+Anima

+Anima (Japanese: プラス アニマ, Hepburn: Purasu Anima) is an internationally published ten-volume manga series by Natsumi Mukai. The story focuses on four "+Anima" characters—humans who have metamorphic abilities, and are shunned by society as a result.

Plot

The plot revolves around four +Anima children: Cooro, Husky, Senri, and Nana. Brought together by their +Anima powers, they search for others like themselves and a place to belong. Along the way, they encounter villains and friends alike, as well as other +Anima.

In the +Anima fantasy world, Astaria (a primarily desert land with European influence), some humans have an unusual gift that grants them the ability to morph one or more of their body parts, such as limbs, into a form of an animal's body part. Some are capable of even more radical changes, such as growing wings or full-body transformation. The transformation processes are very fast, and occur at the user's will. When inactive, the morphed areas revert to normal, leaving the person's clothing and body completely untouched. The only visual mark of this ability appears on the body of the person, in the form of a black birthmark ( tattoo-like marking that determines their +anima). Occasionally, the user bears some behavioral characteristics of their animal, but this is not very common. +Anima are not treated kindly by the "normal" humans. Therefore, when some are treated bad enough or have a taken over neglected feeling, their anima often takes over them.

Xenosaga

Xenosaga (ゼノサーガ, Zenosāga) is a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games. There have been three spin-off games and an anime adaptation. The Xenosaga series serves as a spiritual successor to the game Xenogears, which was released in 1998 for the PlayStation by Square. The creator of both Xenogears and Xenosaga is Tetsuya Takahashi, who left Square in 1998 along with Hirohide Sugiura. Using funds from Namco, they started MonolithSoft and the Xenosaga project.

The first game in the trilogy, Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht was released in February 2002 in Japan, and in February 2003 in North America. Xenosaga Freaks, a lighthearted game with a playable demo for Episode II, was released in April 2004 in Japan, but was not released elsewhere. Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse was released in June 2004 in Japan and February 2005 in North America. Xenosaga: The Animation, an anime based on Episode I, premiered on TV Asahi in Japan on January 5, 2005. Xenosaga Pied Piper, a three chapter-long cellphone-based game depicting the history of cyborg "Ziggurat 8" 100 years before the start of Episode I, was released in Japan in July 2004. Released on July 6, 2006, Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra is the final title in the Xenosaga series; six episodes were originally projected, but by the time Episode III was released, Namco had already established that it would be the last entry, effectively halving the series. A retelling of the first two episodes titled Xenosaga I & II was released on the Nintendo DS in March 2006 in Japan.

Anima (organization)

Anima is a Danish animal rights organization founded in 2000. Its core focus is on factory farms and the fur industry. The organization's motto is "the organization for the rights of all animals". Anima works by organizing protests, raising awareness about animal abuse, and providing information and advice on vegan/vegetarian eating.

Selected history

Ban on imports of cat and dog fur

The organization collected 200,000 signatures on a petition, and held protests at the main dealer of dog and cat fur. In 2003, imports of dog and cat fur were banned in Denmark. A similar ban was implemented in 2007 by the European Union.

Ban on import of seal products

The organization worked on the Danish part of a campaign to ban the import of seal products from Canada, Norway or Namibia, stating that the seal hunt is inherently inhumane. The European Union banned the import of seal products in 2009, which took effect in 2010.

Fur-free fashion

The organization campaigns directly with sellers of clothing to make fur-free the norm in Danish fashion. In 2014, there were 160 companies committing to selling only fur-free fashion wear.

Timeless (Sarah Brightman album)

Timeless, known as Time to Say Goodbye in the USA and Canada, is the fifth album by classical crossover soprano Sarah Brightman & the London Symphony Orchestra. The album went gold or platinum in 21 countries, selling over 1.4 million copies in the US alone, and topped the Billboard Classical Crossover chart in the US for 35 weeks. EMI's SACD 5.1 release of the album is also entitled Time to Say Goodbye and follows the American track listing.

Track list

(The Time to Say Goodbye release has the same tracks, but opens with the title song)

Singles

Charts and certifications

This album peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard Top 200 albums, and peaked at number-one on the Billboard Top Classical Crossover Albums. On the Billboard Classical charts, it stayed at the peak for thirty-five consecutive weeks.

Timeless (Jim Ankan Deka album)

Timeless is a multilingual album by Assamese musician Jim Ankan Deka. The album was recorded in 2012. The CD contains seven tracks while the digital version has only five tracks. The album is a tribute to Indian music maestros Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, writer Bhabananda Deka and the National anthem of India.

Overview

The album is a collaboration with Bengali singer Ritwika Bhattacharya, Carnatic vocalist and veena player Suchethan Rangaswamy and US based poet Mardee Agen. While three of the tracks Eastwards, Independence Awekening and Remember your Faith are instrumental, Shabd (Hindi), Ganga (Hindi) and Tere Bin Nahi Lagda (Punjabi) are sung by Ritwika and Xobdor Porisoy (Assamese) by Jim himself. Eastwards is the only fusion track of the album. It has the essence of Carnatic music and Acoustic rock. Remember Your Faith is based on a poem by Mardee Agen. The album is produced by Bangalore based music institute Eastern Fare Music Foundation.

Timeless (Sérgio Mendes album)

Timeless is a collaborative album, recorded and released by Brazilian artist Sérgio Mendes, and produced by American rapper, songwriter and producer will.i.am. The album was released on February 13, 2006. The album features many neo soul and alternative hip hop guest artists, including John Legend, Q-Tip and Justin Timberlake. The album was produced entirely by will.i.am, and was released via Concord Records and the will.i.am Music Group. The album's lead single, "Mas Que Nada", was featured on commercials for both Joga Bonito and Nike Football, as well EA Sports' NBA Live 07 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup video games. Two further singles were released from the album: "That Heat", and "Yes Yes Y'all". The album reaches across styles, combining neo soul, bossa nova, samba, hip hop, and even flavors of reggaeton.

Track listing

Charts

References