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30 Aug 2009 09:42

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World: Japan’s election points to the Democrats over the Liberal Democrats

  • We have been trying to outgrow this old one-party system ever since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It took two decades, but we finally made it.
  • Japanese political expert Takeshi Sasaki, a former University of Tokyo president • On the Democratic Party’s likely landslide victory in today’s elections. The conservative-leaning Liberal Democratic Party (no relation to the Democrats), which has only lost its ruling status once before, currently would need an American football-style Hail Mary to remain in power. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2009 11:23

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Offbeat: Nearly as good as Barney Frank: Monkey washes bear on Japanese TV

  • No Nazi accusations pop up in this video. We promise. Just a cute monkey trying to wash bears with a hose, complete with laugh track.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Aug 2009 11:02

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Offbeat: All anime nerds should overreact like this from time to time

  • My mom threw out my Gundam action figures. Time to light my house on fire! The world’s biggest, most pathetic anime nerd (who is 29, making an even stronger case for “pathetic”) chose to handle the situation the rational way. He doused himself in kerosene and then set his house ablaze. The Kasai City, Japan resident nor his mother were injured, but the two-story home was completely lost because he couldn’t stand the idea of living without his !&#&^(^ action figures. ^_^ source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Aug 2009 10:00

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World: Shakedown in Tokyo: A very scary quake hits Japan

  • 7.1 the quake’s strength; good thing Japan has regular quake drills source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2009 10:12

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Offbeat: Japan’s men give up on dating, Part II: The “herbivore” movement

  • “Herbivore” = We’re living our lives as boring as possible. Shunning the ideals of corporate success, relationships and sex, many men in Japan (on top of the ones who date Anime characters) describe themselves as “herbivorous.” Basically, rather than force themselves up the corporate ladder, they say screw it and work at Japan’s equivalent of a truck stop their entire lives. “I don’t think my parents’ way of life is for me,” said boring hotel worker Roshinante. “I still struggle between the traditional notion of how men should be and how I am.” Jesus, women of Japan, what makes you so scary that dudes go out of their way not to date you? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Jul 2009 21:49

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Offbeat: Japanese guys give up on real women, fall in love with anime

The 2D movement has taken over the hearts and minds of nerds all over Japan, whose bodies and social status mean they’re not getting any. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 09:14

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World: If you live in Asia, expect to be eclipsed today

  • 6+ minutes of total solar eclipse awesomeness today source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Jul 2009 11:10

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World: Astronauts now have a place to drink lemonade, whittle time away

  • That’s right, the ISS has a porch now. The International Space Station attached an exposed porch, the last part of the Japanese Kibo laboratory, yesterday. The Kibo project, which cost $1 billion, is the station’s largest lab and the addition of the porch gives the many people on board a spot to chill and perform experiments. Kibo deputy project manager Tetsuro Yokoyama noted that “this was a proud moment,” talking about the porch like a brand-spankin’ new grill ready for a BBQ. We’d be that proud, too, Tetsuro. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jul 2009 00:49

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Music: Amazing! Japanese band Sour perfects the YouTube viral video

  • This is our Babe Ruth pointing at the the outfield moment: In one week, Sour’s music video will be everywhere. In one year, this video will be seen as a defining moment for YouTube. In fifty years, sociologists will point to this video as a leading example of viral video. It’s just that amazing.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

14 Jun 2009 11:20

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World: This story from Japan will transplant your heartstrings. :(

  • 11-year-old Hiroki Ando needs a new heart. The old ticker isn’t working very well. He suffers from the inflammatory heart disease cardiomyopathy, which killed his sister five years ago. source
  • However, Ando cannot get a new heart in Japan, where it’s illegal for anyone under the age of 15 to donate organs. People donated $1.7 million, and he’s headed to the U.S. for help. source
  • It’s a major issue in Japan – the public perception of organ transplants has limited them to the point where just 81 have happened since 1997. Thousands happen yearly in the U.S. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 7 Comments • Permalink
 
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