Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Masi Oka the lovable character from “Heroes” is back on TV. He’s going to be a regular for the second season of Hawaii 5-0 adding some star power to the show. We tried to interview him once. No dice. (Family Video – Masi Oka)
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Yes, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is newer and the Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla is fancier. Monterey Bay is justifiably famous. But the Cabrillo Aquarium is the most punk rock, and not just because it’s in ‘Pedro, home of the Minutemen. Although the structure was designed by Frank Gehry, it has a blue-collar feel with chain-link fence, exposed wood, and steel framing the humble collection of modest-sized tanks. The aquarium’s collection focuses on local sea life of all kinds and artifacts, and ranges from baby sharks to whale bones, but I am always drawn to the drifters. So ghostly and soothing. Although I was bummed for the visitors trying to take pictures with flash, I stopped short of giving suggestions. My bad. One exhibit allowed visitors to turn on black lights to create an extraterrestrial effect on some smaller jellyfish. Eloise and her best friend/cousin Lucia liked this part so much we had to try it out a second time. In the nursery, you could see baby jellyfish lit up with normal light. This was informative but disillusioning. They seemed less supernatural and more like a cold plate of appetizers at a Chinese restaurant. Also interesting is the taxidermy, which not only sits in glass display cases but swoops from the ceiling. It’s from the old world and creepy but cool. Luckily, my daughter and niece are too young to be freaked out by it. The suggested admission is just 5 bucks for adults and 1 dollar for kids. That’s a pretty cheap day trip and, to sweeten the deal, tide pools are short walk away. A tide chart is conveniently posted at www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org. Lucia and Eloise found heart-shaped rocks! Maybe you will, too, but don’t take them home because the area is a nature preserve…
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“Thus it was that a chain-smoking, over-the-hill salaryman came to carry the entirety of [Tokyo Broadcasting Systems’] multimillion dollar investment on his shoulders.” As you read this, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa has just begun his 5 month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). While on board the station, the medical doctor will conduct a series of experiments, which includes growing cucumbers to see how the food plant does in zero-G. Officially, Furukawa is the third Japanese astronaut to make the journey into space and stay on the ISS. However, at the link you’ll be able to read the fascinating story of Akiyama Toyohiro, a middle-aged journalist and senior editor for the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), who hitched a ride into space with the Russians back in 1990 after TBS paid millions for him to be a “space tourist” on a Soyuz spacecraft. It isn’t exactly breaking news, but it is a fascinating and largely forgotten story about Japan’s relatively young history with extraterrestrial travel. (Neojaponisme – Japan’s First “Astronaut”)
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“Now an American citizen and a retired high school history teacher living in Aurora, Yee is one of the last men alive today to have served with Chennault and the original Flying Tigers.” John Yee’s story may be one of the most unusual American wartime stories you’ve ever heard. Originally from Kunming, China, Yee was a college student but joined the Chinese Air Force during the Japanese occupation of China in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s. Due to luck and good timing, Yee eventually became a translator and flight-control specialist for Claire Lee Chennault and his legendary Flying Tigers. When the Tigers, or American Volunteer Group (AVG) as they were officially known, disbanded in July, 1942, Yee was a full member of the unit, and was awarded an official pin with the Flying Tigers’ Disney-designed logo. As WW2 progressed, Yee continued to serve as a translator, and provided stateside training to Chinese Air Force pilots. After the war, Yee feared his service to the U.S. would put his life at risk in communist-controlled China, and he applied for, and was granted, American citizenship in 1952. However, because some key documents confirming his service to the Flying Tigers have gone missing, Yee is unable to successfully apply for U.S. veteran’s status. This means he can’t collect veteran’s benefits, use VA healthcare services, or qualify for military honors upon his death. Yee, 89, has said publicly he isn’t that concerned about this situation. He and his surviving Flying Tigers compadres know what he did to serve his country. But it seems overall like just another raw deal an Asian-American is getting from a country for whom he put his life on the line. (Denver Post – Chinese-American Denied Vet Status)
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Here’s a link to the Hookedhands blog who created and put up the Totoro yarn bomb. Did you know yesterday was Yarn Bomb day? It’s International as well. International Yarn Bomb Day! Well talked about especially during our Blithe Spirits art exhibition, was the Totoro Yarn Bomb. It’s Crocheted! We took a look at the blog, that were hanging in little strips of paper and saw this: “You can find my Totoro on Sawtelle Blvd between Olympic Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd. He’ll be smiling down at all the Japanese food lovers and Giant Robot frequenters, spreading some neighborly love.” We thank Hookedhands for the shout and the neighborly love.
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