What to call Americans

I thought this was kind of a US-centric article, but it does raise some good points.

Read from the Economist, here.

It is definitely not the most pressing issue, and the way the article concludes by calling us "USAnians" frankly seems a little ridiculous. But, I guess that's just the nature of the topic anyway. Pretty ridiculous.

Still an interesting topic, that there isn't one all-encompassing term that refers to, or means, "from the United States." I thought that's what the word American was for. Oh well.

Irene and Saki are going to be meeting with us in the office today, so looking forward to a productive day.

JALD has gone very smoothly and rapidly thus far; let's hope that things stay this way. Plans with JANM have been confirmed and it looks like things will play out as we hope. CG-JA Meeting plans have also begun.

Off to meeting now.

China and US - Clean Energy

China has already made some big steps forward in implementing clean energy...what is taking the US so long?

Needless to say, the fact that China has already done this is being used as a way to heckle those who stand in the way of the clean energy initiatives. People here are so dumb - politics are getting in the way of everything useful and necessary. Are we being left behind?

In any case, there is now a joint US-China initiative.

Not sure what this means for US-Japan. Any effect?

A (Progressive?) Rant - or maybe a "whine"

I really think this should be on my other blog, but it doesn't matter. I'm too lazy to log out of my accounts and sign into that one.

The way the world is today is enough to make a person go crazy.

For one, internet comments on blogs drive me nuts, which is why I choose to avoid them in the first place. Just causes a flurry of unproductive emotions and then I feel sullen about our future as Progressives.

Second, there are things like black men (Tyler Perry) making remakes of plays about women of color in a way that is supposed to empower them (For Colored Girls) and then people realizing that the movie is entirely different because instead of taking on the same tone of empowerment, it's something more distorted. I mean, who would have expected that a male could do it the same way, or understand it the same way, that a lot of women have? And I'm talking about those women who were able to draw true life inspiration from that original play or story. I'm not saying it's NEVER possible for it to be done right by a man, but we shouldn't be too surprised when it comes out a different interpretation. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong...but after reading some Bell Hooks I can't help it.

On a work related note, it reminds me of the male speaker who is giving presentations on the "7 Things Affecting Women in Japan." I mean, really? Do I even have to say what is wrong with that picture?

Then third, yesterday on ColorLines, my favorite Progressive blog, I read an article on how Jesse Jackson called a CNN anchor basically "not white enough." Like, what is that supposed to mean? The interracial difficulties just throw my who perspective for a loop. The complexities are simply overwhelming.

And fourth, this stereotype - drawn from a blog entry on the "Dick and Jane" quality of a recent textbook about Mom and Jeff (two separate lessons, I take it ) that seems to be enforcing gender roles and stereotypes - of progressives as being super sensitive and whiny....

since when is it "sensitive" and "whiny" to point out legitimate problems or issues in things like books, or even in our greater society? That totally makes me angry, when instead of listening to the message that is actually being conveyed, people just pin it as not worth any attention and thus dismissing it entirely.

Granted, some progressives do harp on problems too much without adequate problem solving discourse or thought, but really, when someone is talking about these issues, as a fellow progressive, shouldn't we hear this person out? Obviously if it's being said, it's because it holds some sort of significance for this person.

Nobody's perfect, and I'm guilty of this, too. But really.

This makes me almost as mad as getting stuck behind a Prius in traffic that is going 20 mph and has 8 car lengths in front of it the whole way. I mean, really. You'd think someone who cares so much about the environment would at least know HOW to drive the right way and be considerate of other drivers.

Anyway. Back to work....

India and the US are now collaborating on clean energy, too!

California

The organization is bipartisan, but I have to say...

good job California ?

I don't really know.

U.S. Politics

November 2nd elections have passed.

These midterm elections were indicative of widespread dissatisfaction with Obama and the Democrats. Republicans took the House but not the Senate. Prop 19, for the legalization of marijuana, did not pass, but neither did Prop 23, the dirty energy proposition. A majority vote for the budget - Prop 25 - did pass, but so did a supermajority vote for taxes (Prop 26).

Our country is deeply divided and I hope the Republicans and conservatives are not successful in taking over. Without Obama and the Dems we are lost!

Read about it in the NY Times, here.

Delicious Site for Articles

Instead of posting all articles here, I've decided to open a Delicious bookmarking account specifically for storing relevant or useful links.

Find it, here.

The start of US-Japan

This article gives us some background on the reason to celebrate the alliance, and how it all started.

From Angry Asian Man

I know this is supposed to be a US-Japan focused blog, but when we talk about East Asia it's hard to ignore China.

Here, on "playing the China card."

Then, on a related note, a study was done on the rise of xenophobia in America. Not necessarily towards East Asians, Japanese Americans included, but our communities were definitely subjected to these kinds of statements once upon a time. Is there no reason to stand up for these communities now? They are being victimized with racist rhetoric and unacceptably negative treatment. It's nothing new, really, but why does this keep happening? Seems like a good study, here.

Could definitely be something to think about in the larger global discussion...still thinking of ways it directly ties into the US-Japan relationship. Maybe it doesn't, yet. But the intersection, I'm sure, is undeniable at some point. Perhaps it will lead to a better understanding of the kinds of things this organization needs to do to promote greater acceptance of what may be perceived to be "foreign" communities, for better collaboration and cooperation. We will not have the same kinds of struggles the South Asian and Southeast Asian communities are having now, so that makes us lucky. But being cognizant of the significance of sentiments like these could prove beneficial if we can figure out how rid of these kinds of detrimental viewpoints that merely demonstrate clear lack of understanding about other cultures and people.

US-Japan is at least a great start.

Wow.

Seriously, what is this?

Like Angry Asian Man said, definitely racist and xenophobic. This is our world, sadly.

Yay for US-Japan Open Skies!

Read the article, here.

And then, United Continental's response in an article - they give their applause.

Now if only we could work on those study abroad students....

Countdown for the JAs

5 more days until the JALD application deadline. I am so nervous-excited! Once they all come flooding in, and once they are all done flooding in, the work will be nonstop for the next couple of months.

U.S. and China (and Japan)

The topic of China seems to be a sensitive one, within this organization, even within this country.

Among this organization's many target issues is the topic of clean energy, which has run into some resistance in this country due to financial and funding problems (i.e. total lack of funds and Prop 23 in this upcoming election). But here, an article on why U.S. and China should team up on the clean energy front.

Japan and the U.S. have had much to collaborate on, both with clean energy as a prospect and also on high speed rail. But both are also things that China has been jumping in on, and even received praise in the U.S. for their advanced technology and ability to move forward on these issues, unlike the U.S. side.

China is a point of worry for many people, for various reasons, though it all comes down to that fear that China is going to one day take over the whole world. The world's largest powers are feeling threatened, and justifiably so. China has already overtaken Japan as the 2nd largest economy to the U.S., and that is starting to make people nervous. Most of all, if China becomes the new focus, what will happen to the U.S.-Japan relationship? Granted, that relationship is considered fairly stable, but who knows what will happen once China jumps in and creates a stable relationship with this country, if that ever happens.

This whole "ruling the seas" tension is already making things much more complicated than all 3 countries need them to be. It's a shame that the Conference's Trilateral Relationship panel didn't turn out to be the most ideal of arrangements; it could have sparked some very significant and much needed dialogue on the topic. I would have liked to hear where it could go.

Overall, I don't feel like I know enough about the relationships between the 3 countries to really make any critical judgments or form any substantial opinions on the issue, but I do think that this organization needs to continue to work hard to provide Japan activities and the Japanese American community's activities with large amounts of visibility. The work that's going on there needs to continue to be recognized, not overshadowed by fears or potentials with China. At least the US-Japan activities and collaboration are real.

On China and Japan tensions

An article by Sheila Smith.

Basically...the Japanese don't seem to be dealing with this China issue very well. They're too internally focused to really think effectively about how to solve the problem and deal with China. So Japanese.

Current Projects

Current projects on the LA side:

2011 Japanese American Leadership Delegation (applications due this week)

CG/JA Leaders Meeting

Other ongoing:

Hawaii Symposium, Dec. 3rd

Governors Meeting, Nov. 15

Board Meeting Call, Nov. 1st

JALD work has been on the lighter side, but as soon as the applications come flooding in the work load will increase exponentially. Nervous but also excited to see how the program and delegation team will turn out this year.

Welcome to my work world.

Although I only just started in May, in just a short amount of time I have learned so much about the US-Japan relationship. The work I've done and become involved with since then, especially since the Annual Conference in September, has become an integral part of my interests and everyday life.

The purpose of this blog is to log current ongoings with the organization for my own personal use, as well as keep track of important articles, links, or other resources that are or will be helpful to my work and projects here.

It is in no way representative of the organization, and contains my views only.