Huzzah, it's a somewhat coherent article on US-China relations! Somewhat. Equating "the USA" with "the West" is not at all accurate, for one thing. If you mean the USA, say the USA! If you mean "the West," which generally means western European countries + the USA + Canada and Australia (kinda sorta sometimes when American writers remember that ( Read more... )

I went to Tokyo over the weekend, and had a wonderful time.

Teh Tokyo Trip

( Fuji-san )

A fascinating book review of what might well be a fascinating book on judicial policy and homosexuality.

xOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxxOxI was studying Japanese and got up for a bathroom break. On my way out of the office, I ran into one of my students-- odd since exams were two hours finished for the day. "Ah, you're still here," I said to him ( Read more... )

A tribute to that essential part of daily life, that beloved Japanese institution, the convenience store! <3

Click to view

Click to view

With thanks to misspaulette.

I had some links I thought I should share with everyone, as I think they are hugely beneficial to the general populace.

The first of these is Smart.fm, previously known as iKnow.co.jp. It's a language learning site. I'm using it to study Japanese, but it also has many other languages you can study. They're also expanding their content to include ( Read more... )

I pride myself on being open-eyed and open-minded, but occasionally circumstances arrange themselves such that I realize I'm not nearly as free of prejudice and misconception and erroneous assumptions as I claim to be ( Read more... )

My sense of humor is strange at the best of times; decidedly puckish. Merriam-Webster of the Crosswords says it means “impish, whimsical,” which might be so, but that doesn’t entirely capture the occasional malicious edge that is an essential part of every Puck, and makes them just a little dangerous, a little hard to be sure of, a little outside ( Read more... )

Well. Having returned from Cambodia, and it being the only country I'm visiting this summer that I haven't visited previously, it's time for a new map!


( Read more... )