culture and communication
Over one in six Japanese want a geiger counter | 世論 What Japan Thinks
I subscribe to “Yoron What Japan Thinks”. This guy has gone to the trouble of translating into English the results of online surveys that deal with consumer and life-style trends in Japan, surveys that I wouldn’t couldn’t read in Japanese. These statistics are interesting, but I also liked his comment on irresponsible journalism. I suppose [...]
“So you point to a tree and say, ‘See that car?’
Jon Rappoport writes some pretty interesting stuff. Today he came up with something that wraps up in a nutshell a recurring concern I have, like a sore that won’t go away, about “education”: “Education tends to define what is there before a person can experience it on his own.” Here’s the context, but click the [...]
Facebook: “you can check out but you can never leave…”
Mouse-tip to Marketing Japan for pointing this out. I don’t really like Facebook, can’t figure out how to use it. Plus it’s annoying to see so much stuff I don’t want to see on my page. The most interesting view, I found, is “The Wall”, but that doesn’t come up by default, and when I [...]
OCCUPY THE WHITE HOUSE « Jon Rappoport’s Blog
Jon Rappoport has an update on the Iranian actress sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail, which I wrote about yesterday. While you’re there, check out the next item on his blog. Yesterday, in New York, two guys in suits showed up at the rally with a sign that announced: WE ARE THE [...]
Tsunami debris floats across the Pacific towards Midway
This stuff could be floating around for a long time, ebbing back and forth across the Pacific. Yuk. I’m reminded of the beginning of J.G. Ballard’s novel (and movie), “Empire of the Sun”, where the coffins float down the river, bump against ships, and break open … Anyone for a swim in Hawaii? Can’t find [...]
Tesco’s exit adds to Japan’s tough reputation – FT.com
I’m interested in cultural differences, and in cross-cultural success stories. This FT article examines some of the reasons why foreign (non-Japanese) companies trying to enter the supermarket field have mostly failed, with the exception of Costco. The reasons for the failures seem to be a combination of lack of patience (expecting success too soon, not [...]
Eloquent orator seen as safe choice – FT.com
Jiro Yamaguchi, a political scientist at Hokkaido University, says Mr Noda is likely to try to avoid further friction and to instead pursue a conventional foreign policy stressing stability in ties with the US.“I don’t think that he’s a die-hard conservative or nationalist,” Prof Yamaguchi says. “I don’t think he will visit Yasukuni … he’s [...]
Kenneth Williams, a tragic comedian: “Cor, Blimey!” Part 8 of 10 – YouTube
good old sid yak yak yak via Kenneth Williams, “Cor, Blimey!” Part 8 of 10 – YouTube.’ Something about British culture for a change, not Japanese. Google search on Kenneth Williams led me to this outstanding dramatization. For some reason the title is “Kenneth Williams, “Cor, Blimey!”” but it centres on the relationship between two [...]
Fukushima kids give silent officials an earful on crisis | The Japan Times Online
Kaya Hashimoto, 13, said she evacuated with her family from the town of Miharu in June due to concerns over radiation exposure. The family now lives in Tokyo, and she said she misses her friends in Fukushima and worries about them. “Can you understand the feelings of people who left their hometowns in Fukushima?” she [...]
WORLDbytes – After Fukushima: The Fear Factor | Atomic Insights
Why is anyone who suggests that the radiation news may not be all bad, immediately labeled an apologist for the nuke industry? Hint: it has something to do with Marxism. See below the video for my answer. In the video, Ms. Fox tells how many of the journalists that she regularly serves from the Science [...]
