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Political Accountability

By Michelle | October 5, 2008

I’ve tried to keep this blog more-or-less politically neutral (i.e. not writing about my own political leanings), but I fear that as we near election day, this is going to be increasingly difficult to keep up. First, perhaps I’m hopelessly naive, but I’d like to think that politicians (especially those running for our country’s highest offices) have a obligation to the American people to not bend the truth so much that it’s essentially a lie. After all, aren’t we supposed to be a model of mature democracy?

Second, are US voters so lazy or ill-informed that they’re willing to swallow campaign propaganda hook, line, and sinker? The internet makes fact-checking so easy these days — meaning that chances are, someone else has already done the work for you, and their results are posted somewhere online. But I suppose that charisma still counts for something as well, and people tend to be swayed more by emotionally-charged words than cold, hard facts. More’s the pity for the future of our country.

Third, party platforms and personal policies aside, I think what worries me the most about politics these days is the willingness of some campaigns to resort to fear tactics in order to increase their voter support. People can point fingers at each other and debate endlessly about who’s more “patriotic,” but personally, I can hardly think of anything less patriotic than undermining the very basis for our democratic system. We should vote because we support one ticket over the other, not because we’ve been cornered there out of fear.

In the midst of our current financial situation, my mind keeps returning to FDR who took office in the shadow of the Great Depression and whose New Deal reforms (though still controversial) brought the US back from the brink of fiscal ruin. In his now famous 1932 inaugural address, FDR reassured the American people that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” In his 1941 State of the Union FDR also the “four essential human freedoms,” which included “freedom from fear.”

Don’t we have a responsibility, as citizens of a democracy, to hold our leaders accountable to such democratic ideals? We should not put up with emotional statements that brandish the threat of “terrorism” to scare voters. And as voters we should be sophisticated enough to see through such statements.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Words: 403 | Gunning-Fog: 14.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 12; 50.18%

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VPOTUS Debate

By Michelle | October 2, 2008

Perhaps against my better judgment I put my life on hold for one evening (no studying, no gym, barely any email) and watched the vice presidential candidates’ debate. By way of disclaimer, I’m not a swing voter, and if you handed me a ballot today I’d mark my choice without a moment’s hesitation. But anyhow.

An hour after the fact, mass media is all over the spectrum — let me point out first that I think it’s rather absurd say one or the other candidate “won” the debate. After all, it’s not a first-past-the-post kind of thing. The goal is to garner support for one’s ticket, and we won’t know who did the best at that until November. Overall, I think Biden walked out looking more intelligent, while Palin was the most animated and “normal.” Of course, that depends on how you define “normal.”

I could go on about foreign policy (which means a lot more to me than special education or even domestic drilling), but this commentary on Fox News’s online forum really resonates with me:

Gov. Palin was clearly prepared by sticking to her script and not answering direct questions. It will make her and Senator McCain’s base happy but I think that it will not move the middle. Most Americans are wise to avoiding answers. Senator Biden was smart, cool, very human and direct. Call me an elitist but her use of folksy English drove me crazy. I think a potential Vice President should be a model with their speech.

I’m not sure I’d agree with the commentator’s description of Biden as “very human,” but I do think that Palin’s “down-home” way of speaking would really start to get to me after awhile. On the other hand, when was the last time I heard Cheney speak to the media?

Oh, and NPR said they didn’t get the Obama lama song (their website links to the first one below). I guess their writers aren’t familiar with random YouTube culture. So if anyone from NPR stumbles across this, here’s a crash course in the lama song:

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Words: 370 | Gunning-Fog: 11.5 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 9; 63.83%

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Web 2.0 Update

By Michelle | September 30, 2008

A little while back I listed a few of the web 2.0 platforms I found most interesting / innovative / useful (out of the hundreds, thousands that have sprung up across the internet). Here are a few more that I’ve discovered recently.

Planet Eye: Interactive travel guide where users contribute pictures, reviews, and other information about travel destinations worldwide.
Del.izzy: Website that uses the google search engine to crawl inside your delicious bookmarks. I’m not sure how effective it is but it’s certainly a good idea.
Useranme Check: This site probably falls into the category of “useful” rather than “interesting.” It’s only purpose is to check usernames against a long list of social platforms — useful if you’re trying to think up a new username or if you suspect someone out there has been using yours!

And this one isn’t web 2.0, but I found it on 100shiki.com and couldn’t pass it up: Netflix Origami (origami classics adapted for the shape of Netflix envelope tear-offs).

On another note, I read this on another blog and thought it was interesting and probably quite true:

While Generation Y (The Millennials) are entering the workforce with unprecedented knowledge of how to communicate with each other using social networks, micromedia communities, blogs, and all things social, their business discipline and work ethic are not comparable to that of Baby Boomers and Generation X.

Are we too caught up in the the tools, in the process, in the novelty of what’s current today and obsolete tomorrow? There are some serious problems with America these days… it’s kind of scary, actually.

Topics: Internet | No Comments »
Words: 263 | Gunning-Fog: 11.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 9; 57.87%

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Nakayama To Resign

By Michelle | September 27, 2008

According to Japanese press, Construction and Transport Minister Nariaki Nakayama “intends to resign from his post to take responsibility for a series of verbal gaffes he has made since his appointment last week.” Nakayama came under fire for calling the nation’s biggest teachers union a “cancer” in the education system as well as previously referring to Japan as “ethnically homogeneous,” a comment that angered Japan’s indigenous Ainu population.

Did you get that? What a downhill beginning for the new Aso cabinet — just one week into its tenure and already one minister stepping down. Of course, Aso himself has been know for making gaffes:

Why does Aso put his foot in his mouth more often then Joe Biden? Political commentator Takao Toshikawa told the Japan Times that “Aso often uses blunt language to pass himself off as a common man, not gentry,” but Japan’s new prime minister is anything but a common man. His grandfather, Yoshida, led Japan’s postwar reconstruction; his sister, Nobuko, is married to Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a cousin of Emperor Akihito. And his own wife, Chikako, is the daughter of the late conservative Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki.

High-class politicians pretending to be “normal” citizens is certainly nothing new in either Japanese or US politics, but as much as any candidate attempts to empathize with the average worker, I doubt that many voters are fooled by the show.

Topics: In the News, Japan, Politics | No Comments »
Words: 359 | Gunning-Fog: 15 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 11; 48.86%

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Things To Do in WMA

By Michelle | September 18, 2008

Lately, due to general life busy-ness, I’ve fallen behind on my unofficial list of things I’d like to do in the DC area. It’s amazing how after more than two decades of being in this city my list just keeps getting longer and longer. I’ll do this list in two parts. First, things I have yet to do and second, thing’s I’ve accomplished this spring/summer.

To Do:

Have Done:

Topics: DC, Food | 1 Comment »
Words: 208 | Gunning-Fog: 22 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 18; 38.93%

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Why Gas Prices Need To Increase

By Michelle | August 30, 2008

Carter Doctrine (1980): “Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force…”

Anyone who’s heard my schpeel on suburbs knows that I despise suburbia with a passion. But with America on a relative economic decline compared to much of the world, there are strong reasons why (besides personal preference) we need to repopulate our cities and curb our energy consumption.

I watched the documentary “The End of Suburbia,” which is to some extent an alarmist film that assumes that our whole way of living is going to change with the decline of fosile fuels — but though I don’t think everything the film warms of will actually come to pass, we’re definitely going to have to wake up and truly start to reduce of reliance on cheap oil.

Suburbia is an amazing inefficient way of life that sprung up in 20th century America and relies inseparably on the personal automobile. Unfortunately, it’s not a good way forward if we, as a country, want to maintain economic growth in the decades ahead. The solution is not to procure more petroleum. It’s to reign in our consumption.

In short, I have a car, and I commute farther to work that I would like, but I’m strongly in favor of gas prices rising. America needs a wake up shock, despite any near term economic consequences. We need to realize that we need to change our lifestyles because it’s not sustainable. In other countries where energy prices are higher, average consumers are much better about conservation — but although “green” is now a concept that’s beginning to catch on among young professionals who wish to be cool, we need to embrace conservation for its own benefits (not just the coolness factor) if we want to break our addiction to oil.

1) We need better public transportation. If we’ve learned anything from this summer’s gas prices, it’s that America needs more options for mass transit. DC residents are papered with a decent subway and bus network that networks the city and several miles into the suburbs, but there are so many places were there are frankly no mass transit options. This isn’t to say, of course, that DC’s subway is ideal. Tokyo, for one, puts us firmly to shame.

2) We need better urban planning — mid-sized communities connected by mass transit that supply residents with commercial areas and civil services that are walkable to residential areas. Americans need to be able to walk to their grocery stores, their schools, and their offices. Suburbia is, by and large, artificial and soulless. Why is everyone enchanted by old urban villages like Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria? Why then do these same people live out at the end of a cul-de-sac? Why does the “American Dream” involve a cookie-cutter house on a treeless patch of grass down the highway from a Walmart? Look at the housing situation in your area. I bet that the close suburbs (like Arlington) haven’t lost much if any value while the exurb sprawl has declined.

3) The answer is to bulldoze our strip malls and create new mixed-use developments. The suburbs aren’t beautiful. They’re not historic. McMansions beyond the beltway aren’t the future — Theyr’e the foreclosed past. But we need to start redesigning and regrouping before we’re foreclosed, before all the value is lost. I mean, economically, if we switch from SUV’s to Prius’s now, we’ll have more money tomorrow than if we keep driving the SUV hoping that gas prices will decline. Because they won’t. Energy was too cheap. It needs to go up to become the scarce commodity that it really is.

4) Alternative energy is local, not global. The 1990’s and 2000’s have been and still are the age of globalization. Not that globalization didn’t exist in earlier years, but these have been the decades of true globalization. Alternative energy is best positioned to meet the needs of local communities — solar panals on the roofs of houses, wind turbines up on a hill, even hydro-power won’t solve our industrial needs, but it can power communities.

Is it going to far to say that SUV’s are unpatriotic?

Topics: DC, Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 725 | Gunning-Fog: 12.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 9; 58.66%

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Around the World

By Michelle | August 14, 2008

Just a quick update on some of the events that have been happening around the big wide world lately (most will sound familiar unless you’ve buried yourself in a hole for the past week or so):

Georgia/Russia: As expected, “ceasefire” never really means ceasefire, and the saga continues. On the one hand I wonder what the heck Georgia was thinking when it somehow decided to pit itself up against the Russian military machine. On the other hand I also realize that this crisis has been a long time in the making, and and it was probably only a matter of time before the two sides concluded that slinging words at each other wasn’t enough and decided to send in the tanks as well.

Of course, as horrible as the situation is for the Georgians who’ve had to deal with the fighting firsthand, the conflict also brings into question the future of the world’s current international regimes — especially NATO, theUNSC, and even the G8. Whether Georgia’s bid to join NATO is dead on its feet is, of course, a question important to the Georgian Government, but a threat to future NATO has broader reaching consequences. The collapse of NATO would have both symbolic and practical effects on the US security posture and its alliances in Europe. Meanwhile minister from the G7 (that’s the G8 minus Russia) warned Russia it would face a strong reaction from the international community if it tried to effect a change of leadership in Georgia.

Pakistan: The rising tension in the Caucasus has stolen the spotlight from the ongoing political confusion in Pakistan where, on Pakistan’s Independence Day, rumors are circling that Musharraf will resign within days. Of course, this is Pakistan, and no one knows for sure when Musharraf will step down or whether (in fact) he will step down at all. While some media say he’ll be gone “in days,” while others simply state the timing as “soon,” and still others don’t guess at the timing at all. Of course, it’s no surprise that media predict Musharraf’s resignation would only add to the country’s confusion and disorder.

Topics: In the News | No Comments »
Words: 354 | Gunning-Fog: 17.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 15; 47.51%

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Repurpose

By Michelle | August 11, 2008

Repurpose: to give a new purpose or use to (Pronunciation: rē-ˈpər-pəs)

I saw this word online and thought, huh that’s a new one. Actually (if you hadn’t already noticed), I’m kind of a geek, and I love encountering new words. Japan’s version of this concept is encapsulated in their 3R initiative, but somehow (at face value) the “reuse” part of the 3R’s just doesn’t convey the same meaning as “repurpose” — because use can reuse something in the same capacity (for example, reusing plastic utensils), but to repurpose an object is to use it in a different capacity.

At the beginning of the new year it’s impossible to avoid the endless parade of lists — the best x of the past year, the worst x of the year, what’s in, what’s out, etc. etc. But although all this listing usually makes me want to tune out of mass media for the first half of January, I do really like taking a glance at the various words of the year.

I have to admit, the American Dialect Society put forth some pretty odd nominations for 2007. I mean, really. Who in their right mind would ever use the phrase “connectile dysfunction” (inability to gain or maintain an [internet] connection)? Or how about “earmarxist” (a congressman or senator who adds earmarks)? It’s as though they combed the year’s magazines and blogs and plucked out some of the most outlandish terms that people coined to be linguistically “cute.” But sometimes they’re not as bad. “Lifehack,” “sudoku,” and “podcast” all made it into the 2005 nomination list.

At then end of the day, records of words of the year give insight into the development of technology, popular political jargon, and current slang. Another one that’s more useful than anything the American Dialect Society’s come up with: Crapware (that’s of course the crap software that infects and slows down your PC).

Topics: Japan | No Comments »
Words: 318 | Gunning-Fog: 14.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 10; 60.01%

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Moving on…

By Michelle | August 6, 2008

(You won’t get the title unless you read the blog post referenced) There was a time about six years back when I was completely obsessed with personality types — I tend to delve into these sorts of obsessions for a day, a week, a month then set them aside for years and revisit them every now and then when the mood strikes. I’ve received mixed reactions when bringing up the topic among acquaintances… mostly I do it because I’ve formulated my own theory about their type, and I want to see if I can goad them into telling me what type they think they are.

When I really think about it, I think I like personality types because it helps my brain group the people I know (loosely) into a matrix of pre-defined categories, and it helps me predict what they’re thinking and how they’re going to react to any given situation. There are other things I’d rather expend brain cells on, so simplifying the world of human reaction is definitely a plus. Plus, I like the guessing game — I’ve a pretty good track record (or something like that).

Anyhow, in my re-discovery of this idle pastime I came across this blog entry that is, perhaps, the best description I’ve seen ever of some of my more random traits. Although you can find countless articles online and in books detailing the traits of different personality types in horribly dry detail, this author uses personal anecdotes to bring the words to life. For example (uh, this is hard, since I’d like to just quote the entire piece):

Disappearing is, perhaps, one of the most annoying things some INTJs do that people dislike. I promise you we are not trying to insult you or to hurt your feelings by leaving. We leave, usually without comment, from groups or meetings or parties or get-togethers because we become interested in something else. It’s that simple. We decide to investigate elsewhere. No malice is intended in disappearing. We don’t see it as disappearing. We see it more like, “moving on…” When I get asked later, You said good-bye before you left, right? and I stammer out an Uhh as an answer, I realize my host probably wondered what happened to me.

I remember being at a social function not too long ago and thinking about an hour and a half in that it was time to move on. It wasn’t that I “wasn’t having fun” but rather that I couldn’t shake the thought from my head that there were other ways that I’d rather be spending my time — and I just sort up picked up and left. Yes, I said goodbye to one or two folks but other than that it was just, woosh.

We generally have strongly-held values about right and wrong and “right and wrong” for many of us are defined in a social sense and not necessarily a religious one. We know the world is grey but doing the right thing — the promises we make to each other kind of morality — is important to us because it helps shape the world into the worthy and the unworthy of our involvement. Seeing Justice done is a vital element for us because it carves the right stake in society.

I have a hard time explaining this to other people, especially those who are strongly religious (personally, I find organized religion rather too confining–most religions claim to have all the answers and if you do x, y, and z then everything will be good. Where’s the mystery, the challenge?). It’s entirely possible to have a strong sense of morality without a strong sense of religiosity. I wonder sometimes, why do you need a book to tell you what’s right and wrong? Shouldn’t it just be intuitive?

We are sometimes accused of being disconnected from the rest of society. We aren’t disconnected to the present. Funerals, for me anyway, are a waste of time because we are not our bodies. That thinking, I have learned, is offensive to many people on a plethora of levels.

The gist of the rest of this excerpted paragraph is that INTJ’s tend to be forward-looking, not backward-looking. This combined with a “different” sense of religiosity and a general disdain for energy-wasting social convention means that they’re not huge fans of funerals. I especially don’t get the appeal of open-casket events. Blech.

Topics: Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 735 | Gunning-Fog: 11.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 8; 66.37%

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Web 2.0 Selects

By Michelle | August 4, 2008

Since the dawn of web 2.0 (the term was coined in 2004 though the phenomenon it describes has been around for longer) there has been an explosion of internet tools aimed to facilitate information sharing and interaction among end-users. All in all, the choice is amazing.

Unfortunately, it’s not a given that in the end the best tools will prevail. Since web 2.0 is a community-driven concept, any new tool has to reach a critical mass of active users before it become self-sustaining — something sort of like Malcolm Gladwell’s “tipping point.” Therefore, I’ll take this moment to advertise some of the tools I’ve found most useful, innovative, well-designed, or otherwise intriguing.

Flickr: Probably the best online photo-sharing site out there — easy to navigate, endlessly flexible, enough professional-quality photos to make my jaw drop
del.icio.us: Although there are countless social bookmarking sites, the top English-language sites are probably digg, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon. What choose del.icio.us? It seems to have the most Japanese-language users.
Spicy Elephant: A newcomer to the web 2.0 scene, this site lets users create decks of virtual flashcards and share them with other users. Not an entirely new concept, but the interface is easy to use, and the color scheme is soothing.
Timetoast: Users create interactive timelines to share over the web. There’s a lot of randomness but also some pretty nice submissions.
Forvo: An interesting concerpt still in beta phase, this site is a collection of words spoken in dozens of language by (supposedly) native speakers across the world.

Topics: Internet | 1 Comment »
Words: 256 | Gunning-Fog: 10.9 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 8; 58.21%

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Cabinet for Realizing Peace of Mind

By Michelle | August 2, 2008

After months of foot-tapping and nail-biting (wait, who are we kidding), Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda has finally reshuffled his cabinet — that’s the terms for giving under-performing/unpopular ministers the boot. Media has dubbed the move a “last ditch” effort on Fukuda’s part to improve his public approval ratings, but that is of course assuming that the 72-year old prime minister actually cares what the public thinks of him.

Although Fukuda served four years as Chief Cabinet Secretary (内閣官房長官) under former prime minister Junichro Koizumi (2000-04), his political style is quite different from Koizumi — considered a maverick even within his own party, Koizumi relied more on public support than intra-party backing to hold onto power during his tenure. With the nickname “lionheart,” coined out of his “unusual” hairstyle, Koizumi enjoyed public approval ratings of over 80 percent at the hight of his popularity.

So who exactly are the heavyweights who occupy the reshuffled Fukuda cabinet (or as he calls it, the “cabinet for realizing peace of mind”)? Here’s a run-down on some of the new cabinet members:

Topics: In the News, Japan, Politics | No Comments »
Words: 275 | Gunning-Fog: 21.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 16; 26.03%

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Second Course

By Michelle | July 30, 2008

Yesterday I wrote on the Takeshima/Dokdo dispute that’s currently driving a wedge between Japan and South Korea. If the US had any sense it would keep the mess at arms-length — but no. Perhaps in response to the ROK’s vehement objection to a decision by the US Board of Geographic Names to change the islands’ listing from South Korean to “nondesignated sovereignty,” President Bush ordered the designation to be reverted back to South Korean territory.


Of course, it’s probably only a calculated gesture to win goodwill before his visit to the ROK and Thailand ahead of the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing. This visit to the ROK, originally scheduled to take place after the G8 in July, was postponed in part to the beef riots that filled the streets of Seoul this summer.

On another Japan-related note, rumors abound that prime minister Yasuo Fukuda will finally reshuffle his cabinet on Monday after two ministers return to Japan from the WTO talks in Geneva. There are other rumors that the announcement may come as late as August 18th.

And finally, I’ve rediscovered the wonderful music of Joe Hisaishi (久石 譲) who composed the scores to some of my favorite Miyazai films. He really is amazing.

“Summer” from Kikujiru (菊次郎の夏)

My Neighbor Tottoro (隣のトットロ)

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Japan, Music | No Comments »
Words: 209 | Gunning-Fog: 16.9 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 13; 42.4%

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Much Ado

By Michelle | July 29, 2008

Present-day international relations in NE Asia are inextricably conflated with ongoing history disputes. It really is quite a headache at times. Although China and Japan appear to have placed some of their differences behind them in favor of building friendly atmospherics and strengthening trade (which isn’t to say they’re on the same page — merely that they’re finding it mutually beneficial to pretend to be friends), the latest row is between Japan and South Korea over history textbook guidelines and a few sorry rocks out in the middle of the sea.

Known as Takeshima in Japan, Dokdo/Tokdo in South Korea, and the Liancourt Rocks in the US, the disputed territory consists of two “islets” and a scattering of “rocky outcrops” in the Sea of Japan. While the islands themselves are nothing to write home about, the surrounding sea is rich in fishing and possibly natural gas.

South Korea has physically controlled the territory since July 1954, and there are two permanent Korean citizens, Kim Seong-do and Kim Shin-yeol. The islets are 217 km (135 mi) from mainland Korea and 250 km (150 mi) from mainland Japan.

Of course, the ownership of these rocks has been a persistent irritant in Japan-ROK relations since the end of Japanese colonial rule, but the recent flare-up was sparked by new Japanese middle school curriculum guidelines that say teachers should treat “the northern territories as part of [Japan's] territory,” while also instructing educators “to provide a deeper understanding of [Japan's] territory” by treating the Takeshima islets “in a manner comparable to that used in dealing with the northern territories.” According to Japanese media, the ministry of education initially considered having the manual incorporate the phrase “Takeshima is an integral part of our country” but softened its wording our of “diplomatic consideration for South Korea.” Although the guidelines are not legally binding, they serve as a guideline for the editing of school textbooks by publishers and for classroom teaching.

So I suppose you could say that Tokyo was asking for trouble by publishing the new guidelines — but it’s also true that South Korea has taken the insult and run with it. In addition to recalling its ambassador, the ROK >a href=”http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP142224″ target=_new>also dispatched its prime minister on a brief tour of the islands, and the South Korean Navy said it would conduct a joint drill with the Air Force in defense of the islands tomorrow. Japan, in response, has urged the ROK “handle the issue cool-headedly” — a little too late for that, I’ll say.

So the question now is whether this will be simply a flash-in-the-pan that fans dislike on both sides but disappears before too much diplomatic damage occurs or whether it will have lasting negative effects on regional issues, such as the six-party talks and the Japan-ROK-China trilateral meeting scheduled for September. We shall definitely see….

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Japan | No Comments »
Words: 479 | Gunning-Fog: 16.6 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 13; 43.35%

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Yaris 5 Door

By Michelle | July 12, 2008

There are rumors afoot that the 2009 Yaris lineup in the US will include the 5-door hatchback that both Japan and Europe are currently enjoying. That’s probably enough to make any 3-door owner jealous… and now that it looks like Toyota is going to scale back its SUV lineup here in the States, I think making the Yaris more user-friendly for non-entry level US buyers is a smart move on Toyota’s part. With amble experience in the sky-high gas price landscape of Japanland, Toyota appears well-positioned for weathering the slumping US economy… or at least better-positioned than Detroit.

Topics: East Asia, In the News | No Comments »
Words: 97 | Gunning-Fog: 8.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 7; 65.94%

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Japanese PR

By Michelle | July 11, 2008


The 2008 Toyako G8 Summit (hosted by Japan in Hokkaido) came and went without incident, but what else is to be expected of an archaic Cold War institution whose members reflect a late 20th century balance of power and whose non-binding statements don’t even hold the signatories accountable for the agreements reached? The Economist, in its usual glib style summed it up in the words: “A mountain-top gabfest provided a spectacular show and a long guest list but few answers to the woes of the world” (July 10).

At any rate, as the event’s host, the biggest task for Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda’s was to not screw things up, and if the avoidance of failure is held as the bar for success, it does appear as though he made the mark — whatever that means for Japanese politics. Predictions that Fukuda may reshuffle his cabinet after the summit have flown back and forth around Japanese media for months, but cabinet reshuffles in Japan are generally calculated PR moves, and who knows when the Kantei will decide that the time is right to get the most out of the announcement?

As far as Japanese PR in general goes, the next G8 summit in Japan won’t occur until 2016, so the country has more than enough time to ponder their next theme…. How about asking world leaders to do a little Yatta?

Or if they find that too difficult, maybe the MDSF could help them out…

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 241 | Gunning-Fog: 13.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 10; 61.83%

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