Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
It’s bad ass when your government can change the value of currency when it sees fit. The Yen was hitting record strength against the dollar. It hit about 75 and now it rests at 79. What happened? The government sold off Yen and bought dollars to strengthen it. Will it hold up? 79 is the best it’s been in a while and still a crappy number compared to the 110 and 120s that the US enjoyed for years. Ideally, we guess that 10000Yen should equal 100 dollars. Obviously the stronger the Yen, the harder it is to import anything into the US, which is at an all time difficulty.
Continue reading
Donald Keene is moving to Japan and this piece by Slate Magazine is also a moving piece. After teaching for 50 years at Columbia University, he’s packed it up and at 89 is calling Japan his home. If you don’t know him, he’s been a savior, slave, and artist himself to Japanese culture. He’s penned, translated, lectured, and stood for many facets of Japan. Film, poetry, literature, and more. We’d have to guess that he started off as a fan. (Slate – Donald Keene)
Continue reading
Sushil Kumar is the real Slumdog Millionaire. It’s strange how after the film which did well everywhere except in India made the world sort of hope for some truth to the story. The rags to riches story by way of cheesy game show and life story intersecting with a happy ending. The 27 year old actually did it, and although he might not be as picturesque and have a girlfriend like Frieda Pinto, he’s got the cash. (latimes – Sushil)
Continue reading
Dalai Lama visits Japan. If you read any international news, you’ll have heard about the 10 monks who’ve committed suicide in protest of China’s policies. Like the Vietnam war monks, the Tibetans are doing the same. Dousing themselves with gasoline and burning themselves to gain media attention. The Dalai Lama explains it as China’s “Ruthless Policy”. Meanwhile, China accuses the monks and being terrorists and committing terroristic acts. (Tibet Post – Monks)
Continue reading
Fisherman who trawl for “stuff” at the bottom of the ocean found a bag containing $145,000 US worth of Yen. It was 11,000,000 Yen and it belongs to who knows… there was no info identifying the owner, who could have easily been swept out to see along with the money. If there are no rightful claims the fisherman keep the money. This brings up the honesty issue of some Japanese people. There is a question of how much doesn’t get reported. (Mainichi – Yen)
Continue reading