http://www.japanfocus.org/-Yoshio-SHIMOJI/3354
This article does justice to the U.S. military situation in Okinawa better than I could in my previous post.
For those interested in more in depth reading, I strongly recommend the related articles at the bottom of the page.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Losing Sleep Over Marine Corps Golf Courses
NO!
NO!
NO!Last night I lost sleep because I felt the need to get up and blog about yesterday's protest. (More video coming soon!)
Tonight I'm losing sleep because I wanted to try to find out who owns and operates U.S. military golf courses in Okinawa. From what I know, Japanese tax dollars pay for the utilities at U.S. military bases. Does that mean they are also paying for the maintenance and upkeep of U.S. military golf courses? The U.S. military has golf courses all over the world: http://www.militarygolfcourseguide.com/.
The Taiyo Golf Club, for example, was recently rebuilt by the U.S. Marine Corps. According to the Marine Corps Community Services Okinawa website, "...Taiyo Golf Club, which opened on March 1, 2010 and is already drawing comparisons to the finest U.S. military golf facilities in the Pacific, if not the entire world." In these difficult financial times, how is it possible that our military finds it appropriate to spend so much money on this kind of recreational facility? It's simply irresponsible.
Golf courses are a huge drain on natural resources, requiring tons of water to keep the greens green. When I read this about the history of the above golf course (formerly Awase Meadows), I was really disturbed:
After years of negotiations (the decision to return the land [to Okinawa/Japan] was made in 1996), a conglomeration of landowners collectively decided that the course will be developed into Okinawa's largest shopping mall—a monstrous three-story Jusco. This new facility, which will also house a theater and hospital, will cover almost half of the scenic golf course's property.Instead of restoring the land to its natural habitat, the citizens of Okinawa got a mega-mall and U.S. military golf course doubled in size. This is destroying the environment of Okinawa. More posts to come on U.S. bases and the environment. This is morally, ethically, politically, financially, and environmentally wrong. Just wrong.And, although watching the last golfers finishing their last round on this venerable course will be a sad day indeed, Okinawa's newest, and possibly the greatest, Marine Corps golf course is just over the horizon.
"The new course will be on the same level, if not better than, many of the current private courses on the island," says Rich Erland, Director of Golf/Golf Course Superintendent at the Awase Meadows Golf Course. This new course, which is currently under construction in Uruma City near the Kurashiki Dam, is slated to be top notch in all departments. Covering approximately 6,800 yards and encompassing 247 acres (compared to Awase Meadows' 5,765 yards and 110 acres), this new course is slated to be completed in early 2009....Although the new course is slated to be light years ahead of Awase Meadows in almost every aspect, one thing will remain the same: the courses mission will be to serve its most beloved customers—the servicemen and women that defend the United States of America.
Take action through my blog.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Takae Protest Hip-Hop Video
I took this video of the "No Helipad in Takae, Okinawa" protest yesterday (2/20) in Shinbashi Hibiya (SL) Square, Tokyo:
More video from 2/20/2011 protest to come!
More video from 2/20/2011 protest to come!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Takae in Context
Why are the events in Takae, a rural village in Okinawa, Japan (the Ryukyu Islands), important to America and the rest of the world? To understand this, we need to look at Takae in context.
First, we have to look at the history of Okinawa (see Wikipedia). Without summarizing the entire history of the islands, note that they have been a contested territory in the modern (post-Meiji) era. China and Japan vied for control of the Ryukus, which were annexed to Japan and granted constitutional rights and freedoms (such as the right to vote) years after the rest of Japan's four major islands. After World War II, "Okinawa was under United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the United States Air Force established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands."(Wikipedia) During the Vietnam War, Okinawa was an important strategic point for U.S. military forces, and evidence that Agent Orange was stored or used in Okinawa has recently come to light. (Agent Orange is an extremely toxic herbicide used as a chemical weapon in Vietnam.) Now, 75% of all U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed in Okinawa. Thus, Okinawa's history in the modern era reflects the struggle for international power, control and dominance in East Asia.
According to many Okinawans, this is a painful history. The lack of sovereignty and the ubiquitous presence of the U.S. military is a troubling part of post-war memory. The relocation of the Futenma airbase has brought these issues to the fore, causing a major controversy in Okinawa and Japan at large. According to Wikipedia:
In this context, the plan to construct six U.S. military helipads in the rural village of Takae and surrounding Yambaru forest as an extension of Camp Gonzalves (a.k.a. Northern Training Area, Jungle Warfare Training Center) has been met with considerable controversy, including a continuous three-year sit-in at the proposed construction sites.
To take action on this issue, join the protest on January 20 (Japanese) to demand the stop of the construction of the U.S. military helipads in Takae, Okinawa!
English call to action (look for English below the Japanese):
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/20110127
If you can't join the protest in Tokyo, please write an email to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
First, we have to look at the history of Okinawa (see Wikipedia). Without summarizing the entire history of the islands, note that they have been a contested territory in the modern (post-Meiji) era. China and Japan vied for control of the Ryukus, which were annexed to Japan and granted constitutional rights and freedoms (such as the right to vote) years after the rest of Japan's four major islands. After World War II, "Okinawa was under United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the United States Air Force established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands."(Wikipedia) During the Vietnam War, Okinawa was an important strategic point for U.S. military forces, and evidence that Agent Orange was stored or used in Okinawa has recently come to light. (Agent Orange is an extremely toxic herbicide used as a chemical weapon in Vietnam.) Now, 75% of all U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed in Okinawa. Thus, Okinawa's history in the modern era reflects the struggle for international power, control and dominance in East Asia.
According to many Okinawans, this is a painful history. The lack of sovereignty and the ubiquitous presence of the U.S. military is a troubling part of post-war memory. The relocation of the Futenma airbase has brought these issues to the fore, causing a major controversy in Okinawa and Japan at large. According to Wikipedia:
The controversial relocation plan has sparked a continuous sit-in at the proposed relocation site for over six years. During Prime Minister Hatoyama's term last year, I remember seeing a major headline about the Futenma relocation issue almost every day. While this has become a major issue in Japanese politics, representing the imbalanced relationship between Japan and America, it remains largely unknown in America.The governments of the United States and Japan agreed on October 26, 2005 to move the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base from its location in the densely populated city of Ginowan to the more northerly and remote Camp Schwab. Under the plan, thousands of Marines will relocate. The move is partly an attempt to relieve tensions between the people of Okinawa and the Marine Corps. Protests from environmental groups and residents over the construction of part of a runway at Camp Schwab, and from businessmen and politicians around Futenma and Henoko, have occurred.[32]
The legality of the proposed heliport relocation has been questioned as being a violation of International Law, including the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.[33][34]
In this context, the plan to construct six U.S. military helipads in the rural village of Takae and surrounding Yambaru forest as an extension of Camp Gonzalves (a.k.a. Northern Training Area, Jungle Warfare Training Center) has been met with considerable controversy, including a continuous three-year sit-in at the proposed construction sites.
To take action on this issue, join the protest on January 20 (Japanese) to demand the stop of the construction of the U.S. military helipads in Takae, Okinawa!
English call to action (look for English below the Japanese):
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/20110127
If you can't join the protest in Tokyo, please write an email to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Efficiency: a new paradigm?
In a recent speech, President Obama called for the prioritization of energy efficiency as a means for job creation. (Obama-Touts-Clean-Energy-As-Jobs-Booster) Big applause to Obama for moving in the right direction. It should have been done ages ago, many might complain. But the important thing is that it gets done, sooner rather than later. Efficiency may have much broader applications beyond environmental and energy policy. As political rhetoric and metaphorical language, efficiency could be a buzz word that unites a variety of disparate policy issues, such as the environment, government reform, military reform, and media technology. In the above example, we see it mixed with job creation: energy efficiency can lead to a more productive economy.Several months ago, I wrote a post on a Unitarian Universalist meeting in Tokyo which featured Asby Brown speaking about his book Just Enough: Lessons on Living Green from Traditional Japan. What struck me about the talk was the way almost everything was reused in traditional Edo Japan. Reflecting on this theme for the past few months, it is of course apparent that we need to relearn some of the "precycling" techniques that frugal peasants used out of necessity. However, the concept of using "just enough" and reusing the rest may be applied in a more metaphoric sense. Not only should our products and packaging have multiple uses, but so should our intellectual and digital lives.
Multi-purpose ideas.
Multi-purpose media.
Energy efficient thinking.
Not just win-win solutions, win-win-win solutions.
A great example of this multi-purpose, multi-level, multi-meaning efficiency is freerice.com. The website allows you to play educational games (such as an English vocabulary quiz game), and for each correct answer rice is donated through the U.N. World Food Bank program to countries and people in need. Conceptually, it is my favorite website. It combines education, recreation, humanitarian aid, and entrepreneurship to create a 4-win situation. You win when you play the game (it's fun and you learn something); the people of Haiti win (all the rice this year is donated to Haiti); and advertisers sponsor the site to get revenue for their businesses (and they boost their image as socially responsible or progressive by underwriting humanitarian donations). That's a win-win-win-win media solution, and that's something that doesn't seem to happen much. But it should happen more.
"Gaming for change" is becoming an increasing reality. For example, online gamers could plug into a network to find and treat cancer cells, effectively crowd sourcing oncology and radiology. Check out these podcasts to hear more about how gaming can (and is) changing the world:
http://www.wpr.org/book/110213a.cfm
http://www.onthemedia.org/episodes/2010/12/31
What does freerice.com have to do with efficiency? By combining multiple purposes into one site, a user doing one activity can work toward solving four problems. This is efficient media use and efficient problem solving.
Note the difference between a multi-purpose activity and multitasking. Multitasking has been proven by loads of research to be hopelessly inefficient. It has been proven time and time again that people can only actually focus on one thing at a time: it is in fact impossible to be conscious of two things at once. Attention is actually indivisible. (You can try this for yourself by slowing your thoughts down through awareness and watching them as they arise. You will see that your mind darts between sense perceptions and various constructed thoughts or impulses. I think Buddhists have noticed this phenomenon for thousands of years, but that's the subject of another post.) In short, multitasking is effectively prolonged distraction, whereas a multi-purpose activity allows for prolonged, concentrated attention on one stream of thought or action, and the activity itself has multiple, intentional outcomes.
In the current economic and political environment, efficiency has the potential to be a powerful political metaphor. Piggy-backing on the green-washing movement that has been promoted through the advertising of even the most conservative of companies (think B.P. and McDonalds), efficiency can also reshape notions of "waste, fraud and abuse" which have come as attacks from the right-wing and tea party movements. It takes the concerns of these groups seriously. Indeed our government should run as efficiently as possible, while still providing the vital services, such as civil engineering and education, that would otherwise be neglected. This is hardly debatable from either side of the aisle.
The word efficiency, and its associated metaphors, could have the power to change even the most stalwart government institutions, namely the military. Here is the metaphor:
Our current military is like a gas-guzzling 18-wheeler careening down a steep hill into a bottomless financial abyss. We need to put on the brakes, bring it in the garage, and give it a tune-up for the 21st century.
This military reform could be draped in the language of efficiency to emphasize the need to make our military run more smoothly and effectively. In a literal sense, what if we retooled all our military vehicles to run on 25% less gasoline? How many jobs would this create and how much money would it save in expenditures?
The need for military reform was recognized over 50 years ago by President Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell speech, in which he called for checks to the dangerous power then commanded by the "military-industrial complex."
Full video available at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2465144342633379864#.
I recently attended a talk about Afghanistan by Matthew Arnold, who has worked with the French military in Afghanistan, the U.N. as an aid worker, and is currently writing a book about Sudan. He is an expert in conflict resolution. Arnold argued that only special forces, such as the Green Berets, can do appropriate, small scale counter-insurgency in Afghanistan. Large scale military operations, such as the current deployment of the Army, are largely unproductive and ineffective. Basically inefficient. In his concluding remarks, he acknowledged that the American war in Afghanistan is basically a failed effort. "At some point you have to do a basic cost-benefit analysis. Spending one trillion dollars on an unfortunate war that was somewhat necessary is a mistake."
John Kerry seems to support troop reduction in Afghanistan, even if he is backing away from his original statement as a political moderate. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/06/john-kerry-breaks-obama-afghanistan_n_819243.html) On a more basic level, the Obama administration is realizing the need for more financially competent soldiers. (see "Local bases – and Obama – press for financial literacy in the military") Actually, Matthew Arnold's talk was mainly about the perceptions and identity of Afghans, and based on 300 interviews, he found that Americans are viewed as wasteful and financially incompetent. They get hustled and pay way more for products, services and contracts in Afghanistan than any native Afghan would. Thus, they've earned a reputation for not only being reckless spenders, but also for contributing to corruption in the Afghan government.
Today, lawmakers voted to cut a $450 million in funds for a military jet fighter engine project, signaling a tightening on defense spending. (Story at http://www.npr.org/2011/02/17/133847158/In-Win-For-Obama-House-Kills-Jet-Fighter-Engine)
Military reform needs to be a real issue. I absolutely support President Obama's re-election in 2012, but the left needs to apply real pressure to make defense spending a priority. The proposed budget does not meet this challenge. Rather than stopping the construction of unwanted military bases in Okinawa, the Obama administration is cutting funds for heating low income homes (i.e. the LIHEAP program) American tax dollars maintain golf courses on military bases abroad, but won't be used to construct high-speed rail at home.
I envision a military that largely works as a domestic self-defense force in the vein of the National Guard, rather than a foreign aggressor. (I'm not taking an isolationist stance, but I think it's largely the job of our diplomats to handle foreign threats and disputes, not the military.) This NPR story about a National Guard commander who helped a pregnant woman get to the hospital to deliver her baby during a recent snow emergency almost brought tears to my eyes. It illustrates how the military, so often vilified by those in the anti-war movement, can be a force for peace and well-being at home.
We can look to other countries to find examples of militaries that are far different from our own. Japan is prohibited from having a standing military capable of waging war through Article 9 in its constitution, although it maintains a Self Defense Force which has taken on many of the military's functions and features. Moreover, Article 9 prohibits Japan from using war as a means of settling international disputes. Though its interpretation has been controversial and led to a dependence on the U.S. military for defense, both its advocates and opponents must note that it has prevented Japan from taking a larger role in global military and combat actions.
We might even learn something from Egypt's military, which has become as much of a state-sponsored business as security force. In a sense, the military as a job creation machine doesn't really bother me (perhaps it should). As long as the military is focused on domestic projects, why not use it as an umbrella for jobs that will lead to economic health and prosperity? Of course, this sort of military must also be run efficiently, and the jobs created through it should be of high quality and value.
In short, the linguistic shift already being used by the Obama administration is a focus on efficiency. Though the above description of a reformed military may seem like an idealistic vision, it may become a political reality through the language of efficiency.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Takae Post Series｜高江記事シリーズ
In preparations for Sunday's protest, I will be making a series of posts on the situation in Takae, Okinawa. The first is the post below on foreign U.S. military bases. The next will be a post on "efficiency" as a potentially effective political buzzword. Topics of upcoming posts include Takae in context; bases and the environment; bases and nuclear weapons; defense reform; foreign bases in American and Japanese media; the need for dialog with military personnel and veterans; and the roll of civil disobedience in the American military base debates in Okinawa and Japan.
To take action on this issue, join the protest on February 20 at the American Embassy in Tokyo, or send an email to U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos.
Stay tuned!
日曜日のデモの準備のために、沖縄高江の米軍基地問題について記事のシリーズを始めます。（日本語が下手ですが、頑張ります！間違っている所を教えて下さい。できるだけ日本語で書くようにしています。）下の米軍基地記事は初めです。今度の記事は「効率性」「高江の背景」「基地と環境」「基地と核兵器」「防衛や米軍改革」「アメリカと日本のメディアで米軍基地」「軍人交流の必要性」と「デモや座り込みの役割」。
手伝いたいと思ったら、日曜日のデモに来たり、高江のブログで色々な行動したりすることができます：http://takae.ti-da.net/
よろしくお願い致します！
U.S. Military Bases｜米軍基地
(日本語の要約下)
U.S. military bases are a focal point for local and global social justice issues. Recently, military spending has also become an important domestic financial issue. Most lawmakers refuse to consider reforming defense spending, even though it accounts for one of the highest shares of the national deficit. Consider some of the financial and political implications of U.S. bases:
Video by RTAmerica.
The issues sparked by foreign bases are examined in this 2007 Alternet article (http://www.alternet.org/story/47998), reprinted from Chalmers Johnson's "Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic"(Metropolitan Books).
Some might object that the above media have a decided political bias. However, the spending debate about bases is beginning to enter into the mainstream. Representatives Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are both calling for a reduction of foreign bases in Japan on financial grounds: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/2-congressmen-call-for-pullout-of-u-s-forces-from-japan (Article reposted at http://peacephilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/02/kyodo-news-2-congressmen-us-troops-out.html...initially received it through their Tweet. Thanks Peace Philosophy Center and Twitter!) Although some might argue that Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul are fringe political figures, their attention on this issue indicates a consensus between the the far left and far right on military spending. Despite their rhetoric, classifying either of them as radical or reactionary is also mistaken, as they operate within the narrow line of electability in American national politics.
As the video indicates, foreign military bases are symbols of America's international power and influence. One can easily argue that the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam war, the Iraq war and current base issues are all examples of the USA flexing its military muscles on the world stage to advance its economic agenda. Anyone care to debate this assertion? Post comments! :)
Regardless of one's political allegiances, defense reform needs to be a major issue in the upcoming budget debates. Americans need to put pressure on the Obama administration and congress to take a serious look at our out-of-control military spending policies. See a future post on "efficiency" for more on making defense reform a political reality.
（本当に下手な日本語で、ごめんなさい。読んで、直していただきたいです！）
米軍基地は国内外社会的正義の問題の焦点です。最近米軍予算は重大な国内財政でもあります。財政赤字の大部分は防衛予算が占めているにもかからわず、ほとんどの議員が米防衛予算の改変を考えていない。米軍基地の財政・政治的影響について考えてみましょう：
Video by RTAmerica.
Alternetよりこの問題の記事が2007に出ってきました。(http://www.alternet.org/story/47998), チャマーズ・ジョンサンより"Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic"(Metropolitan Books)復刻版.
上記のメディアは差別があるというと、二人のアメリカ国会議員は最近沖縄の米軍基地に反対することを言いました：http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/2-congressmen-call-for-pullout-of-u-s-forces-from-japan この記事はカナダのPeace Philosophy Centerのブログで初めて読みました。（実はツィッターで記事のリンクを見ました。）この団体は日本語と英語で米軍基地など日米関係問題平和活動について記事をよく出っています。ありがとう！
U.S. military bases are a focal point for local and global social justice issues. Recently, military spending has also become an important domestic financial issue. Most lawmakers refuse to consider reforming defense spending, even though it accounts for one of the highest shares of the national deficit. Consider some of the financial and political implications of U.S. bases:
Video by RTAmerica.
The issues sparked by foreign bases are examined in this 2007 Alternet article (http://www.alternet.org/story/47998), reprinted from Chalmers Johnson's "Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic"(Metropolitan Books).
Some might object that the above media have a decided political bias. However, the spending debate about bases is beginning to enter into the mainstream. Representatives Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are both calling for a reduction of foreign bases in Japan on financial grounds: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/2-congressmen-call-for-pullout-of-u-s-forces-from-japan (Article reposted at http://peacephilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/02/kyodo-news-2-congressmen-us-troops-out.html...initially received it through their Tweet. Thanks Peace Philosophy Center and Twitter!) Although some might argue that Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul are fringe political figures, their attention on this issue indicates a consensus between the the far left and far right on military spending. Despite their rhetoric, classifying either of them as radical or reactionary is also mistaken, as they operate within the narrow line of electability in American national politics.
As the video indicates, foreign military bases are symbols of America's international power and influence. One can easily argue that the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam war, the Iraq war and current base issues are all examples of the USA flexing its military muscles on the world stage to advance its economic agenda. Anyone care to debate this assertion? Post comments! :)
Regardless of one's political allegiances, defense reform needs to be a major issue in the upcoming budget debates. Americans need to put pressure on the Obama administration and congress to take a serious look at our out-of-control military spending policies. See a future post on "efficiency" for more on making defense reform a political reality.
（本当に下手な日本語で、ごめんなさい。読んで、直していただきたいです！）
米軍基地は国内外社会的正義の問題の焦点です。最近米軍予算は重大な国内財政でもあります。財政赤字の大部分は防衛予算が占めているにもかからわず、ほとんどの議員が米防衛予算の改変を考えていない。米軍基地の財政・政治的影響について考えてみましょう：
Video by RTAmerica.
Alternetよりこの問題の記事が2007に出ってきました。(http://www.alternet.org/story/47998), チャマーズ・ジョンサンより"Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic"(Metropolitan Books)復刻版.
上記のメディアは差別があるというと、二人のアメリカ国会議員は最近沖縄の米軍基地に反対することを言いました：http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/2-congressmen-call-for-pullout-of-u-s-forces-from-japan この記事はカナダのPeace Philosophy Centerのブログで初めて読みました。（実はツィッターで記事のリンクを見ました。）この団体は日本語と英語で米軍基地など日米関係問題平和活動について記事をよく出っています。ありがとう！
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Join the Protest in Support of Takae!
Join the protest on 2/20 to demand the stop of the construction of the U.S. military helipads in Takae, Okinawa!
English call to action (look for English below the Japanese):
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/20110127
If you can't join the protest in Tokyo, please write a letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Blog Update
Thanks to all who have read this blog. As I reflect on my original intention and what this blog has become, I would like to recover my original purpose with a few new new media tactics. I realize the blog has become a repository for my progressive media activities. I would be proud to call it liberal media, and in fact I am happy to disclose my bias as a blogger seeking radical Truth, which transcends all political labels.
I'd like to return to my original idea to distinguish posts as consumed media, produced media and reflection through the use of logos.
consumed media.
produced media reflectionI designed the images myself (haha) long ago and haven't been using them. I think they will be helpful designations for readers who would prefer only to read mindful reflection, rather than getting a deluge of consumed media, or vice versa.
Second, I am getting on Twitter! After seeing what a powerful tool it can be for activists it Iran, Tunisia and Egypt, I think it is finally time for me to use it mindfully. I was skeptical of Twitter at the beginning. In fact I thought it was dumb. ("Tweets!? Sounds dirty or something.") But I also knew in 2009 when Twitter came to my attention, that I would inevitably end up using it at some point. I think now is the time. Follow me @bking47!
Now that I'm on Twitter, I will use this as my major activist media forum - to spread information about the causes I find important. Hopefully, this will satisfy friends who have noticed the increasing seriousness of my politically oriented facebook posts. (I will probably still post politically on FB, but I'll try to keep it light, fun and bubbly.) Facebook = friends. Twitter = activism.
Getting the News from Egypt
Congratulations to the people of Egypt who changed their government through largely nonviolent protest! They are an inspiration to the world.
This is a reflective post about the way I have been getting news and information about Egypt.
My main source of news has been NPR. Listening to All Things Considered, On The Media, Fresh Air and occasionally the hourly news updates, I learned about the protests from well-trained journalists and experts. Most of the interviews on these shows were with academics or people who have had direct experience in Egypt. Accessible interviews with scholars are one of the things I value most about NPR. I think our tax dollars should certainly support this important form of news analysis distribution. (Please sign the petition at http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?rc=fb.taf.alt.5 if you agree.)
Democracy Now! has also had intensive live coverage of the events. I tuned into the program a couple times this past week to get up to date information and listen to interviews with experts. Senior Producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous gave reports from a studio near Tahrir Square. Though I didn't tune into any live video, I think Democracy Now! was webcasting live from Cairo.
Similarly, Al Jazeera English had a live video-feed from Tahrir Square through its website. I'm tuned there now. They are analyzing the role of social media in the Egyptian revolution and reading Tweets.
Yesterday, I went to the New York Times website to look up an arts and culture review, and I was sidetracked by an article on the latest news from Egypt.
This morning, I turned on my TV, which is almost always tuned to Channel 1, NHK. This is where I heard of Mubarak's resignation (辞任). After some local news and the weather, the broadcast turned to an analysis of the events in Egypt. With a table discussion of journalists and Egypt experts, they discussed Mubarak's resignation and the events of the past three weeks. One reporter explained the role of facebook in the revolution using a cartoonish diagram in the shape of a pyramid with hieroglyphic-type symbols. (Charts and graphs like this are typical of Japanese TV and news.)
On gmail, my friend's status read "LOVE TO THE EGYPTIANS!" I chatted her, and she sent me a website with translated protest signs from the revolution. She found it on a friend's facebook site, and my partner told me she was getting most of her news about Egypt from friends' facebook posts.
The importance of the events in Egypt and the quality of the media coverage of the revolution gave me pause to stop and think about where I get my information. These sources generally confirmed and corroborated the basic facts of one another, and I took comfort in receiving mostly valid information from these well-established news organizations. The images from each source, however, differed slightly. For example, Democracy Now! showed graphic images of the wounded. They also featured an extended speech in English by a physician who had been at the forefront of the protests and was encouraging his fellow demonstrators to proceed fearlessly. NHK had images and voices of individual protesters, who appeared mostly angry to me, but the commentators said, "They look so happy, don't they?" (嬉しそうですね！）(Am I socialized as an American to find images of Arab mobs scary and angry? I'm no Islamaphobe, but I should be aware of my own social conditioning. I really did find the people's facial expressions angry, even if they were voicing their happiness and excitement about Mubarak's resignation.) The image which will stick with me for a long time is the overhead view of Tahrir square overflowing with protestors. The website of translated protest signs featured portrait-like images of the signs and people holding them. I was struck by the variety of faces, from a cosmopolitan-looking young woman with a headscarf and sunglasses to a middle-aged man with a dark, wizened face, a lazy eye and several scars. The images of "cool" young Egyptians taking pictures with their cell phones and gathering in the streets also seemed to predominate many of the Western sources I tuned into.
Finally, the languages of the coverage also caught my attention. Most of the media from NPR, Democracy Now! and the New York Times was in English, including interviews with protestors and experts. There was little or no Arabic. NHK, however, used footage of the protestors speaking in Arabic with translated subtitles in Japanese. These are some of my observation about how these various media sources painted the story with their own news-brand's shade of truth.
This is a reflective post about the way I have been getting news and information about Egypt.
My main source of news has been NPR. Listening to All Things Considered, On The Media, Fresh Air and occasionally the hourly news updates, I learned about the protests from well-trained journalists and experts. Most of the interviews on these shows were with academics or people who have had direct experience in Egypt. Accessible interviews with scholars are one of the things I value most about NPR. I think our tax dollars should certainly support this important form of news analysis distribution. (Please sign the petition at http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?rc=fb.taf.alt.5 if you agree.)Democracy Now! has also had intensive live coverage of the events. I tuned into the program a couple times this past week to get up to date information and listen to interviews with experts. Senior Producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous gave reports from a studio near Tahrir Square. Though I didn't tune into any live video, I think Democracy Now! was webcasting live from Cairo.Yesterday, I went to the New York Times website to look up an arts and culture review, and I was sidetracked by an article on the latest news from Egypt.The importance of the events in Egypt and the quality of the media coverage of the revolution gave me pause to stop and think about where I get my information. These sources generally confirmed and corroborated the basic facts of one another, and I took comfort in receiving mostly valid information from these well-established news organizations. The images from each source, however, differed slightly. For example, Democracy Now! showed graphic images of the wounded. They also featured an extended speech in English by a physician who had been at the forefront of the protests and was encouraging his fellow demonstrators to proceed fearlessly. NHK had images and voices of individual protesters, who appeared mostly angry to me, but the commentators said, "They look so happy, don't they?" (嬉しそうですね！）(Am I socialized as an American to find images of Arab mobs scary and angry? I'm no Islamaphobe, but I should be aware of my own social conditioning. I really did find the people's facial expressions angry, even if they were voicing their happiness and excitement about Mubarak's resignation.) The image which will stick with me for a long time is the overhead view of Tahrir square overflowing with protestors. The website of translated protest signs featured portrait-like images of the signs and people holding them. I was struck by the variety of faces, from a cosmopolitan-looking young woman with a headscarf and sunglasses to a middle-aged man with a dark, wizened face, a lazy eye and several scars. The images of "cool" young Egyptians taking pictures with their cell phones and gathering in the streets also seemed to predominate many of the Western sources I tuned into.
Finally, the languages of the coverage also caught my attention. Most of the media from NPR, Democracy Now! and the New York Times was in English, including interviews with protestors and experts. There was little or no Arabic. NHK, however, used footage of the protestors speaking in Arabic with translated subtitles in Japanese. These are some of my observation about how these various media sources painted the story with their own news-brand's shade of truth.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
No Helipad in Takae, Okinawa!
Please use this letter as a template to send a message to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, John Roos. You can send your message here: http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/info/tinfo-email.html
Learn more about Takae in English here:
http://www.fpif.org/articles/postcard_fromtakae
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/20110103
http://nohelipadtakae.org/files/VOT-english2010Oct14.pdf
More posts about Takae coming soon!
Dear Ambassador Roos,
As a U.S. citizen living in Japan, I am deeply concerned about the events in Takae, Okinawa. The construction of six helipads in Yambaru forest is threatening the sovereignty, way of life, and natural environment of the people of Higashison, Takae and the surrounding areas. Despite three years of protests by the residents, the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the Japanese government and the U.S. government have forced the construction of the helipads. This expansion of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa is both unnecessary and damaging to U.S./Japan relations, as well as to America's international image.
Similarly, please make it a priority to find a solution to the Futenma Airbase issue which will address the environmental, social and political concerns of the Okinawan people. Though the helipad issue in Takae is not as well known, it is equally distressing.
Please work with the Okinawa Defense Bureau to stop the construction of the helipads immediately. I ask you to take all steps in your power to defend the rights of the people of Takae and the citizens of Okinawa. Thank you for your consideration, and best of luck in your efforts.
Sincerely,
Learn more about Takae in English here:
http://www.fpif.org/articles/postcard_fromtakae
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/20110103
http://nohelipadtakae.org/files/VOT-english2010Oct14.pdf
More posts about Takae coming soon!
Friday, February 4, 2011
「オルタナ・クール」ロックス！| "Alter-Cool" Rocks!
(English below)
「オルタナ・クール」は沖縄オルタナティブメディアのUSTREAM番組です。今見ています。USTREAMを使うのは初めてです。このメディアが大好きです！聞く、見るだけではなく、チャットで質問などコメントができるので、本当に楽しいです。
僕には今日の第５回「オルタナ・クール」の番組がすごいと思いました。なぜかと言うと、僕が好きで興味がある話がたくさん起きていた。例えば、サンフランシスコで色々な平和活動していたオガナイザー桃原淳（すなお）さんはアメリアカと日本の文化を比べたり、沖縄の過去と現在文化を説明してくれました。そして2時間目は高江のヘリパッドの問題については「高江がたいへん！24時間座り込み＠沖縄県庁前」を実行した二人 (大城永子（ひさこ）さん 森岡理歩歌（りほか）さん) がインタビューしてもらいました。つまり沖縄アルタナティブメディアをすごく尊敬しています。
一時間目はちょっと音質の問題があったが、２時間目は結構直りました。そして高江ヘリパッドの問題に関係ある米軍の「オスプレー」という攻撃ヘリコプターの映像と那覇の24時間座り込みの動画が放送しながら同時USTREAMで見せました。これはかっこいい機能ですね！ツウィターから来たチャットもいっぱいあった (でも僕はファスブックでつながっていた）。USTREAMの危ない所は見ながら、注意散漫の可能性が高い。メールを書いたり、ブロッグをしたりすることをしていました。夕食も見ながら食べて、チャットでも書き(過ぎ)ちゃった。だが、色々な関係あることを同時にやるのはそんなに悪くない。（後でmultitaskingというポストをしましょう。）USTREAMはテレビの世界を本当に変われるみたいなことと思います。
「オルタナ・クール」は沖縄オルタナティブメディアのUSTREAM番組です。今見ています。USTREAMを使うのは初めてです。このメディアが大好きです！聞く、見るだけではなく、チャットで質問などコメントができるので、本当に楽しいです。僕には今日の第５回「オルタナ・クール」の番組がすごいと思いました。なぜかと言うと、僕が好きで興味がある話がたくさん起きていた。例えば、サンフランシスコで色々な平和活動していたオガナイザー桃原淳（すなお）さんはアメリアカと日本の文化を比べたり、沖縄の過去と現在文化を説明してくれました。そして2時間目は高江のヘリパッドの問題については「高江がたいへん！24時間座り込み＠沖縄県庁前」を実行した二人 (大城永子（ひさこ）さん 森岡理歩歌（りほか）さん) がインタビューしてもらいました。つまり沖縄アルタナティブメディアをすごく尊敬しています。
一時間目はちょっと音質の問題があったが、２時間目は結構直りました。そして高江ヘリパッドの問題に関係ある米軍の「オスプレー」という攻撃ヘリコプターの映像と那覇の24時間座り込みの動画が放送しながら同時USTREAMで見せました。これはかっこいい機能ですね！ツウィターから来たチャットもいっぱいあった (でも僕はファスブックでつながっていた）。USTREAMの危ない所は見ながら、注意散漫の可能性が高い。メールを書いたり、ブロッグをしたりすることをしていました。夕食も見ながら食べて、チャットでも書き(過ぎ)ちゃった。だが、色々な関係あることを同時にやるのはそんなに悪くない。（後でmultitaskingというポストをしましょう。）USTREAMはテレビの世界を本当に変われるみたいなことと思います。
"Alter-Cool" is a USTREAM program produced by Okinawa Alternative Media. I just finished watching their most recent webcast. It was my first time using USTREAM. I love this medium! You're not just listening or watching, but it's really fun because you can ask questions or comment via the chat stream.
For me, this fifth edition of "Alter-Cool" was awesome. So many things that I like and are interesting to me were brought together in the discussion. For example, Sunaoko-san, an organizer in San Francisco who has done various peace activities since the early 90s, compared American and Japanese culture, and discussed some of the differences he's observed in past and present Okinawan culture. The second hour was about the Takae helipad issue. It featured an interview with two of the people (Hisako-san and Rihoka-san) who helped stage a 24-hour protest in Naha (Okinawa's capital city) in support of the citizens of Takae. In short, I really respect Okinawa Alternative Media and what they are doing with this program.
During the first hour there was a little trouble with the sound quality, but it was basically fixed by the second hour. Also, a previously recorded video about the dangerous "Osprey" military helicopters and footage from the 24-hour sit-in/protest in Naha were broadcast during the episode. What a cool feature! And there were tons of comments on the chat from Twitter (although I used Facebook to connect). The dangerous thing about USTREAM is that there is lots of opportunity for distraction. For example, while I watched I was writing email and blogging. Also I ate dinner during the broadcast, then wrote (too much!) on the chat. But I don't think doing several related things at the same time is necessarily so bad. (Future post on multitasking?) USTREAM seems like it could really change the face of television.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Imagine All the People Without Internet
Imagine an internet blackout like the one in Egypt in your country. Imagine all the people without internet in America, Japan, Brazil, China, Korea, India, Nepal, etc. Imagine no access for a day, a week, a month.
If you're like me, you know it would be painful at first. But you also imagine it would come as a sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air. The world's largest library and a major source of instant gratification gone, all of a sudden? It would be earth-shattering for some, those of use whose dependence on the internet borders on unhealthy. But (re)learning how to use time, engage with other media-technologies (including human bodies), reading a book (for goodness sake! - and NOT on a Kindle [I get Kindle spam from Amazon like everyday...it's starting to kind of piss me off]) might do us good.
Inspired by the situation in Egypt, I tried to imagine what an internet blackout might look for me, you, it, us. Below is a feeble semi-literate (I was gonna say semi-literary, but it comes across as more semi-literate) sci-media-fi imagining of such a scenario.
________________________________________________________________________________________
You're sitting in your cubicle at 10:39, gchatting with Beth two rows down.
Beth Johnson says:
did you see the latest duck-trapped-in-a-coal-mine meme?
its hillllarious
ILMAO!!!
What would people do without the internet? I'll tell you what they'd do - they'd go insane! If people didn't have enough incentive to take to the streets and depose our government after it started an unnecessary war, imagine that all the computer screens in all the offices of America suddenly went blank. "Can't get any work done here, so let's take the day off." People would be jumping for joy, clicking their heels in the air... "No work today, the internet's gone away!" On the commute home, you try to tweet about it, but Twitter's down, too. "The heck with it," you'd say, "maybe I'll just start a conversation with someone next to me on the bus..."
"Twitter's down. Can you believe it?"
"I know, I tried to access my facebook an hour ago. I can't even get Farmville to work on my iPad!"
Maybe you'd swap stories about your days at work, learn about each others' professions and go out for a drink to celebrate your day off. You decide to duck into the local sports bar, because, as fate would have it, you both live in the same neighborhood and you're both baseball fans. Who woulda thunk?
In the bar, you make a shocking discovery: the TV has been shut down, too. The bartender checks the plug. The lights are working fine, what the hell could be wrong? The whole Comcastic media conglomerate must be down. He flips through all 800 channels, hope growing dimmer with each flick. Instead of the crisp, HD hews of warm static electric reds greens and blues, a cold dark screen stares back, more like a black hole sucking in your fantasy football dreams.
Another drink? Sure. Why not substitute one addiction with another? When you get home, Lauren is pissed off that you've been out so late.
"Are you drunk? It's only 7:30!"
"Didn't you hear, hon? The internet's down! It was cause for celebration. Plus I met one of our neighbors, Pat. He's an IT guy for..."
"You know you still have to put the kids to bed."
"OK."
"Hey daddy, we couldn't watch TV tonight. Could you tell us a story?"
"Once upon a time..." The words struggle to come out at first, but soon you're lost in a maze of characters and plot twists and triumphant endings. But the kids are asleep before you can finish. "Maybe I should write that down..." And just as you contemplate taking pen to paper for the first time since college, Lauren entices you to snuggle. And you forget that second life, that other skin of video, wire and cold metal hard drives, as you drift into deeply contented dream-filled sleep, thankful for your family and the warmth of your cozy cuddle buddy.
If you're like me, you know it would be painful at first. But you also imagine it would come as a sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air. The world's largest library and a major source of instant gratification gone, all of a sudden? It would be earth-shattering for some, those of use whose dependence on the internet borders on unhealthy. But (re)learning how to use time, engage with other media-technologies (including human bodies), reading a book (for goodness sake! - and NOT on a Kindle [I get Kindle spam from Amazon like everyday...it's starting to kind of piss me off]) might do us good.
Inspired by the situation in Egypt, I tried to imagine what an internet blackout might look for me, you, it, us. Below is a feeble semi-literate (I was gonna say semi-literary, but it comes across as more semi-literate) sci-media-fi imagining of such a scenario.
________________________________________________________________________________________
You're sitting in your cubicle at 10:39, gchatting with Beth two rows down.
Beth Johnson says:
did you see the latest duck-trapped-in-a-coal-mine meme?
its hillllarious
ILMAO!!!
What would people do without the internet? I'll tell you what they'd do - they'd go insane! If people didn't have enough incentive to take to the streets and depose our government after it started an unnecessary war, imagine that all the computer screens in all the offices of America suddenly went blank. "Can't get any work done here, so let's take the day off." People would be jumping for joy, clicking their heels in the air... "No work today, the internet's gone away!" On the commute home, you try to tweet about it, but Twitter's down, too. "The heck with it," you'd say, "maybe I'll just start a conversation with someone next to me on the bus..."
"Twitter's down. Can you believe it?"
"I know, I tried to access my facebook an hour ago. I can't even get Farmville to work on my iPad!"
Maybe you'd swap stories about your days at work, learn about each others' professions and go out for a drink to celebrate your day off. You decide to duck into the local sports bar, because, as fate would have it, you both live in the same neighborhood and you're both baseball fans. Who woulda thunk?
In the bar, you make a shocking discovery: the TV has been shut down, too. The bartender checks the plug. The lights are working fine, what the hell could be wrong? The whole Comcastic media conglomerate must be down. He flips through all 800 channels, hope growing dimmer with each flick. Instead of the crisp, HD hews of warm static electric reds greens and blues, a cold dark screen stares back, more like a black hole sucking in your fantasy football dreams.
Another drink? Sure. Why not substitute one addiction with another? When you get home, Lauren is pissed off that you've been out so late.
"Are you drunk? It's only 7:30!"
"Didn't you hear, hon? The internet's down! It was cause for celebration. Plus I met one of our neighbors, Pat. He's an IT guy for..."
"You know you still have to put the kids to bed."
"OK."
"Hey daddy, we couldn't watch TV tonight. Could you tell us a story?"
"Once upon a time..." The words struggle to come out at first, but soon you're lost in a maze of characters and plot twists and triumphant endings. But the kids are asleep before you can finish. "Maybe I should write that down..." And just as you contemplate taking pen to paper for the first time since college, Lauren entices you to snuggle. And you forget that second life, that other skin of video, wire and cold metal hard drives, as you drift into deeply contented dream-filled sleep, thankful for your family and the warmth of your cozy cuddle buddy.
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