Yoshihiko Noda

Japan has changed Prime Ministers more often these past six years than a beauty pageant contestant changes her outfits during a competition. After Koizumi there hasn't been an individual who's lasted more than a year. Abe, Fukuda, Aso, Hatoyama, Kan, and now very recently elected Yoshihiko Noda. Every time I hear about a new PM being elected I hope that they'll last longer than a year. I imagine it must be difficult getting things done when leadership changes so often. Maybe Noda will last longer, since he seems to take a pretty strong stance on fiscal issues. And I guess since the economy's been basically stagnant for almost two decades...this may be a good thing?? I don't know much about Japanese politics, but it seems like a country that has sort of lost its spirit. Not spirit in the sense of the people's, of course--the tragic tsunami if anything undeniably proved that Japanese people's resiliency and compassion are as strong as they can be--but more like a lacking invigoration from the leadership. A few years ago when I was doing research on China-Japan relations I remember reading a report about how low patriotism was among Japanese youth. And how does Japan form a strong national identity when it has come to depend on the US militarily for its security, and when the rest of the world (especially China) watches it with a wary eye tinted by the legacy of World War II? I think what the perpetual rapid-fire succession of PM after PM indicates is that the Japanese people want a leader who will take a stance, even if it's an unpopular one. To have clear direction, stand up to the rest of the world, and be somewhat of a hardliner. That's what Koizumi was, and there hasn't really been someone like him since then. Or maybe I am wrong because I'm kind of sleepy and changing Prime Ministers every year is something that's ok.

Crossing my fingers for good news this week.

Smart City

Getting a good vibe from DC so far. It's "East-Coast-y," with tasteful buildings, sufficiently friendly people, and just enough hustle and bustle for an urban center. I was sitting at a bench on the National Mall today, semi-self consciously looking at my map like the clueless tourist I was, when the man next to me handed me the copy of his map and said it was much better because it contained all the landmarks. We struck up a nice jovial conversation that lasted for a while. He was from Israel on half business, half pleasure in DC, a city he had been to 10 times. No introductions, no pretentiousness, no ulterior motive. Just a nice chat. At times I forgot my current job prospects were not here, but 1.5 hours away by train. If Wilmington turns out to be a mini-DC of sorts, I wouldn't mind at all.

When I've been in my hotel room the channel is set to CNN, because that's what comes on when I first turn on the TV and I just need some background noise so I don't bother channel-surfing. I'm entrenched in the depression and tragedy that is the Japan earthquake/tsunami. Non-stop coverage. How are Japanese people so resilient? As their homes and belongings and loved ones and essentially, lives, are washed away, they queue in line for gas and the convenience store like it's just another really long line that can't be helped. My dad told me way before this happened, that if a huge quake ever hit Japan, you would never see chaos break out, because this society possessed the utmost civility and we would see things unfold in an orderly way. Spot on.

An Insightful Faith-Based Argument, Sendai

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-adam-jacobs/a-reasonable-argument-for_b_831185.html

Interesting argument by the rabbi. I usually tune myself out to faith-based arguments since they tend to make me not believe rather than believe, but this piece points to the teetering foundation of faith upon which science is based. We believe in the legitimacy of science not because it is grounded in concrete and naturalistic principles (which in many cases it is not, precisely because there is no foreseeable 'beginning' rooted in testable, prove-able conjectures), but because we believe in the value and superiority of a theoretical framework created by us, man, to explain the world around us. And in doing so, we have taken a leap of faith. Makes you think.

In either case, definitely a more convincing argument than Bill O'Reilly's.


God or not, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. She may be the most powerful of all. And I'm praying she has mercy on Japan.

Tragedies like this make me wonder why humans bicker and fight with each other and are willing to take each other's lives for petty reasons. Because when a 40-foot tsunami wave washes away your life in a matter of seconds, nothing else fucking matters.