navigation. Now, with the virus having descended on our communities, the need for a rethinking of healthcare for seniors, people with low incomes, people who are homeless, minorities, people who are disabled, is of critical importance. The prior model of health care has proved inadequate for the entire population but the worst outcomes are in the population with highest risk because they have been rejected for years by our healthcare institutions. What will emerge post-virus for our entire city and for the population in greatest need? Navigators, spread throughout the city, based at every health center, school based clinic, library, and community center, tied to a transportation system that provides rapid and low costs, and linked to Navigators at each hospital, would make a dramatic difference in building a just healthcare system. Navigators are as important as any form of PPE: Navigators are the process that provides "air" to people who are suffocating with their illnesses; Navigators are the "hands" that reach out to everyone who needs to be guided to a new health system; Navigators are the "hearts" that touch everyone's fears and hopes; and, Navigators are the "guides" that provide the transportation information that can guide people to whatever "health" comes to mean in our new day.
A new day is on the horizon for healthcare in Cincinnati. It is 35 years since Freeman's model was started. We can launch a new approach in Cincinnati, an alternative to what has existed if we understand and act with boldness and compassion. Navigation is a part of PPE, perhaps the critical element. New rules, new approaches and new obstacles will confront our communities. Navigators, health and community workers, stand ready to create a just system for Cincinnati.
Ten months Matthew came into our world. He looked very small having arrived three month early. Thanks to the caring of many people, parents, friends, doctors, nurses, and colleagues he is, today, a fat little guy with big smiles. He is also crawling. Nothing normal about this reality: compassion was woven together by so many people as they saw in this little person a chance for life.
Also, this year Mary got her first glasses in forty years, thanks to our Navigators and the friends at St. Vincent de Paul. The smile on Mary's face stretches across all of Over the Rhine. Cliff, a spry 75 year old, is also grateful for having his teeth cleaned and appreciative of the dentists at the Cincinnati Health Clinic for such good care. He a glad citizen of the West End. Barbara, overcoming her fear, trusting a Navigator, had her first breast exam in 30 years. No cancer was found and a great sigh of relief was heard throughout Northside.
All of these wonderful events were kind of a birth. We witnessed the new experience of peace in people who had little hope that medical care would be available. Trusting Navigators, they were transported to a new experience: respectful healthcare. Throughout the city of Cincinnati we meet people who smile at us with a kind of delight as they now know that we are just a part of their beginning a solid relationship with a physician, a nurse, a physical therapist, a dentist, and a community health care worker. Like Matthew, they have been invited into a community of compassionate action. They all have friends that are linked to them as guides to present and future health problems and concerns. Navigators have formed partnerships, a kind of hug, that supports and cherishes the whole person. We are all growing in this community of love, grateful for the support of so many "grand folk" like OKI, Congregation of St. Joseph, Over the Rhine Senior Center, North Church-CAIN, First United Church of Christ, Christ Church Cathedral, Booth Retirement Community, St. Paul's Village, the Cincinnati Health Department, St. Vincent de Paul, and Crossroad Health Center.
Matthew, Mary, Cliff, and Barbara have reminded us about how fragile life is and how important it is to take action for health when we can. Very sadly, we attended the annual event that remembers the homeless people that have died this year. Organized by the The Homeless Coalition, we stood in a circle in Washington Park and read over 100 names of people who died this year. One was a child of two. How many died because they couldn't reach out to a Navigator, or that they didn't know warning signs of ill health, or that they just had no one to help them on their efforts to stay alive? This year we want to increase our efforts to reach seniors who have had little or no health care, and touch base with people with disabilities that might want to see a dentist, and with people who are poor and need an eye exam and glasses. We know that with greater effort, we can reach even more of our friends who are lost and confused about how to navigate our health care system. We want to celebrate life for more and more people, helping them find their first "steps" to kind health care.
If you can, please send a check to Cancer Justice Network, 4129 Georgia Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45223. We can expand the circle of hope with your continued help. Thank you.
Partnerships have been key to the development of the Cancer Justice Network. Our partners have allowed us to attend weekly dinners, weekly health meetings, and weekly meetings at senior centers. Over time, this trust in our work has led to an increase in citizens taking advantage of meeting with our Navigators for discussions of cancer in specific and health in general. Through these partnerships we have expanded our discussions to include both cancer prevention and dental health as doorways to a person considering that their healthcare can be taken seriously and, by implication, their lives can be improved. Thanks to the partnerships, we are now the largest cancer prevention organization in the community. People have realized that prevention has meant going, often with us, to exams to see if they have cancer or some other life threatening disease. Having predictable, safe, and accessible transportation provided by our partnership with Cincinnati Area Senior Services(CASS) has raised the possibility that people with low or no incomes can be navigated to health care. Having access to the Cincinnati Health Network and the Cincinnati Health Department's Health Centers have opened up a visible road map for cancer care and dental exams.
Our partners have connected with us to provide a next level of health care access. Adding to regular dinner meetings a health emphasis has made for new connections for people wanting to take action on their health needs. We are grateful to Churches Active in Northside(CAIN), First United Church of Christ, St. Paul's Village,Christ Church Cathedral, Booth Retirement Community, and Over the Rhine Senior Center allowing and encouraging us to share health information at their dinners and breakfasts. Similarly, we appreciate having access to outstanding health centers, especially Crossroad, the Cincinnati Health Network, and the Cincinnati Health Department's Health Centers. These locations have also allowed us to expand and focus on dental health and we are especially happy with our partnership with UC Blue Ash's Dental Hygiene Program. St. Vincent de Paul's efforts to improve health via the UC Open School Program has also invited us to weekly participation. And, the Public Library of Hamilton County has seen it desirable to offer our program at their downtown branch.
Changing the culture of health for our population requires a different attitude from health providers and we are happy about our partnership with the nursing schools of UC and Xavier and with the medical, dental hygiene, pharmacy, and physical rehabilitation students of UC.
Finally, we are in partnership with Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Regional Planning(OKI) and with the Congregation of St. Joseph. Both organizations have been strong partners in encouraging innovative and sound programs for opening up the health and transportation systems of our community. Their financial and psychological support has been critical in any of our success.
Having a compassionate partnership network has made for a city-wide road map for improving health for our most neediest citizens. Each partner has brought a level of trust and openness to new ideas that has fueled our work. We have learned a lot from each partner and we are happy to strengthen our learning and support networks.
-Steve
One of the main characters in August Wilson's play, "Two Trains Running," is a person called "Hambone." He repeats the same line for two acts: "I want my ham!" Hambone has been wronged 9 years earlier by a shopkeeper. Hambone was promised a ham if he painted a fence to the satisfaction of the owner. He didn't. All Hambone wants is justice and that is all he is focused on, day after day. Hambone also represents the many people in Pittsburgh in the '60s that were poor, unemployed or marginally working in a declining neighborhood. Wilson gives voice in a simple and straightforward way to those in the neighborhood, largely African American, who keep finding the "rules" changing and with little chance for justice at any level.
This character reminds me of too many of the people we see at the senior centers, Over the Rhine, Booth, and St. Paul's Village, and at the dinners for people who are poor at CAIN''s North Church, Christ Church, and St. Vincent de Paul. Rarely, are their voices heard above a murmur and even more scarce is their complaints about the lack of justice in the health care system. What we do as Navigators in seek to change the relationship by being present for discussions even if there is a fear of talking. Being present means offering a guidebook to going into the system even though there are scary stories of what happens when a person who is poor and sick crosses over into the hospitals. Providing resources, including accompaniment, seems critical if the past obstacles and present barriers are to be overcome. Grudgingly, we find a few people who, in one way of another, say: "I want real healthcare!" Together, we walk to the transportation that is provided by Cincinnati Area Senior Services(CASS) and we enter a world with more rules that are puzzling than can even be imagined.
This week we met with many people wanting to change the system and join our Commission on Cincinnati's Health Inequities. So many people has stories about people being lost on the way to health care, or rules that prohibited people being able to buy their drugs or see a dentist. We also met with people, Kate Bennett, who are veterans of the systems, who understand the subtlest of meanings in the "rules." Slowly, thanks to more understanding we are seeing the paths to healthcare for our "neighborhood" more clearly. Hambone never gets his ham from his former employer. Instead, a new friend, named "Sterling," places a ham in his coffin. This is not justice. But it is an act of compassion. We are doing better and not enough. Let us all chant: "I want my healthcare justice."
Steve
Check out our first research publication!
From Patient Navigation to Cancer Justice: Toward a Culture-Centered, Community-Owned Intervention Addressing Disparities in Cancer Prevention
Read about the latest progress we are making as a Cancer Justice Network.
Cancer Justice Network
We are uniting agencies and people that serve the poor and minorities in Cincinnati, Ohio to create a Cancer Justice Network. For more information, email :steve.c.sunderland@icloud.com
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text:
Q: Python ValueError: No JSON Object Could Be Decoded (Intermittent) Getting an error with the following code. However, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I have validated the data with JSONLint. I have tried to decode/encode the data based off responses to similar error questions and also tried the same using the codecs module. What I don't understand is why it sometimes works fine and then other times throws an error.
import requests
import json
import codecs

response = requests.get("https://api.weather.gov/alerts/active")
print(response.status_code)

with open ('data.json', 'w') as file:
    file.write(response.content)

myFile = open('data.json', 'r')
myObject = myFile.read()
u = myObject.decode('utf-8-sig')
myObject = u.encode('utf-8')
myFile.encoding
myFile.close()
myData = json.loads(myObject, 'utf-8')

#myData=json.loads(codecs.open(myObject,'r', 'utf-8'))

A sample of the JSON data can be found in another question I asked here.

A: The problem is that your JSON actually is invalid.
Taking the example from your other question, you can paste it into a JSON validator like this one and see the problem: On line 35, there's a trailing comma after the last value in an array. That's not legal JSON. So no conforming JSON parser is going to parse it.
This has nothing to do with character encoding. So throwing in a bunch of extra encode and decode calls and pulling in extra libraries to do it even more times isn't going to help. You've decoded the bytes properly to text, but that text isn't valid JSON.

Why does it happen sometimes but not other times? Presumably (just based on the name of the endpoint) that API is gathering alerts from various places on their backend, and sometimes one of those alerts is encoded incorrectly, but most of the time they're all fine (or there aren't any). Who knows? That's not your bug to fix; it's theirs.
In fact, the first thing you should do is file a bug against the provider, showing them the bad JSON you got, and pointing out exactly what's wrong with it. (If you have some kind of support contract with them, you may want to ask them to do something about it so you don't have to hack around their problems, but I assume you don't.)

What can you do in the mean time? Well, if you can just try/except JSONDecodeError: and skip the occasional bad value, that's probably the best answer until they fix things. If having incomplete data invalidates your whole program, however, that's no good. In particular, in this case, it might mean you get no data for the entire time some important alert was up, so you never see it.
There are "sloppy JSON" decoders out there that you can try. This is generally a bad idea, because it's easy to end up silently decoding something incorrectly in the wrong way, and getting garbage data into your collection. Which also means that most such projects get abandoned, once the author decides it was a bad idea. But people keep writing new ones, so if you really want to, you can probably search for and find one.
If the errors in their JSON are consistent, and you can work out how to describe them, you should be able to write a special-purpose "sloppy JSON" decoder that handles exactly those errors, or a preprocessor that fixes those errors before decoding. This will be non-trivial and probably a bit ugly, but then maybe it should be ugly—every time you read it, it'll remind you to check whether the provider has fixed their bug so you can throw out that ugly code. At any rate, nobody can work out whether their errors are consistent, and then write code that deals with them, without a lot more than just a single example. And probably nobody wants to go through a whole mess of invalid JSON for you anyway. So if you want to go this way, you're going to have to try to do this yourself (but of course you can always ask a new question if you get stuck, with all the relevant details in it).

A: Why do you keep the code so complicated? You can just do:
obj = requests.get("https://api.weather.gov/alerts/active").json()

The json object is automatically decoded for you into a pythonic dict. It seems to be working consistently with python 2.7.14 and 3.6.5.