Happy Japan Thanksgiving to all of our friends! (And feel free to PM for the recipe.)
2017-11-22 15:48 JST 2017 Happy Japan Thanksgiving to all of our friends! (And feel free to PM for the recipe.) ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 33 · Comments: 7 · Shares: 2 ← 2017-11-19 23:29 JST 2017-11-23 12:34 JST → Around this time … 2017-11-24 16:53 JSTI wrote earlier that I was concerned about what misogynistic trolls on the internet would do to Ms. Ogata. Curious about what was being said I searched Google with the key words "twitter" and "緒方夕佳" (Ms. Ogata's name in kanji). This is the first (!) tweet that came up. The tweeter, Showa Danji (a fictitious name) launches an ad hominem attack at Ms. Ogata. In other words, instead of posting about the issues at hand, he attempts to discredit her because of her association with an NPO called the "Okinawa Peace Assistance Center":http://www.opac.or.jpHe also asks "What university did she graduate from?" and "Who is her husband?" He does all this as he hides behind his Showa Danji pseudonym, a paragon on masculine virility and courage ( . . . not!).But, for those of you who see this as a "Japanese" problem, I'm not so sure. A lot of similar harassment has been occurring on line (and off) in English-speaking countries:Online harassment of women at risk of becoming 'established norm', study findshttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/08/online-harassment-of-women-at-risk-of-becoming-established-norm-study-- Kirk 2017-11-24 15:27 JSTDear friends,I sometimes try to stagger my posts so that they don't come all a once. However, as coverage of Ms. Ogata's attempt to get the Kumamoto City Council to show more flexibility is heating up, I think I need to share the information as quickly as possible.This particular article seems to have been written by or with the help of someone in Kumamoto:"On-the-street interviews with Kumamoto residents produced a number of reactions, ranging from good-natured support to gruff criticism of the idea of taking an infant somewhere as baby-unfriendly as a government assembly hall."I was unaware of Mr. Ogata's international background:"Ogata, a graduate of George Mason in the U.S. and previous United Nations employee who was posted in Yemen, has said:'By serving as a councilwoman while raising a baby, I hope to be a spokesperson for other people of my generation who are in similar situations…Even though [child-rearing] is a societal problem, in the workplace it ends up being treated as an individual’s problem.'"I think the article is worth reading so please do click on the link.-- Kirkhttps://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/11/24/japanese-city-councilwoman-stirs-controversy-by-bringing-baby-with-her-to-assembly-hall【video】/Japanese city councilwoman stirs controversy by bringing baby with her to assembly hall【Video】 2017-11-24 15:19 JSTThis BBC article came out about an hour ago. It does not, however, mention yesterday's developments (censure, etc.).It ends with the following sentence:"Japan is ranked 114 out of 144 in the World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap report."-- KirkBaby ordered out of Japan assembly 2017-11-24 09:55 JSTMs. Ogata may be reprimanded by the leadership of the City Council. The chair is reportedly considering issuing a "strong warning" (厳重注意) to her and demanding that she apologize. RKK reports that the reason for the reprimand is not that she brought her child into the chambers but that her action caused a delay in the start of the meeting.When I first posted this note about the RKK report the following link was valid:http://rkk.jp/news/index-google.php?id=NS003201711231908360111However, in just two hours (less than 24 since the original news broadcast) it has been taken down. Hmmm . . .For more background please see yesterday's post:https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1672696646137094-- KirkP.S. I was concerned about what might be said about Ms. Ogata on the web by various misogynistic trolls but this possibility did not occur to me. :( 2017-11-23 12:34 JSTMs. Yuka Ogata (Ogata is her family name), one of a few female members of Kumamoto's City Council, has received national media attention recently over her bringing her child to the council chambers. I have had the honor of meeting Ms. Ogata but have not spoken with her recently. I'll do my best, though, to summarize the central issues based on Japanese-language news reports I am familiar with.A key issue is that the Kumamoto City Hall (Shiyakusho), where the City Council meets, does not have a daycare facility for the children of employees. Ms. Ogata would like the council to address the problems she faces as a person who must simultaneously meet responsibilities as both a parent and a public servant as structural ones, not merely as the personal dilemma of one individual. According to Ms. Ogata, however, the leadership of the council has suggested that she discuss the problem with other individual council members (presumably, those with children who might be able to offer practical advice on how Ms. Ogata could solve the problem on her own).Yesterday, she brought her child with her to the council chambers but this was deemed unacceptable according to council rules, which forbid the presence of any person who is not a council member. The council meeting could not resume until Ms. Ogata's child was placed in the care of another person outside of the council hall.An Huff Post (Japanese version) article presents these developments in an international light:熊本市議会で赤ちゃん連れ議員の出席認められず...でも、世界にはこんなにいますhttp://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2017/11/22/kumamoto_a_23285061/In the article, other English-language articles about how this kind of issue has been handled in other countries are discussed:Mom-Mentum Hits House Of Commons With Pregnant MPshttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/27/pregnant-mps_n_2369046.htmlMP Says Her Baby Was Kicked Out Of Househttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/02/08/sana-hassainia-baby-kicked-out-house_n_1263004.htmlIn pictures: MEP Licia Ronzulli's daughter Vittoria in Strasbourg parliamenthttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/10461357/In-pictures-MEP-Licia-Ronzullis-daughter-Vittoria-in-Strasbourg-parliament.htmlThere's also a link to a Spanish language Twitter post featuring nine photos of women voting in governmental assemblies with children in their laps.https://twitter.com/mariasolcorral/status/474577247299706880/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.jp%2F2017%2F11%2F22%2Fkumamoto_a_23285061%2FI think Ms. Ogata's efforts are worthy of international media attention. Within Japan, it is significant, even historical as it represents the first instance of a member of such a body attempting to bring a child into council chambers. At this point, however, I have not been able to find any mentiion of Ms. Ogata's situation in English. So, if you happen to know a journalist who might be interested in this, or another individual who might have such connections, please share this post.Thanks!-- Kirkhttp://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000115139.html 2017-11-22 15:48 JSTHappy Japan Thanksgiving to all of our friends! (And feel … (this post) 2017-11-19 23:29 JSTLacking the pleasure of yet meeting this madame, there is nothing I can say as to her character other than her not having yet taking up my society is likely a positive point for the ol' gal. I'll try to track her down. - William89-Year-Old Japanese Grandma Discovers Photography, Can’t Stop Taking Hilarious Self-Portraits Now 2017-11-19 20:54 JSTSometimes the earth rotates more quickly (mornings!) and sometimes more slowly (class time!), and these rotational differences are due to what scientists call "lots of stuff." (These could include icecap thicknesses, magma movements, earth/moon orientations, how Trump feels today, etc.) Anyway, said scientists believe that next year MAY bring a millisecond delay in the earth's rotation, which, not only causing JR to send out apologies for any inconvenience, might also trigger (gasp!) EARTHQUAKES! The key point is not to panic, so please unread this if you can. Otherwise, prepare yourselves for refugees streaming across the island from Miyazaki as the Nankai Trough ruptures. Or it could be somewhere else. Or nowhere. It's just probability, after all. - WilliamUpsurge in big earthquakes predicted for 2018 as Earth rotation slows 2017-11-18 16:32 JSTThis post is not specific to Kumamoto. It has to do with the treatment of consumers in Japan vs. other countries more generally.Today I am finally getting around to unsubscribing from e-mail services (commercial ads and non-commercial announcements, exhortations, etc.) I don't need and that are making it harder for me to get to the messages that are important to me.Well, since I'm doing this all at once, I've noticed a significant difference between the relative difficulty / ease of unsubscribing from Japanese vs. non-Japanese services. The non-Japanese services usually have an "unsubscribe" link at the end of the e-mail that takes you to a webpage where you complete the unsubscription process with one additional, easy click. The Japanese services, however, tend to be a pain in arse (pardon my Old Norse). The "no more mail, please" process usually involves several steps, such as typing in a password, responding to an e-mail, going through many pages on a website, etc. Finding the appropriate places to click on the websites can also be like finding a needle in a haystack. My Japanese is fine (I have no difficulty reading Japanese) but still the process can be a major pain nonetheless. The worst one I experienced today was JR Kyushu. I had to log in and was then was presented with menus that had nothing to do with unsubscription (in fact, I appeared to be registering for something new, though that was not actually the case). I had to look for instructions on how to unsubscribe before I was finally able to figure it out.Japan is often lauded for it's excellent service. Indeed, there are many examples of fine service to be observed here. But it is also true that consumers can be treated rather badly in certain circumstances, either because of poor design and/or ignorance or because corporate interests are allowed to come before consumer interests. I think the stark difference I have observed between unsubscription systems in Japan and English-speaking countries probably results from a mixture of both.-- KirkP.S. The image is the one I was first presented with when I attempted to enter JR Kyushu's unsubscription labyrith. 2017-11-18 11:12 JSTAn unusual story about something that looked like attempted murder (fortunately, the woman survived) but seems to have been a nasty cat attack -- complete with stock photo of an evil cat.-- KirkMurder bid in Kumamoto leads to feline suspect | The Japan Times 2017-11-17 22:48 JSTYou can find a YouTube video news report on the linked page. You can also hear the audio of a Montana Public Radio segment about the event here:http://mtpr.org/post/montana-celebrates-35th-anniversary-japanese-sister-stateFinally, here's a newspaper article:http://missoulian.com/news/local/japan-friends-gather-to-celebrate-kumamoto-sister-state/article_922a90ca-7936-544c-8fd3-a363fed2a2a0.html-- KIrkhttp://www.kxlf.com/story/36855432/kumamoto-and-montana-celebrate-sister-state-statusKumamoto and Montana celebrate "sister state" status
