Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
a great learning: In tragedy, Japan impresses the world
Despite the horrific scenes of destruction, Japan may emerge from its quake-tsunami disaster with a stronger international brand-name as the nation's resilience wins wide praise.
Television stations around the world have broadcast the footage of the seismic waves as they razed homes and carried away cars as if they were toys, stranding dazed survivors on the brutalized landscape.
But coverage has also shown another side -- Japanese showing calm as they search for loved ones or wait for basic necessities. There is not a hint of looting or violence, even as residents line up at half-empty stores.
Entries on the English-language blogosphere speak of the Japanese as "stoic" and wonder the reaction in Western countries would be to a disaster of similar magnitude.
Harvard University professor Joseph Nye said that the disaster may turn out to benefit Japan's "soft power" -- a term he coined to describe how nations achieve their goals by appearing more attractive to others.
"Though the tragedy is immense, this sad event shows some of the very attractive features of Japan, and thus may help their soft power," Nye told AFP in an email exchange.
"In addition to the sympathy it will engender, it shows a stable, well-mannered society that was as prepared for such a disaster as any modern country could be, and which is responding in a calm and orderly way," he said.
Officially pacifist Japan has historically relied on aid as a key tool of foreign policy, but it is expected to reconsider at least some of the spending as it contends with a hefty reconstruction bill.
Even though Japan is one of the world's wealthiest countries, Americans alone have donated more than $22 million since Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake, according to a tally compiled from aid groups.
While nearly all nations enjoy sympathy at a human level when they experience tragedy, countries' reputations rarely benefit as a result.
Pakistan received aid from the United States and other countries last year when it was submerged by major floods. But funding came slowly from individuals overseas with relief groups pointing to Pakistan's image problems.
China and Haiti also faced criticism over government handling of earthquakes in 2008 and last year.
Some experts believed the earthquake could change the narrative about Japan to one of rebirth after years in which the country was identified with feeble economic growth, an aging population and revolving-door governments.
"The question was whether Japan was going to be able to deal with what's necessary, to innovate and revive its economy," said Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"It's way too early to make any predictions, but I think so far, viewed from afar, it seems like the Japanese people are demonstrating resilience at a time of crisis. I think that could say a lot about Japan in the days and weeks ahead," he said.
Japan, however, has come under scrutiny for the safety of its nuclear industry after explosions rocked overheating reactors at the Fukushima plant.
Critics of nuclear power have pointed to the crisis as a reason to freeze moves for nuclear power, while lukewarm supporters of atomic energy in the United States have now called for a safety review.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel put off a plan to postpone the date when Europe's largest economy abandons nuclear power.
However, in the United States, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the number two Republican in the chamber and advocate of nuclear energy, spoke of being "very impressed" with earthquake preparations by Japan.
"It may well turn out here that the Japanese did a phenomenal job of avoiding a catastrophe," Kyl told reporters.
Leaving aside the nuclear issue, newspapers saluted the Japanese response.
Canada's National Post said that Japan's foresight saved "untold tens of thousands of lives."
"Unlike in Haiti (2010), Pakistan (2005) or Sichuan (2008), the rolls of the dead were not needlessly extended by acres of ramshackle tenements that collapsed immediately upon the heads of their occupants," it said.
The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial: "After a once-in-300-years earthquake, the Japanese have been keeping cool amid the chaos, organizing an enormous relief and rescue operation, and generally earning the world's admiration."
source: Yahoo; japan_now
Television stations around the world have broadcast the footage of the seismic waves as they razed homes and carried away cars as if they were toys, stranding dazed survivors on the brutalized landscape.
But coverage has also shown another side -- Japanese showing calm as they search for loved ones or wait for basic necessities. There is not a hint of looting or violence, even as residents line up at half-empty stores.
Entries on the English-language blogosphere speak of the Japanese as "stoic" and wonder the reaction in Western countries would be to a disaster of similar magnitude.
Harvard University professor Joseph Nye said that the disaster may turn out to benefit Japan's "soft power" -- a term he coined to describe how nations achieve their goals by appearing more attractive to others.
"Though the tragedy is immense, this sad event shows some of the very attractive features of Japan, and thus may help their soft power," Nye told AFP in an email exchange.
"In addition to the sympathy it will engender, it shows a stable, well-mannered society that was as prepared for such a disaster as any modern country could be, and which is responding in a calm and orderly way," he said.
Officially pacifist Japan has historically relied on aid as a key tool of foreign policy, but it is expected to reconsider at least some of the spending as it contends with a hefty reconstruction bill.
Even though Japan is one of the world's wealthiest countries, Americans alone have donated more than $22 million since Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake, according to a tally compiled from aid groups.
While nearly all nations enjoy sympathy at a human level when they experience tragedy, countries' reputations rarely benefit as a result.
Pakistan received aid from the United States and other countries last year when it was submerged by major floods. But funding came slowly from individuals overseas with relief groups pointing to Pakistan's image problems.
China and Haiti also faced criticism over government handling of earthquakes in 2008 and last year.
Some experts believed the earthquake could change the narrative about Japan to one of rebirth after years in which the country was identified with feeble economic growth, an aging population and revolving-door governments.
"The question was whether Japan was going to be able to deal with what's necessary, to innovate and revive its economy," said Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"It's way too early to make any predictions, but I think so far, viewed from afar, it seems like the Japanese people are demonstrating resilience at a time of crisis. I think that could say a lot about Japan in the days and weeks ahead," he said.
Japan, however, has come under scrutiny for the safety of its nuclear industry after explosions rocked overheating reactors at the Fukushima plant.
Critics of nuclear power have pointed to the crisis as a reason to freeze moves for nuclear power, while lukewarm supporters of atomic energy in the United States have now called for a safety review.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel put off a plan to postpone the date when Europe's largest economy abandons nuclear power.
However, in the United States, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the number two Republican in the chamber and advocate of nuclear energy, spoke of being "very impressed" with earthquake preparations by Japan.
"It may well turn out here that the Japanese did a phenomenal job of avoiding a catastrophe," Kyl told reporters.
Leaving aside the nuclear issue, newspapers saluted the Japanese response.
Canada's National Post said that Japan's foresight saved "untold tens of thousands of lives."
"Unlike in Haiti (2010), Pakistan (2005) or Sichuan (2008), the rolls of the dead were not needlessly extended by acres of ramshackle tenements that collapsed immediately upon the heads of their occupants," it said.
The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial: "After a once-in-300-years earthquake, the Japanese have been keeping cool amid the chaos, organizing an enormous relief and rescue operation, and generally earning the world's admiration."
source: Yahoo; japan_now
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Toho suing Honda over Godzilla
Movie Company, Toho, is currently suing Honda for using their character “Godzilla” in an American commercial without their permission.
They’ve presented their case on the 11th and are suing Honda through the Los Angeles district courts. A specific claim amount wasn’t included in the legal brief.
The advertisement in question is a commercial for the Honda Odyssey. They never mention Godzilla’s name, but a character in Godzilla’s image was shown breathing fire on a video screen inside the minivan.
People close to Toho stated, “Godzilla is also popular in America, but they used our character without permission and infringed on our copyright”. Honda is leaving it up to the lawyers stating, “We can’t comment on this case”.
source: TOKYOHIVE;japan_now
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Daun Sirsak (Bunuh Sel Kanker)>>Soursop Leaves (Kill Cancer Cells)
Daun sirsak (latin: Annona muricata)
Dari alam telah menyediakan obat alami yang dapat membunuh sel penyakit yang sangat berbahaya. Ya, daun sirsak. Rupanya sangat sederhana dan mudah dicari di sekitar kita. Banyak orang meninggal karena penyakit yang satu ini. Daun yang dapat di petik dari tumbuhan berbuah ini ternyata sangat ampuh bahkan lebih kuat dari obat kimia kemoterapi.
Orang yang menderita penyakit kanker sudah barang tentu sangat menderita yang dirasakan. Bagaimana tidak? Orang yang terkena penyakit kanker sudah menderita karena penyakitnya, penderitaannya ditambah karena obat kemoterapi yang menyiksa. Orang yang menjalani kemoterapi rambut yang tumbuh di tubuhnya sudah pasti akan rontok. Itu dikarenakan obat keras dari ramuan kemoterapi yang masuk ke dalam pembuluh darah kemudian disalurkan ke seluruh tubuh.
Selain biaya yang murah dengan menggunakan obat yang telah disediakan oleh alam dan tidak menyiksa saat anda menggunakan obat ini, cara pengolahannya pun juga mudah. Berikut cara pengolahannya :
1. Rebus 10 buah daun sirsak yang sudah tua (warna hijau tua) ke dalam 3 gelas air dan direbus terus hingga menguap dan air tinggal 1 gelas saja.
2. Air yang tinggal 1 gelas diminumkan ke penderita setiap 2 kali sehari.
Setelah minum, efeknya badan terasa panas, mirip dengan efek kemoterapi. Dalam waktu 2-4 minggu, hasilnya bisa dicek ke dokter. Daun sirsak ini sifatnya seperti kemoterapi, bahkan lebih kuat lagi karena daun sirsak hanya membunuh sel-sel yang tumbuh abnormal dan membiarkan sel-sel yang tumbuh normal.
Kandungan dari daun : Senyawa aktif untuk pemompaan P-glycoprotein untuk menhasilkan senyawa anti kanker alias kemoterapi.
Dari alam telah menyediakan obat alami yang dapat membunuh sel penyakit yang sangat berbahaya. Ya, daun sirsak. Rupanya sangat sederhana dan mudah dicari di sekitar kita. Banyak orang meninggal karena penyakit yang satu ini. Daun yang dapat di petik dari tumbuhan berbuah ini ternyata sangat ampuh bahkan lebih kuat dari obat kimia kemoterapi.
Orang yang menderita penyakit kanker sudah barang tentu sangat menderita yang dirasakan. Bagaimana tidak? Orang yang terkena penyakit kanker sudah menderita karena penyakitnya, penderitaannya ditambah karena obat kemoterapi yang menyiksa. Orang yang menjalani kemoterapi rambut yang tumbuh di tubuhnya sudah pasti akan rontok. Itu dikarenakan obat keras dari ramuan kemoterapi yang masuk ke dalam pembuluh darah kemudian disalurkan ke seluruh tubuh.
Selain biaya yang murah dengan menggunakan obat yang telah disediakan oleh alam dan tidak menyiksa saat anda menggunakan obat ini, cara pengolahannya pun juga mudah. Berikut cara pengolahannya :
1. Rebus 10 buah daun sirsak yang sudah tua (warna hijau tua) ke dalam 3 gelas air dan direbus terus hingga menguap dan air tinggal 1 gelas saja.
2. Air yang tinggal 1 gelas diminumkan ke penderita setiap 2 kali sehari.
Setelah minum, efeknya badan terasa panas, mirip dengan efek kemoterapi. Dalam waktu 2-4 minggu, hasilnya bisa dicek ke dokter. Daun sirsak ini sifatnya seperti kemoterapi, bahkan lebih kuat lagi karena daun sirsak hanya membunuh sel-sel yang tumbuh abnormal dan membiarkan sel-sel yang tumbuh normal.
Kandungan dari daun : Senyawa aktif untuk pemompaan P-glycoprotein untuk menhasilkan senyawa anti kanker alias kemoterapi.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sephora Cosmetics Launches U.S. Hello Kitty Line
In an e-mail newsletter, cosmetics retail chain Sephora announced that it is launching an exclusive Hello Kitty line of products this month. The line includes cosmetics in branded Hello Kitty-shaped cases, perfume in a Hello Kitty bottles, and various accessories, including a scented necklace. Prices range from US$5 for nail art stickers to US$55 for the Hello Kitty fragrance. Sephora website customers can also receive a free sample of the fragrance in a corresponding Hello Kitty bottle if they have earned 100 reward points (by spending US$100 or more at the site).
The Hello Kitty character is famous for being attached to all manner of products. Last year, a Hello Kitty Italian motor oil was announced, as well as a joint birthday event with Space Battleship Yamato; the two were created in the same year (1974). In 2009, a Yoshiki-branded Hello Kitty named "Yoshikitty" was announced. In 2007 the BBC reported that police officers who had committed small infractions in Thailand could be made to wear a Hello Kitty armband as punishment.
source: ANIME NEWS NETWORK
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Japan x Twitter = A Bear that Tweets Out Loud
Last year marked a breakthrough for Twitter in Japan. The microblogging service rapidly expanded from near obscurity to near ubiquity, creating a phenomenon that fascinated local media and critics.
Last summer during soccer’s World Cup, for example, the Japanese set a global record at the time of 3,283 tweets per second for the most-ever chirps per second; and Japan broke its own record just after midnight on New Year’s Eve with all the “happy new year” tweets.
Now that the Japanese have embraced Twitter, it’s time for the Twitter culture to start adding more of the local flavor in the home of Hello Kitty and Pokemon. And so it was that, addressing Japan’s well-known obsession with cute characters, Tokyo-based toy maker WiZ Co. late last year released a new product: A four-inch tall bear that reads out aloud every tweet that comes into your Twitter account.
The “Charatter,” as it’s known, is Japan’s first tweet-reading character toy. It received an unusually large number of pre-orders online, and has been enjoying brisk sales since its Nov. 30 launch, says a WiZ spokeswoman, though the company doesn’t disclose sales numbers.
How does it work? Users first download a special Charatter application either via iPhone or PC. This free software developed by WiZ translates the tweets into sound and sends it to a speaker inside the bear toy, which then reproduces the message out loud in a robotic voice. Not cute enough? How about this — its little lips actually move in sync with the sound.
Officially, WiZ says that the bear is designed to read out tweets in Japanese, but in its own rigorous newsroom tests, Japan Real Time tried the toy out and found that it actually reads tweets in English too. Though it does sometimes miss some words and pronounces English with an unmistakably Japanese accent – which perhaps even enhances the “cute” factor.
One word of caution: There’s no button on the bear itself to change the volume of its voice (though users can do so via the iPhone or PC), so be careful if the friends you follow frequently tweet about embarrassing subjects.
WiZ says the idea for some kind of talking toy came about after the number of Twitter users began to increase sharply in Japan last spring. Several ideas came and went during the development stage, including a tweet-reading bird, an obvious association from the Twitter logo. “In terms of cuteness, everyone agreed that the bear was the best,” said the WiZ spokeswoman.
And as you might have already guessed, the tweet-reading bear has its own Twitter account. The account picks up many comments from Charatter fans: “It’s so cute I don’t know what to do with it,” reads a tweet by one of the fans. Some fans tweet photos of their pet cats sitting side by side with the toy bear.
And now to the cold, hard cash part of the equation: The suggested retail price for the Charatter is 2,200 yen (about $27), but it can sometimes be found at lower prices at consumer electronics retailers and other stores in Japan. WiZ currently has no concrete plans to sell it outside Japan, although the company would be interested in opportunities to take it overseas, the spokeswoman says.
follow the bear thing on twitter: http://twitter.com/charatter_PR
source: wall street journal, youtube
"Virtual fishing to get reel in Japan"
Good news for busy, urban anglers: Japanese toymaker Tomy will release an augmented reality fishing rod allowing users to feel a bite and reel in a heavy fish regardless of their location.
"Virtual Masters Real" -- a palm-sized rod with an antenna-like tip equipped with a reeling handle and small screen -- will go on sale in Japan in July for 6,279 yen ($76), Tomy said on Tuesday.
The rod's camera uses special technology to augment any location shown on the screen with "fishing opportunities", potentially giving offices, streets and shopping malls the refined air of a relaxing day by the lakeside.
Or, depending on the size of the fish, users could find themselves haunted by a virtual obsession to rival Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick.
A whirring sound accompanies the simulated casting of the line, as well as a satisfying "plunk" when the sinker hits the water, the company said.
The harder the user casts out, the further the line flies on the screen. A bite on the line is conveyed by a vibrating reel with the "weight" on the line changing in accordance with the size of the fish, it said.
If the fish is successfully hooked, the reel will shake as users work to reel in the virtual beast. The line will go limp if the fish is allowed to escape.
Tomy has set a sales target of 300,000 units for the first year of sales as it looks to cash in on the rising popularity of outdoor leisure activities, including fishing, in Japan, the company said.
source: Google; japan_now
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