Sul principale quotidiano giapponese, il Yomiuri Shimbun, con 12 milioni di copie giornaliere, è comparso l’articolo del corrispondente in Italia Kazuki Mazuhara dal titolo: assistenza giapponese sospesa unilateralmente. Il giornalista fa riferimento al rifiuto del Governo italiano di ricevere l’aiuto giapponese consistente nella realizzazione dell’Auditorium presentato dal Primo Ministro giapponese Taro Aso a Berlusconi durante il G8 de L’Aquila. Il progetto era stato donato dall’architetto giapponese Shigeru Ban che si era impegnato in prima persona anche nella raccolta fondi per la realizzazione : per metà, 500′000€ dal Governo giapponese e per altri 500′000€ da fondazioni e che già avevano già dato ampia disponibilità.

Il progetto prevedeva la realizzazione della nuova sede del Conservatorio “Alfredo Casella” e di annesso Auditorium da circa 600 posti, Si era pensato perfino alla cerimonia d’inaugurazione per la quale si sarebbe scomodato Seiji Ozawa, uno dei massimi direttori d’orchestra al mondo. Il progetto di Shigeru Ban prevedeva il recupero e la riqualificazione della rimessa della ex metropolitana in superficie situata a Pettino, abbandonata e mai utilizzata, la cui struttura mai completata e indenne al terremoto sarebbe stata sfruttata per la grande copertura dell’Auditorium contenendo così costi e tempi di realizzazione ed allo stesso tempo riparando l’ennesimo scempio di incompiuta. Il cantiere inoltre sarebbe diventato un workshop per gli studenti della Facoltà di Ingegneria – Architettura de L’Aquila. Una volontà espressa proprio dall’Architetto Ban e consueta in molti cantieri del Voluntary Architects Network, Ong che opera in situazioni d’emergenza di cui Ban è fondatore.

A meno di un mese da tutti questi avvenimenti improvvisamente si decide di cambiare strada, e di tornare indietro. L’amministrazione comunale inspiegabilmente ritiene l’area non idonea ed il 31 luglio la Protezione Civile espropria un’area in cui però è prevista la realizzazione del solo Conservatorio. Per L’Auditorium invece non ci sono soldi, almeno così afferma la Protezione Civile interrogata dall’ ANSA subito dopo l’uscita della notizia dell’articolo del Yomiuri Shimbun : “No l’Auditorium dell’Aquila non si farà [...] al momento non è possibile […] L’Auditorium costerebbe chiavi in mano 4 milioni di euro. Il problema è che per attuare tutte le opere nel territorio stiamo procedendo attraverso gare di appalto. E questo ovviamente non sarebbe possibile farlo per un’opera già progettata. Dovremmo procedere attraverso assegnazione diretta, ma questo noi stiamo cercando sempre di evitarlo. Non potendo procedere ad assegnazione tramite gara, servirebbero ulteriori finanziamenti. I 500mila euro offerti dal governo nipponico sono insufficienti” ed ancora “considerando le infrastrutture accessorie (parcheggi e viabilità), ci sono costi per circa 3,6 milioni di euro. “Manca il budget“, è il commento dei responsabili per la ricostruzione post terremoto, riferisce il quotidiano nipponico.”*
.
Relativamente all’incidenza delle infrastrutture sul costo dell’opera il prof. Aldo Benedetti, docente presso la Facoltà di Ingegneria de L’Aquila ed architectural consultant dell’opera, nella sua intervista ci spiega che in realtà le infrastrutture sono già tutte presenti nell’area, in quanto punto strategico adiacente l’uscita dell’autostrada al contrario dell’area espropriata dalla Protezione Civile. Per quanto riguarda i parcheggi, riportati anche nel progetto esecutivo di Shigeru Ban, erano già previsti e quindi finanziati tra le opere pubbliche nell’ambito delle infrastrutture satelliti della metropolitana in superficie.

Sull’affermazione relativa all’impossibilità di inserire un’opera già progettata all’interno di gare d’appalto ci appare inspiegabile in quanto è al contrario anomala la modalità di gara d’appalto di progetto ed esecuzione congiunta. Infatti le gare d’appalto per i lavori pubblici prevedono una prima gara per i progettisti e successivamente, definito l’esecutivo del progetto, viene indetta una gara per l’appalto dei lavori. Probabilmente per la ricostruzione la Protezione Civile per questioni di urgenza avrà ritenuto opportuno trovare soluzioni più celeri, ma di fronte ad un progetto esecutivo completamente definito, sul quale c’erano sostegni economici si sarebbe potuto fare una scontata eccezione..

Hiroyasu Ando, l’ambasciatore giapponese a Roma, ha commentato così la vicenda:”La sospensione è fuori dal senso comune della diplomazia perché si tratta di una cosa decisa tra i capi di governo dei due Paesi“. La tensione tra Roma e Tokio è evidente, per questo l’ufficio stampa della Protezione Civile precisa che “Bertolaso ha già preso appuntamento per la prossima settimana con l’ambasciatore giapponese per trovare una soluzione alternativa che consenta con la donazione nipponica di realizzare un’opera completa“. Abbiamo cercato di metterci in contatto con la segreteria dell’ambasciatore Ando per sapere se era stata fissata una data dell’incontro ma alla domanda non abbiamo avuto risposta.

Dietro tutto questo teatrino intanto la notizia incredibile è che il cantiere per il Nuovo Conservatorio è già iniziato da tempo, i soldi per la ricostruzione sono stati trovati, precisamente 5775000.00€ + iva: molti di più di quelli previsti anche pessimisticamente dalla stessa Protezione Civile e sul quale c’erano anche un milione di euro di donazioni ma il progetto non è quello di Shigeru Ban. La Protezione Civile infatti l’11 settembre scorso indice una gara d’appalto lampo (progetto + esecuzione) per quasi 6 milioni di euro della durata di appena 10 giorni (dall’11 settembre data del bando al 22 settembre scadenza) per la realizzazione di una struttura temporanea Il risultato di tutto questo? Una banale struttura MSP realizzata dall’impresa C.M.P. Costruzioni Metalliche Prefabbricate S.r.l. con un ribasso del 28,73% per un importo finale di 4.614.335,00€ .

Il progetto di Shigeru Ban é oggi solo carta straccia, al suo posto prenderá forma un progetto di bassa edilizia, in altro luogo meno adatto, più costoso e senza auditorium. Resterá a consolarci un’”appetibile” vuoto urbano, abbandonato al suo degrado, i fondi del Governo giapponese rimandati indietro ed un incidente diplomatico in corso. Questo è molto di più che mancanza di buon senso. Non ci resta che augurarci che l’incontro annunciato con l’ambasciatore Ando sia l’opportunità per chiarire l’intera vicenda, confidando nella straordinaria pazienza del popolo nipponico.

Gianluigi D’Angelo

* fonte: ANSA 4 Novembre 2009

L’articolo è tratto dallo Speciale realizzato da Channelbeta di cui fanno parte la video intervista in tre parti all’ing. Aldo Benedetti, Architectural Consultant dell’opera e docente presso la Facoltà di Ingegneria de L’Aquila

Nei prossimi giorni l’Intervista a Shigeru Ban

During last month’s Japanese general election the Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s biggest-circulation newspaper, didn’t manage to nudge anywhere near enough of its 14-million-plus readers to turn doubts about the DPJ into ballot-box action.  These past few days, meanwhile, UK news sites seem to have been making a lot of fuss about The Sun no longer supporting the Labour party.  Maybe we should put the fuss down to a hopeful Mainstream media still matters! After all, whatever The Sun says, & whatever the extent of its influence in 1992, since Blair’s election as Labour leader it’s been following its readers’ electoral decisions not making them.  That’s because it insists on being on the winning side.  It would have preferred to back Howard in 2005 but, had it done so, come polling day there would have been no evidence of its fearsome powers – & for the same reason it would have found itself stuck having to offer a tepid endorsement of Brown if he’d gone for it this time two years ago when Labour was a shoo-in.  Now, though, The Sun can happily rather than grumblingly run along behind.

Just how much does Kim Jong-il have to taunt and torment us before we say enough is enough and obliterate the North Korean regional and world menace once and for all? Is there anything we won’t let them get away with, a line somewhere we’ll defend that they haven’t already crossed yet? After recently sentencing two U.S. journalists to 12 years hard labor, how much more in our face does North Korea have to get before we do something about it? What else does Kim Jong-il have to do before we finally push back, provide the fireworks for our Independence Day?

Japan warns that North Korea may fire missile at U.S. on Independence Day

North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials.

The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles, would be launched in early July from the Dongchang-ni site on the north-western coast of the secretive country.

Intelligence analysts do not believe the device would be capable of hitting Hawaii’s main islands, which are 4,500 miles from North Korea.

Details of the launch came from the Japan’s best-selling newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun.
Both Japanese intelligence and U.S. reconnaissance satellites have collated information pointing to the launch, according to the report.

It is understood the communist state is likely to fire the missile between July 4 and 8. A launch on July 4 would coincide with Independence Day in the States.It would also be the 15th anniversary of North Korean president Kim Il-Sung’s death.

The Japanese newspaper also noted that North Korea had fired its first Taepodong-2 missile on July 4, 2006.

See also:
Report: NKorea may fire missile toward Hawaii
Report: N. Korea May Fire ICBM Toward Hawaii
Pentagon: North Korea Missiles Threaten US Homeland
Gates: Missile interceptors on way to Hawaii ahead of North Korea test
U.S. boosts missile defense amid reports of planned N. Korea test

Oh boy, we’re moving missile interceptors to Hawaii, just like we have for every North Korean missile launch so far. Will we intercept their missile? Probably not, we haven’t so far. Hey, I know, since we know exactly where their missile is, sitting on a launch pad, why don’t we really send a message to stop launching missiles and destroy it on the ground with a cruise missile strike, or would that be too provocative? God knows we wouldn’t want to upset Kim Jong-il.

Gee, looky here, after telling North Korea umpteen times that they’re not supposed to be proliferating weapons of mass destruction, they’re at it again. Why won’t they listen to us, aren’t they scared of what we might do in response? Apparently not.

U.S. Military Tracking North Korean Ship Suspected of Proliferating Missiles, Nukes

The U.S. military is tracking a flagged North Korean ship suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution passed last Friday, FOX News has learned.

The ship, Kang Nam, left a port in North Korea Wednesday and appears to be heading toward Singapore, according to a senior U.S. military source. The vessel, which the military has been tracking since its departure, could be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials.

“It is believed to be ‘of interest,’” a senior U.S. official told FOX News.

This is the first suspected “proliferator” that the U.S. and its allies have tracked from North Korea since the United Nations authorized the world’s navies to enforce compliance with a variety of U.N. sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test.

The ship is currently along the coast of China and being monitored around-the-clock by air.

The apparent violation raises the question of how the United States and its allies will respond, particularly since the U.N. resolution does not have a lot of teeth to it.

The resolution would not allow the United States to board the ship forcibly. Rather, U.S. military would have to request permission to board — a request North Korea is unlikely to grant.

See also:
U.S. Navy tracks North Korean ship
Navy monitoring North Korean ship: U.S. officials
Navy monitoring North Korean ship: U.S. officials
N. Korean ship under U.S. watch
Source: Military watching suspicious NKorea ship
Navy Pursues N. Korea Ship; Tensions Rise
N.K.: Searching ships would be ‘act of war’

Well, it would be rude of us to board North Korea’s ship, probably carrying a cargo of WMD, without North Korea’s permission. Besides, the U.N. sanctions resolution, that we argued over for two weeks, doesn’t allow us to board North Korean ships anyway. So, I guess we’ll just follow it instead. I have another idea. where are the SEALs? You know, it’d be a real shame if the Kang Nam were to take on water and sink under mysterious circumstances.

And how does Kim Jong-il pay for all his nefarious activities that irritate us so and yet we do nothing about? He robs and scams us blind!

Warning: Counterfeit dollars from N. Korea

The Treasury Department warned U.S. financial institutions Thursday that the North Korean government may resort to “deceptive financial practices” to get around economic sanctions.

The advisory from the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network comes as the Obama Administration steps up its efforts to prevent North Korea from furthering its nuclear weapons program.

The government said it remains concerned about “high-quality” counterfeit U.S. currency being passed from North Korea and urged banks to scrutinize attempts by North Korean customers to make large cash transactions.

Banks should be wary of attempts to suppress the identity or origin of transactions made by North Korean clients, the advisory said. Money transfers made via third parties, and repeated transfers that appear to have “no legitimate purpose” should also raise red flags.

Global Insurance Fraud By North Korea Outlined

For Kim Jong Il’s birthday, North Korean insurance managers prepared a special gift.

In Singapore, they stuffed $20 million in cash into two heavy-duty bags and sent them, via Beijing, to their leader in Pyongyang, said Kim Kwang Jin, who worked as a manager for Korea National Insurance Corp., a state-owned monopoly.

Kim said he helped arrange the shipment and watched in February 2003 as the cash was packed. After the money arrived, Kim Jong Il sent a letter of thanks to the managers and arranged for some of them to receive gifts that included oranges, apples, DVD players and blankets, Kim said.

“It was a great celebration,” he said.

The $20 million birthday present and the gratitude of its recipient, who is known as the Dear Leader, were annual highlights of a sophisticated global insurance fraud that North Korea has concocted to provide its communist leadership with hard currency, said Kim, who spent five years as an executive of the state insurance company in Pyongyang and worked for a year at its banking subsidiary in Singapore before defecting to South Korea.

“This money helps keep Kim Jong Il in power at a time he is engaged in nuclear brinksmanship,” said David L. Asher, who supervised a State Department unit that attempted to track various illegal activities by North Korea during the Bush administration. “This is the gift that keeps on giving. It has become one of the North’s largest illicit revenue generators.”

In interviews and court documents, Western insurers, U.S. officials and defectors such as Kim said the impoverished and isolated North Korean government has collected hundreds of millions of dollars from some of the world’s largest insurance companies on large and suspicious claims for transportation accidents, factory fires, flood damage and other alleged disasters. Still, recent attempts by international insurers to overturn North Korea’s claims have failed in British courts.

For years, the U.S. government and law enforcement agencies around the world have documented what they describe as state-sponsored criminality in North Korea. They have linked the North to illegal manufacturing and trafficking of drugs ranging from heroin to Viagra, as well as to expert counterfeiting of $100 bills and the production of high-quality counterfeit cigarettes.

Much less has been disclosed about North Korea’s international insurance claims, in part because they have been cloaked in legal settlements by firms with no interest in highlighting their losses.

“The exact scale of the fraud is hard to determine . . . because the insurance industry has been so gullible,” Asher said. North Korean insurance fraud “was absolutely something I should have been looking into more when I was running the [State Department's] illicit activities initiative,” he added.

See also:
US warns banks about North Korea
U.S. Treasury warns on North Korea cash transactions
US Treasury Advises Vigilance By Banks Over N Korea
N Korea Insurance Scam Funds Weapons, Enriches Kim -Report
North Korea in global insurance scam: report
North Korea accused of massive state-sponsored insurance fraud
N.Korea ‘Made Millions from Insurance Scam’

We know what they’re doing to scam us and we can’t stop them. How do I know? Because they’re still doing it. The laugh at us and just ramp up their belligerence knowing full well there will be no consequences for their international outlaw behavior. They know that all they have to do is threaten us or our allies in the region and we’ll back down and do absolutely nothing to reign them in.

N. Korea Warns U.S. of ‘Thousand-Fold’ Military Action

North Korea warned Wednesday of a “thousand-fold” military retaliation against the U.S. and its allies if provoked, the latest threat in a drumbeat of rhetoric in defense of its rogue nuclear program.

Japanese and South Korean news reports said North Korea is preparing an additional site for test-firing a long-range missile capable of striking the U.S.

The warning of a military strike, carried by the North’s state media, came hours after President Barack Obama declared North Korea a “grave threat” to the world, and pledged that recent U.N. sanctions on the communist regime will be aggressively enforced.

North Korea chemical weapons threaten region – report

North Korea has several thousand tons of chemical weapons it can mount on missiles that could be used on a rapid strike against the South, said a report released on Thursday by the International Crisis Group (ICG).

North Korea in recent weeks has raised tensions in North Asia, responsible for one-sixth of the global economy, with missile launches, threats to attack the South and a May 25 nuclear test that led to U.N. sanctions.

The report from the prestigious non-governmental organisation said the consensus view is the North’s army possess about 2,500-5,000 tons of chemical weapons that include mustard gas, sarin and other deadly nerve agents.

“If there is an escalation of conflict and if military hostilities break out, there is a risk that they could be used. In conventional terms, North Korea is weak and they feel they might have to resort to using those,” said Daniel Pinkston, the ICG’s representative on Seoul.

The North has been working on chemical weapons for decades and can deliver them through long-range artillery trained on the Seoul area — home to about half of South Korea’s 49 million people — and via missiles that could hit all of the country.

“The stockpile does not appear to be increasing but is already sufficient to inflict massive civilian casualties on South Korea,” the ICG report said.

After decades of conditioning, North Korea has learned that the phrase “actions have consequences” doesn’t apply to them. They have steadfastly refused to negotiate or, when they have, they’ve broken every single agreement they’ve ever made. The only recourse left that will have any chance of changing their behavior is the use of force, in one form or another. How long will we let this oozing pus sac on the world’s ass continue to fester, hold us virtually hostage, and generally contaminate the concept of civilization?

/why are we not stomping North Korea’s guts out?

LA notizia arriva dal Giappone ed ha immediatamente fatto scalpore. La Brawn GP, che sta ottenendo un grande successo all’inizio del mondiale di Formula 1, è stata acquistata per la simbolica cifra di 1 sterlina. La cifra è stata resa nota dal quotidiano giapponese Yomiuri Shimbun. Un’offerta speciale per l’ex direttore sportivo della Ferrari, che ha acquistato il team dalla Honda Motor. Il quotidiano giapponese ha ricevuto questa informazione da un dirigente della casa automobilistica, che ha spiegato:  “Dal nostro ritiro nel mese di dicembre, la priorità era quella di vendere la scuderia a condizione che l’attività in Formula 1 proseguisse, il prezzo non era un problema. Non potevamo vendere ad un gruppo concorrente che avrebbe cercato di venderla pezzo per pezzo. Volevamo proteggere il posto di lavoro di centinaia di persone, e pensiamo di aver trovato una buona soluzione”.

HIDING CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS – Japanese illegal Whalers get Feds to Hide Whalers Criminal Killings

Japanese Killers try to get Australian Federal Police to Coverup video footage of Whaler’s criminal activities caught on tape.

NEWS!
Friday, February 20, 2009

HIDING CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS – Japanese Whalers get Australian Feds to try to stop YOU from seeing their killings and crimes caught on tape

Australian Feds Seize Whale Wars Footage! Australian Federal Police Seize Whale Wars Videos

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin arrived in Hobart, Tasmania at 1700 Hours on February 20th. The ship was met at dockside by a party of Federal Australian Police officers who boarded the Steve Irwin with a warrant.

The warrant authorized the seizing of “all edited and raw video footage, all edited and raw audio recordings, all still photographs,producer’s notes, interview transcripts, production meeting minutes,post production meeting minutes as well as the ship’s log books, global positioning system records, automatic radar plotting aid, purchase records, receipts, financial transaction records, voyage information and navigational plotted charts.”

The show that Japanese whale killers want to hide! And stop YOU from ever seeing the footage of their illegal killings caught on tape

The Animal Planet series Whale Wars was very embarrassing to the Japanese government and the Japanese whaling industry in 2008.Japan does not wish to see the airing of the second season of Whale Wars and is putting as much diplomatic pressure on Australia as they possibly can to prevent further exposure of their illegal whaling operations in the Southern Ocean.

What Japanese Criminal Whalers, Kyodo Senpaku illegal whaling operation, and ICRWHALE Institute for Cetacean Research would rather you don’t see.

Japanese whale butchers. These are the ones trying to get Americans arrested, Australians charged, trying to hurt Europeans, and Japanese whalers are the ones who want to hurt their own Japanese people and children by selling whale meat which is contaminated with mercury & heavy metals to Japanese children which causes them brain damage, and causes Japanese children to have birth defects.

“I wish that the Australian government would apply the same “diplomatic” pressure on Japan to end their illegal whaling operations,” said Captain Paul Watson. “The Rudd government was electedon a promise to take the Japanese whaling industry to court for their illegal whaling activities. Now they seem to be more interested intaking Sea Shepherd to court for our efforts to intervene against illegal whaling operations.”

Captain Paul Watson said he would welcome a trial.

“We have to start somewhere so it may as well be by taking me to court. Let us get the evidence on the table and although a trial against Sea Shepherd and myself may not allow the introduction of evidence about Japan’s illegal whaling operations, it at least will give us the forum to present our evidence. Let’s see the Australian government bring the Japanese whale killers to Australia to bear witness against Sea Shepherd and Animal Planet and let’s see them appear as witnesses for the government of Australia that professes to be against whaling.”

Arrest Warrant for stoppage of Japanese Whale Killers. Reminder, it’s the JAPANESE WHALERS that are in violation of Australian Federal Law, Japanese whalers are not in their own waters, they have encroached in other nations territorial waters, and are poaching, they are violating the CITES TREATY, whalers are in violation of the UN World Charter on Nature, and whalers are violating the CCLAMR regulations, and the Japanese whalers are using military deadly weapons in violation of the Antarctic Treaty, and the only people that have caused HUMAN DEATH are the Japanese Whalers. Sea Shepherd has never killed or even seriously hurt anyone in their entire 30 year history. It’s the Japanese whalers actions that have caused the death of several people. Including the death of another man within the last month. It’s the Japanese whalers that are criminal killers. And being allowed to continue to kill.

“It’s a very one-sided affair,” continued Captain Watson. “TheJapanese ships have not been boarded by the Australian Federal Police; they have not had their video and navigational data confiscated. They have not been questioned nor will they be, yet they violently attacked my ship and crew in the Southern Ocean. Does the law only go to bat for those who destroy nature’s creation? Are we about to see the ultimate kangaroo court where Sea Shepherd will be legally crucified because the Australian government has not lived up to their promise of taking the whale killers to court? The truth is that we would not have to be in the Southern Ocean defending the whales if the governments of the world would simply enforce the international conservation treaties they once so proudly signed into law. Without enforcement there is no law – just ecological anarchy.”

Captain Watson said he had no complaints about the Australian Federal Police.”They were very professional and polite and they were doing their job in carrying out the orders of the government.” “We have quite the year ahead of us,” continued Captain Watson. “We need to repair damages to the Steve Irwin,we need to secure a second and faster vessel, and we need to be prepared to return to the Southern Ocean again at the end of the year to defend whales. If need be we will be in court to answer to chargesof defending endangered whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and to this we proudly plead guilty.”

7:16 PM0 Comments49 Kudos

The DEFENDERS OF JUSTICE! The SEA SHEPHERD SOCIETY:

These are the ones they want to detain. Sea Shepherd protects the good Japanese people, and SSCS tries to stop whale poachers from hurting Japanese children, and Sea Shepherd helps remove the stain and shame of whaling from japan’s image, restoring pride back to Japan.

OMG! NOW WHAT CAN I DO?

1. Donate! Sea Shepherd needs ship repairs, materials, backup, and another vessel for the fight!
You can go to www.SEASHEPHERD.org/donate.html

2. Post about this in your blog, copy the text about it and forward it, tell people, go on youtube and defend against the disgusting killers & butchers posting on there, repost our kind bulletins via your myspace, post this on your WORDPRESS, on forums, anywhere you can.

3. Write, call or phone your government officials, and tell them to reaffirm the Laws against these killers. And to mobilize enforcement authorities against these slaughterers.

Japanese whalers are attacking American citizens, and attacking Canadians, Dutch, Swedish, and hurting Europeans, and Australian people, and whalers are hurting Japanese people as well. Sea Shepherd has Japanese citizens onboard ship, and Japanese citizens are on staff of Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd has US Federal Agents among their staff members as well, plus US MILITARY members and service people are part of Sea Shepherd. US NAVY personnel are among Sea Shepherd members. Paul Watson is ex-Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard has had to warn Japanese fishing vessels out of American waters as well. The Japanese have violated US territorial waters.

6. REPOST THIS. Click REPLY, copy all, Go to your own bulletin, blogs, forums and create a new post and publicize it.

TAGS: [ ICR Whale, icrwhale.org, institute, for, cetacean, research, kyodo, senpaku, kaisha, japan, japanese, whaler, whaling, nippon, nihon, kujira, sea shepherd, seashepherd, www.seashepherd.org, greenpeace, Joji Morashita, Glenn Inwood, Australia, New Zealand, humpback, fin, minke, antarctica, antarctic, treaty, CCLAMR, CITES, AR, Tokyo, harpoon, attack, japanese terrorists, terrorist whalers, terrorist japanese, japanese terrorism, japanese weapons, yakuza, UNCLOS, boycott, tourism, travel, nisshin maru, whale meat, mercury, methyl mercury, poison, poisonous, toxic, toxin, contaminated, birth defects, taiji, dolphins, orca, dolphin, conservation, defenders, Paul Watson, helpers, WHALE WARS, Discovery Networks, Animal Planet, japanese kill, japanese killers, children, IWC, International Whaling, Commission, Lead, PCB's, polychlorinated biphenyls, brain damage, organ damage, meat poisonong, tainted whale meat, contaminated meat, scientific whaling, eu parliament, whale blubber, Tokyo, travel, tourism, visit japan, boycott japan, cnn, mainichi shimbun, yomiuri shimbun, HSUS, IFAW, population, fish, catch, sustainable, nisshin maru, flensing, butyric acid, rotten butter, water canons, fin whales, federal court, criminal whalers, territorial waters, ross sea, whale sanctuary ]

Verdens største avis heter Yomiuri Shimbun har journalister som kjører med privatsjåfør, avisen har 4 helikopter og tre fly til disposisjon til enhver tid. De eier også Japans mest profesjonelle baseball-lag, Yomiuri Giants – grunnlagt i 1934.  Avisen har egen fornøyelsespark som heter Yomiuriland, eget symfoniorkester og egen kunstavdeling med bilder fra Renoir og Van Gogh. Ingen aviser i verden spiller så stor rolle og har såpass innflytelse i eget land. De utgir 13,6 millioner aviser daglig fordelt på morgen og ettermiddagsversjoner, samt en 30.000 daglige aviser på engelsk.  Avisen er større enn de 17. største avisene i Amerika – tilsammen. Den rekker over 38% av Japans 34 millioner husholdninger. De har 436 avisbyråer i Japan og 28 i resten av verden og har over 3000 ansatte.

Det som er interessant – er en slik avis skriver om ?

Her i Norge topper Dagbladet dagens dummeste innslag – hvor de plukker opp deler av Trine Grungs blogg og setter den i avisen. Trine klager på at “Ungkaren”-programmet og paret, får for mye oppmerksomhet i media. Slett ikke uenig. Hele programmet er ikke verdt å bruke tid på, spør du meg.

Det er mye mer interessant å se på hva de store gjør – hvordan prioriterer de nyhetene de gir ut ?

Det som er riktig så fantastisk, som jeg må innrømme jeg fant ut idet jeg skrev disse ordene er følgende(tid for en liten innrømmelse – sikkert bare meg i hele verden som ikke visste dette eller ? )Man kan få oversatt alle utenlandske aviser -ved å trykke på “Oversett” – se under. Jeg søker på Google, får opp “Dayly Yomiuri Online(The Daily Yomiuri) og like under der – sjekk: (Oversett denne siden). Og jeg kan love det virker !!!  Det sitter sikkert masse japanere og bare venter til du skal trykke på knappen. Så setter de igang. De bruker ca. 30 sekunder på hele avisen !!! Godt gjort !

 Hva bruker så The Daily Yomiuri Online dagen på:

• En epistel om G-7 landene og deres oppførsel
• Barack Obama har autorisert distribusjon av ytterligere 2 stridende brigader til Afganistan
• Japanske ministre skal til DC og snakke med Barack neste uke
• Shinginko krever 11 milliarder av tidligere ansatt.

Hva satte så VG på sin førsteside – VG-Nett.no idag ?

• Hjemmeran blir vanligere i Norge
• 5 pils i uke = halvert fruktbarhet
• Filmbransjen krever millioner etter sex-kobling

Hva satte Aftenposten på agenden idag(Aftenposten.no)

• Pakistan innfører sharialov og stenger jenteskoler
• Biggs – den gamle togrøveren blir fri til sommeren
• Slik takler du jobb-konflikter

Hva gjør Klassekampen idag tro ?

• Media tar ikke hensyn nok til industrikrisa
• Usa presser Pakistan
• Ansatte vil ha styringen i NAV

 Kanskje ikke så mye forskjell å spore – dog tror jeg ikke alt er nyheter. Mye er rent fyll og har ingen nyhetsverdi i det hele tatt. Finnes det ikke nyheter, så skap noen ! VG, Dagbladet og forsåvidt Aftenposten – har mye rart som pr. definisjon neppe kan kalle interessant for andre enn spesielt interesserte(og de kan jo slå opp på google.no) Klassekampen har dypere jounalistikk i sine artikler. Hva Japanerne egentlig er opptatt av er ikke godt å si. 

Etter min mening bør det være en forskjell mellom en avis og et ukeblad. Aviser skal skrive om nyheter, eller skal de ikke det ? Den frie presse har vært diskutert i en årrekke. Før var det om å gjøre å være en avis, for da fikk man støtte fra Staten. Artikkelen idag om relativt ukjente Trine Grung`s private bloggeri om et TV-program nesten ingen ser – er ikke nyheter. Det er sladder og hører ikke hjemme hverken i Dagbladet eller andre som våger å kalle seg en avis.

Ta sats nå Dagbladet og tenk på hvorfor opplagene går ned ….sett dere ned og tenk på det en stund ! Kan hende dere kommer på noen gode ideèr.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reports today that the rebuilt Kabuki-za, scheduled to be completed in spring 2013, will incorporate a 29-floor, 150 meter office tower. The tower will reflect a simple glass aesthetic, while the four stories of the theatre itself will be reconstructed relatively faithfully to the original 1889 design, heavily inspired by Azuchi-Momoyama era (late 16th century) castles.

The new theatre will have 2000 seats, roughly the same number as the old theatre, and “barrier-free” accommodations are included in the design to make the new building more accessible to elderly and disabled patrons.

Yomiuri Shimbun article original text:
　老朽化のため建て替えが決まっている歌舞伎座（東京都中央区銀座）の改築計画の概要が２８日、明らかになった。

　２０１３年春の完成を目指す新しい歌舞伎座は、地上約１５０メートル、２９階のオフィス棟と、現在の瓦屋根や弓形にそり曲がった唐破風(からはふ)の外観を残した劇場（４階）の複合施設。地下で地下鉄日比谷線の東銀座駅と連絡し、高齢者らに配慮してバリアフリー化する。客席数は今の劇場とほぼ同じ２０００席程度。オフィス棟はガラス張りのシンプルな外観となる。劇場の屋上部分には和風庭園も設ける。

　１８８９年から続く歌舞伎座は、１９５１年に建てられた現在の建物で４代目で２００２年に国の登録有形文化財に指定された。今月から来年４月まで「さよなら公演」が開かれている。
（2009年1月28日11時53分 読売新聞）

I hope I am able to be there for the grand re-opening.

A causa dei problemi economici che stanno investendo anche il Giappone, la popolarità di Taro Aso ha subito un crollo notevole negli ultimi giorni. A tal punto che alcuni mettono in dubbio il fatto che il governo possa resistere alla crisi. Si preannuncia una nuova caduta?
Lo Yomiuri Shimbun, il quotidiano più diffuso in Giappone, ha pubblicato i dati di un sondaggio in base al quale risulta che il gradimento verso il primo ministro è crollato al 21%, rispetto al 40,5% dell’inizio di novembre.
Sul fronte opposto, invece, è salito il gradimento per Ichiro Ozawa,leader del Partito Democratico, la principale forza d’opposizione.

Thanks to WordPress blogger Tokyo5 for giving me the heads-up about this.

The Kabuki-za theatre in Ginza, the primary kabuki theatre in the world, is to be demolished in Spring 2010 and then rebuilt, reopening in 2013. I would love to be there for some of the last shows in the old theatre, and some of the first in the new theatre too, if I could.

In a way, this is like the kabuki fan’s equivalent of the new Yankee Stadium. The Kabuki-za was originally constructed in 1925, its architectural and interior style based on a combination of Azuchi-Momoyama (1575-1600) castle architecture and Meiji-Taishô (1868-1926) Western-inspired theatrical design. Destroyed in the war, and rebuilt in the 1950s, Kabuki-za is a grand theatre in the Western (Victorian-esque is a useful description perhaps) style.

Why anyone feels the need to destroy it and build it anew is beyond me. Certainly, there’s the possibility that there are actual structural or logistical (e.g. electrics) faults that derive from the building having been built in the 1950s, and heavily used. Certainly there is the possibility that the new structure will include technological upgrades (lighting, stage effects, etc) which might be difficult to implement without doing it this way.

But to be honest, I would not be at all surprised if it is simply that the Japanese think of a 50-year-old building as being old and in need of replacement. For a country with such a long history, and so many old, historic buildings – including several at Hôryû-ji in Nara which might be the oldest wooden buildings in the world – it is amazing the way the Japanese, when it comes to normal everyday houses and such as opposed to temples and other historical sites, think of anything older than a few decades as being in sore need of replacement. I am quite happy and proud with my own (i.e. my parents’) Victorian era house, built in the 1890s; but when I talk to Japanese about it, they seem incredulous that anyone would want to keep such a house, and that it could possibly be in a good state of repair. Where does this attitude come from?

I hope that when they rebuild Kabuki-za, they keep it relatively traditional, either rebuilding it as it is today, or redesigning it to match an older style, like that of the renovated Kanamaru-za I discussed in my last post. I hope that it is not rebuilt in an ultramodern 21st century Roppongi Hills sort of style. …

Kabuki-za to be rebuilt from 2010 – Yomiuri Shimbun
Kabuki mecca’s days numbered – JapanTimes

All photos my own, taken January 2008.

 TOKYO (AFP) – Japan has agreed to buy greenhouse gas emissions quotas from China as part of efforts to meet its Kyoto Protocol target, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday.

Japan plans to use the so-called clean development mechanism, under which industrialised countries can fund projects to cut greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and offset these reductions against their own output

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080103/bs_afp/
climatejapanchina_080103040351