News Comparison

Article about the same subject (Russian military testing that encroached upon Japan's northern territories) from Russia and Japanese news sources.  This sort of thing may become the subject of my research for my senior thesis in the coming year.  Read the official English version of the Russian side here.

択捉島での軍事演習、日本政府がロシアに抗議

読売新聞 - ‎2010年7月7日‎

仙谷官房長官は７日の記者会見で、ロシアが北方領土の択捉島で軍事演習を行ったことに対し、外交ルートで抗議したことを明らかにした。 それによると、政府は演習の事実が判明した５日、モスクワの日本大使館から露外務省に「北方領土に対する我が国の法的立場にかんがみ ...

http://www.pravda.ru/world/asia/fareast/08-07-2010/1039855-east-0/

"Восток 2010" - дело тонкое. Для Японии

08.07.2010

Традиционные военные учения "Восток 2010" вызвали дипломатический протест в Японии. По поручению министерства иностранных дел посольство Японии в Москве вручило нашим дипломатам ноту протеста против "незаконного использования ее северных территорий". Этот парадокс требует некоторого объяснения.

ニュース！ Новости!

It's a disjointed update, confounded by languages!

THIS IS HOW MUCH SNOW WE GOT IN LESS THAN THREE DAYS LAST WEEK (over 60cm, I heard):




This week has been insanely busy, and I haven't had time for much of anything that isn't related to class. In other news, I've started teaching a weekly English class and the second meeting was tonight. I have 3-5 students, and I really really really enjoy teaching. I find that having studied Latin, Russian, and Japanese (Latin most of all actually) helps me a great deal with teaching English, and I could see myself doing this a lot more. I've added links on the right (my Profile) to my Facebook, ВКонтакте, and ミクシ pages.

INTERESTING: I've finally started both a Russian and a Japanese language blog (it's great practice, hm?)--the Russian one can be found on VK and the Japanese one on Mixi. For my weekly Russian class, I'm currently reading some really excellent memoir-stories by one Вадим Смоленский (Vadim Smolensky), known for having translated some of Haruki Murakami's early works into Russian. Check out his awesome site here. The issue of shark-finning is significant, because while the popularity of these expensive yet apparently tasteless fins ought not to be more of an issue than eating tuna, I've learned that the fact is that sharks are often hunted in an extremely wasteful (and some would argue cruel) manner, and apparently some species are endangered. I'm not against the idea of eating shark in principle, but apparently this is a big deal environmentally speaking, so I'm told. Here's one BBC Correspondent's experience with the issue in China. What do you think? Here's a fantastic speech by President Obama from Dr. Martin Luther King Day, concerning race in America and issues that face us all in the past, present, and future. Recommended viewing.

News about the earthquake in Haiti seems to been somewhat glaringly absent here in Japan. I wondered why even The Japan Times featured Kobe's anniversary memorial for the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 15 years ago on its front page...without any mention of Haiti. None can deny Japan's late response (though extant), and this discussion explores why that happened.

Awesome musician I've just discovered: Origa （オリガ / Орига / Ольга Витальевна Яковлева）. A Russian singer who does most of her work these days in Japan, not to mention a friend and collaborator of Yuko Kanno （菅野よう子）, the genius behind the music of Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, and others (she's my other new favorite musician).

And here's some more gaijin perspective.

And of course, who could forget the Coachella lineup that just came out this week? I'd really really really really really love to go (TONS OF AMAZING BANDS), but that would mean $1000 in airfare, plus three days of missed class, not counting tickets, food, camping, a train to Tokyo, or gas money. So in other words, not happening though there are two really awesome-looking music festivals coming up this summer right here in Japan: Summer Sonic Fuji Rock Festival Hopefully I can go to both! ROCK!!!!

The news about Conan O'Brien has been disappointing, to say the least. I feel lucky that I was able to see his live show twice. Other disappointing news concerns the loss of Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. I even phone-banked for her all the way from here in Japan, but it came out a loss. Can't say I'm all that surprised, though. Given what I've seen in the news about American politics and the way the country is reacting to everything, it seems this was bound to happen. Finally, the weather has also been crazy in Los Angeles. Angelinos, I hope you're enjoying the change of pace. I know these people are!


Kiyomizudera in Kyoto, December 29


Shibuya in Tokyo, New Year's Eve

Now, ain't somebody gonna buy my bass?