Podcasts about japanese ministry

Mokuhanga is carried by those with a desire to explore the medium to its fullest, to foray into uncharted territory, to educate many, and to draw more people to the art form. On this episode of The Unfinished Print, I speak with Vladimir Ivaneanu and Soetkin Everaert, co-founders of the Japanese print promotion project Mokuhanga Magic! We discuss how Mokuhanga Magic! began, exploring the mokuhanga journeys of both Soetkin and Vladimir, dive into the art of collaboration, share stories of their travels to Japan, and reflect on the current state of mokuhanga today. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me andrezadorozny@gmail.com Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Mokuhanga Magic! - website Emil Nolde (1867–1956) was a German-Danish Expressionist known for his bold use of colour, deep interest in spirituality and the human condition. As a printmaker, Nolde was a pioneering figure in early 20th-century German art, producing powerful woodcuts, etchings, and lithographs that often explored biblical themes, folklore, and dramatic human expressions. Despite being banned by the Nazi regime—who labeled his work as "degenerate art"—Nolde continued to create in secret. Nolde's printmaking helped shape the visual language of German Expressionism and influenced generations of artists. Durchbrechendes Licht (Light Breaking Through), 1950 oil on canvas 68.5 x 88.5 cm MEXT (Mombukagakusho) Scholarship is a prestigious academic scholarship offered by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to support international students studying in Japan. Established in 1954, it provides funding for various academic levels, including undergraduate, graduate, vocational, and research programs. The scholarship covers tuition, a monthly stipend, and round-trip airfare. Students can apply either through Japanese embassies (Embassy Recommendation) or directly through Japanese universities (University Recommendation). It aims to promote international exchange and has supported over 65,000 students from around the world. Paul Furneaux  is a Scottish born mokuhanga printmaker and teacher who uses the medium of mokuhanga creating pieces of work that are third dimensional, abstract and sculptural. Little Loch (Lochin) 47 x 36 cm Variable edition of 10 Nagasawa Art Park (MI Lab) Awaji City - Nagasawa Art Park was an artist-in-residence program located in Awaji City, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was open for 12 years before evolving into MI Lab in 2012. More info, here.  Tintin is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Adventures of Tintin, a comic book series created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé (1907-1983) (the pen name of Georges Remi). First appearing in 1929, Tintin is a young Belgian reporter and adventurer who travels the world, often finding himself embroiled in dangerous plots, solving mysteries, and fighting injustice. The series became internationally beloved for its clean graphic style, detailed research, and engaging storytelling, making Tintin one of the most iconic comic book characters of the 20th century. MI Lab  is a mokuhanga artists residency located in Kawaguchi-ko, near Mount Fuji. More info can be found, here.  manga is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels that encompasses a wide range of genres and themes, appealing to audiences of all ages. Typically published in black and white, manga is known for its distinctive art style, expressive characters, and cinematic storytelling. It is often serialized in magazines before being collected into volumes called tankōbon. Manga covers everything from action, romance, and fantasy to slice-of-life, horror, and science fiction. It has deep cultural roots in Japan but has gained massive popularity worldwide, influencing global comic art and animation, and serving as the foundation for many anime adaptations. hanmoto system  is the Edo Period (1603-1868) collaboration system of making woodblock prints in Japan. The system was about using, carvers, printers, and craftsmen by various print publishers in order to produce woodblock prints. The system consisted of the following professions; publisher, artist, carver, and printer. Motoharu Asaka - is a woodblock carver (horishi) and printer based in Shinjuku, Tōkyō Japan. website Tuula Moilanen - is a Finnish mokuhanga printmaker and painter based in Finland. She lived and studied in Kyōto from 1989 to 2012, where she learned her printmaking at Kyōto Seika University and from printmaker Akira Kurosaki (1937–2019). Her work can be found here. Her interview with The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast can be found here. Stake Out By the Bridge 21x30cm from Sea Lion Series (2023) Kari Laitinen - is a Finnish artist and printmaker based in Finland. His works explore colour and dimension. More information can be found, here. He helped write, with Tuula Moilanen, the book Woodblock Printmaking with Oil-based Inks and the Japanese Watercolour Woodcut. It was published in 1999. William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker known for his visionary and symbolic works that combined text and image. Though largely unrecognized in his lifetime, he is now celebrated as a key figure of the Romantic era. His major works, such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, explore themes of spirituality, imagination, and social critique. Blake's unique style and integration of poetry and visual art have made him a lasting influence on both literature and art. Keiko Kadota (1942-2017) - was the director of Nagasawa Art Park at Awaji City from 1997-2011, and then of MI Lab at Lake Kawaguchi from 2011 until her passing. Terry McKenna  is a mokuhanga printmaker and teacher residing in Karuizawa, Japan. He received guidance in the art form from Richard Steiner, a prominent mokuhanga printmaker based in Kyoto. Terry established the Karuizawa Mokuhanga School, a renowned residency dedicated to mokuhanga education, located in Karuizawa, Japan.  Further details about Terry and his school can be found, here. Additionally, you can listen to Terry's interview with The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, here and Richard Steiner's interview here.  Storm Clearing Wattle Flat (2015) 8.6" x 14" Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was a German Renaissance artist known for his woodcuts, engravings, and detailed drawings. Based in Nuremberg, he brought international recognition to printmaking with works like Melencolia Iand The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Dürer combined Northern European detail with Italian Renaissance ideals, influencing art across Europe and contributing to theories on proportion, perspective, and human anatomy. Michihamono  - is a tool manufacturer for woodblock printmaking as well as other woodworking. Located in Tōkyō. You can find their online store, here. © Popular Wheat Productions Opening and closing musical credit - background noise from Gyozanomanshu Kami Shakuji restaurant. logo designed and produced by Douglas Batchelor and André Zadorozny  Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written or verbal consent. I'm friendly :)  Слава Українi If you find any issue with something in the show notes please let me know. ***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.***  

Takahiro Tsuda and Atsushi Mimura from the Japanese Ministry of Finance join Javier Guzman to examine current funding mechanisms for pandemic preparedness and response, explore Japan's role in driving global efforts (and insights gained), and discuss potential pathways to strengthen PPR financing.

The grasslands of Japan are beautiful, full of volcanos, and revered by the people living there. Japan's unique model of conservation method of Satoyamas is one we wish the US would model - one where people push to thrive alongside the environment, not claim or set it aside. Allan hosts this episode and the five minute math break in the middle has been severely shortened (though stick around past the credits for a bit more). Primary Sources: Chakraborty, S. (2018). The Interface of Geology, Ecology, and Society: The Case of Aso Volcanic Landscape. In: Chakraborty, A., Mokudai, K., Cooper, M., Watanabe, M., Chakraborty, S. (eds) Natural Heritage of Japan. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism. Springer, Cham. Sustaining Aso's Grasslands. Japanese Ministry of the Environment. Aso's Wildlife. Japanese Ministry of the Environment. Direct download: Satoyama in Japan: For Nature-Based Solutions (2022 Report). Japanese Ministry of the Environment. +++ More of Our Work +++ Website Facebook TikTok Twitch Bluesky +++ Contact Us +++ Text/Call: (316)-512-8933 info@grasslandgroupies.org +++ Support Us +++ Bonfire Merch Store CashApp: $GrasslandGroupies Or... donate directly to our org.

Intuitive Machines' lunar lander Athena is heading to the Moon. Varda's W2 spacecraft lands back in the Australian outback after completing its second mission. Astroscale Japan has been awarded a 7.27 billion yen contract by Japan's Ministry of Defense to develop a responsive space system demonstration satellite prototype, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Colleen McLeod Garner, Commercial Strategist and Brand Developer. You can connect with Colleen on LinkedIn.  Selected Reading IM-2 | Intuitive Machines Astroscale Japan Secures Contract with Japanese Ministry of Defense to Develop a Responsive Space System Demonstration Satellite Prototype Nikon Selected to Implement the Space Strategy Fund at JAXA "Innovative Technology for Lightweight, High Performance, and Lower Cost Space Transportation Systems"  Lumen Orbit changes name to Starcloud and raises another $10M for space data centers Weather Stream Awarded ONR Contract to Advance SPECTRUM for Environmental Remote Sensing Satellogic EarthView Dataset Now Openly Accessible via Registry of Open Data on AWS Virgin Galactic Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Provides Business Update Etihad-SAT  Blue Origin Announces Crew For New Shepard's 31st Mission T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DON WILSON THE VENTURES February 10TH 1933 - January 22ND 2022 ‘THE LOST INTERVIEWS' with RAY SHASHO EPISODE 14 -Interviewed June 10th, 2014   Don Wilson and The Ventures have inspired thousands of promising musicians and enthusiasts across the globe for over five decades, and many of their pupils became legendary in the music world. Ventures alumni include… Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Elton John, John Bonham, Mick Fleetwood, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Gene Simmons, and many-many more. At 81, Don Wilson, guitarist & co-founder of the legendary rock and roll/surf band says he has no plans for slowing down any time soon. The Ventures recently concluded a lengthy tour in Japan where they are still idolized. Don and his son Tim Wilson have also initiated a new record label with promising young musicians to mentor and promote.  THE VENTURES are the best-selling instrumental rock band in music history. In 1958, the group was formed by Tacoma, Washington residents Don Wilson (rhythm and lead guitar) and Bob Bogle (lead and bass guitar). The duo's plan was to earn a permanent living playing guitar instead of working at their hard labor construction jobs as bricklayers. They originally performed as the Impacts and the Versatones before finally settling on The Ventures. Nokie Edwards (lead guitar) joined in 1960 and they recorded their first big hit, a Chet Atkins cover entitled “Walk, Don't Run.” The Ventures lineup in the studio also included Skip Mooreon drums. In 1960, the song peaked at #2 on the Billboard's single chart amid stiff competition from Chubby Checker, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and Bryan Hyland. Drummer Howie Johnson replaced Moore in 1960. Mel Taylor became The Ventures permanent drummer in 1962 until his passing in 1996. From 1960 through 1972, The Ventures consistently toured worldwide and charted 37 albums. The group was hailed as America's instrumental Beatles. Some of The Ventures  hit singles include … “Telstar,” “The Lonely Bull,” “Rebel-Rouser,” “Honky Tonk,” “Let's Go,” “Pipeline,” “Walk, Don't Run,” “Tequila,” “Apache,” “Wipe-Out, ”Memphis,” “Out of Limits,” and their mega-hit … “Hawaii Five-O” (#4 on Billboard's Singles Chart -1969), (The album reached #11 on Billboard's album chart). The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. That same year also marked The Ventures 50th Anniversary. Here's a list of incredible accomplishments by The Ventures … Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Class of 2008 Ranked #4 among all-time instrumental artists on Billboard's Single Charts Ranked #6 among all 1960s artists on Billboard's Album Charts Ranked #26 among all-time artists on Billboard's Album Charts Ranked #20 in most albums on Billboard's Album Charts with 37 “Walk, Don't Run” is one of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Top 500 Hits of all time  1960 to 1969 - Placed 14 singles on Billboard's Single Charts   Gold singles: “Walk, Don't Run (1960), “Walk Don't Run '64” (1964), “Hawaii Five-0” (1969),  1960 to 1972 - Placed 37 albums on Billboard's Album Charts with 5 on the charts simultaneously during 1963. Gold albums: Telstar and the Lonely Bull (1963), Golden Greats (1967), Hawaii Five-0 (1969) To date, more than 450 LP and CD albums released worldwide (and still counting) 1960 to 1973 - Sold nearly 1,000,000 albums per year in the U.S.  Japan sales approaching 40,000,000 units (and still counting) Collective worldwide sales approaching 100,000,000 units (and still counting) 1964 - Popularized Mosrite Guitars with introduction of The Ventures Model. Today these are among the most sought-after guitars, known for their tone and playability. Successfully adapted their unique guitar style to countless changes in musical trends Released an acclaimed set of instructional records with the Play Guitar with The Ventures series Cited affectionately as "the group that launched a thousand bands" Credited with popularizing rock and roll and the electric guitar in Japan 1971 - First non-Japanese artists elected to the Japanese Conservatory of Music Jan 1987, Guitar Player magazine 20 Anniversary Issue cited Walk Don't Run as one of "20 Essential Rock Albums" 1990 - Inducted into the Washington State Music Hall of Fame Feb 1996, Guitar magazine identified “Walk Don't Run” as one of ten 1960's albums included in “The Fifty Greatest Rock Guitar Records" (albums) Inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk  Invited to participate in the Smithsonian Institution's celebration of the development of the electric guitar Honored by Fender Guitars with a limited-edition line of Ventures Model Jazzmaster, Telecaster and Jazz Bass signature guitars 2001 - Honored by Aria Guitars with limited-edition Ventures Model guitars 2004 - Award by Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for contributing to friendly relations between Japan and US. No other artists in modern music share this honor 2005 – Washington State Senate Resolution 8645 to honor The Ventures, to "recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact over the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll" 2006 – “Walk, Don't Run” is inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame Numerous contributions to movie and commercial soundtracks, including ‘Pulp Fiction' and ‘Madagascar' The Ventures have reached over 100- Million in record sales, 14-songs that hit the singles chart, and 37 albums that charted. The band continues to record and tour with their current lineup of …Don Wilson (rhythm guitar- co-founder 1958), Nokie Edwards (lead guitar -joined 1960), Gerry McGee (lead guitar –joined 1968), Bob Spalding (lead and bass guitar –joined 1981), Leon Taylor (drums – joined 1996 after the passing of his father Mel Taylor). Co-founder, lead and bass guitarist Bob Bogle passed away in 2009. Drummer Mel Taylor passed away in 1996. I had the rare privilege of chatting with Don Wilson back in June about … The “Walk, Don't Run" legacy … The early days of The Ventures … Their devoted Japanese fans … My infamous ‘Field of Dreams' question …The inception of “Hawaii Five-O”… And much-much more! Here's my interview with The Ventures legendary guitarist, co-founder, pioneer …DON WILSON.   Support us on PayPal!

Emma Muhleman CFA, CPA, (@EmmaCFA1) joins podcast hosts (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@jimiuorio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Bob Iaccino (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Bob_Iaccino⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) to discuss various topics including triathlons, the Japanese Ministry of Finance's intervention in the yen, Bitcoin in China, gold as an inflation hedge, and the economic situation in California. They also touch on the possibility of the Fed easing monetary policy and its potential impact on the stock market. The conversation covers various topics including the Federal Reserve, market predictions, concerns about the banking system, and investment strategies. They share views on interest rate cuts, market pricing, and the potential impact of commercial real estate on the banking system. They also explore the role of gold and Bitcoin as alternative investments, as well as the potential risks and benefits of each. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of honest opinions in media. Takeaways The Japanese Ministry of Finance intervenes in the yen market to control its value, often in stealthy ways Emma believes that the market's reaction to the Fed's monetary policy decisions is driven more by market pricing than actual evidence There is a debate about the effectiveness of gold as an inflation hedge, with Bobby suggesting that gold may inflate along with other assets in an inflationary environment California's economic policies and regulations are causing concerns among businesses and investors The stock market may be influenced by the Fed's monetary policy decisions, and a failure to ease could lead to a significant market correction The speakers have different views on the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts and market pricing. There are concerns about the impact of commercial real estate on the banking system. Gold and Bitcoin are discussed as alternative investments, with different perspectives on their advantages and disadvantages. Honest opinions and unbiased media are important in today's media landscape. Chapters:  00:00 Triathlons and Marathons 06:02 Market Pricing vs. Actual Evidence: The Fed's Monetary Policy 26:23 The Stock Market's Dependence on the Fed's Easing 32:34 Economy and Prices Reflating 39:54 The Importance of Honest Opinions in Media This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile.  $15 for your first 3 months. Visit site below:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trymintmobile.com/futuresedge  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haynow Media

Japan seems to be going in opposing directions at the same time, when it comes to the supply of internationalised staff suitable for foreign companies.  The statistics show a peak in 2004 of 83,000 Japanese students venturing off-shore.  This dropped to a low of 57,500 in 2011 and since that point has climbed back above 60,000.  Just to put that in context, Korea has over 117,000 students studying overseas but has half the population of Japan.  Today, with many international companies looking to hire English speaking, internationalised Japanese staff, the supply situation is looking grim.  Some Japanese domestic companies are becoming strong competitors because they need more international Japanese as well.  These firms are branching out overseas because they fear the decline in the Japanese consumer population will stunt their future growth.  Once upon a time, this meant shipping Japanese expats off overseas to be forgotten for five years, before sending the next one.  The shortage of staff in Japan makes this proposition harder these days, because they are needed here as the boomer generation retires.  Also with the increasing integration of overseas enterprise purchases into the Japanese mother ship, the internationalisation of the local headquarters staff is also becoming more important. So we have less Japanese youth going overseas and an increasing demand at home for those with good English and international experience.  Previously the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) had been attempting to address this shortage. In 2013, the Japan Revitalization Strategy announced a government target of doubling the number of students studying abroad to 120,000 by 2020. There have been previous programmes introduced such as the “Reinventing Japan” project (2011), the “Tobitate!” (Leap for Tomorrow!) study abroad campaign (2013), and the TeamUp campaign (2015).  Looking at the numbers though, none of these has had much impact to date. The current Government target of increasing the overseas Japanese student varsity population to 150,000 by 2030 sounds like an education bureaucrat's wild fantasy, but at least there is an effort being made to address the shortage.  I won't be holding my breath in anticipation that their programmes will be producing the numbers needed in the immediate future. Why aren't this generation heading overseas to study?  A British Council study found four key reasons: 1. Don't have the language skills  2. Too expensive, 3. Unsafe and 4. Courses abroad are too difficult.  There has been a lot of discussion also about the inward looking nature of this generation.  The Lehman Shock put loyal staff out on the street and shook up their kid's assumptions about following the same lifetime employment path of their fathers and mothers.  Consequently, like Millennials elsewhere, they seem very focused on themselves. They don't have much patience for things which are mendokusai or troublesome. That particularly includes studying English and dealing with pesky foreigners.  The 3/11 triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and triple nuclear reactor core meltdown refocused everyone on family, staying close (kizuna) and personal safety.  Going overseas doesn't really fit into that picture.  Having said that though, the British Council study concluded that the interest in studying abroad is still strong.  The interest may be there, but their actions are not matching the needs of business here. The risk aversion of the Japanese mentality also operates against going overseas.  Their perfectionist qualities also make the mastery of English seem like the impossible dream.  Getting a job when you get back is an issue because of the inflexible nature of Japanese company hiring practices.  Being older than your sempai (seniors) who entered the company before you, is confusing for the company hierarchical culture.  Fitting in is also harder because now because they no longer think the same as everyone else.  They have dared to be different and this is not a formula for career success in Japan.  Fitting in and being just like everyone else is preferred There are a couple of things we can do.  Larger companies can look at providing scholarships, with golden handcuff clauses, to assist the motivated who want to study overseas, but may be financially restrained from doing so.  Related to that is the issue of keeping internationalised youth in the company after hiring them.  This is where company culture becomes a winner, if you are smart about it.   Conditions of employ can be a lot more flexible than in competitor Japanese companies.  With a declining youth population, (the number of those aged zero to thirty-four, halves over the next 40 years) employers will have to become a lot more flexible anyway, if they want to retain staff.  These graduates often want to work in an international environment.  However, they find themselves surrounded by local Japanese colleagues and they can't get to use that English they worked so hard to improve.  If you are running a multi-national company, why not create opportunities for them to use their English by making English the real language of the office.  Monday and Wednesday can be designated Japanese day and Tuesday and Thursday English day.  Friday is your free choice. Getting middle managers properly trained to lead the young is going to be a key to retention and even more so with those international youth returned from study overseas.  Coaching and communication skills are going to be at a premium, because in the coming free agent world of work, the young will walk out the door to the competitor without hesitation.  Recruiters will be ringing their cash registers hard as they pick up fees for luring your young away by painting a glowing picture of the greener grass at your rival's firm.  Your managers have to preclude that possibility by knowing how to provide the young a style of leadership they themselves never experienced.  Tough love leading is definitely out. If your leaders pursue that route all that will be left will be tough times, as staff shortages hit companies hard.  Our hiring Armageddon winter has well and truly arrived and hungry recruiters are the White Walkers taking our young English speakers away from us.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are of growing interest in many parts of the world as scientists, engineers, policymakers, and others look for new ways to address climate change challenges. In S7, E2, host Sarah Thorne is joined by EWN cohosts Burton Suedel, and Amanda Tritinger. Their guest is Paul Cruz, Sr. Program Manager in International and Interagency Services in the USACE's Pacific Ocean Division. They're talking about advancing NBS by building relationships with colleagues in the Pacific region.With a military background and experience in planning and security cooperation, Paul describes his work as: “I tell people I went from the 8-crayon box set to the 200-crayon box set with a pencil sharpener on the back, working with all these scientists, engineers, and research personnel on new and exciting topics and capabilities that we bring to the table as we engage our allies and partners all around Asia. And certainly EWN was one of those capabilities.”While assisting the Philippine Navy with dredging efforts for their Navy Bases, Paul met with the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “We took advantage of the opportunity to support their dredging challenges because it was helping facilitate the military side, and we started to see a real growing relationship between the USACE and the DPWH—two agencies that have a lot of the same mission sets.” This led to additional engagements on typhoon recovery and flood control, and reclamation projects with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources.In March 2023, Amanda participated in a technical exchange hosted by the Taiwan Water Resources Agency (TWRA). Over 100 participants from academia, local and federal agencies, and NGOs took part and expressed a great deal of interest in the knowledge that the USACE and TWRA had to share. As Amanda notes, “We enjoyed participating in the panel. I believe to this day we're applying what we learned and brought home to our respective countries.” Burton followed this up in October 2023, attending the Taiwan International Water Week hosted by TWRA. “It was a great opportunity to share some of our best practices and try to relate them in ways that the next generation of professionals—scientists, biologists, engineers, and other disciplines—can pick up on.”In the Portland District in 2022 and in the Seattle District in 2023, USACE hosted technical exchanges with delegations from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT). Both countries face similar issues in their coastal environments. As Amanda describes it, “I saw a lot was multi-issue problems in Japan with compounding effects—flooding, plus wave action on storm events, and the most subsidence I'd ever seen, plus the risk of volcanic activity. While multibenefit may be seen as nicety for us, for Japan, it's a necessity.”These examples underscore the value of relationships in the Pacific Region. As Paul notes, “From a military perspective, we don't do anything anymore alone. It's always together.” For Burton, “To me, it's mutual learning. I'm always pleasantly surprised how engaged and engaging the participants are and how much progress they have made to incorporate innovative EWN principles and practices into their projects.” Amanda adds: “Building deep relationships that are sustainable is so important. I think to progress the practice and support a sustainable future, we need to engineer with nature, but we need to engineer with humanity too.”For more information and resource links, please visit the EWN Podcast page on the EWN website at https://www.engineeringwithnature.org/ • Amanda Tritinger at LinkedIn• Burton Suedel at LinkedIn• Paul Cruz at LinkedIn

On this episode of About Sustainability…, Alice and Erin were joined by Naoyuki OKANO and Nagisa SHIIBA, IGES experts working on Climate Adaptation. This episode, recorded in December 2023, offers a quick recap of what happened at COP28 in Dubai and then dives deep into the far-reaching impacts of climate change on human security. Hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) brought the world's leaders together to discuss how to confront the climate crisis. Some of its main outcomes include the first Global Stocktake (GST), the agreement on the framework for operationalising the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and the agreement on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund. Naoyuki and Nagisa introduce us to their new research project on Climate Security in the Asia Pacific, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We discuss how framing the climate crisis as a security issue can be a powerful approach to mobilising resources across areas and tackling global challenges.ABOUT OUR GUESTSDr. Naoyuki OKANO is a Policy Researcher in the Adaptation and Water Unit of IGES. He works on issues related to the laws and governance of climate change adaptation, nature-based solutions, transboundary climate risks, and climate security. Nagisa SHIIBA is a Policy Researcher at the Adaptation and Water Unit of IGES. She is engaged in research projects on climate change adaptation and supports the negotiation process for the Japanese delegation to the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS AND PROJECTSAsia-Pacific Climate Security Project (APCS) Website IGES is organising an international symposium on climate security in Asia-Pacific on 8 February 2024. Register here: https://www.iges.or.jp/en/events/20240208TIMESTAMPS00:10 - 02:10             Intro                                         02:10 - 05:06             COP 28                                   05:06 - 13:18             Global Goal on Adaptation     13:18 - 17:33             Loss and Damage 17:33 - 36:07             Climate Security 36:07 - 51:18             Climate Migration 51:18 - 54:22             Food Security 54:22 - 57:00             Balancing Security Issues in Climate Adaptation Plans "About Sustainability..." is a podcast brought to you by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), an environmental policy think-tank based in Hayama, Japan. IGES experts are concerned with environmental and sustainability challenges. Everything shared on the podcast will be off-the-cuff discussion, and any viewpoints expressed are those held by the speaker at the time of recording. They are not necessarily official IGES positions.

Visit www.drstevenlin.com for this episode and moreVitamin K2 is one of the most important nutrients for healthy bones, teeth, and immune systems.The Japanese Ministry of Health endorses the use of vitamin K2 as a treatment for osteoporosis. While modern dietary recommendations don't clarify how much vitamin K2 we should eat for skeletal and dental health, research has demonstrated the profound synergistic role K2 plays alongside vitamin D.For vitamin D to be effective, the body needs enough vitamin K2. There are specific foods you can eat rich in vitamin K2 in your diet, including different forms of the vitamin.In this episode I'm having a discussion with Dr. Kate Rheume-Bleue, author of the book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox. Dr. Rheueme-Bleue is one of the world leading experts on the Vitamin K2.For better dental and overall health, it's a great episode to get the full benefits of vitamin K2.To learn more about Dr Kate: https://www.doctorkatend.com/Purchase the Calcium Paradox here

North Korea launched two missiles within just ten hours of each other this week, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that state media said aimed to “send a clear warning” to the “U.S. and the military gangsters of the Republic of Korea.” NK News Managing Editor Bryan Betts (@BryanBetts21) discusses the third test of the Hwasong-18 this year, as well as a visit by a Russian delegation to North Korea to talk about economic cooperation and tourism.  Then, Michael Bosack joins the podcast to talk about his role as deputy secretary of the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission (UNMAC), which supervises the armistice agreement between the two Koreas along the Demilitarized Zone.  He talks about the mechanisms that UNCMAC uses to communicate and negotiate with the Korean People's Army, as well as the role the commission played in incidents like a North Korean vessel crossing the inter-Korean maritime border and Travis King's dash across the Military Demarcation Line. Michael Bosack (@MikeBosack) is deputy secretary and international relations officer of UNCMAC. He was previously the deputy chief of government relations for U.S. Forces Japan and worked as a Mansfield Fellow in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense and National Diet.  About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

As inflation continues to retreat in the eurozone, consumer confidence in the US falls on worries around business conditions and the cost of living. And in Asia, disappointing PMI data is hampering the prospects of recovery for the region's exporters, while the Japanese Ministry of Finance declared it is on standby ready to intervene in currency markets to aid the ailing yen. Dario Messi, Fixed Income Strategy, shares his thoughts ahead of today's Fed rate decision.00:00 Introduction by Roman Canziani (Head of Investment Writing)00:28 Markets wrap-up by Jonti Warris (Investment Writing)07:00 Fixed Income update by Dario Messi (Fixed Income Strategy)11:57 Closing remarks by Roman Canziani (Head of Investment Writing)Would you like to support this show? Please leave us a review and star rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast player.

Beatriz de la Pava talks to two women on the frontline of disaster preparation about how communities can become more resilient to natural hazards, respond quickly to them, and recover afterwards. Mami Mizutori is the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Before that she served for twenty-seven years in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Homolata Borah has worked towards reducing disaster risk for some of the most vulnerable communities living in the world's largest inhabited river island of Majuli in the state of Assam in India. Produced by Jane Thurlow

Hello and good afternoon, everyone! Anna and (sometimes) Adam, back at it again with a new podcast episode! Anna's Insta is linked below, Adam's is https://www.instagram.com/adeezzy40  Podcast notes to follow along should you wish to do so: http://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/full-archive/ep96-the-hermit-iron-man-and-emma-frost-get-married-ms-marvel-in-wells-er-man-ruridragon-comic-news-and-more  This week's Tarot Studies 0:04:01 covers our Card of the Week for the Major Arcana, #9: The Hermit! I talk a little history, description and symbolism, meaning, and pop culture references! Additionally, due to the Anime Tarot's Hikikomori card for the Hermit, I go through the differing definitions of Hikikomori, NEET, Otaku, and Weeaboo, as described by the Japanese Ministry of Health.  As part of our regular Manga segment, this week's Manga of the week 0:20:01 is the elusive Ruri Dragon! Written and illustrated by Masaoki Shindo, for whom the series has had to take a break due to the creator's health. Available on the Shonen Jump app, hopefully the hype keeps up long enough for Shindo to make a glorious return for Ruri and co! The weekly COMIC BOOKS chat 0:25:04 starts with fairly extensive Comic Book News--and Adam's main involvement of the episode this week. News we cover includes August Marvel and DC announcements, the somewhat curious line of Fall of X books, Tony and Emma's coming marriage (yep, really), and of course, those ASM #26.....choices. That was....truly a choice. We all know why, but that doesn't make it any better. Lame. Anyway. I wrap up comic news with some Frank Frazetta talk regarding the upcoming Dynamite Fire and Ice series.  There's a week or two of Recent Comic Reads 0:58:23, including the penultimate Captain Marvel, Spirit World, Avengers, and at least a TRIO of really fun indie titles. This is followed by what is coming for New Comics Next Week (5/24) 01:08:09: some series starts and some very coo continuations, IMO! The TV/MOVIES segment 01:13:46 includes a little bit of what I've been watching this week, like Netflix's Yakitori anime, before getting into some brief Announcements 01:15:05. Lastly, for Anime News 01:18:56, I have a few points of interest that include English dub announcements as well as releases for later seasons this year! Come back next week for more tarot lessons, more comic books, manga and anime, pop culture, and more, for the last week of May! Keep it sweaty; it's a good time to be a nerd. The Yancy Street Discord! https://discord.gg/6pvcTgNr  -Yancy Street Specials: https://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/full-archive/category/yancy-st-specials -Beginner's Guide to Comics: https://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/beginners-guide-to-comic-books.html   !!Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensational-she-geek-live-from-yancy-street/id1550410718   !!Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/45qGcYnP147aZBVIHC09lI?si=cb8b8c1a4f8c4ac7   !!Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/sensational-she-geek-live-from-yancy-street/PC:74557   Find me on Instagram: @annawiththecomics https://www.instagram.com/annawiththecomics/   Podcast Updates on Twitter: @savageshegeek https://twitter.com/savageshegeek   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KoazT-HEFbqCALjxRLjFQ   Website/Blog: https://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/   Donation and All Other Links https://linktr.ee/sensationalshegeek

Energy is not something we have covered before and so it is an honour to have Dave Walsh join us to unpack this huge topic. Dave is known as the 'Energy Guru', with a lifetime in the industry and his status as Steve Bannon's go to man on 'War Room: Pandemic' for energy makes him so well positioned to explain how this will negatively impact our lives. We have seen a three fold increase in the cost of energy which has had a knock on effect on food items, manufacturing and household bills. Dave gives us a better understanding to what lies behind these increases and why we are seeing a geopolitical change in energy control from West to East. We also unpack the dangerous rise of the green push to renewables which simply does not work and will lead to a dystopian collapse in our societies as energy becomes the preserves of the rich and powerful. Dave Walsh was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MHPSA) in April 2014, with responsibility for the Western Hemisphere electric power generation business of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd. of Japan. Mr. Walsh was the first non-Japanese corporate officer of MHPSA's parent company, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd., in Japan. He was also the first American Board member of the America's company, MHPSA. Mr. Walsh retired from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems in 2016, now serving as an advisor to various clients in the energy industry. Prior to his appointment as President & CEO at MHPSA, Dave had been Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Projects and Services. He joined the company in 2001, and initially established the service and manufacturing business for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the Western Hemisphere. Previously, Dave had been a senior executive at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in both power generation and industrial service roles as General Manager and Chairman of the Westinghouse global industrial and power generation service subsidiaries, with primary operations located in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Poland, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. He later became the senior executive and Vice Chairman responsible for the Westinghouse Electric power joint ventures in China, in partnership with the Shanghai Municipal Government and with the Chinese Ministry of Electric Power. Dave received his BS Commerce degree from The University of Virginia, and did Graduate Study in Finance at The University of Pittsburgh and at Northwestern University. He was an Enterprise Florida Board Member, and has previously been a Board Member of the Seminole County Foundation for Public Education, and served on the Seminole State College of Florida Foundation Board. Dave has also been appointed Honorary Consul Japan, Orlando, by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2016, Governor Scott appointed Mr. Walsh to the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees with a term ending January 2021. Dave and his wife Terri reside in the Central Florida area. Follow Dave on social media.... GETTR https://gettr.com/user/davewalshenergy TRUTH https://truthsocial.com/@davewalshenergy Interview recorded 17.4.23 *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin and Twitter https://twitter.com/TheBoschFawstin?s=20  To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestreaming platforms and more... https://heartsofoak.org/connect/ Please subscribe, like and share!   Transcript (Peter) Hello, Hearts of Oak, and welcome to another interview coming up with Dave Walsh, who, of course, you will know from The War Room, anyone who is Steve Bannon's go-to man on an issue is well worth having. And we delve into energy. He's an energy consultant, former president of Mitsubishi Power Systems, along with many other accolades, and he has lived and breathed energy all his life. And we delve into this, a topic that we haven't actually touched on before, I was quite surprised, but we start by looking at actually the cost of energy. It's now 30% of GDP up from 4% traditionally, originally over the last 100 years. So massive changes in the cost of energy, why that is happening. Look at some of the anomalies in the States of energy costs, and then we go into looking at renewable energy, green energy, net zero, and the push towards having electric vehicles and the impact that will have on the US. I think the call was to raise it from 5% to 67% in 10 years. Is the world able to charge all these new electric vehicles? So Dave goes into that and talks about the impact on infrastructure, on costs, and whether the world. Can cope with that. We also discussed the change in the geopolitical change, I guess, from the West, from the US, from Europe, over to China, India, Turkey, Japan, and they're the ones now buying Russian oil and gas. The West have embargoed and we so freeze Europe just so other countries can buy oil and gas at a lower price. So we talk about that change in, I guess, power and whether that leaves the US and Europe actually toothless in regards to energy productivity and energy policies. So Dave Walsh is the person who can go into this and unpack this and I'm sure you'll enjoy his analysis of all of these areas in terms of energy. Dave Walsh, thank you so much for joining us today on Hearts of Oak.   (Dave Walsh) Good to be with you, Peter. Good, it was good to bump into you at CPAC. Obviously, the viewers will know you from your many times on War Room as someone who unpacks energy issues and something that we've never gone into before so I'm looking forward to having your wisdom with us unpacking that. Obviously, people can find you @DaveWalshEnergy is your handle. That's on GETTR. Anywhere else you're on? Dave Walsh Energy. Truth Social on the same handle. Same handle on Truth Social. Dave Walsh Energy on Truth Social as well. Okay, so people can find you on GETTR or on Truth. And obviously, Dave, you're an energy consultant and former president of Mitsubishi Power Systems, along with many other accolades to your name. But if we can jump in and look at, as I said, energy is not something we've touched on before, but I've always enjoyed your many pieces on War Room. And I think I remember reading a headline middle of last year that said global energy spending set to hit 13 trillion in 2022. I think that was 13% of global GDP. I remember reading another thing talking about traditionally energy has been like over the last 100 years, maybe 4% of GDP, which seems to be it's increased in cost and I guess how important it is. But do you want to just let us know why should those figures are probably out of the ballpark for most people. Do you just want to set the scene on why I guess we should be interested and see energy as an important aspect. Well, over a hundred year period, the concentrated use of energy, fossil fuels, nuclear power in the main has been endemic to just monstrous reduction in human labour necessary to get through life. I've got maybe four or five data points in that. You go back already by 1870, the coal burn in Britain replaced caloric intake of nearly nearly 850 million laborers. And also already by then, the use of coal for steam powered engines displaced 6 million horses. So it was up to 1870. But if you look at the global population from the birth of 1750 to 2009. Global population grew by a factor of eight from 1000 AD to 1750, 750 years, by a factor of only three. And that largely related to the lack of fossil fuels, nuclear power, and modern means of doing work, human activity. And in the US, for example, in 1860, half of the population was involved in agricultural endeavours. Today, it's only 3%. Western Europe is the same. Actually, Holland leads the world, and well, led the world until we're in this present crisis. Farming productivity per person, Holland leads the way until we're gonna take farms away from families that were hard at there, unfortunately. But if you go back like here in 1875, 74% of disposable income was spent on food, shelter and clothing, now it's like 13%. So the, and if you want less energy concentration value in 1900, per capita income globally was about $1,500. By 2010, about $8,000 had expanded by 5.3 times. Across the whole time from the birth of Christ to 1900, per capita income grew around the world by a factor of three times. And that was an entire period with basically wood burning and the beginning of the use of coal for energy. So the use of fossil fuels, which has emerged really largely since about 1860, has really, really escalated the global population, global wealth, and global food production extensively. And in another area, if you look at places like Ethiopia, the concentration of labour per acre is still like 30 times more than Holland, the UK, or here, because of the lack of fossil fuels in farming machinery and the lack of advanced fertilizers, ammonia-based and nitrogen fertilizers that come from natural gas. So no, energy utilization has propelled mankind massively, in the last 100 years. Now, there are some unusual things happening with cost in the last 10 or 15 years that we should discuss that really aren't good for productivity, human productivity. And do you want to, because we've seen, I mean, we'll touch on that. And what are my thoughts looking at the US is, having been the US quite a bit in the last year and being on the East Coast and West Coast, and you look at the poor people on the West Coast, California paying probably double what the East Coast are paying over in Florida or Texas. That's an anomaly and that probably feeds into that kind of conversation about maybe some of the issues which are increasing the cost of energy, I guess, more or less exponentially. Well, yeah, the US a little bit curious. Energy policy here is really a mixed thing. It's more dominated by the states and state policies, state governments, state policies. It's physically a huge place. These states tend to be, most of them, very large physically. So the concentration of electricity generation tends to be a state by state thing, given the size, but given the way the government works, the state public service commission, usually appointed by the governor, maybe approved by the state Senate, mainly directs the energy policy and costs in various states. So, you've pointed out California in extreme, they're typically the fourth or fifth highest, energy cost state in the country when it comes to electricity. Florida's actually about in the middle. But just give you an idea of the disparity that the top 10 cost states in the US have electricity costs of about $0.27 per kilowatt hour. The top 10 cost states, the lowest 10 cost states about 10.5 cents a kilowatt hour. So the top 10 states are 2.6 times more costly, on electricity. And if you look, the two major characteristics of the best 10 or lowest cost are the fact that they tend to be 27% net exporters of electricity to other states. The states with the highest cost tend to be 16% net importers of electricity because over the years, again, places like California, now increasingly New York, Hawaii, and the high cost states have really become high cost because of abandonment of initially nuclear power, and then coal power, and now even in California, increasingly combined cycle natural gas power, which environmentally is very clean and very efficient. They've begun to abandon that as well. So they get, what they wind up doing is there really is no near-term displacement for those sources. So they wind up becoming, Steve Bannon would say, beggars of their neighbours or importers of electricity from neighbouring states. And the state public service commission in a given state doesn't control the cost of what happens in other states. So they become victimized by whatever, specifically California, whatever Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, utilities decide to charge them per year is what they pay. Because that state, for example, a hideous example, 37% of their electricity is imported. As over time, they've stopped building nuclear plants, they've closed down coal plants, now they've stopped building advanced combined cycle plants. California imports 37% of its electricity. So really the state government has virtually no control over the cost of that, nor what it consists of. So that becomes a huge factor in why the costs are so high. New York is headed the same way. They just announced a decree there that within 10 years they're going to be 70% renewable. That's going to cause, by my calculations, they're now about 23% renewable because in the West there, Niagara Falls does produce a fair amount of their electricity. But all this delta from 23% to 70 is going to be wind and solar. That's going to mean a 27% electricity shortage in New York. Because wind and solar only operate respectively, wind about 38% of the time onshore, offshore about 42% of the time that it runs. Solar up there is about a four-hour-a-day thing. It's getting pretty far north, not quite as far north as you are, but up where New York is, solar is about a four-hour-a-day effective resource, 20 hours a day. You have no value from Therefore, if New York makes that shift in 10 years, it's going to have a 27% shortage of electricity. They're already an importer of 13% of their electricity already because of these types of policies. Costs there are already the third highest, fourth highest in the country. They're going to escalate radically with these kinds of policies. So it's very unique. It is kind of unique to each state and the politics of each state and whether they're, run by a more conservative government or run by blue democratic governments. And if I look at the 10 highest cost states, eight of them are consistently run by democratic governments. So-   We obviously have the same issue in Europe, where fuel is taxed horrendously high. And at the fuel pump in the UK, it's probably around 75% tax, probably, with VAT and then fuel duty. And I guess that Democrat-controlled states are probably going the same way as Europe. Well, yeah, I mean the Democrat-controlled ones, the first bizarre set of decisions, many of them made, like California, more lately New York, the states of New England, the abandonment of allowing fossil fuel plants in those states to be there at all. California went down this road in the late 80s. Nuclear before that, they abandoned. Now gas-fired plants. New England, New York has been the same. Fracking in this country is basically illegal, New York and North. So while there are tremendous natural gas resources up there, they've elected not to harvest them. And you wind up with massive importation of electricity from Canada, a lot of hydro, and now growingly from Pennsylvania and Ohio that do have heavy, heavy natural gas resources. Well, those states in New England, New York, for example, have elected to not have power plants any longer, excepting for solar and wind, which are very, very low, very low density energy resources. Again, I'll go to the reciprocal. Solar in those markets is not there for you 86% of the time. It doesn't produce electricity. Wind if offshore, 58% of the time, doesn't produce electricity. And also, by the way, the costs of installing that stuff, far from free, are massively expensive. Offshore wind, for example, New York's on a big binge for offshore wind, is 11 times more costly than the capex of building a combined cycle plant. 11 times more costly. The cost of the transmission from 20 miles out in the sea to inland, plus the towers, plus the huge wind turbines that are on them now, you're talking 11x the capital cost. Stuff is far from free, it's actually far more expensive. And the life cycle cost of offshore wind is about three and a half times more costly than, the whole life cycle cost with fuel of advanced combined cycle natural gas power plants. So there's a myth that this stuff is free because it's nature based as far from it is far more expensive when you factor in the long time periods that it's not usable it doesn't produce anything. Let me, I want to get in more on the renewable side but for the us as an entity I think you put a recent post saying that all natural gas related products are fifteen percent of all us exports and then of course you have what the country uses itself. So energy is a massive industry, the US is sitting on so much reserves and yet the US energy plan seems to be a mess. I mean, tell us about that because the US should be the, I guess, one of the big producers and suppliers and yet, well of course, I guess with the Democrats, they're trying to punish themselves and stop that. But yeah, explain some of that. Well, the mess is to the extent the federal government controls energy supply, they do it here. The Democrats have attempted to do it through the Environmental Protection Agency, has been their main weapon to weaponize against fossil fuels and before now against nuclear power. But now aided and abetted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on all this ESG mantra of, investing in renewables is a great thing, investing in carbon fuel sources should be penalized, and by incentive policies that have only the last 15 years incented investments in renewables and not incented any investment or new investment in nuclear power or in fossil fuels. So you've had this tremendous skewing of investment to the extent the federal government can be influential. That's how they've done it, through the EPA, with punitive measures to make emissions of anything fossil fuel enormously punitive, driving the cost way, way up of operating a coal plant or a gas turbine-fired plant. And then the incentive structure they put in place on taxes to make renewables, you, And I give them a huge advantage financially with massive incentives. So that's driven policies. And this administration, all of its executive cabinet-level leadership, from the SEC to the Securities Exchange Commission, the Fed, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, all on the same, the Department of Energy head, Jen Granholm, we're going to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in this country, every single one of them. It's in their mantra consistently given, consistently articulated. So this great energy resource here is, and this, unfortunately, I've got a story about the UK as our model. We're going to follow the same. If you listen to these guys, we're going to follow the same model. We're going to abolish the use and production of fossil fuels. It's a complete disaster. The US has a huge balance of trade negative. We're a net importer of about a trillion of goods and services. China leads the way as the exporter here in the balance trade deficit we have. But it's been helped heavily the last 15 years with the emerged massive growth of natural gas and oil exports from the US. We're now like $315 billion. We're a net exporter of oil and gas at 15% of our exports. To the extent we export about $2 trillion a year of goods and services, 15% of it plus is now gas and oil. So that's a huge, huge thing with respect to the currency being stable and the budget being, it's not being balanced here, but any effort to balance the federal taxation budget. It's largely dependent on the tax receipts coming from oil and gas, and these folks on the left running the government want to abandon that as rapidly as possible. And there's no replacement for it, not even on the near term nor intermediate term. You know, displacing fossil fuels with the nature-based part-time renewables is just, mathematically doesn't work. And solar, even here in Florida, solar does not work 82% of the time. If you take a given 8,700 hour power generation year, the sunshine is effective here. I mean, right now it's noon, it's nearly dark here. From this time of the year through September, very common thing by about 11 o'clock through four, you've got thunderstorms, you've got dark clouds, you've got no solar resource, not to mention the night. Night, really it's effective between about nine and four on a good day. So even here, it's about an 18% of the time thing. In much of the Northeast and up in the Midwest, it's a four-hour a day thing. So it can't be the solution. When you're talking about that kind of energy deficit, wind, even offshore where it's most productive is not there for you to produce electricity 58% of the time. So I know in the North Sea and UK, talking about the massive offshore wind, well, I'm going to say in the vernacular here, good luck the other 58% of the time, especially when you factor in the cost of installing that against the minimal energy supply. You're talking about driving the cost of energy up to human beings by factors of five and six times. I mean, it sounds great, but it's not free. It's far from it, far more costly. Well, I'll touch on that. Well, actually, when even driving through parts of the English countryside, you see whole fields covered with solar panels now. The UK isn't really the brightest or sunniest or warmest country. And that seems madness, because again, that takes away agricultural land, which is more and more for premium and bigger demand as a population grows. But that's, it's not something which we discuss back and forth, but it's another part of it, you mentioned in Holland, that I guess clash between energy and agriculture, between feeding people and actually turning on the lights. And it's a curious clash that we're having, not only with fields being covered over, but also with farmers being told they need to farm less and feed people less because it's bad for the environment. Well, I'll go back to the UK just quickly. My wife and I were there a couple times the last year or so, and we're up by the Stonehenge. Within eight miles of there, eight kilometres, there's a solar farm. It's, the day we were there, it's the winds howling 30 miles per hour, and it's probably, maybe it was 10 C, but there was no sunshine. And I have to know, having been there many, many times, that this must be a three and a half hour day. And I think that is the typical Germany, UK, the same. Solar is about a three and a half hour a day thing, on average, across the year. It's just, I mean, it's utterly, horrendously misspent money. Now, the Holland thing, this is again, the untold story of fossil fuels. Ammonia fertilizers, nitrogen-based fertilizers in the world have promoted farming productivity across most products, wheat, corn, soybeans, potatoes, by a factor of three to four times per acre over the last 50 to 60 years in the world. And a couple of things have really pushed that productivity forward, and they are nitrogen and ammonia-based fertilizers, which are now deemed to be sinful because their origin is natural gas. So that's being used by the left to consciously diminish food supply and make it far more a challenge. I mean, the other factor has been mechanized farming machinery, which is all diesel and gas powered, has been the second thing, but behind ammonia and nitrogen-based fertilizers. I mean, just to give an example, the farming productivity, again, I think I might have mentioned, this country, Holland, UK, very high on wheat production per acre, is 30 times more productive in human terms than Ethiopia. For example, Ethiopia still has 74% of its population involved in farming. In the UK, in the US, it's about 3%. To give you an idea of the benefit of fossil fuels delivered in fertilizers and in the production equipment, heavy machinery, tractors, et cetera, harvesters to make farming cost-effective for allow massive food supply for billions of people. And now we're resisting this through wanting to diminish and end ammonia and nitrogen-based fertilizers. It's, and the use of gas-powered and diesel-powered farming machinery. This is insanity. When you're talking about sustaining 7.2 billion people, This is just not, it is not a sustainable thing, to borrow one of their phrases. It's the opposite, the polar opposite of that. And of course when we talk about those solar panels, actually we're talking about wind farms, the UK building all those wind farms and none of it actually built in the UK, so there's no manufacturing benefit, but then the solar panels, that seems to all be Chinese built and it seems as though the world, I guess on the left, the Democrats over there, many parts of Europe are rushing to award their control of their energy system over to China. And that's not a conversation I don't think the public has really had. I guess the same for the states. Well, our, I'll say collectively, our Western G7 leadership just convened over the weekend in Sapporo, yours and ours, abandoning our shores to have meetings about our sovereign countries in Japan about CO2. And what they've concluded, they collectively have signed up with each other, again, outside of the realm of where our voters are over in Japan. They've reached one of these agreements to develop collectively across the G7 a million thousand gigawatts of additional solar by 2030. This would be $670 billion investment by the G7 nations in added solar resources, of which, based on the current fact that 85% of thin film PV panels come from China, would be about a $580 billion spend in China between now and 2030 by our new G7 government, putting it that way. Having their meetings in, not here at home, nor in the UK, but in other places where these guys fly to convene and make these brilliant decisions. And then another half a million or 500 gigawatts of offshore wind, which is, again, offshore wind is 11 times more costly in capex than building a conventional combined cycle plant of the type my company built in my day at Damhead, Salt End, in I think Raglan Road in Dublin. In Spain, we built seven or eight combined cycle plants. The cost of those is one-eleventh of an offshore wind farm when you factor the 58% of the time that that offshore wind farm isn't going to produce anything for you. And then compounded with the construction cost, which is huge. That even then, the all-in life cycle cost, that the present cost of natural gas, which has now fallen quite a bit, is still four times more than a combined cycle plan, even accounting for the gas use. So we're talking about stuff that is way, way not cheaper, but is far more expensive and creates a lack of access of our citizenry in the UK and here to energy, which is way in the interest of the Chinese. Most of the supply of utility scale batteries, and as I mentioned, the solar panels, comes from there. So we're taking a dependence. We had a marvellous self-dependence in the UK on North Sea oil, which has declined by 70%, not because it's not there, but because of political pressure to go and get it. You know Norway has not participated in ceding to that pressure, doing great financially, a heavy importer to the UK. The oil's still out there, but on our side of that pond, we've decided let's not pursue it. 70% down. The US, since the election of Biden has now been about a million two barrels a day deficit of oil production, because of all the restrictions on federal land. So we've shifted over to this ideation of displacing that with dependence on China, solar panels and batteries. I mean, this is lunacy. I mean energy strategy is at the core of national defence, whether it's Western Europe or here, at the core of a sustainable lifestyle for our people. And we're handing self-sufficiency that we enjoyed over to, programmatically over to China, who are an enemy. They're aligned with Russia on this Ukraine activity that they've been from day one. There's no secret about that, but our media very reluctant to actually acknowledge that, but they are. And then this, the boycott that we've got in Western Europe on buying their oil within six weeks was almost entirely displaced with procurement from Turkey, India, and China, from Russia. So that hasn't worked out well for us. We've actually forced China and Russia together, which strategically is just a horrendous set of decisions pushed by more by this government than the Western European government, but collectively. We've created an energy disaster in the outcomes of this in a very short time. Well, that's really interesting watching that and the shift with the West, actually Europe wanting to freeze after building a Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 into Russia and then wanting to turn that off and wondering why people are angry that the cost of electricity has soared. And yet, as you said, the other side is China, India, especially and then into Turkey and elsewhere. And Japan, I think as well, actually they're happy to buy Russian oil and gas, and they've filled that gap. So it's strange because that's a power shift, I guess, away from Europe and the US. And it really leaves them toothless in terms of energy control. No, it does. The West's conscious decision to abdicate self-sufficiency and self-reliance, I would complain about the UK. We're on exactly the same page here now by the constant outcries of this government to abandon fossil fuels as rapidly as possible, going down the same path, creates a massive dependence now on China. Years before was the Middle East, before North Sea oil was discovered in abundance and harvested, before the fracking boom here, we were unfortunately heavily dependent on OPEC, which was a disaster. And now we're making them relevant once again in their alliance, first with Russia, when the kingdom sought out Russia right about the moment of the Biden inauguration, January of 21, we had the alliance begin building of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Russia, on collective decisions on production to drive prices up, very successfully done all through 2021 and early 2022 before the invasion that we've suffered from. Now we've forced China together with Russia based on the boycott and our handling of that situation and to our horrendous detriment, energy costs here are going through the roof, as we attempt to displace, do something that's not, it's mathematically not doable. You can't displace fossil fuel use with four hour a day solar. And if on land, nine hour a day, if on sea, 10 hour a day wind. You mathematically can't do it because also those resources are regionalized in the large area. it's the same time of day that you have them. I mean, like, for example, Florida, you could put, you know, everyone thinks it's so sunny here, you could populate every square inch of Florida with solar panels, and you'd still be at 19.6 hours a day, have nothing, because it's the same moments. It's only the same, night is the same. It's not very big, east to west, night is the same time. So up till nine in the morning, you've got nothing. And after 4.30 in the afternoon, you've got nothing, which is the California issue because their peak in addition to this 38 percent uh importation of energy electricity a lot of what they use is solar even from Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Cal, I think about 35 percent of their power supply imported and made in state is renewable, and it kind of comes to an end at 4.30. Their peak power need begins at 4.30 when everyone gets home, gets off the freeways in LA, San Diego, and turn up the air conditioning, begin to use the appliances, cook, whatever, until 10 at night. That's the peak demand. Well, that's when the solar ends. That's like 30% of their electricity, at least what they have, which they're in shortage of to begin with. So you've got an intractable mathematical issue. And now we're talking about mandating EVs out there by 2035, well, now across the country, which would elevate here national electricity supply by 25%. If you got to 75% EV adoption by 2035, which this government claimed to be the new target just last week, would be about 250,000 megawatt power plants would need to be built to be running all the time from right now, start building them now, because you'll have them in four to five years. There's no plan to do that. The energy supply scenario of squashing base load, continuous duty fossil power is not connected to this, let's electrify everything. The two things aren't even connected together by this government. It's going to need a huge amount more electricity should these things happen. That push, because you reposted a story in New York Times and talked about an increase of, I think the current 5% of vehicles sold being electric up to within 10 years, 67%. The figure was mind-blowing. That's not just a case of whenever everyone plugs their car in that the energy goes up. That's a case of there is no energy. That's right, because all of the electricity production measures, these states that are blue, and this government have taken through its rhetoric for two years now, are all about adopting more and more, excuse my plain speaking, of stuff that doesn't work most of the time, solar and wind. So net, net, you've got no increase of energy resources. And I'm looking at one of the dominant business forecast that I would, in the power generation business, would use here between now and ... This is like the commonly accepted forecast. Between now and 2030, we'll have 341 more gigawatts of wind installed and 383 more gigawatts of solar installed in this country by 2030. And also take away another 828 gigawatts of coal, basically make it go away. That's the consensus business forecast, which is a collection of what utilities are telling OEMs that make power generation equipment, T&D equipment. This is the forecast. Well, if this be the case, when you take the deficiency, the time that wind and solar don't work, the net net increase in generation assets, it's about 1% across that time. When you factor down, you take out the fact that coal operates 24 hours a day, and you're displacing it with massive quantities of a five-hour-a-day thing and a nine-hour-a-day thing, the reciprocal, you've got nothing. When you take all that into account, the energy electricity plan for the US is to grow electricity production by about 1% across the next 10 years. And we're going to electrify everything in the meantime. The mathematics don't even work on this. So a frightening thing happened late last week in California, often a sign of what's to come here, the rest of the country. For some reason, the three major utilities who were regulated by the state approached the state, and I'm believing they were gigged by the state to do this, with a new billing practice of using a percentage of income, to pay for electricity instead of a per-use basis. I mean, right now, in most of the, all of the developed world, in the West for sure, your electricity bill is a use-based thing. You use X kilowatts, you pay a certain rate, that's what you pay based on use, which promotes efficient use of it and penalizes those who use the most. It's not a penalty, it's use the most, you pay for the most. California now wants to embrace converting this to an income percentage tax. That if you make X, you pay X dollars a month. If you make Y, you pay Y plus 10%. A scale based on income only, delinking utilization of electricity from the cost of it. They're putting this before the public service commission to get this approved, creating displacing use fees for electricity, which are completely common and make logical common sense with an income tax kind of percentage of income. So independent of what you use, you pay a percentage of your income for electricity. Now, what this will do for them is we'll de-link the massive fact of their shortages, and the massive fact of their very, very high cost electricity, it'll hide that. Because now you can make these comparisons of one state to another, that'll go away. Because now that they'll have, if this gets passed, they'll have an income tax, that the utilities are able to charge, which that's a whole nother, how do they get to look at your income? That's not legal here, but according to what California wants to do, that's what the utilities will begin to charge you a fixed fee based on your income, independent of it. So then you'll have demand go through the roof because efficiency won't matter anymore, but it'll hide the real cost of the electricity. and the fact that once it becomes, incrementally, it becomes free in that sense. The complaining about the lack of it would tend to diminish. You get to then the Russian food model of years ago with the bread lines. Hey, that which is free from the government, don't complain about it when it's not there. That's where they're headed. Acknowledging they have no plan whatsoever to displace the huge shortage of electricity that that state has. They're talking about a way of obfuscating cost to make it seem like incremental use of it is free, Therefore, when the big brownouts and blackouts really kick in, which are going to increase and increase, well, since you're not paying anything for this anyhow, no complaints necessary. This is frightening. This was announced late last week, Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern Cal Edison, looking at an income percentage fee collection instead of a per use for electricity consumption. How does this, how does it play out as people go and spend their crazy amount of money on EVs, electric vehicles, and then with not being able to power them? Is that just a movement towards, I mean, we've seen a movement towards red states simply because of the higher crime rates, higher tax rates, higher cost of living in the Democrat areas. Will that just continue? Is that just a bigger divide in the US? I mean, how does it play out?   It plays out as a massively increased divide between the haves and the have-nots. Because the typical EV over here is still $65,000 to $70,000 to buy one. The typical medium to lower end gas powered vehicles are about $25,000 to $28,000. The business model is in the EV, about 40% of the cost structure of that thing is the battery. Essentially, you're prepaying in that high price, 65 to 70 grand, you're prepaying the, 30 grand or so for the fuel equivalent being the battery, you're prepaying for about 150,000 miles of the fuel, if you will, in the model. Then at 150,000 plus miles, you're also exposed to the liability to replace that again for another prepaid 30, $35,000 for a new battery that can go another 150,000 miles. Paid up front, we're presently liquid fuel, you're paying on a pre-use basis, and it's domestic. So now you're prepaying for Tesla's cars. The cost structure is 40% China. That's where his batteries come from. His lithium ion comes from there. So you're transferring an obligation that was in the days gone by, the Middle East became domestic, a great thing. We want to get off domestic oil and gas production, now let's transfer that to a lithium-ion battery supply from China. But the chasm that this develops between the average citizen making $65,000, $68,000, $70,000, the chasm between that person even being able to afford a vehicle and those who can actually afford them, which is maybe then your 15% of the population can actually afford a vehicle, it grows massively. It just grows massively. It's exactly as you pointed out, it grows the chasm between the haves and the have-nots, as do all of these renewable energy sources when electricity bills go through the roof because of them. And of course, one of the other factors in it, which isn't discussed whenever the Green Lobby are pushing for this. They're not mentioning the finite resources that go into the batteries. No one mentions cobalt mining in Africa where children are used as slave labour. But that's not a part of the conversation. And that really confused me where a group claim to be environmentally conscious and also concerned of the impact of the individuals in the work market. And yet they're happy to have children going down mines for them for their latest battery car. It takes us right back to, okay, we are what we criticize others of being colonialists. This was the critique of the UK, the Dutch, our own behaviour here with forced labour. Well, guess what? Total dependence on the developing world for any resources extraction of any kind, be it oil, lithium, cobalt, is another form of colonialism. Or there's another one, yellow cake for uranium supply. This country was 100% self-sufficient on uranium supply as recent as 1992. And now we're 52% dependent on Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan for uranium, which has continued unabated throughout this entire war. We haven't changed that policy one iota, where we are in Wyoming and Utah still full of uranium, easily mineable, but no, we hate resource extraction. We don't want to be around that any longer. We'll throw certain indigenous Native Americans in front of that, who actually like the fact of it happening, but you pay certain groups, they'll step out in front and prevent that, plus various treaties that the Clinton administration made with Russia to arguably stop their conversion of uranium to nuclear weapons. We could do that by buying it from them. Unenforceable, unverifiable. So to this moment, we still do that. But this hatred of resource extraction is thrown out there as a rationale to outsource the Biden administration on oil, as opposed to ramping up domestic production. When this OPEC Plus was formed, began crushing cost here, where did they go? First stop was Iran. The second stop was Iraq. And the third stop was Venezuela, Arabia was in between. We go to OPEC to get oil instead of producing our own. When we, hit a Trump administration peak in November of 2019, 13.6 million barrels a day. We're the top producer in the world. And we abdicated that position within months of this administration taking place. And then all of its rhetoric, communicating to OPEC, oh, we're really on board with your production reductions. We're going to have our own here of a million two barrels, reduction. Basically, going along with their, the way they manage prices is not through raising the price. It's through toggling up and down the production level. We joined that. We basically joined that. We cut our production under the blanket of CO2 reasons rationale by 1.2 million barrels a day. And then who do we go to looking for the excess? We go to them. This is, It's a set of insane policies geared at making the country, as Western Europe has become, totally dependent on others for energy.   Well, let me just finish on a piece that just came out in the UK, I think it was The Telegraph, for UK connection with what's happening in the States and it was the UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt who oversees the Treasury here in the UK has just said that Joe Biden's flagship green energy policy risks plunging the world into the economic dark age. Now that was quite phenomenal because normally Western governments have been falling over themselves to say how wonderful they think Biden is and it was actually the first criticism I've seen of Biden. And this was, I guess, to do with subsidies. That's the concern, I guess, from Europe. But that just intrigued me, that, I guess, change in tone, change in rhetoric from Europe towards America, that Biden is no longer the great one. Actually, there's criticism. And I guess that's on subsidies. But I don't know if that's the beginning of maybe a wedge between how Europe look at energy and how the States does. Well, I mean the trouble I mean what he said is really, the net result is plunging the West into economic decline. Because I'm gonna suggest about a hundred and sixty countries aren't on board with this. And I'll mention a few that would surprise you Japan, Japan after Fukushima between 2015 and 2019 commissioned 13 count them 13, large coal plants, 10,000 megawatt supercriticals and 300, 400 megawatt coal plants. Why? They need to industrially compete with China. It's in their interest to do that. They did the right thing for the Japanese people. Here we're celebrating this meeting the G7 had in Sapporo. Well, the Japanese talk about, you know, renewables and all this decarbonization. Look at what they're doing. Doing what's necessary to promote their economy. And then their commitment to the renew the Sakhalin Island LNG deal at only 13 bucks a dekatherm that Russians committed prior pricing in this day and time, they had to continue that. That's about 9% of their gas supply. Half of that comes from here, half quantity, double the amount from Russia. They continue that. It's in their interest to do that. So, you're looking at this very weak alliance on this war thing. The entirety of Western Europe and Japan have not really been aligned with the US on that. India has doubled down on its, the Indian Oil Corporation has now doubled its consumption of Russian oil in the last three months. There is no unanimity of actions on this, either one, the CO2 front, which I'm going to suggest 160 countries are not on side with moving in this direction, led by the Chinese, who have double the CO2 emissions of all of the OECD countries combined. They don't believe in this, by their actions. Now, what they're selling, lithium ion cobalt batteries and PV cells, yeah, they're promoting a Macron visit so Xi Jinping takes, oh, yes, Macron, we're working together on sub-Sahara CO2 abatement. That's complete nonsense. That's nonsense to pander to the West. Oh, here, well, yeah, we're going to tell you we agree with you. Look at what they're doing. 60% of their power generation is coal-based. He has no plans of changing that. He has a plan to keep his country competitive industrially and have a strong military. That's what his plan is. Such as we had in prior days in this part of the world, but we've abandoned. Dave, I really appreciate you coming on. It's an honour to have anyone that Bannon goes to as his go-to person. And I've thoroughly enjoyed your many times of War Room over the last two years. So thank you so much for coming on and sharing your thoughts on energy. Well, Peter, thanks for having me. And one of these days I'll come back and we can go further into it, but deeply appreciate, it.

On today's episode I have the absolute honour in talking with Garrison Draper from Inter Miami FC. Garrison shares an experience which many individuals can relate to, in changing career goals and pathways. His success to date shows how completely normal it is to be going down one path and having it not working out, to ultimately finding a better career alternative. For Garrisons love of anatomy and sport, this alternative ended up being involved in the high-performance sport industry. It can initially be very intimidating having dedicated so much to a specific path or journey, to then take a completely different path in the future. Listen for Garrisons specific experience in this. Garrison also shares his experiences early in the industry, where he was given rare freedom in tasks that had a direct impact on a senior playing group. Having been given this ownership of something that impacted the team daily, he initially felt unprepared. But he ultimately benefited from this practice as he became and expert at the tasks. He has since taken on this form of delegation to his own staff as he leads his own group of practitioners. As part of being a leader, its necessary to know when and where to call it quits for the day, and to understand how beneficial it is for creating a healthy work/life balance. Garrison takes inspiration from some of his mentors in being able to switch off completely in such a demanding industry. This becomes even more important when kids are introduced into the picture. Garrison shares some cool tools and techniques that he has used to stay mentally well to date: 1) Being open about speaking to a therapist and accepting that nobody needs an excuse or any negative/traumatic event to be asked ‘are you okay'. He and his wife terms this as helping out the ‘Cactus People'. Those who can survive anywhere but need love as much as anyone and cannot be neglected. 2) Garrison knows his safe space; the tress and with his family. He uses nature to help stay mentally well and handles all of the weight on his shoulders. He shares the term Shinrin-yoku, which was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in 1982, and can be defined as making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. 3) And lastly, Garrison took on a challenge of only reading fiction for a year. Which helped him enjoy his reding again, instead of making it a chore. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gldraper-fitness/ Email: Garrison.Draper@intermiamicf.com

The Japanese Ministry of Forestry promotes mindful time in nature, called forest bathing, citing health benefits for those in urban environments to spend time in the natural world. This video explores the deep reverence for nature at the heart of Japanese culture, through the lens of Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion, and traditional folk tales. I spend some time in nature to try forest bathing for myself, and share the experience, results, and connections to traditional Japanese culture. Mythos & Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story & Meaning.” Support the channel by subscribing, liking, and commenting to join the conversation! Patreon: https://patreon.com/mythosandlogos The purpose of this channel is to share the important stories at the foundation of human cultures throughout history. These include mythology, legends, folktales, religious stories, and parables from the dawn of history to the modern day. This channel provides interpretations and insight into these stories, to find and apply their meaning to contemporary life. All stories covered are treated academically. This channel makes no claims regarding the historical, scientific, or religious truth of these tales. Rather, its goal is to find the meanings understood by their authors and apply them to the modern world.

Like most organizations, intellectual property offices (IPOs) have faced significant challenges in recent years. From the pandemic to financial market turmoil, through supply chain issues, to increased cyberthreats, IPOs have had to navigate these hurdles and more, stretching their budget, information technology, and organizational resources in unexpected ways. Yet, IP registrations have been soaring globally, and IPOs generally seem to have been riding those waves with success, often transforming challenges into opportunities to evolve and better meet the needs of creators, businesses, and the market.Beyond their role as processors of IP applications and registrations or an inventory of registered assets, how do IPOs envision their mission in 2023.  What sort of initiatives do they carry out to ensure they stay in tune with innovators, businesses big and small, and the market at large? How much of a transformative force can they be for the IP world?Our guest today is Hamano Koichi, the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO). Appointed in July 2022, he manages JPO operations and oversees Japan's policy on patents, trademarks, and design rights. Prior to chairing JPO, Mr. Hamano has served in a wide range of senior roles at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), including as Director of the Finance Division, Business Environment Department; Counselor for Energy Policy; Executive Vice President and Advisor of Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC); and Director-General of the Regional Economic and Industrial Policy Group, among others.Brand & New is a production of the International Trademark AssociationHosted by Audrey Dauvet - Contribution of M. Halle & S. Lagedamond - Music by JD BeatsFOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT INTA.ORGTo go further: https://www.meti.go.jp/english/aboutmeti/profiles/individual/hamano_koichi.htmlAlso of interest:https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/introduction/message/august2022.htmlhttps://sdgs.un.org/fr/goalshttps://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events/international-perspectives-intellectual-property-smalland-medium-sized-enterprises

Can you believe it's already February?! We're starting off the 2nd month of the year with a POWERHOUSE female entrepreneur, a good friend of mine, and someone who has an endless amount of advice and inspiring stories for my fellow entrepreneurs! This week on the Opportunity Knocks podcast, I sat down with Heather Turner, the CEO and Co-founder of Tamarack Capital Partners. Heather is a self-made rockstar who has taken a non-linear path to the success she's achieved which is one of the reasons her story is so valuable.Heather has been involved in several billion dollars of real estate transactions throughout her career and has worked for some of the most storied companies in the world including The Walt Disney Company, Goldman Sachs, and even the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In her current role as the head of Tamarack, she oversees the acquisition, development, and management of hospitality real estate assets. The firm is currently invested in and manages assets valued at approximately $1 billion. She serves on a number of boards, both professional and philanthropic, and is a guest lecturer on real estate investments. Simply put, she's very accomplished, so gracious with her knowledge, and loves to help others seek out the best versions of themselves.During our chat, Heather provides a lot of actionable advice including:

In this week's Connecting Clip Of The Week, we'll hear a snippet from Paul's conversation with Brett Rayl, Executive Director of Christ Bible Institute in Japan. In this clip, Brett discusses what makes ministry in Japan so unique.To hear the entire episode, check out the Paul Tripp Podcast episode 371.If you've been enjoying The Paul Tripp Podcast, please leave us a review! Your review helps us reach more people with the gospel's transforming power.

Spot Dollar/Yen, Yen rate, and cross-currency basis have behaved well as of late, and we expect this to continue. The Nikkei Average has reversed course and rallied reflecting an improvement in risk sentiment. Separately Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reshuffled his Cabinet early.  In today's episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido reviews Japanese investor activity in foreign markets as reflected in Japanese Ministry of Finance data. He also shares his views on spot Dollar/Yen, Yen rate, and Yen basis. Disclaimer: www.mufgresearch.com (PDF)

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, August 5th, 2022. Today, we’ll hear about a private school excluding white families from a back-to-school event, China fires missiles into Taiwanese waters’ calling them training exercises. CNN’s ratings are continuing to fall, Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings looks like a woke dumpster fire, and more… but first: Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com Let’s start with our friends over at CNN… what’s going on?! https://thepostmillennial.com/cnn-ratings-collapse-as-network-looks-for-new-revenue-including-extending-the-brand-in-china?utm_campaign=64487 CNN ratings collapse as network looks for 'new revenue'—including 'extending' the brand in China Over at CNN the "hunt is on for new revenue" as the news network's "ratings plummet" and "profits slump" below nearly $1 billion. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that CNN's yearly profitability is expected to decline to $956.8 according to projections from S&P Global Market Intelligence. CNN's annual profits haven't sunk below $1 billion since 2016, the year Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton in the presidential election and subsequently became a prominent figure in their commentary. "Ratings are down from their Trump-era heights across cable news, but declines at CNN are particularly pronounced," the Times noted. CNN viewership is about 639,000 in the prime time hours slot, which is down 27 percent from last year. More people on average watch MSNBC, whose viewership is down 23 percent, and Fox wins over both networks and is up about a percentage point in overall viewers. Fox's ascension in rating while MSNBC and CNN decline is the continuation of a stark pattern reported in 2021 which saw Fox News on top averaging 1.3 million in total day viewers, compared to 919,000 at MSNBC and 787,000 watching CNN. CNN's entropic ratings is a continuing trend. "It's becoming increasingly apparent that the vast majority of Americans are rejecting fake news," The Post Millennial, reported in June as CNN recorded their worst weekend ratings since 1993. To recoup losses generated by CNN, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to sell programming created for some of its other services, such as HBO Max. They're also broadly cracking down on expenses such as spending money on work celebrations. CNN brought on Chris Marlin, a lawyer with no cable news experience, who suggested "striking advertising deals with major tech companies like Microsoft," "selling sponsorships to corporate underwriters," and "extending CNN’s brand in China." Well that’s some good news, but file this next article under things that would make one lose faith in humanity: https://thepostmillennial.com/80-year-old-granny-banned-from-ymca-after-demanding-biological-male-leave-womens-locker-room-where-little-girls-were-undressing?utm_campaign=64487 80-year-old granny banned from YMCA after demanding biological male leave women's locker room where little girls were undressing An 80-year-old Washington state woman has been banned from using her local YMCA's public pool after she expressed discomfort with a biological male in the women’s locker room as young girls were undressing. She was in the shower when she heard a male voice and peeked out to find a biological male in a women's swimsuit engaging with little girls who were undressing. The biological male was reportedly with girls from the day camp, overseeing their bathroom activities. Jaman said that she had been showering after her July 26 swim at the pool, when she heard "a man’s voice in the women’s dressing area." She said that she saw "a man in a women’s swimsuit, watching little girls pull down their bathing suits in order to use the toilets in the dressing room." In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager to The Post Millennial, they said that the staff member was not "engaging" with these girls, but rather escorting them to the dressing room. According to the Port Townsend Free Press, Jaman, who had been in the shower when she realized what was happening, hidden behind thin, sheer shower curtains, asked this person, revealed to go by the name Clementine Adams, "Do you have a penis?" "None of your business," Adams reportedly responded. "Get out of here, right now," Jaman replied. "You’re discriminating and you can’t use the pool anymore and I’m calling the police," YMCA aquatics manager Rowen DeLuna told Jaman after she requested that Adams leave the room, according to the Port Townsend Free Press. In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager, they said that Jaman was not permanently suspended for this incident alone, but rather due to "repeatedly violating the Olympic Peninsula YMCA code of conduct, specifically, using disrespectful words or gestures towards YMCA staff or others; and abusive, harassing and/or obscene language or gestures towards YMCA staff or others." Per Washington state law, "All covered entities shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and homeless or emergency shelters, that are consistent with that individual's gender expression or gender identity." "The Y has not provided any dressing, shower room options for women who do not want to be exposed to men who identify as women," Jaman added. The state of Washington strikes again… But let’s allow Conneticut get in on the action! https://www.nationalreview.com/news/connecticut-private-school-excludes-white-families-from-back-to-school-event/ Connecticut Private School Excludes White Families from Back-to-School Event Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS), a private school in Greenwich, Conn., sent a letter to the families of students on Monday inviting them to a back-to-school event, so long as they identify as a racial minority. “The annual Cider and Donuts event is open to GCDS families who identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, multi-racial, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, and/or people of color,” read the letter, which was obtained by National Review. The letter was addressed to “GCDS families” and was signed by the director and associate director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Above the description of the event, scheduled for October 8, it mentioned the importance of “building an inclusive, just and equitable community reflecting the multitude of human identities and perspectives in our world.” The school’s DEI website states that its mission is to “nurture meaningful learning through interactions and collaborations between people of diverse and intersecting identities,” including “race and ethnicity,” and its annual tuition ranges between $37,150 and $48,500. Let’s shift our eyes overseas https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-china-fires-ballistic-missiles-into-taiwanese-waters China Fires Ballistic Missiles Into Taiwanese Waters On Thursday, Taiwan said that Communist China fired a number of Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into waters by Taiwan’s northeast and southwest. Other reports said the Taiwanese government asserted that Communist China had fired two missiles from the nearby Matsu Islands. Further reports stated that roughly ten Chinese navy ships crossed the Taiwan Strait median line. Meanwhile, President Biden’s administration reportedly has been lobbying against a bill that would support Taiwan by naming it a major non-NATO ally, according to people familiar with the matter. The bill would give $4.5 billion in security aid and support its presence in international organizations. Before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week, China’s foreign ministry issued a protest to the United States, threatening that a visit “seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” China’s defense ministry said it would launch “targeted military operations,” France 24 reported, adding, “The Chinese military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan starting on Tuesday night and test launch of conventional missiles in the sea east of Taiwan, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.” Last Thursday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Chinese leader Xi Jinping threatened the U.S. in a conversation with President Joe Biden about America’s ties to Taiwan. “Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this,” the Chinese statement said Xi warned. https://news.usni.org/2022/08/02/chinese-and-russian-ships-sailing-near-japanese-mod-says Chinese and Russian Ships Sailing Near Japan, Japanese MoD Says People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Russian Navy warships have made independent transits around Japan over the past few days, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said this week. Japan spotted a Russian Navy corvette on Friday at 6 p.m. sailing east in an area 50 kilometers from Cape Soya, according to one of three new releases issued by the Joint Staff Office (JSO) of the Ministry of Defense Monday. Now, we take a dive into the world of entertainment, or at least Amazon’s view of entertainment: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/08/03/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-actress-nazanin-boniadi-says-her-character-is-an-activist-credits-prime-video-writers-for-giving-female-characters-agency/ ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Actress Nazanin Boniadi Says Her Character Is An Activist, Credits Prime Video Writers For Giving Female Characters Agency Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, recently described her character as an activist while also crediting the Prime Video writers of the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi appeared at San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July where she talked to the media and specifically praised the writers on the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi said, “What I love about the writers on this show is that they have given every woman on the show, every female character, such agency.” “We don’t serve the men around us, we have a storyline and our own right,” she added. The actress also stated at San Diego Comic-Con, “For Bronwyn, she is a healer. But she taps into her inner lioness and I as an activist, as a longtime human rights activist from my homeland, Iran… I tapped into what I believe women are doing for my homeland.” “And playing with character in sort of liberating and redeeming the Southlanders who back you know, in her ancestors’ days, chose evil over good,” she added. https://twitter.com/i/status/1551302209299591170 - Play Video Can I just add that her character doesn’t exist in the books? Or anywhere in Middle Earth’s lore? Because there weren’t enough characters right? This show is going to be a massive disaster. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2022/08/03/trans-cyclist-blasts-usa-cycling-banning-him-competition-revoking-medal/ Guys lets end this week on a positive note here by talking about the topic that I love… sports! Trans Cyclist Blasts USA Cycling for Banning Him from Competition, Revoking Medal A transgender cyclist claims that a representative from USA Cycling informed him that he would no longer be allowed to compete in the women’s division and that his spot on the IP (individual pursuit) podium had been revoked. Leia Genis, a 25-year-old man who identifies as a woman, was reportedly stripped of the silver medal he won in the women’s division of USA Cycling and barred from competing in any additional events at the 2022 Junior & Elite Track National Championships. “USA Cycling updated its press release Friday by deleting a reference to Genis and elevating third-place finisher Skyler Espinoza to the runner-up slot,” the Washington Times reported. “Cyclist Elizabeth Stevenson, who placed fourth in the Wednesday competition, was credited as the bronze medalist.” Genis had won silver after finishing second at the Elite Individual Pursuit competition. The transgender cyclist wrote on Instagram, “…as I was preparing for the mass start races, a USA Cycling official informed me that I was no longer allowed to compete and that my place on the IP podium was to be revoked on account of my trans identity. . “6 weeks ago, I was eligible for competition at UCI C1 and C2 races held at the same velodrome and overseen by the same technical director. Yet 6 weeks later, now that I am doing well at nationals, I am suddenly ineligible to compete.” . Genis added, “The transphobia is so blatant it’s almost laughable.” The reason why Genis is unable to compete is due to the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) changing the testosterone requirements in their transgender policy. According to the new rules put forth on July 1, those declaring themselves to be female must keep their testosterone in serum below 2.5 nanomoles/Liter for at least two years. Previously, the requirement had been twice that high, at 5.0 nanomoles/Liter. And athletes only had to maintain those levels for one year. In other words, legally, racing as a trans cyclist got a lot tougher over the last six weeks. Genis went on to rail about how “frustrating” it is to be a trans competitor in cycling. Though, one might imagine it’s even more frustrating for the female riders who lose to cyclists who are actually men. Still, Genis’ removal from women’s competition is a significant victory for women’s sports. The case involving Genis is just one of many examples showing that sports leagues have begun to stand for women’s rights. Earlier this summer, FINA, the international governing body that presides over competitive swimming, banned males who have undergone puberty from competing in their events. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you liked the show, go ahead and share it would ya? If you want to sign up for a club membership, our conference, or for a magazine subscription, you can do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com… and as always, if you want to send me a news story, ask me about our conference, or talk about corporate sponsorships with CrossPolitic, email me at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com. For CrossPolitic news, I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, August 5th, 2022. Today, we’ll hear about a private school excluding white families from a back-to-school event, China fires missiles into Taiwanese waters’ calling them training exercises. CNN’s ratings are continuing to fall, Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings looks like a woke dumpster fire, and more… but first: Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com Let’s start with our friends over at CNN… what’s going on?! https://thepostmillennial.com/cnn-ratings-collapse-as-network-looks-for-new-revenue-including-extending-the-brand-in-china?utm_campaign=64487 CNN ratings collapse as network looks for 'new revenue'—including 'extending' the brand in China Over at CNN the "hunt is on for new revenue" as the news network's "ratings plummet" and "profits slump" below nearly $1 billion. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that CNN's yearly profitability is expected to decline to $956.8 according to projections from S&P Global Market Intelligence. CNN's annual profits haven't sunk below $1 billion since 2016, the year Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton in the presidential election and subsequently became a prominent figure in their commentary. "Ratings are down from their Trump-era heights across cable news, but declines at CNN are particularly pronounced," the Times noted. CNN viewership is about 639,000 in the prime time hours slot, which is down 27 percent from last year. More people on average watch MSNBC, whose viewership is down 23 percent, and Fox wins over both networks and is up about a percentage point in overall viewers. Fox's ascension in rating while MSNBC and CNN decline is the continuation of a stark pattern reported in 2021 which saw Fox News on top averaging 1.3 million in total day viewers, compared to 919,000 at MSNBC and 787,000 watching CNN. CNN's entropic ratings is a continuing trend. "It's becoming increasingly apparent that the vast majority of Americans are rejecting fake news," The Post Millennial, reported in June as CNN recorded their worst weekend ratings since 1993. To recoup losses generated by CNN, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to sell programming created for some of its other services, such as HBO Max. They're also broadly cracking down on expenses such as spending money on work celebrations. CNN brought on Chris Marlin, a lawyer with no cable news experience, who suggested "striking advertising deals with major tech companies like Microsoft," "selling sponsorships to corporate underwriters," and "extending CNN’s brand in China." Well that’s some good news, but file this next article under things that would make one lose faith in humanity: https://thepostmillennial.com/80-year-old-granny-banned-from-ymca-after-demanding-biological-male-leave-womens-locker-room-where-little-girls-were-undressing?utm_campaign=64487 80-year-old granny banned from YMCA after demanding biological male leave women's locker room where little girls were undressing An 80-year-old Washington state woman has been banned from using her local YMCA's public pool after she expressed discomfort with a biological male in the women’s locker room as young girls were undressing. She was in the shower when she heard a male voice and peeked out to find a biological male in a women's swimsuit engaging with little girls who were undressing. The biological male was reportedly with girls from the day camp, overseeing their bathroom activities. Jaman said that she had been showering after her July 26 swim at the pool, when she heard "a man’s voice in the women’s dressing area." She said that she saw "a man in a women’s swimsuit, watching little girls pull down their bathing suits in order to use the toilets in the dressing room." In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager to The Post Millennial, they said that the staff member was not "engaging" with these girls, but rather escorting them to the dressing room. According to the Port Townsend Free Press, Jaman, who had been in the shower when she realized what was happening, hidden behind thin, sheer shower curtains, asked this person, revealed to go by the name Clementine Adams, "Do you have a penis?" "None of your business," Adams reportedly responded. "Get out of here, right now," Jaman replied. "You’re discriminating and you can’t use the pool anymore and I’m calling the police," YMCA aquatics manager Rowen DeLuna told Jaman after she requested that Adams leave the room, according to the Port Townsend Free Press. In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager, they said that Jaman was not permanently suspended for this incident alone, but rather due to "repeatedly violating the Olympic Peninsula YMCA code of conduct, specifically, using disrespectful words or gestures towards YMCA staff or others; and abusive, harassing and/or obscene language or gestures towards YMCA staff or others." Per Washington state law, "All covered entities shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and homeless or emergency shelters, that are consistent with that individual's gender expression or gender identity." "The Y has not provided any dressing, shower room options for women who do not want to be exposed to men who identify as women," Jaman added. The state of Washington strikes again… But let’s allow Conneticut get in on the action! https://www.nationalreview.com/news/connecticut-private-school-excludes-white-families-from-back-to-school-event/ Connecticut Private School Excludes White Families from Back-to-School Event Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS), a private school in Greenwich, Conn., sent a letter to the families of students on Monday inviting them to a back-to-school event, so long as they identify as a racial minority. “The annual Cider and Donuts event is open to GCDS families who identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, multi-racial, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, and/or people of color,” read the letter, which was obtained by National Review. The letter was addressed to “GCDS families” and was signed by the director and associate director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Above the description of the event, scheduled for October 8, it mentioned the importance of “building an inclusive, just and equitable community reflecting the multitude of human identities and perspectives in our world.” The school’s DEI website states that its mission is to “nurture meaningful learning through interactions and collaborations between people of diverse and intersecting identities,” including “race and ethnicity,” and its annual tuition ranges between $37,150 and $48,500. Let’s shift our eyes overseas https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-china-fires-ballistic-missiles-into-taiwanese-waters China Fires Ballistic Missiles Into Taiwanese Waters On Thursday, Taiwan said that Communist China fired a number of Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into waters by Taiwan’s northeast and southwest. Other reports said the Taiwanese government asserted that Communist China had fired two missiles from the nearby Matsu Islands. Further reports stated that roughly ten Chinese navy ships crossed the Taiwan Strait median line. Meanwhile, President Biden’s administration reportedly has been lobbying against a bill that would support Taiwan by naming it a major non-NATO ally, according to people familiar with the matter. The bill would give $4.5 billion in security aid and support its presence in international organizations. Before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week, China’s foreign ministry issued a protest to the United States, threatening that a visit “seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” China’s defense ministry said it would launch “targeted military operations,” France 24 reported, adding, “The Chinese military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan starting on Tuesday night and test launch of conventional missiles in the sea east of Taiwan, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.” Last Thursday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Chinese leader Xi Jinping threatened the U.S. in a conversation with President Joe Biden about America’s ties to Taiwan. “Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this,” the Chinese statement said Xi warned. https://news.usni.org/2022/08/02/chinese-and-russian-ships-sailing-near-japanese-mod-says Chinese and Russian Ships Sailing Near Japan, Japanese MoD Says People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Russian Navy warships have made independent transits around Japan over the past few days, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said this week. Japan spotted a Russian Navy corvette on Friday at 6 p.m. sailing east in an area 50 kilometers from Cape Soya, according to one of three new releases issued by the Joint Staff Office (JSO) of the Ministry of Defense Monday. Now, we take a dive into the world of entertainment, or at least Amazon’s view of entertainment: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/08/03/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-actress-nazanin-boniadi-says-her-character-is-an-activist-credits-prime-video-writers-for-giving-female-characters-agency/ ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Actress Nazanin Boniadi Says Her Character Is An Activist, Credits Prime Video Writers For Giving Female Characters Agency Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, recently described her character as an activist while also crediting the Prime Video writers of the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi appeared at San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July where she talked to the media and specifically praised the writers on the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi said, “What I love about the writers on this show is that they have given every woman on the show, every female character, such agency.” “We don’t serve the men around us, we have a storyline and our own right,” she added. The actress also stated at San Diego Comic-Con, “For Bronwyn, she is a healer. But she taps into her inner lioness and I as an activist, as a longtime human rights activist from my homeland, Iran… I tapped into what I believe women are doing for my homeland.” “And playing with character in sort of liberating and redeeming the Southlanders who back you know, in her ancestors’ days, chose evil over good,” she added. https://twitter.com/i/status/1551302209299591170 - Play Video Can I just add that her character doesn’t exist in the books? Or anywhere in Middle Earth’s lore? Because there weren’t enough characters right? This show is going to be a massive disaster. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2022/08/03/trans-cyclist-blasts-usa-cycling-banning-him-competition-revoking-medal/ Guys lets end this week on a positive note here by talking about the topic that I love… sports! Trans Cyclist Blasts USA Cycling for Banning Him from Competition, Revoking Medal A transgender cyclist claims that a representative from USA Cycling informed him that he would no longer be allowed to compete in the women’s division and that his spot on the IP (individual pursuit) podium had been revoked. Leia Genis, a 25-year-old man who identifies as a woman, was reportedly stripped of the silver medal he won in the women’s division of USA Cycling and barred from competing in any additional events at the 2022 Junior & Elite Track National Championships. “USA Cycling updated its press release Friday by deleting a reference to Genis and elevating third-place finisher Skyler Espinoza to the runner-up slot,” the Washington Times reported. “Cyclist Elizabeth Stevenson, who placed fourth in the Wednesday competition, was credited as the bronze medalist.” Genis had won silver after finishing second at the Elite Individual Pursuit competition. The transgender cyclist wrote on Instagram, “…as I was preparing for the mass start races, a USA Cycling official informed me that I was no longer allowed to compete and that my place on the IP podium was to be revoked on account of my trans identity. . “6 weeks ago, I was eligible for competition at UCI C1 and C2 races held at the same velodrome and overseen by the same technical director. Yet 6 weeks later, now that I am doing well at nationals, I am suddenly ineligible to compete.” . Genis added, “The transphobia is so blatant it’s almost laughable.” The reason why Genis is unable to compete is due to the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) changing the testosterone requirements in their transgender policy. According to the new rules put forth on July 1, those declaring themselves to be female must keep their testosterone in serum below 2.5 nanomoles/Liter for at least two years. Previously, the requirement had been twice that high, at 5.0 nanomoles/Liter. And athletes only had to maintain those levels for one year. In other words, legally, racing as a trans cyclist got a lot tougher over the last six weeks. Genis went on to rail about how “frustrating” it is to be a trans competitor in cycling. Though, one might imagine it’s even more frustrating for the female riders who lose to cyclists who are actually men. Still, Genis’ removal from women’s competition is a significant victory for women’s sports. The case involving Genis is just one of many examples showing that sports leagues have begun to stand for women’s rights. Earlier this summer, FINA, the international governing body that presides over competitive swimming, banned males who have undergone puberty from competing in their events. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you liked the show, go ahead and share it would ya? If you want to sign up for a club membership, our conference, or for a magazine subscription, you can do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com… and as always, if you want to send me a news story, ask me about our conference, or talk about corporate sponsorships with CrossPolitic, email me at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com. For CrossPolitic news, I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, August 5th, 2022. Today, we’ll hear about a private school excluding white families from a back-to-school event, China fires missiles into Taiwanese waters’ calling them training exercises. CNN’s ratings are continuing to fall, Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings looks like a woke dumpster fire, and more… but first: Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com Let’s start with our friends over at CNN… what’s going on?! https://thepostmillennial.com/cnn-ratings-collapse-as-network-looks-for-new-revenue-including-extending-the-brand-in-china?utm_campaign=64487 CNN ratings collapse as network looks for 'new revenue'—including 'extending' the brand in China Over at CNN the "hunt is on for new revenue" as the news network's "ratings plummet" and "profits slump" below nearly $1 billion. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that CNN's yearly profitability is expected to decline to $956.8 according to projections from S&P Global Market Intelligence. CNN's annual profits haven't sunk below $1 billion since 2016, the year Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton in the presidential election and subsequently became a prominent figure in their commentary. "Ratings are down from their Trump-era heights across cable news, but declines at CNN are particularly pronounced," the Times noted. CNN viewership is about 639,000 in the prime time hours slot, which is down 27 percent from last year. More people on average watch MSNBC, whose viewership is down 23 percent, and Fox wins over both networks and is up about a percentage point in overall viewers. Fox's ascension in rating while MSNBC and CNN decline is the continuation of a stark pattern reported in 2021 which saw Fox News on top averaging 1.3 million in total day viewers, compared to 919,000 at MSNBC and 787,000 watching CNN. CNN's entropic ratings is a continuing trend. "It's becoming increasingly apparent that the vast majority of Americans are rejecting fake news," The Post Millennial, reported in June as CNN recorded their worst weekend ratings since 1993. To recoup losses generated by CNN, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to sell programming created for some of its other services, such as HBO Max. They're also broadly cracking down on expenses such as spending money on work celebrations. CNN brought on Chris Marlin, a lawyer with no cable news experience, who suggested "striking advertising deals with major tech companies like Microsoft," "selling sponsorships to corporate underwriters," and "extending CNN’s brand in China." Well that’s some good news, but file this next article under things that would make one lose faith in humanity: https://thepostmillennial.com/80-year-old-granny-banned-from-ymca-after-demanding-biological-male-leave-womens-locker-room-where-little-girls-were-undressing?utm_campaign=64487 80-year-old granny banned from YMCA after demanding biological male leave women's locker room where little girls were undressing An 80-year-old Washington state woman has been banned from using her local YMCA's public pool after she expressed discomfort with a biological male in the women’s locker room as young girls were undressing. She was in the shower when she heard a male voice and peeked out to find a biological male in a women's swimsuit engaging with little girls who were undressing. The biological male was reportedly with girls from the day camp, overseeing their bathroom activities. Jaman said that she had been showering after her July 26 swim at the pool, when she heard "a man’s voice in the women’s dressing area." She said that she saw "a man in a women’s swimsuit, watching little girls pull down their bathing suits in order to use the toilets in the dressing room." In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager to The Post Millennial, they said that the staff member was not "engaging" with these girls, but rather escorting them to the dressing room. According to the Port Townsend Free Press, Jaman, who had been in the shower when she realized what was happening, hidden behind thin, sheer shower curtains, asked this person, revealed to go by the name Clementine Adams, "Do you have a penis?" "None of your business," Adams reportedly responded. "Get out of here, right now," Jaman replied. "You’re discriminating and you can’t use the pool anymore and I’m calling the police," YMCA aquatics manager Rowen DeLuna told Jaman after she requested that Adams leave the room, according to the Port Townsend Free Press. In an email from the YMCA’s Marketing and Communications Manager, they said that Jaman was not permanently suspended for this incident alone, but rather due to "repeatedly violating the Olympic Peninsula YMCA code of conduct, specifically, using disrespectful words or gestures towards YMCA staff or others; and abusive, harassing and/or obscene language or gestures towards YMCA staff or others." Per Washington state law, "All covered entities shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and homeless or emergency shelters, that are consistent with that individual's gender expression or gender identity." "The Y has not provided any dressing, shower room options for women who do not want to be exposed to men who identify as women," Jaman added. The state of Washington strikes again… But let’s allow Conneticut get in on the action! https://www.nationalreview.com/news/connecticut-private-school-excludes-white-families-from-back-to-school-event/ Connecticut Private School Excludes White Families from Back-to-School Event Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS), a private school in Greenwich, Conn., sent a letter to the families of students on Monday inviting them to a back-to-school event, so long as they identify as a racial minority. “The annual Cider and Donuts event is open to GCDS families who identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, multi-racial, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, and/or people of color,” read the letter, which was obtained by National Review. The letter was addressed to “GCDS families” and was signed by the director and associate director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Above the description of the event, scheduled for October 8, it mentioned the importance of “building an inclusive, just and equitable community reflecting the multitude of human identities and perspectives in our world.” The school’s DEI website states that its mission is to “nurture meaningful learning through interactions and collaborations between people of diverse and intersecting identities,” including “race and ethnicity,” and its annual tuition ranges between $37,150 and $48,500. Let’s shift our eyes overseas https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-china-fires-ballistic-missiles-into-taiwanese-waters China Fires Ballistic Missiles Into Taiwanese Waters On Thursday, Taiwan said that Communist China fired a number of Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into waters by Taiwan’s northeast and southwest. Other reports said the Taiwanese government asserted that Communist China had fired two missiles from the nearby Matsu Islands. Further reports stated that roughly ten Chinese navy ships crossed the Taiwan Strait median line. Meanwhile, President Biden’s administration reportedly has been lobbying against a bill that would support Taiwan by naming it a major non-NATO ally, according to people familiar with the matter. The bill would give $4.5 billion in security aid and support its presence in international organizations. Before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week, China’s foreign ministry issued a protest to the United States, threatening that a visit “seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” China’s defense ministry said it would launch “targeted military operations,” France 24 reported, adding, “The Chinese military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan starting on Tuesday night and test launch of conventional missiles in the sea east of Taiwan, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.” Last Thursday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Chinese leader Xi Jinping threatened the U.S. in a conversation with President Joe Biden about America’s ties to Taiwan. “Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this,” the Chinese statement said Xi warned. https://news.usni.org/2022/08/02/chinese-and-russian-ships-sailing-near-japanese-mod-says Chinese and Russian Ships Sailing Near Japan, Japanese MoD Says People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Russian Navy warships have made independent transits around Japan over the past few days, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said this week. Japan spotted a Russian Navy corvette on Friday at 6 p.m. sailing east in an area 50 kilometers from Cape Soya, according to one of three new releases issued by the Joint Staff Office (JSO) of the Ministry of Defense Monday. Now, we take a dive into the world of entertainment, or at least Amazon’s view of entertainment: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/08/03/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-actress-nazanin-boniadi-says-her-character-is-an-activist-credits-prime-video-writers-for-giving-female-characters-agency/ ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Actress Nazanin Boniadi Says Her Character Is An Activist, Credits Prime Video Writers For Giving Female Characters Agency Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, recently described her character as an activist while also crediting the Prime Video writers of the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi appeared at San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July where she talked to the media and specifically praised the writers on the show for giving female characters agency. Boniadi said, “What I love about the writers on this show is that they have given every woman on the show, every female character, such agency.” “We don’t serve the men around us, we have a storyline and our own right,” she added. The actress also stated at San Diego Comic-Con, “For Bronwyn, she is a healer. But she taps into her inner lioness and I as an activist, as a longtime human rights activist from my homeland, Iran… I tapped into what I believe women are doing for my homeland.” “And playing with character in sort of liberating and redeeming the Southlanders who back you know, in her ancestors’ days, chose evil over good,” she added. https://twitter.com/i/status/1551302209299591170 - Play Video Can I just add that her character doesn’t exist in the books? Or anywhere in Middle Earth’s lore? Because there weren’t enough characters right? This show is going to be a massive disaster. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2022/08/03/trans-cyclist-blasts-usa-cycling-banning-him-competition-revoking-medal/ Guys lets end this week on a positive note here by talking about the topic that I love… sports! Trans Cyclist Blasts USA Cycling for Banning Him from Competition, Revoking Medal A transgender cyclist claims that a representative from USA Cycling informed him that he would no longer be allowed to compete in the women’s division and that his spot on the IP (individual pursuit) podium had been revoked. Leia Genis, a 25-year-old man who identifies as a woman, was reportedly stripped of the silver medal he won in the women’s division of USA Cycling and barred from competing in any additional events at the 2022 Junior & Elite Track National Championships. “USA Cycling updated its press release Friday by deleting a reference to Genis and elevating third-place finisher Skyler Espinoza to the runner-up slot,” the Washington Times reported. “Cyclist Elizabeth Stevenson, who placed fourth in the Wednesday competition, was credited as the bronze medalist.” Genis had won silver after finishing second at the Elite Individual Pursuit competition. The transgender cyclist wrote on Instagram, “…as I was preparing for the mass start races, a USA Cycling official informed me that I was no longer allowed to compete and that my place on the IP podium was to be revoked on account of my trans identity. . “6 weeks ago, I was eligible for competition at UCI C1 and C2 races held at the same velodrome and overseen by the same technical director. Yet 6 weeks later, now that I am doing well at nationals, I am suddenly ineligible to compete.” . Genis added, “The transphobia is so blatant it’s almost laughable.” The reason why Genis is unable to compete is due to the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) changing the testosterone requirements in their transgender policy. According to the new rules put forth on July 1, those declaring themselves to be female must keep their testosterone in serum below 2.5 nanomoles/Liter for at least two years. Previously, the requirement had been twice that high, at 5.0 nanomoles/Liter. And athletes only had to maintain those levels for one year. In other words, legally, racing as a trans cyclist got a lot tougher over the last six weeks. Genis went on to rail about how “frustrating” it is to be a trans competitor in cycling. Though, one might imagine it’s even more frustrating for the female riders who lose to cyclists who are actually men. Still, Genis’ removal from women’s competition is a significant victory for women’s sports. The case involving Genis is just one of many examples showing that sports leagues have begun to stand for women’s rights. Earlier this summer, FINA, the international governing body that presides over competitive swimming, banned males who have undergone puberty from competing in their events. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you liked the show, go ahead and share it would ya? If you want to sign up for a club membership, our conference, or for a magazine subscription, you can do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com… and as always, if you want to send me a news story, ask me about our conference, or talk about corporate sponsorships with CrossPolitic, email me at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com. For CrossPolitic news, I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless.

Japan's industry ministry on Friday released draft guidelines to prevent domestic companies from violating human rights, such as through forced labor, and maintain their international competitiveness.

Japan's former Prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8. Japan is one of the world's safest countries, has some of the strictest gun laws and has lived by a culture of pacifism since the end of WWII. Fran Racioppi asked Boston University Professor Bill Grimes to join him for a conversation on Prime Minister Abe, his conservative policies on national defense and economics, his place in Japan's history of charismatic leaders, and where Japan goes from here internationally and domestically. Professor Grimes teaches international relations and political sciences, has authored a number of books on Japanese politics and economics, and has served in the Japanese Ministry of Finance and at the Bank of Japan. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website and check out our video YouTube versions of all episodes here.Highlights:-Professor Grimes expects Prime Minister Abe's policies on nationalism, military defense and his economic program called Abenomics to continue. -Japan is one of the safest countries in the world with less than ten gun violence deaths per year in a population of 127 million people.-Fran asks Bill to break down Japanese military capability following the WWII policy of pacifism and how Prime Minister Abe pushed to expand Japanese defensive military capability. -Prime Minister Abe was keen on preventing Chinese encroachment in the region but also maintaining China as a strategic trade partner. -Bill shares why Japan is critical to US influence in the Asia-Pacific region across economic, political and defense fronts; including the Trans-Pacific Partnership.-Fran challenges Professor Grimes to define what it takes to be a great world leader.-Bill provides the lesson of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and how just being a good person was the key to his success.Quotes:-”The Abe that we see after say 2013-2014 was a pragmatist, an internationalist.”-”The basic story of Abe doesn't disappear.”-”Until China really started its naval build-up 10-15 years ago, Japan had arguably the second-most capable navy in the entire world.”-”This goes way back with this desire to prevent Chinese encroachment and pressure.”-”Japan is absolutely the linchpin of US Asia-Pacific strategy.”-”Japan is becoming economically weaker relative to China.”-”He learned…that's not that easy to do…Learning is extraordinarily important.”-“He was an extremely effective inside player.” -”He was the one person in Japan…who had both the inside game and the outside game.”-”Over eight years you make enough incremental change you changed the country.”This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike's, 18A Fitness, & Analytix Solutions.

Oliver is joined by Adam Hunt, PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield, to compare crime between Japan and the UK and how factors such as attitudes towards former convicts affects “desistance”; that is, attempts to reduce the rate of reoffending. Read the Japanese Ministry of Defence's 2020 white paper on crime. Download the full transcript here (PDF) Watch with subtitles on YouTube IMAGE AND AUDIO CREDITS Intro-outro music: jasonszklarek / MotionElements.com [L] Desistance Overview provided by Adam Hunt. [R] In handcuffs on Pandora by ngawangchodron. Copyright © 2022 Oliver Moxham, ℗ 2022 Oliver Moxham. May be freely distributed for education purposes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beyond-japan/message

財務省総括審議官の小野平八郎容疑者走行中の電車内で、乗客に暴行を加えたとして、警視庁は２０日、財務省大臣官房総括審議官の小野平八郎容疑者を暴行容疑で現行犯逮捕した。 A senior official of the Japanese Ministry of Finance was arrested on Friday for allegedly hitting and kicking another passenger while on a train traveling in Tokyo, investigative sources said.

A senior official of the Japanese Ministry of Finance was arrested on Friday for allegedly hitting and kicking another passenger while on a train traveling in Tokyo, investigative sources said.

Debbie Reynolds “The Data Diva” talks to  Hitoshi Kokumai, Founder and Chief Architect at Mnemonic Identity Solutions Limited. We discuss his interest in digital identity and Data Privacy, , his work with the Japanese Ministry of Defense on identity systems, how deep episodic memories are a superior solution for the weakness of passwords alone, how images and episodic memory work in identity systems, Quantum Computing and and it's effect on passwords, and his hope for Data Privacy in the future.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=REGNEQPG4USC8)

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   The Hoover Institution and Japan Society of Northern California host US Japan Global Dialogue on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 from 12:30pm - 7:30pm PT. In a rapidly changing Indo-Pacific region, Japan remains America's core ally, Asia's most stable democracy, and the world's third-largest economy. The US-Japan alliance is poised to enter a new era and expand its focus to cooperate on next-generation technology, development issues, civil society development, and maintenance of security. The Hoover Institution's US-Japan Global Dialogue explores the future of this critical relationship. The dialogue launched on March 22, 2022 (United States) / March 23, 2022 (Japan) with a private, one-day hybrid conference hosted by the Hoover Institution. Attendees included both US and Japanese senior government officials, eminent scholars, and leading private-sector actors. The conference began with a lunch hosted by the Hoover Institution and the Japan Society of Northern California followed by a panel discussion with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Japanese ambassador to the United States Koji Tomita, and former US ambassador to Japan John Roos in discussion with LTG (ret.) H. R. McMaster, moderated by Dr. Michael Auslin. It also included a Hoover Institution Library & Archives exhibit Histories Connect: Special Exhibitions of Japanese and Japanese American Collections with Dr. Kaoru (Kay) Ueda, Curator of the Japanese Diaspora Collection. Later in the day, a closed hybrid conference covered the following topics: 1) improving security cooperation between the United States and Japan and with other partners; 2) deepening economic and financial cooperation; 3) deepening cooperation in the development and application of new technologies; and 4) protecting liberal values and democratic sovereignty in Asia and beyond. At the conference, one American and one Japanese expert each presented short papers on each topic. PARTICIPANT BIOS H.E. Tomita, Koji Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America Ambassador Tomita's diplomatic career in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spans 40 years. Most recently, he served as Japan's Ambassador to Korea, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Personal Representative for the G20 Summit in Osaka, and Ambassador to Israel. His relationship with the United States began when he studied in North Carolina for a year in college. Since he entered MOFA, he has also held leadership positions in U.S.-Japan relations, including Director-General of MOFA's North American Affairs Bureau and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Tomita graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law and joined Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981. United States Senator Bill Hagerty Senator Hagerty was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020 and is currently serving his first term representing the state of Tennessee. His committee assignments include: U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs; U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations; and the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Hagerty served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, the world's third largest economy and America's closest ally in the region. Hagerty is a life-long businessman. He started his business career with the Boston Consulting Group, where his work took him to five continents, including three years based in Tokyo, Japan. Ambassador John V. Roos  John V. Roos is the Founding Partner at Geodesic Capital, a venture capital firm that bridges Japan and Silicon Valley by investing in growth-stage technology companies and helping them with market entry, strategy, and overall operational support in Japan. Previously, Ambassador Roos served as Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, & Rosati, the leading law firm in the United States in the representation of technology, life sciences, and emerging growth companies. From 2014-2020 Ambassador Roos served on the Board of Sony Corporation  From 2009-2013 Ambassador Roos served as the United States Ambassador to Japan. Ambassador Roos received his A.B. with honors in Political Science from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. LTG (ret.) H.R. McMaster H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.  He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.  He serves as the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute and Chairman of the Center for Political and Military Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy.  He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years after graduation from West Point.  He holds a PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He is author of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World and Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam.  He is host of the podcast Battlegrounds: International Perspectives on Crucial Challenges to Security and Prosperity. Michael Auslin Michael Auslin is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A historian by training, he specializes in US policy in Asia and geopolitical issues in the Indo-Pacific region. Auslin is the author of six books, including Asia's New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific and is a longtime contributor to the Wall Street Journal and National Review. Auslin also cohosts the podcast The Pacific Century. Previously, Auslin was an associate professor of history at Yale University, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the senior advisor for Asia at the Halifax International Security Forum, a senior fellow at London's Policy Exchange, and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Among his honors are being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a Fulbright Scholar, and a German Marshall Fund Marshall Memorial Fellow. He serves on the board of the Wilton Park USA Foundation. 

Ruth Ozeki is a filmmaker, novelist, and Zen Buddhist priest, whose novels have been described as “witty, intelligent and passionate” by The Independent, and as possessing “shrewd and playful humor, luscious sexiness and kinetic pizzazz” by the Chicago Tribune. Ozeki is the author of several award-winning novels: My Year of Meats (1998), All Over Creation (2003), and A Tale for the Time Being (2013), which was a New York Times bestseller and shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize. In this podcast, we discuss her most recent novel The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021) and how her writing and life have been influenced by Zen Buddhism. At the heart of the book is the poignant story of Benny Oh, an adolescent boy who begins to hear voices after the tragic death of his father, and his mother Annabelle, who struggles to stay afloat amid an ocean of grief. This novel is a brilliant, heartfelt story that addresses many challenges facing modern society, including consumerism, climate change, mental illness, hoarding, and homelessness. Ozeki was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, by an American father and a Japanese mother. She studied English and Asian Studies at Smith College and traveled extensively in Asia. She received a Japanese Ministry of Education Fellowship to do graduate work in classical Japanese literature at Nara University. She currently teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities in the Department of English Language and Literature. She serves on the advisory editorial board of the Asian American Literary Review and on the Creative Advisory Council of Hedgebrook. She practices Zen Buddhism with Zoketsu Norman Fischer, and is the editor of the Everyday Zen website. She was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in June 2010.SparkZen is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to SparkZen at sparkzen.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we listen to H.E. Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Iceland‘s Minister for Education, Science and Culture, and H.E. Ryotaro Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to Iceland discuss the results from the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial held in May 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, co-hosted by the two respective countriesThis event originally took place at the 2021 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland and was organized in collaboration with the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Sciences and Technology.

Don't give clients whatever they ask for. The most fatal blind spot lies in audience knowledge.These are a few of the lessons from the stories Liz Harr, Partner, Hinge (https://hingemarketing.com/), shared with Daniel Burstein in Episode #6 of the How I Made It in Marketing podcast.Some lessons from Harr that emerged in our discussion:Don't give clients whatever they ask for: When a tech client wanted to name its conference CapCon, Harr's team did some competitive research and discovered that it was the name of an annual convention for age players – also known as adults who dress up like toddlers and tykes.The most fatal blind spot lies in audience knowledge: Harr worked with a client whose website messaging centered on the fact that everyone on the team came from a Big Four accounting firm. While the messaging was designed to reassure prospects, Harr's team interviewed executives from deals the firm lost and discovered this messaging communicated something else…A-team rates for basic administrative tasks.  Keep friends close and your enemies closer…because enemies can make great partners: When Harr owned a VAR (value added reseller), collaborating with and ultimately merging with a competitor ended up saving both companies during the financial collapse of 2008…and it all began by networking with one of their biggest competitors.Harr also shared lessons she learned from the people she collaborated with in her career: Junya Sugimoto of the Ministry of Education at Yao Shi Precinct in Osaka taught her to just be. Her first job right out of college was at the Japanese Ministry of Education. One day her boss sat her down for a heart-to-heart talk about how to make a bigger impact by bringing more of her real self to work – the part of her that enjoyed listening to people, making connections with them, and working as part of a team with the same goals. Shams Zaman, CFO, Technologist taught her the power that your own stories have to connect more effectively with others: Harr was asked to help run a side business, a car dealership. It didn't work out, and she was fired. Her boss (Zaman) told her, “Sometimes, the worst moments in life are the launch pads for getting us to where we're really meant to be.” She has used this story and moment of vulnerability to connect with people reporting to her throughout her career. Lee Frederiksen, Managing Partner, Hinge taught her that our peers play a key role in our development as leaders and experts in our field: Frederiksen coached and advised her through business and personal crises when she ran a startup, and Harr went on to work with him at Hinge.Articles (and a keynote video) mentioned in this episode:The Marketer's Blind Spot: 3 ways to overcome the marketer's greatest obstacle to effective messaging (https://meclabs.com/research/lecture/marketing-blindspots-flint-mcglaughlin)Customer-First Marketing: A conversation with Wharton, MarketingSherpa, and MECLABS Institute (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/wharton-interview-customer-first-marketing/)Why You Should Thank Your Competitors (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/why-thank-your-competitors/)To receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newsletters

Japan has vaccinated 59 million people, with 45 million fully vaccinated, as of August 17. Prime Minister Suga yesterday stated that half of Japan's population will be vaccinated by the end of this month. The developments left USDJPY and the Nikkei Average little change, while JPY basis tightened at the margin and JPY rates rose slightly.    In today's episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido examines recent changes to BoJ and NY Fed monetary operations as well as discusses insights into Japanese investor activity in foreign markets from Japanese Ministry of Finance Balance of Payment data and the U.S. Treasury TIC data releases. He also shares his views on the Dollar/Yen, Yen rates, and Yen basis.  Disclaimer: www.mufgresearch.com (PDF)

Recently Japan issued its 2021 Defense White Paper, which serves as a window into the priorities and activities of the Japanese Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces. This year the publication has garnered much more attention merely from its cover that indicates a more assertive posture. Aditya Pareek and Suyash Desai join Ameera Rao to discuss the publication in detail vis a vis Japan's concerns about Russia, China, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific.If these All Things Policy conversations interest you, consider applying for Takshashila's courses. Admissions are now open and the application deadline for our upcoming cohort is 28th August 2021.Find out about our courses over here - https://bit.ly/ATP-GCPPFollow Aditya Pareek on Twitter- https://twitter.com/cabinmarine?s=21Follow Ameera Rao on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ameerarao?s=21Follow Suyash Desai on Twitter - https://twitter.com/suyash_desai?s=21You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Research shows that visiting the forest has quantifiable health benefits both psychologically and physically. So much so, that in 1982 the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries even coined the term for it, Shinrin-yoku. It is a preventative therapy with many documented health benefits. Today on the show we share the science, and the exact steps to take, so that you can get the maximum benefit from forest therapy. More reading: https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/ https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/90720.html

This podcast will give you a summary of the latest news related to cyber intelligence and proactive cyber security in only a few minutes. The podcast is aimed at professionals who are short on time, or for anyone who would like to know a bit more about what is REALLY happening out there in the cyber world. The focus of this podcast will be on the latest cyber events for non-technical people; anyone can listen and understand. https://news.nucleon.sh/2021/06/30/cyber-news-update-67/ ---- Several Japanese government agencies reportedly suffered data breaches originating from Fujitsu's information sharing tool they were using. The platform is a cloud-based enterprise collaboration and file-sharing platform launched in the mid-2000s. Fujitsu had earlier disclosed that hackers gained unauthorized access to the system and stole customer data. The computer emergency response team is still investigating and trying to determine if government agencies were targeted or the incident was a software supply chain attack. Investigators said that the cyber attack affected the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Tourism, the Cabinet Secretariat, and the Narita International Airport. The National Cyber ​​Security Center said that hackers accessed 76,000 email addresses and email system settings through Fujitsu's file-sharing tool. They exfiltrated flight schedules, air traffic control data, and business operations data from the Narita Airport. Similarly, study materials from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs were exposed. Japan's Cabinet Secretariat's national cybersecurity center advised government agencies and critical infrastructure organizations relying on Fujitsu's information-sharing tool to check for indicators of compromise. The Fujitsu hacking incident was the second affecting Japan's government agencies in a month. In April, hackers compromised Solito's file-sharing server that affected Japan's Prime Minister's office. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, said that cyber attacks on Japan's critical infrastructure were expected during the Tokyo Olympics. He noted that his office was prepared to address such security incidents. ---- This week, The Steamship Authority of Massachusetts is asking travelers to bring cash for tickets and parking as the ferry service continues trying to recover from a ransomware attack. Customers were unable to book or change reservations online or by phone for the largest ferry service to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket after the cyber attack occurred. "There is no impact to the safety of vessel operations, as the issue does not affect radar or GPS functionality," the Authority said in a statement. The FBI is now taking the lead on the investigation, working in conjunction with the Coast Guard and the Massachusetts State Police Cyber Security Unit, Coast Guard First District Petty Officer Amanda Wyrick told the Cape Cod Times. This joins more and more cyber incidents where the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation as the US is starting to realize and understand that such cyber attacks are not done only for financial reasons but also in order to cause chaos and disrupt the daily lives of citizens. Ransomware attacks have become a national threat against the USA and we can see that each week the USA is starting to take more and more severe measures in order to deal with it. --- That's it for this podcast, stay safe and see you in the next podcast. Don't forget to visit www.cybercure.ai for the latest podcasts on cyber intelligence.

Ambassador Sugiyama presented his credentials as Ambassador to the United States in March 2018. His diplomatic career with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spans more than 40 years. He most recently served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. Previous positions include Deputy Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau as well as the International Cooperation Bureau; Director-General for Global Issues, including Ambassador for Climate Change; and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. Ambassador Sugiyama has also held leadership positions within the Foreign Policy Bureau and Treaties Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His overseas assignments have included multiple positions at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.; Political Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Korea, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Egypt. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977. Ambassador Sugiyama studied at Waseda University in Japan and at Oxford University in the UK. He has taught international law for many years on the law faculty of Waseda University, as well as at many other schools in Japan and overseas. He has written numerous law articles, edited books on international law, and served as a member of the editing committee of the international law journal issued by the International Law Association of Japan. Ambassador Sugiyama was Christened at University College, Oxford. He and his family are Episcopalians. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

Ever wonder why a jellyfish looks the way they do? Well, the Japanese folktale "The Jellyfish Takes a Journey" (Kurage no Honenashi) tells you how that came about. Then after that folktale, I'll give you a little trivia about the connection between eel and seppuku. You can also find me on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqAtoUS51HDi2d96_aLv95w Website: https://www.uncannyjapan.com/ Notes: Medicine by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6256-medicine License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Gates Of Heaven by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6341-the-gates-of-heaven License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Intro/Outro by Julyan Ray Matsuura. Here and here. And here. Transcript: You know what I haven’t done in awhile? A folktale. As a matter of fact, I just checked and the last time I did a  real one, not one of my own stories or one of Lafcadio Hearn’s, was in October of 2018 when I retold “Kachi Kachi Mountain.” Remember the story about the jerk of a rabbit and the poor abused tanuki? Well, today I’m going to tell you another curious and, yeah, disturbing story, this time about the jellyfish. Jellyfish are called kurage in Japanese, and that is written by putting together the characters for ocean and moon. Ocean moon. Isn’t that beautiful? Speaking of oceans, I’m literally recording this on July 23rd, Umi no Hi or Marine Day, sometimes called Ocean Day. Ocean, jellies. It’s kind of a theme. *But it gets better. After the folktale about the jellyfish, I’m going to tell you a fascinating cultural nugget about eels and the act of seppuku, or ritual suicide. Eels are known to spend time in the ocean. So it’s another connection to Umi no Hi, Ocean Day.  *Speaking of oceans, after the story, I’ve got some really interesting trivia. It involves eels and seppuku, ritual suicide. Eels are known to spend time in the ocean. So that’s where that connects. Talk about through-line. But before we get into why jellyfish look the way they do… Intro Hey hey, I hope everyone is hanging in there, not to stressed out about anything or everything. Maybe I can take your mind off of things, or perhaps damage you a little more. Have you ever wondered why jellyfish look the way they do? Well, there is an old folktale that goes by several titles: “The Jellyfish Takes a Journey”, “The Jellyfish and the Monkey”, Or “Why the Jellyfish has no Bones” to name a few. In Japanese it’s sometimes called “Kurage no hone”, “Jellyfish Bones”, or “Kurage no hone nashi”, “No Jellyfish Bones”. Lots of different titles and lots of different versions, even one by Yei Theodora Ozaki, what has retold a lot of Japanese folktales. But I  decided to retell the one I found on the project Gutenberg site. It’s called “The Jellyfish Takes a Journey”, by Grace James. The Project Gutenberg eBook, Japanese Fairy Tales, by Grace James, Illustrated by Warwick Goble THE JELLY-FISH TAKES A JOURNEY Once upon a time the jelly-fish was a very handsome fellow. His form was beautiful, and round as the full moon. He had glittering scales and fins and a tail as other fishes have, but he had more than these. He had little feet as well, so that he could walk upon the land as well as swim in the sea. He was merry and he was gay; he was beloved and trusted of the Dragon King. In spite of all this, his grandmother always said he would come to a bad end, because he would not mind his books at school. She was right. It all came about in this wise. The Dragon King was but lately wed when the young Lady Dragon his wife fell very sick. She took to her bed and stayed there, and wise folk in Dragonland shook their heads and said her last day was at hand. Doctors came from far and near, and they dosed her and they bled her, but no good at all could they do her; the poor young thing, nor recover her of her sickness. The Dragon King was beside himself. “Heart’s Desire,” he said to his pale bride, “I would give my life for you.” “Little good would it do me,” she answered. “Howbeit, if you will fetch me a monkey’s liver I will eat it and live.” “A monkey’s liver!” cried the Dragon King. “A monkey’s liver! You talk wildly, O light of mine eyes. How shall I find a monkey’s liver? Know you not, sweet one, that monkeys dwell in the trees of the forest, whilst we are in the deep sea?” Tears ran down the Dragon Queen’s lovely countenance. “If I do not have the monkey’s liver, I shall die,” she said. Then the Dragon went forth and called to him the jelly-fish. “The Queen must have a monkey’s liver,” he said, “to cure her of her sickness.” “What will she do with the monkey’s liver?” asked the jelly-fish. “Why, she will eat it,” said the Dragon King. “Oh!” said the jelly-fish. “Now,” said the King, “you must go and fetch me a live monkey. I have heard that they dwell in the tall trees of the forest. Therefore swim quickly, O jelly-fish, and bring a monkey with you back again.” “How will I get the monkey to come back with me?” said the jelly-fish. “Tell him of all the beauties and pleasures of Dragonland. Tell him he will be happy here and that he may play with mermaids all the day long.” “Well,” said the jelly-fish, “I’ll tell him that.” Off set the jelly-fish; and he swam and he swam, till at last he reached the shore where grew the tall trees of the forest. And, sure enough, there was a monkey sitting in the branches of a persimmon tree, eating persimmons. “The very thing,” said the jelly-fish to himself; “I’m in luck.” “Noble monkey,” he said, “will you come to Dragonland with me?” “How should I get there?” said the monkey. “Only sit on my back,” said the jelly-fish, “and I’ll take you there; you’ll have no trouble at all.” “Why should I go there, after all?” said the monkey. “I am very well off as I am.” “Ah,” said the jelly-fish, “it’s plain that you know little of all the beauties and pleasures of Dragonland. There you will be happy as the day is long. You will win great riches and honour. Besides, you may play with the mermaids from morn till eve.” “I’ll come,” said the monkey. And he slipped down from the persimmon tree and jumped on the jelly-fish’s back. When the two of them were about half-way over to Dragonland, the jelly-fish laughed. “Now, jelly-fish, why do you laugh?” “I laugh for joy,” said the jelly-fish. “When you come to Dragonland, my master, the Dragon King, will get your liver, and give it to my mistress the Dragon Queen to eat, and then she will recover from her sickness.” “My liver?” said the monkey. “Why, of course,” said the jelly-fish. “Alas and alack,” cried the monkey, “I’m grieved indeed, but if it’s my liver you’re wanting I haven’t it with me. To tell you the truth, it weighs pretty heavy, so I just took it out and hung it upon a branch of that persimmon tree where you found me. Quick, quick, let’s go back for it.” Back they went, and the monkey was up in the persimmon tree in a twinkling. “Mercy me, I don’t see it at all,” he said. “Where can I have mislaid it? I should not be surprised if some rascal has stolen it,” he said. Now if the jelly-fish had minded his books at school, would he have been hoodwinked by the monkey? You may believe not. But his grandmother always said he would come to a bad end. “I shall be some time finding it,” said the monkey. “You’d best be getting home to Dragonland. The King would be loath for you to be out after dark. You can call for me another day. Sayonara.” The monkey and the jelly-fish parted on the best of terms. The minute the Dragon King set eyes on the jelly-fish, “Where’s the monkey?” he said. “I’m to call for him another day,” said the jelly-fish. And he told all the tale. The Dragon King flew into a towering rage. He called his executioners and bid them beat the jelly-fish. “Break every bone in his body,” he cried; “beat him to a jelly.” Alas for the sad fate of the jelly-fish! Jelly he remains to this very day. As for the young Dragon Queen, she was fain to laugh when she heard the story. “If I can’t have a monkey’s liver I must needs do without it,” she said. “Give me my best brocade gown and I will get up, for I feel a good deal better.” The end. Eel Trivia Now onto my promised eel trivia. Remember last episode we talked about unagi or eel? Well, I got a comment on Facebook the other day that jogged a very interesting memory about this slippery animal. Way back in the day, a Japanese uncle who was very high up in an eel import company was always bringing some over because it was my favorite food at the time and he was a really nice guy. Well, one day the family was all sitting around, dining on kabayaki (grilled eel), no less, and he was telling me about how eel are cleaned differently before cooking depending on the city. You might have heard of the Kansai and Kanto areas of Japan. In case you don’t know, Kansai is the western part, think Kyoto and Osaka; with Kanto being the eastern part, think Tokyo. There are a lot of customs, foods and traditions that are quite different between the Kansai and Kanto regions, but that’s a whole other topic. For now, let’s concentrate on gutting your eel. In the Kanto region, Tokyo, remember that this was the old Edo Capital. There were a lot of samurai who worked under the Shogunate, and they didn’t like to be reminded of seppuku, or ritual suicide by cutting your stomach. Eel disembowelment is bad luck. Because of this when eel are prepared even to this day, they are readied by slicing along the backbone. On the other hand, my uncle said, the Kansai region, which is known for being more outgoing, humorous, and friendly than their Eastern counterparts up in Kanto, and also were mostly merchants at the time, would clean the fish the usual way, by cutting the stomach. He then taught me the phrase, “hara wo watte hanasou”. Which literally means to break your stomach and talk. I think of it like, spilling your guts, or talking absolutely honestly about something. This is a good thing, so they have no problem with this way of gutting the eel. My mind was blown. And I believed that until the other day a listener commented about it, jogged my memory, which made me do a little more research. I’m sorry to say, there is something wrong with that analogy though. Something I never even considered until I spent an entire day reading up on how to clean and cook eel. Can you guess what it is? Yes, eels were opened from the back, but all other fish were cleaned the usual way, cut from the stomach. So if people in the Kanto area really did hate the idea of being reminded about seppuku, why didn’t they cut all fish from the back? The truth isn’t so much about seppuku, but more to do with the way the eel are cooked. I read some different reasons, but it seems that grilling eel started in the west, the Kansai area, where they prepared it the way they always prepared fish, by gutting the belly. It’s then grilled right away which makes the ell rich, more fragrant, but perhaps a little tough. The technique then moved up to Edo and there they refined it. They learned that if you steam the eel first, then grilled it, it got rid of the fat and you ended up with a softer, plumper, and lighter fillet.  But why the different ways of cutting? I read and read and even in Japanese most of the sites talk about the seppuku and hara wo waru angle. But this is what I figured out, remember with the Kanto or Tokyo style the eel are steamed before grilled? Well, the cooks first skewer them with bamboo skewers and because of the way they’re steamed, cutting the eel from the back give a thicker edge for skewering, so that it doesn’t fall apart. I want to thank Chris Garvey, who mentioned the seppuku angle over on Facebook and totally jogged my memory and made me dig a little deeper.  All that said, despite how much I used to love unagi, and how delicious they are, I haven’t eaten any in years. Many years. The poor little buggers are fast disappearing, their numbers plummeting. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has even listed them as endangered. Though that doesn’t stop them from being stocked in supermarkets all over Japan. Ganbare, unagi. Ganbare, kurage! Thank you so very much for listening and supporting the show and I will talk to you again in two weeks.  

The Asian giant hornet showed up in the media and spread like wildfire. We talk about what it is, why it's confused with the Asian hornet and how did that cause such a convoluted story? Join hosts Shanti and Danny as they discuss these creatures, what they are, why there was so much confusion around them, and what the general population needs to do about them.ReferencesMonceau, K., Bonnar, O., Thiery, D.; Vespa Valutina: A New Invasive Predator of Honeybees in Europe. Journal of Pest Science. 2014: 87 (1 - 16). Animal and Plant Health inspection Service. New Pest Response Guidelines Vespa Mandarinia Asian Giant Hornet. US Department of Agriculture. 10-Feb-2020. Japanese Ministry of Health and Labor. Bee Sting and Fatal Accident. 28-Nov-2019. Schmidt, J.O., Yamane, S., Matsuura, M., Starr, C.K.; Hornet Venoms: Lethalities and Lethal Capacities. Toxicon. 1986. 24:9 (950 - 954). DOI: 10.1016/0041-0101(86)90096-6Lioy, S., Bianchi, E., Biglia, A., Bessone, M., Laurino, D., Porporato, M., Viability of Thermal Imaging in Detecting Nests of the Invasive Hornet Vespa Velutina. Insect Science. 03-Feb-2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.12760Tan, K., Dong, S., Li, X., Liu, X., Wang, C., Li, J., Nieh, J.;Honey Bee Inhibitory Signaling is Tuned to Threat Severity and Can Act as a Colony Alarm Signal. PLOS Biology. 25-Mar-2016. 14:3 doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002423Ruzycki, J., Beauchamp, D., Yule, D.; Effects of Introduced Lake Trout on Native Cutthroat Trout in Yellowstone Lake. Ecological Applications. 01-Feb-2003. 13:1 doi:https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0023:EOILTO]2.0.CO;2Weinberger, H.; What You Should Know About Washington's Murder Hornets. Environment. 06-May-2020. https://crosscut.com/2020/05/what-you-should-know-about-washingtons-murder-hornets

Our guest is Mihoko Matsubara, chief cybersecurity strategist at Japanese telecommunications company NTT Corporation in Tokyo, where she’s responsible for cybersecurity thought leadership. Previously, Mihoko worked at the Japanese Ministry of Defense and was VP and public sector chief security officer for Asia-Pacific at Palo Alto Networks. Our conversation explores the different approaches to cybersecurity seen in Japan, and the impact those cultural differences have on that nation’s security. We’ll also learn more about Mihoko’s efforts to bridge that gap of understanding, and to help build trust and safety around the world.

Our guest is Mihoko Matsubara, chief cybersecurity strategist at Japanese telecommunications company NTT Corporation in Tokyo, where she's responsible for cybersecurity thought leadership. Previously, Mihoko worked at the Japanese Ministry of Defense and was VP and public sector chief security officer for Asia-Pacific at Palo Alto Networks. Our conversation explores the different approaches to cybersecurity seen in Japan, and the impact those cultural differences have on that nation's security. We'll also learn more about Mihoko's efforts to bridge that gap of understanding, and to help build trust and safety around the world.

Japan's health ministry has decided to allow using strong alcoholic drinks as substitute sanitizer to make up for supply shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

James is a Co-Founder of Left Tackle Capital. Left Tackle Capital’s (LTC) mission is to change the demographics and culture of asset management.   Prior to co-founding Left Tackle Capital, James was a partner with Kidd & Company (KCO), a family office direct investment firm which consistently generated world-class investment returns. James serves on the NextPhase Medical Devices & Colerain Family RV board of directors and is an observer on the Logistyx Technologies board of directors. Prior to joining KCO, he was Senior Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer at Spencer Trask & Co, a venture capital firm that made the initial investments in category changing companies, including Ciena, Next Level Communications, Health Dialog, Myriad Genetics & Prolor Biotech. James oversaw talent acquisition and development across the Spencer Trask portfolio, and also served on the boards and advisory boards of several Spencer Trask companies. James has been actively involved in several purpose-led endeavors: He is a founding advisory board member of Maverick Collective. Maverick Collective is a groundbreaking philanthropic and advocacy initiative aimed at catalyzing the next wave of social investors setting out to improve the health and rights of girls and women worldwide. Maverick Collective was co-founded by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit and Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also serves on the Young Audiences Board of Directors, where he is a founding board member of the Young Audiences Charter School at Kate Middleton in New Orleans, the first arts in education charter school in the United States. He serves on the Advisory Board of Mogul, a technology platform that enables women in over 30,000 cities in nearly 200 countries to share ideas, seek advice, access content while offering mentorship and promoting entrepreneurship. Along with Thomas LeDet and Sebastian Harris, James is co-author of Rocka My Soul. Rocka My Soul is the story of the 1981 Jack Yates Lions, the first all African-American football team to advance to the Texas state championship post-segregation. James has a Ph.D. in International Economics from Columbia University, a B.A. from Baylor University, and a Certificate on Monetary and Fiscal Policy from the Japanese Ministry of Finance.

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted the Guwahati city along with neighboring areas of Assam and Northeast at around 6.17 pm this evening. As per the Indian Meteorological Department, the epicenter was located 86 km West of Guwahati. So far no casualties were reported during the incident. Assam has the highest dropout rate among Primary & Secondary schools, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He was responding to a query posed by BJP MP from Maharashtra Amar Shankar Sable. Dropout rates in other northeastern states continue to be quite high due to various reasons, such as poverty, health and other economic reasons, Pokhriyal said. However most of the states have been able to bring down the numbers to a single digit, he added. In Assam, during 2017-2018, dropout rate in primary classes stood at 10.1 percent and for secondary classes, it was 33.7 percent. Arunachal Pradesh registered dropout rates at 8.1 percent and 32 percent for primary and secondary category respectively. Today at around 2.30 am on the basis of a secret information regarding poaching activities at Kaziranga National Park an operation was launched by Nagaon Police in the area of Harmoti under Jakhalabandha Police Station and recovered weapons and ammunition from a person called Pradip Mura who possessed weapons to carry out poaching in the Kaziranga National Park. Some 200 Indian crew members and passengers stuck in a luxury cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan due to coronavirus outbreak have urged Indian authorities to evacuate them. In one of his social media posts, the 30-year-old is seen appealing to authorities seeking their intervention. Reports claim that out of 3,700 members in the ship 61 had tested positive and 41 had contracted the virus. Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India said that the authorities are closelt monitoring the situation. Through a tweet. the Cruise company announced that “The Japanese Ministry of Health has confirmed the #DiamondPrincess quarantine end date will be February 19, unless there are any other unforeseen developments.” War of words ensued between AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and BJP's Smriti Irani after Kejriwal posted a tweet which Irani deemed anti-women. In a tweet Kejriwal had urged women to go out and vote. The last sentence of the tweet read, “ Please do discuss with men whom it would be better to vote for.” Irani retorted by tweeted, “Do you not consider women capable enough to decide for themselves who to vote for?” Kejriwal did not let it go, so he tweeted, “ Smriti ji, the women of Delhi have decided who to vote for. And this time in Delhi, women have decided on behalf of their family. After all they have to take care of their homes.” The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leadership is alarmed at the rapid disillusionment of the tribal supporters of the Sangh Parivar in recent times and has asked its cadre to take early remedial steps in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The RSS leadership asked its workers to spread out among targeted groups and show results. The top leadership of the Parivar took stock of its shrinking base in the two key states where it ruled for 15 years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned of threatening locust activity along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. Already swarm of locusts have caused tremendous havoc in regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Pakistan government has declared a national emergency to eliminate the attacking swarms of desert locust in Punjab after wiping it out in Sindh, the media reported on Saturday.

Guy has been the National Director for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme from its inception. He advises a number of countries on the development of their own Dual Career programmes, including currently being the International Advisor on Dual Careers for the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology. He has previously been Chef de Mission and Team Manager for a number of GB delegations and teams across various sports and events. Guy chairs the European Union Expert Group in Human Resources Development in Sport, having previously been Chair for the Education and Training in Sport Expert Group. He is also a member of the British Weightlifting Board and is Chair to their High Performance Group.

Missions Presentation from Damon Cha of Christ Bible Institute. Complete presentation with recorded Q-A. Only Damon was mic'd so the Questions will not be audible -well at least- in that section of the recording.

President of VREF on aircraft valuation. A new Fat Albert, electric airplane from André Borschberg, EASA & 737 MAX, additive manufacturing, supersonic flight emissions, Boeing T-X experimental test pilot, major general with Japanese Ministry of Defense.

It's not so much the mil-mil relationship ... the political relationship is something that's a little more volatile than it has been in the past This episode is the next in a series of releases on the emerging environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as part of the 2019 Senior Conference. Often when thinking about security in the Asia-Pacific region, Americans do so from an egocentric perspective. This episode flips the script a little bit, presenting the Indo-Pacific region as seen from Japan. Joining us in the studio is Jeffrey Hornung, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and a specialist in Japanese security and foreign policies, East Asian security issues, maritime security, and U.S. foreign and defense policies in the Asia-Pacific region, including its alliances. A BETTER PEACE Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.     Jeffrey Hornung is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation.. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of A BETTER PEACE. Photo: Then-Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert is escorted by a troop commander as he performs a customary troop inspection at a full honors ceremony to welcome Greenert and his delegation to Japan upon their arrival at the Japanese Ministry of Defense in 2014 for a series of counterpart visits with Japanese political and military leaders. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Peter D. Lawlor, public domain. Other releases in the Indo-Pacific Region Series: “FICINT”: ENVISIONING FUTURE WAR THROUGH FICTION & INTELLIGENCE (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)HOW COMPETITORS USE TECHNOLOGY TO SHAPE THE ENVIRONMENT (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)HYPERCOMPETITION AND TRANSIENT ADVANTAGE (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)SECURITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION: THE VIEW FROM TOKYO (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)THE MEANING OF ‘PARTNERSHIP’ IN THE INDO-PACIFIC (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)DEMOGRAPHICS, AGING, AND SECURITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)

Do you ever wonder why it's so difficult as a Japanese person to get your message across to your global business counterparts? Your English isn't good enough? No. Your English is probably fine. The problem is something else. And once you realize that, you can overcome it. I recently interviewed Kazuhisa Shibayama, who built his career in the Japanese Ministry of Finance, the UK Treasury, and McKinsey & Company's Tokyo and New York offices. He developed an algorithm based on an investment theory advocated by Nobel laureates and founded WealthNavi, a robo-advisor service that helps working families in Japan to build financial wealth for their retirement. In Episode 12 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear A junior consultant's biggest mistake Why Japanese people have a disadvantage in global business communication - and it's NOT English The 3 steps to be a better global communicator and much more!

There's an intriguing story out of Japan, as the Japanese Ministry of Defense has finally admitted its two Isumi class "helicopter carriers" are capable […] The post NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE NEFARIUM MARCH 14 2019 appeared first on The Giza Death Star.

Show Notes This week, we recap and review Mobile Suit Gundam episode 15, "Cucuruz Doan's Island," discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on: the different Japanese terms for martial arts (and why Cucuruz uses kakutogi), who is Suzumura Kazuyuki?, the skinny Zaku, desertion in WWII, Anime Friend and the episode production team, and the nuances of the Japanese word nioi.Special note: This is only episode 15 in Japanese releases. This episode has never been included in an English-language release.- For an explanation of why the Japanese Ministry of Education used katogi rather than budo to describe martial arts in schools, check out this book: García, Raúl Sánchez. The Historical Sociology of Japanese Martial Arts. Routledge, 2019.- And for definitions of the various terms for martial arts: Encyclopedia of Japanese Martial Arts, David A. Hall, Kodansha International; 1 edition (February 22, 2013)- A discussion of the Japan Self-Defense Force's specific form close-quarter-combat (source in Japanese).- Anime News Network profile of Suzumura Kazuyuki.- Fan discussion of the "skinny Zaku" (source in Japanese).- All about Anime Friend, former subsidiary of Tatsunoko Productions (source in Japanese).- An overview of desertion during WWII and specifically in the Pacific War, news stories about a book that discusses the experiences of specific deserters from the US army.- The article in which I found that horrific account of accidentally killing civilans.- A paper discussing WWII in Papua New Guinea, and its effects on the indigenous population generally and on the relations between the indigenous population and the colonial administrative forces.- More statistics on desertion, as well as the story of the group of Japanese soldier in Okinawa who deserted to surrender to the US Army, A book chapter detailing Japanese deserters' involvement in the Viet Minh, and a more recent news article touching on the wrongful executions of supposed Japanese army deserters.You can subscribe to the Mobile Suit Breakdown for free! on fine Podcast services everywhere and on YouTube, follow us on twitter @gundampodcast, check us out at gundampodcast.com, email your questions, comments, and complaints to gundampodcast@gmail.com.The intro music is WASP by Misha Dioxin, and the outro is Long Way Home by Spinning Ratio, both licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. Both have been edited for length. Mobile Suit Breakdown provides critical commentary and is protected by the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. All Gundam content is copyright and/or trademark of Sunrise Inc., Bandai, or its original creator. Mobile Suit Breakdown is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Sunrise Inc. or Bandai or any of its subsidiaries, employees, or associates and makes no claim to own Gundam or any of the copyrights or trademarks related to it. Copyrighted content used in Mobile Suit Breakdown is used in accordance with the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. Any queries should be directed to gundampodcast@gmail.comFind out more at http://gundampodcast.com

Show Notes This week, we recap and review Mobile Suit Gundam episode 13, "Coming Home," discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on: the original Pinocchio and some of the Japanese media it inspired, military quartering and billeting, and the martial art judo.- Overview of The Adventures of Pinocchio, Pinocchio as a character, and some of the darker themes of the original story.- Various adaptations of the Pinocchio story, including the 1940 Disney film, Osamu Tezuka's manga adaptation, and the two anime series: Piccolino no Bōken and Pinocchio: The Series.- Text and explanation of the 3rd Ammendment of the US Constitution, first-person accounts of German soldiers quartering and billeting in occupied territory, and a discussion of the US army quartering in private homes on the Aleutian islands.- Judo's origins and other Judo information from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and premier English-language judo website, Judo Info.We also consulted this book: Encyclopedia of Japanese Martial Arts, David A. Hall, Kodansha International; 1 edition (February 22, 2013)You can subscribe to the Mobile Suit Breakdown for free! on fine Podcast services everywhere and on YouTube, follow us on twitter @gundampodcast, check us out at gundampodcast.com, email your questions, comments, and complaints to gundampodcast@gmail.com.The intro music is WASP by Misha Dioxin, and the outro is Long Way Home by Spinning Ratio, both licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. Both have been edited for length. Mobile Suit Breakdown provides critical commentary and is protected by the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. All Gundam content is copyright and/or trademark of Sunrise Inc., Bandai, or its original creator. Mobile Suit Breakdown is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Sunrise Inc. or Bandai or any of its subsidiaries, employees, or associates and makes no claim to own Gundam or any of the copyrights or trademarks related to it. Copyrighted content used in Mobile Suit Breakdown is used in accordance with the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. Any queries should be directed to gundampodcast@gmail.comFind out more at http://gundampodcast.com

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced that Tokyo wants to acquire a pair of long-range cruise missiles -- the 500 km-range Joint Strike Missile from Norway and the 1000 km range JASSM-ER -- to arm the country's new F-35.  Aaron and Jeffrey discussion the implications for Article 9 of Japan's constitution and stability in the region. Links of Note: Japan Times article on the Japanese Ministry of Defense's plans for cruise missile acquisitions. Sponsored Links: Our sponsor this episode is ActionKit, a powerful suit of online campaigning tools. https://actionkit.com/wonk

How Julie Cairns Used Self -Awareness and Mindset to Drive a $6 Million Turnaround (and How You Can Too) - Part 2 of 2 Julie Cairns is on a mission to empower people to live an abundant life free from false beliefs.  In this spirit, she wrote the book The Abundance Code: How to Bust Seven Mind Myths for a Rich Life Now. She also spearheaded the abundance code documentary in March 2016 to help people everywhere make a shift to the abundance mindset, and seek joint solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our planet.Trained as an economist and statistician where she received a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education. Julie went on to co-found and run an English school there. She then went on to work at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and then Macquarie Bank (also in Australia). In 2001 she co-founded the Trading Pursuits Group, a financial markets education company where she is the Managing Director.She's got over 20 years of experience in analyzing global economic trends and financial market conditions, and is the co-author of the book Taming the Beasts' Secrets to Profit in Volatile Bull and Bear Markets.She's also studied various aspects of economics, statistics finance and spent 15 years of post-graduate spirits in the financial markets. Share this Episode: Click to Tweet Links Mentioned: Click here to download the podcast shownotes TheAbundanceCode.com/blog TradingPursuits.com www.CallAshRoy.com www.Youtube.com/ProductiveInsights Books Mentioned: The Abundance Code: How to Bust the 7 Money Myths for a Rich Life Now Taming the Beast: How To Profit in Volatile Bull and Bear Markets The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Key Points and Insights 4:11 - How Julie effected a $6 Million turnaround in four years 4:21 - The exact process Julie followed that led to the $6 Million turnaround 6:34 - Making relevant offers that offer solutions your clients have been asking for is key 9:43 - How to develop an abundance mindset (and how to ditch the scarcity mindset) 15:33 - Awareness and acknowledgement of challenges around mindset MUST happen in order to improve your mindset 17:38 - How to reprogram your beliefs 18:37 - Common money myths busted 28:08 - Key Points and action steps Action Steps Identify your belief Weaken that belief (challenge the belief) Overwrite the belief using the simple "sleepy mind" technique

How Julie Cairns Used Self -Awareness and Mindset to Drive a $6 Million Turnaround (and How You Can Too) - Part 1 of 2 Julie Cairns is on a mission to empower people to live an abundant life free from false beliefs.  In this spirit, she wrote the book The Abundance Code: How to Bust Seven Mind Myths for a Rich Life Now. She also spearheaded the abundance code documentary in March 2016 to help people everywhere make a shift to the abundance mindset, and seek joint solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our planet.Trained as an economist and statistician where she received a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Julie went on to co-found and run an English school. Julie then went on to work at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and then Macquarie Bank (also in Australia). In 2001 she co-founded the Trading Pursuits Group, a financial markets education company where she is the Managing Director.She's got over 20 years of experience in analyzing global economic trends and financial market conditions, and is the co-author of the book Taming the Beasts' Secrets to Profit in Volatile Bull and Bear Markets.She's also studied various aspects of economics, statistics finance and spent 15 years of post-graduate spirits in the financial markets.Julie also happens to be a very dear friend of mine and we chat on Skype very regularly about mindset. Share this Episode: Click to Tweet Links Mentioned: Click here to download the podcast shownotes TradingPursuits.com www.CallAshRoy.com www.Youtube.com/ProductiveInsights Related Episodes: 114. Lisa Myers on Mindset And How It Applies To Your Business (Part 1 of 2) 115. Lisa Myers on Mindset And How It Applies To Your Business (Part 2 of 2) 122. Shark Tank Judge — John McGrath — On How To Cultivate A Success Mindset And Build An Enduring Brand Books Mentioned: The Abundance Code: How to Bust the 7 Money Myths for a Rich Life Now Taming the Beast: How To Profit in Volatile Bull and Bear Markets The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Key Points and Insights 3:53 - Julie's backstory 5:40 - Why mindset is so critical to making an impact 16:24 - Noticing patterns and how they repeat themselves 18:50 - Acknowledgement of patterns is critical (if you want to change them) 20:00 - The science of the subconscious mind 24:31 - Sabotaging success 24:50 - Beliefs around money 29:43 - How Julie's pattern recognition (and subsequent actions) led to a $6 million turnaround

Maria Olczak (FSR) and Peter Fraser (Head of Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division at IEA) discuss the key messages coming from the latest edition of World Energy Outlook published on 14 November 2017. The major observed shifts include: massive deployment and failing costs of clean energy technologies, mainly solar; the significant growth in the electrification of energy; and the changing landscape of natural gas markets. The IEA predicts that natural gas will grow much faster than the other fossil fuel, especially in developing economies. In the second part of the interview, Peter Fraser explains how LNG is changing current global gas order and how rising LNG exports from the US are leading towards a more flexible and liquid global market, with major role of Qatar, Australia, USA. Podcast recorded on the sidelines of the workshop “Promoting a flexible, liquid and transparent global LNG market” organized jointly by the European Commission (DG Energy) and Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Florence, 15 November 2017.

International Japanese Staff Armageddon   Japan seems to be going in opposing directions at the same time, when it comes to the supply of internationalised staff suitable for foreign companies. The statistics show a peak in 2004 of 83,000 Japanese students venturing off-shore. This dropped to a low of 57,500 in 2011 and since that point has climbed back above 60,000. Just to put that in context, Korea has over 73,00 students studying overseas but has half the population of Japan. Today, with many international companies looking to hire English speaking, internationalised Japanese staff, the supply situation is looking grim. Some Japanese domestic companies are becoming strong competitors because they need more international Japanese as well. These firms are branching out overseas because they fear the decline in the Japanese consumer population will stunt their future growth. Once upon a time, this meant shipping Japanese expats off overseas to be forgotten for five years, before sending the next one. The shortage of staff in Japan makes this proposition harder these days, because they are needed here as the boomer generation retires. Also with the increasing integration of overseas enterprise purchases into the Japanese mother ship, the internationalisation of the local headquarters staff is also becoming more important. So we have less Japanese youth going overseas and an increasing demand at home for those with good English and international experience. The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) has been attempting to address this shortage. In 2013, the Japan Revitalization Strategy announced a government target of doubling the number of students studying abroad to 120,000 by 2020. There have been new programmes introduced such as the “Reinventing Japan” project (2011), the “Tobitate!” (Leap for Tomorrow!) study abroad campaign (2013), and the TeamUp campaign (2015). Doubling the overseas Japanese student population to 120,000 by 2020 sounds like an education bureaucrat's wild fantasy, but at least there is an effort being made to address the shortage. I won't be holding my breath in anticipation that these programmes will be producing the numbers needed in the immediate future. Why aren't this generation heading overseas to study? A British Council 2014 study found four key reasons: 1. Don't have the language skills (51%), 2. Too expensive (41%), 3. Unsafe (32%) and 4. Courses abroad are too difficult (12%). There has been a lot of discussion also about the inward looking nature of this generation. The Lehman Shock put loyal staff out on the street and shook up their kid's assumptions about following the same lifetime employment path of their fathers. Consequently, like Millennials elsewhere, they seem very focused on themselves. They don't have much patience for things which are mendokusai or troublesome That includes studying English and dealing with pesky foreigners. The 3/11 triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor core meltdown refocused everyone on family, staying close (kizuna) and personal safety. Going overseas doesn't really fit into that picture. Having said that though, the British Council study concluded that the interest in studying abroad is still strong. The interest may be there, but their actions are not matching the needs of business here. The risk aversion of the Japanese mentality also operates against going overseas. Their perfectionist qualities also make the mastery of English seem like the impossible dream. Getting a job when you get back is an issue because of the inflexible nature of Japanese company hiring practices. Being older than your sempai (seniors) who entered the company before you, is confusing for the company hierarchical culture. Fitting in is also harder because now because they no longer think the same as everyone else. They have dared to be different and this is not a formula for career success in Japan. There are a couple of things we can do. Larger companies can look at providing scholarships, with golden handcuff clauses, to assist the motivated who want to study overseas, but may be financially restrained from doing so. Related to that is the issue of keeping internationalised youth in the company after hiring them. This is where company culture becomes a winner.   Conditions of employ can be a lot more flexible than in competitor Japanese companies. With a declining youth population, (the number of those aged zero to thirty-four, halves over the next 40 years) employers will have to become a lot more flexible anyway, if they want to retain staff. These graduates often want to work in an international environment. However, they find themselves surrounded by local Japanese colleagues and they can't get to use that English they worked so hard to improve. Create opportunities for them to use their English by making English the language of the office. Monday and Wednesday can be designated Japanese day and Tuesday and Thursday English day. Friday is your free choice. Getting middle managers properly trained to lead the young is going to be a key to retention and even more so with those international youth returned from study overseas. Coaching and communication skills are going to be at a premium, because in the coming free agent world of work, the young will walk without hesitation. Recruiters will be ringing their cash registers hard as they pick up fees for luring your young away by painting a glowing picture of the greener grass at your rival's firm. Your managers have to preclude that possibility by knowing how to provide the young a style of leadership they themselves never experienced. Tough love leading is out, because otherwise all that will be left will be tough times, as staff shortages hit companies hard. Our hiring Armageddon winter is coming. Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com   If you enjoy these articles, then head over to www.japan.dalecarnegie.com and check out our "Free Stuff" offerings - whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. Take a look at our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules.   About The Author Dr. Greg Story: President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan.   A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcasts “THE Leadership Japan Series”, "THE Sales Japan series", THE Presentations Japan Series", he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer.   Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.        

Prof. Richard Werner. The Japanese economy out-performed most other economies in the half century until 1990. However, since about 1992 it has fallen into a severe recession which has, despite temporary recoveries, lasted for over two decades. In this talk the fundamental cause of both the bubble economy of the 1980s and the long recession since will be discussed, as well as the role played by the Japanese central bank and its key figures. The motivation of the central bank will be explored, as well as measures to end the recession. The Japanese experience is compared to that in Europe, and lessons for the world will be drawn. Professor Richard A Werner, born in Germany in 1967, holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics and a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford. He is a Member of Linacre College, Oxford, and has also studied at the University of Tokyo. Richard has been Professor of International Banking at the University of Southampton for over twelve years. He is founding director of its Centre for Banking, Finance and Sustainable Development, which is the first research centre to focus on the link between the financial sector and sustainability issues. He is also a member of the ECB Shadow Council and founding chair of Local First, a community interest company establishing not-for-profit community banks in the UK. His recommended charity is the Association for Research on Banking and the Economy (arbe.org.uk). Richard previously was a professor of monetary, macro and development economics at Frankfurt University and tenured assistant professor at Sophia University, Tokyo. He has also taught development finance and sustainability at Moscow State University. His work experience includes over four years as highly rated chief economist at Jardine Fleming Securities (Asia) Ltd., a stint as Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns Asset Management Ltd., many years managing global macro funds, several years as senior consultant to the Asian Development Bank and periods as visiting scholar and visiting researcher at the Japanese Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan, respectively. He was also the first Shimomura Fellow at the Development Bank of Japan. In 1992, while European Commission Fellow at Oxford University's Institute for Economics and Statistics, Richard proposed the disaggregation of credit and its impact on asset markets and growth with his ‘Quantity Theory of Credit’ (see page). In 1995, he advanced the concept of ‘quantitative easing’ in Japan (published in the leading daily newspaper, the Nikkei, on 2 September 1995). His book ‘Princes of the Yen’ was a No. 1 bestseller in Japan and warned of the coming creation of credit bubbles and banking crises in the eurozone. So did his 2005 book ‘New Paradigm in Macroeconomics’ (Palgrave Macmillan). In 2014, Richard published the first empirical proof of the fact that banks create money out of nothing when they grant loans. The World Economic Forum, Davos, selected him as “Global Leader for Tomorrow” in 2003. Co-organised with Department of Economics and Japan Economy Network Speaker(s): Prof. Richard Werner, Dr Ulrich Volz Event Date: 7 December 2016 Released by: SOAS Economics Podcast

Shea and Derek return for another month's serving of warm, creamy manga. This one includes a heaping helping of other worldly phantoms and pedagogical cephalopods. In keeping with the spirit (literally) of the Halloween season, the guys begin with Nukuharu's Anomal (Gen Manga), a collection of seven short stores originally serialized in the Gen manga anthology. They enjoy the narratives well enough, but they're not entirely sure they understand the premises that Nukuharu establishes. At times there are noticeable gaps in exposition, as if the reader is coming into the middle of a story world with little context. Nonetheless, there are some stories that really stand out for the guys, such as "Kaeshi" and "Kaguya." While Anomal might not have been the strongest collection Derek and Shea have read, they conclude that it is worth checking out. Next, the Two Guys discuss the first six books in Yusei Matsui's Assassination Classroom series (the latest volume having just been released from VIZ Media). Whereas several of Nukuharu's stories were thin on premise, one cannot say the same of Matsui's efforts. Assassination Classroom centers on a mysterious other worldly being resembling an octopus, and who threatens to annihilate the earth, after having demonstrated his powers by destroying seventy percent of the moon. For some unknown reason, he asks to be the teacher of the underachieving students at Kunugigaoka Academy, a junior high prep school in Tokyo. All the while, and with the help of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the students are trained and encouraged to assassinate their alien teacher, an all but impossible task given his varied and unlikely powers. The round-faced and multi-tentacled word-be destroyer adopts the name Koro Sensei -- a combination of "koro senai" (meaning "can't be killed") and "sensei" (teacher) -- and throughout the series he instructs his students on self-betterment, self-respect, and a sense of life purpose. As both Shea and Derek highlight, the series' strong suit is its ensemble cast, including conflicted classmates, unprincipled principals,  and teachers with dubious backgrounds, ranging from government agents to sexy professional assassins. Although Shea is a little uneasy with the series' subtle emphasis on militarization, both agree that Assassination Classroom excels at wringing compelling stories out of outrageous premises. This is a title that the guys will continue to follow.

Roukou and Mitsugi discuss a study done by the Japanese Ministry of Health which discovers that Japanese school girls are having less sex! We also review the hentai Dark Knight Ingrid!