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Being only partially educated creates a vacuum easily filled with wishful thinkings and half-baked ideas. This is dangerous primarily among the professional level folks who can defend their crock-pot ideologies with fancy foot-steps and lead the unwary astray.

The impression of the sea of yellow sunflowers will be forever imbedded in her subconscious.

Relative to the history of modernization of Japan, the realization of the need to speak English is new. Japan, as in most areas, is still in a transitional stage in this modernization process. First the reading and writing, which to a native English speaker makes no sense, but to the highly system oriented Japanese, it is a process, the easy phase first. The Japanese will tackle the speaking phase, with bandana tied tightly, in a mad dash to master the speaking phase, when the time is ripe. This is inevitable.

The answer is “Do both”. “Giving” in itself has a direct positive effect on one’s well being, in this case on the well being of the nation of Japan. The literature is out there on this mysterious process of “Giving”. Also, absolutely, help the quake victims, Give. It’s a win, win.

"after-birthers?" is an apt description—they are certainly chewing on it.

Powerful women in public eyes can only turn to each other for camaraderie, however brief it may be.

Infanticide is as old as human race.

Most of us are not equipped, intellectually, to handle truth even if we recognized it, particularly where science and technology is concerned. So, how would we process truth and how would we behave according to our understanding of truth. The danger, of course, is a government that tells you what to think.

If you don’t know exactly what Hell is, you’re in one.

When a nation, such as Afghanistan, goes through a state of transformation from an agrarian to an industrialized, the citizens are forced to confront many changes at once, such as we’ve witnessed the West undergo in its transformational stage. The West luckily had centuries of preparation—government, business, education, and all the infrastructure that it takes to nurture a “civil society”. Nations such as Afghanistan are just now doing what you might call “turning on a dime”—impossible without cracks developing everywhere from the stress. What we’re witnessing, the so called “Hatred against US”, is “unorganized creative energy” searching for it’s focus.

The fact is that those lucky to be born into families with connections are forgiven many mistakes in life—those born on the wrong side are punished severely for each mistake. Yet, those with capital must have the sweat and blood of the working stiffs—this is a simple economic principle—the rich and the poor need each other. It is better that the poor think well of the rich, or you have what we have in other parts of the globe—civil wars. Best advice for those lucky enough to be lucky—respect the weak and the helpless.

With life beginning to get back to normal for those directly untouched by the disaster, the posts here are getting back to their normal whiney bickering. Ah, can’t beat freedom of speach.

Mr. Kan should read “The Prince” by Machiavelli. Or, has he already·········?

When the effects of the shock fade the Japanese will rebuild, no question, if not by the current owners, there’ll be people to buy any sea side real-estates. Heck, Yes!

Bureaucrats are good at KEEPING their job, not at doing their jobs.

Mr. Hori clearly is a competent administrator/teacher. Also, KIBOW will be a vital organization in rebuilding Japan. However, becoming a politician is a whole different ball-game. Mr. Hori realizes that that decision must not be made without a thorough-going research. He does indicate, however, answering a question about Japanese leadership, that these crises will begin to winnow out the incompetents.

I feel better already!!

People unhappy with Japanese political comedy must be yearning for Libya, Venezuela type of politics. Perhaps yo’ll can move there and harangue.

そうですか、でも二言語を出来る人々はまた、一言語の人たちが出来る事はよく分らないかも。

Unions did not cause the financial disaster of ’08 and ’09, but neither do Unions help the recovery process. Politicians will ultimately negotiate and compromise. Everybody will get something, nobody will get what they really want.

Life based on science and technology ignores, to its detriment, the inner life of the soul. Not to nourish the soul is to be bereft of what truly makes a person fulfilled.

Galapagos is just one device out of many out there in Japan. Consumers who choose this cell format are making a free choice, like choosing to wear Kimono.

Let’s make “toilet” the new “water cooler”.

All these posts are very informative and very interesting, but they all lack an overall view, a global view wherein these bits of information tie in to make a larger statement. For instance, China will, just as U.S. has, ultimately be forced to develop a more effective customer relationship awareness. At some point China’s customers will demand a more give-and-take relationship, or take their business elsewhere.

U.S. farming is a huge agribusiness protected by expensive lawyers in Washington. Any notion of fairness of trade is a fiction. Anyone fly across the U.S.? The sheer vastness of farming land is jaw dropping! Once the FTP is signed, and it will be signed, any semblance of farming will disappear in Japan, like the Dodo bird.

“@knews Could you enlighten us with your religious insights?”

Religious insight is open to all who study it. It doesn’t come to you on a tray. It starts with a desire for the insight, then the search….. The problem is that people don’t know how to seek knowledge.They become their own obstacles.

Why is it that discussions on religion are carried on by people who have no religious insights… would people who have never studied Quantum Theory debate on the theory? The problem is that people assume they “understand” religion when they have no idea what it is to understand religion.

Lack of Release Form will be a critical factor in this lawsuit—once the case is taken over by lawyers its all legalese. Its not looking good the movie director.

Everything good starts with a positive attitude, which this Mom seems to have already. Only hard work and tenacity will do the rest.

What first sticks out as unwieldy and awkward about J-pop is the way words are sung. J-pop singers faithfully enunciate every words clearly and crisply, as if grade schoolers are reading the text in front of the class. One, than, is forced to follow the words rather than the music. In American pop music, the words are almost secondary, or even tertiary; words/voice are just another musical instrument, music making is the primary event. J-pop singers are so focused on form that MUSIC MAKING gets the short shrift. In Art good students make bad artists.