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Urban legends, rural legends, folk medicines, you’ve probably heard about tons of such things over the years. True or, more likely, untrue events and cures which may, but probably don’t, have legitimate and verifiable scientific bases for capturing the imagination and curing medical symptoms. No, this isn’t a rant about people’s odd beliefs or half the shows on the Syfy Channel. It’s merely an introduction to the latest dubious medical craze in Indonesia. It seems folks in that country are intentionally trying to electrocute themselves on railroad tracks in the belief that it will cure various diseases, both mental and physical. It is a new trend which Indonesian government officials are trying desperately to stop before it causes a wave of accidental deaths. This railroad shock therapy started, as such things always do, with a rumor that a man who actually tried using train rails to commit suicide ended up having his paralysis and chronic depression shocked away by the electric current in the tracks. Although this miraculous tale cannot be verified, it has spread all over Indonesia and given people the courage to try electrocution by rail in order to cure everything from sleeping disord ers to diabetes. In our book, this is just crazy stuff, and a greater risk to human life than the legendary poodle in the microwave. (Wall Street Journal Asia – Indonesian Rail Shock Treatment)
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Takashi Miike to Direct Film Based on Nintendo DS game – Phoenix Wright Miike’s next film following his 13 Assassins and Ninja Kids… This man keeps busy, and it’s striking that anyone will make a film based on a DS game. That’s how strong DS is in Japan. “In a typical “Ace Attorney” game, you’d hunt for clues in various locations and talk to persons of interest who might info on a case. Then, like a “Law & Order” episode, the action shifts to a courtroom where you put witnesses on the stand and whip out evidence that shatters their alibis.” (IFC - Miike Phoenix Wright) After the Quake: Sake Returns! Takahiro Hirai says, “I thought the fermentation had gone too far and we’d have to discard everything. I had almost lost hope,” he says. “But it turned out to be full of life, with an excellent strong, thick flavor, although very different from our usual style.” It turns out that although the many sake houses damaged from the quake are re-finding their stride. The rice used isn’t from the quake zone, but are from Western Japan. Perhaps there’s a few relaxing times ahead. (Time – Sake is back) China slows down Rail Expansion The story might not be that exciting, sans this one passage: “A corruption scandal ousted China’s speed-loving railway minister Liu Zhijun, amid reports he kept multiple mistresses nationwide, and concerns over safety and cost persuaded his replacement to lower top operating speeds from 217 to 186 mph.” Guess what he wanted the high speed railways for? (USA Today – Bootie Train) 40 Ways The Chinese Economy Is Beating The Living Daylights Out Of The US There’s probably more than 40, but this scroll through list is a good quick way to catch up on how strong China is at the moment. “Since 2005, the U.S. has spent $1.1 trillion in Chinese products and services, but China has only spent $272 billion on American goods and services” (Business Insider – 40 Ways China Leads) Old School Asian American Actor – James Hong “You know the face. but you may not know that actor James Hong, who voices Panda’s papa, grew up in Minneapolis “They couldn’t find a role for me in high school because they said they didn’t know what to do with a yellow face. And even at the U of M, they’d say, ‘What would we do with a Chinese man in our plays?’ ” James Hong is one of those actors who has contributed to the growth of Asian Americans in Hollywood, but in the end, he gets just a pat on the back, if even that. (Twincities – James Hong)
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