On Monday, tropical paradise Miyako Island was rattled by a level-4 earthquake. (4 is in the middle of the Japanese earthquake intensity scale--enough to topple things from shelves, but not enough for real damage)
This is newsworthy, not because there was an earthquake, but because an earthquake was predicted and then it happened.
Unfortunately, the warning came ten seconds after the preliminary shockwave, and the earthquake itself happened a few seconds before that. While the timing may have been off, the other parts of the system worked. That's encouraging.
The first computers were pretty unimpressive, too, but look at them now. Let's hope the science of earthquake prediction improves by the same leaps and bounds.
2008年4月29日火曜日
2008年4月27日日曜日
WHAT??????
I can't believe they said that.
The US answer to Japan's protest over the violation of the trade agreement about beef imports is, "Why don't you just close your eyes and ignore the agreement, like we do?"
I'm quoting. Is this what my country's word is worth? Nothing more than a wink and a nudge?
I can't believe it. Can you?
The US answer to Japan's protest over the violation of the trade agreement about beef imports is, "Why don't you just close your eyes and ignore the agreement, like we do?"
I'm quoting. Is this what my country's word is worth? Nothing more than a wink and a nudge?
I can't believe it. Can you?
2008年4月26日土曜日
Ayakaru: Sharing Good Fortune
Ayakaru--everyone does it, and Okinawa even has a word for it.
Do you feel like shaking hands or getting a hug when you come face to face with a winner? Having something of theirs to take home with you as a lucky talisman? On some level, we humans like to believe that top achievers have a special power, and if only we could get close enough, some of it might rub off on us.
That is what ayakaru is all about.
In one special Okinawa version, ayakaru is applied to old people. Living beyond the age of 90 and still being able to enjoy the daily round of activities is a very special way of winning in the game of life. People who have lived a very long time are treated like heroes at their birthday celebrations, with friends and strangers alike trying to get close to them through greetings or handshakes and sharing a drink poured by the elderly superhero at a celebratory party. There is a feeling that, through ayakaru, the secrets of healthy longevity can be shared.
Do you feel like shaking hands or getting a hug when you come face to face with a winner? Having something of theirs to take home with you as a lucky talisman? On some level, we humans like to believe that top achievers have a special power, and if only we could get close enough, some of it might rub off on us.
That is what ayakaru is all about.
In one special Okinawa version, ayakaru is applied to old people. Living beyond the age of 90 and still being able to enjoy the daily round of activities is a very special way of winning in the game of life. People who have lived a very long time are treated like heroes at their birthday celebrations, with friends and strangers alike trying to get close to them through greetings or handshakes and sharing a drink poured by the elderly superhero at a celebratory party. There is a feeling that, through ayakaru, the secrets of healthy longevity can be shared.
2008年4月24日木曜日
Is this how to restore credibility abroad?
I don't think so.
This is from today's (4/24/2008) Japan Times:
"Banned spine parts turn up in U.S. beefA high-risk material for mad cow disease is found in a beef shipment from the United States in violation of a bilateral trade accord."
This is after "W" got on TV, literally bouncing in his seat, demanding that Japan buy US beef "or else". So a trade agreement was negotiated. For the aftermath of the agreement, see the news quoted above.
A leader is someone people follow. If he looks behind him and no one is there, he's not leading. He's just taking a walk.
Hmm... Take a walk... I know whose party I'm not voting for in the next election.
PS: US beef disappeard overnight from Japanese supermarkets. Even I wouldn't buy it if it were offered.
This is from today's (4/24/2008) Japan Times:
"Banned spine parts turn up in U.S. beefA high-risk material for mad cow disease is found in a beef shipment from the United States in violation of a bilateral trade accord."
This is after "W" got on TV, literally bouncing in his seat, demanding that Japan buy US beef "or else". So a trade agreement was negotiated. For the aftermath of the agreement, see the news quoted above.
A leader is someone people follow. If he looks behind him and no one is there, he's not leading. He's just taking a walk.
Hmm... Take a walk... I know whose party I'm not voting for in the next election.
PS: US beef disappeard overnight from Japanese supermarkets. Even I wouldn't buy it if it were offered.
2008年4月7日月曜日
Baseball Rite of Spring: Okinawa Wins!
Twice a year, high school baseball rules TV. There are national tournaments in spring and summer. Theoretically, every high school with a good baseball team gets a chance to play. After a complicated series of play offs, the very best teams in the nation compete at Koshien Stadium.
It is the dream of every boy who has ever handled a baseball to play at Koshien Stadium. The lucky ones who make it traditionally scoop up a little bit of the dirt from the diamond to keep as an eternal souvenir. A uniform stained with the soil of Koshien is almost a sacred object.
Last Saturday, Okinawa's Shogaku high school made Koshien history. It was the first time in ten years that a high school pitcher threw a complete-game shutout.
Shogaku won 9-0. The 1998 shutout was pitched by Daisuke Matsuzaka, now of the Boston Red Sox. The pitcher this time was Nao Higashihama, and his coach was Koya Higa--the ace who pitched at Koshien in 1999, the last time Okinawa Shogaku won the national tournament.
I love it that boys have a place like Koshien in which to be heroes. I love it that the kids are the focal point and that the adults stay quietly, supportively, in the background.
It is the dream of every boy who has ever handled a baseball to play at Koshien Stadium. The lucky ones who make it traditionally scoop up a little bit of the dirt from the diamond to keep as an eternal souvenir. A uniform stained with the soil of Koshien is almost a sacred object.
Last Saturday, Okinawa's Shogaku high school made Koshien history. It was the first time in ten years that a high school pitcher threw a complete-game shutout.
Shogaku won 9-0. The 1998 shutout was pitched by Daisuke Matsuzaka, now of the Boston Red Sox. The pitcher this time was Nao Higashihama, and his coach was Koya Higa--the ace who pitched at Koshien in 1999, the last time Okinawa Shogaku won the national tournament.
I love it that boys have a place like Koshien in which to be heroes. I love it that the kids are the focal point and that the adults stay quietly, supportively, in the background.
2008年4月3日木曜日
It's Cherry Blossom Time!
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Old trees
fresh blossoms
season of new beginnings
Happy Springtime to You All!
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Old trees
fresh blossoms
season of new beginnings
Happy Springtime to You All!
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