Train Manners #4

Here's the latest in the series of helpful tips for successful living from those wise folk at Tokyo Metro.

The people who run Tokyo's subway system are a thoughtful and insightful bunch. Recognising the passion for golf that exists in the hearts and minds of many train riding salarymen, they have put out a helpful guide on how to practice your golf swing while waiting on the platform for your ride. As it is unlikely that you will happen to be carrying a 3 Wood on your commute to work, an umbrella will make a splendid substitute for your favourite driver. Step 1 reminds you to keep your eye on the ball and your feet apart. No. 2 tells you to keep your forearms straight while No. 3 shows the importance of dropping your right shoulder just before you strike the ball.  Step 4 points out that if you use a wet umbrella, a trail of water droplets will highlight all aspects of your stroke and back swing and will allow interested bystanders to study your form and contribute constructive criticism. With so much previously wasted time now available for practice, expect to see the next Tiger Woods coming from the Tokyo area.

A Global Following!

I never would have thought it.....my blog project to keep a few family and friends informed of our doings has hit 1000 page views. According to the stats, these people are from all over the world and include such unlikely places as Morocco, Uruguay and Moldova. I am kind of surprised that anyone outside of my circle of acquaintances has any interest in my rantings but strangely enough I seem to have acquired a (small) global audience. I guess there's nothing good on TV these days in Romania. And so, at this momentous milestone, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all who have viewed and commented on this rambling tale. I would especially like to acknowledge my fellow blogger in Victoria, Australia who has cast aside all trans Tasman rivalry and not made any comments about sheep. Thanks mate for your interest and kind words. It's nice to know that someone appreciates all this nonsense. If anyone else wants to comment on anything, go right ahead...I won't get offended...its just the Internet after all. Now I think I'll have a beer to celebrate.

Poetic licence

I don't normally watch much TV. So much of it is just pure garbage. The same goes for newspapers.  Most newspapers are not worth the newsprint they are printed on and are only good for wrapping fish and chips or starting fires.The events of the past month however has seen my participation in these things reach a much higher than usual level. The earthquakes in Christchurch and Miyagi have lead to a nonstop barrage of breaking news reports, raw footage and constant updates. My conclusion from all of this is that the mainstream media, both TV and print, is an appalling mess of sensationalism, shoddy journalism, declining standards, questionable ethics and calculated disinformation.

Print media....pulp fiction

Most people in the world are under the impression that the news media exists to inform us of events, to report facts and to quote people who are involved. Somewhere in there it is implied that reporters will seek out the truth and impartially report it "without fear or favour" as the Japan Times tagline goes. Reputable newspapers have always published opinion pieces and editorials. In days gone by these were clearly identified as such and were safely positioned about halfway through the paper in order to clearly separate them from the "real" news. The front pages were reserved for facts. Somewhere along the way this has changed and what we now have is opinion presented as fact. The line between news and entertainment has been blurred and reporters now take positions instead of being impartial.

It is obvious to most that western civilization is in decay but journalism has decayed more rapidly than society. I have some first hand experience in this as my brother is a journalist. During his time he has written articles and stories for various publications that have deliberately ignored facts, realities and the truth.  For this he has won awards and respect in his industry. When I challenge him on such things he isn't bothered at all. Like most reporters today he simply doesn't see it as his job to find out the truth. Facts and accuracy might be desirable but they certainly aren't necessary. Opinions are more important and the most important opinions are the ones which happen to coincide with the position the reporter takes on every story. Top billing will go to the party which closest supports the position the news organization has taken. Man made Global warming is a classic example. Instead of reporting on the ongoing research and differing opinions in the scientific community, the western media has simply thrown it's lot in on the side of the climate change advocates. Any stories that support the theory are trumpeted loudly. The headlines scream that the science is settled, proven beyond doubt. Any one who fails to support this position is derided, labelled as a sceptic, a denier or a crank. The self appointed patron saint of climate change, Al Gore, was widely lauded in the press and given a Nobel prize. Not so widely reported was the fact that he is a fraud, a hypocrite and that his award winning movie has been thoroughly discredited by people who are actually proper scientists. As journalists have found out, taking sides is inherently risky. As it gets a bit inconvenient if the truth gets out, once you have taken sides you must now suppress any evidence that may prove you are wrong and push any story that backs up your position. So many reputations and careers have been staked on the supposition that Global warming is related to man made Co2 they simply cannot afford to be objective or to report on any alternative theory or viewpoint.

Every TV should have one

TV is even worse. Due to time constraints and ever shortening viewer attention spans, it's not whats right that's important but whats the most sensational. With hundreds of cable and satellite TV channels to compete with your sound bites need some extra punch to keep up those all important ratings. TVNZ has recently replaced a lot of its veteran reporters with some good looking young people. Their main qualifications for the job seem to be that they are young and good looking. In TV appearance is paramount. Clarity and ability aren't on the list. Undoubtedly, the ones who can generate the most hype and rhetoric will be promoted to current affairs show hosts.

The recent nuclear incident in Fukushima highlighted the bias and stunning ignorance that exists in news rooms all over the world. It didn't take long before an army of anti-nuclear crusaders was being paraded across TV screens worldwide and some criminally irresponsible reporting was being published and broadcast.

It's also interesting how the English language versions of Japanese newspapers have been very selective of what they report. No mention of looting or theft from them. The native language papers do report these crimes but as usual imply that it's all the work of foreigners.

Luckily, there is an alternative. People everywhere can now connect and communicate easily. You are not limited to the mainstream corporate media propaganda for you daily news information.  The Internet has made reporters of anyone who has a computer or a digital camera and the will to record what they are seeing. There are people all over the world who can now report on events and have their stories reach a global audience without some media hack butchering and censoring them. The greatest thing about the Internet is not free music/movies/porn, online auctions/bookstores or any other entertainment. It is the way in which you can, if you choose, seek out the truth

Atomic Hysteria

A couple of weeks ago I made a comment about how well NZ TV reporters had done during the Christchurch earthquake. This week however it was back to the normal "never let the facts get in the way of a good story" routine. The ongoing incident at the nuclear power plant at Fukushima is a heaven sent opportunity for journalists and reporters all over the world to crank up the level of sensationalism and for anti nuclear activists to boost their disinformation efforts. From watching the news coverage here it is quite obvious that the western news people do not have the slightest clue about the facts of nuclear materials or radiation. Yesterday a TVNZ news crew "evacuated" Tokyo and drove to Nigata. I don't know what they're going to report on there but they are all feeling much better now. Maybe when they've calmed down a bit they might go and do some research but then, reporting actual facts won't grab any headlines. Last night TV1 wheeled out a Chernobyl "survivor" who proceeded to tell everyone to flee for their lives or else they were going to die horribly. The main news featured a couple of Kiwis who had decided to fly home in fear of radiation. I guess no body told them that in a 11 hour flight from Japan they would receive a dose of radiation far greater than they would have if they just stayed in Tokyo. 

Reporters love the word "meltdown". Its scary and easy enough for the chattering masses to understand. It is an attention getter and the great thing is you don't have to back it up with any evidence or facts. Speculation is the currency of nuclear reporting. It has been interesting how the real stories of the earthquake and tsunami have taken a backseat to the nuclear story.  Nobody seems interested enough to point out that there has been a massive failure of many systems including railways, electricity, transport, telephone, water and aid distribution. That's all to be expected in a 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami so why is everyone focused on a single power plant? The answer is that to go out and report on these things is difficult, dirty and dangerous. Its much easier and cheaper to speculate on a subject that's mysterious and sensational.

Reading the blogs of foreigners who are actually living there has been very interesting. The vast majority of them are not buying into the hype and are just getting on with life. Some have even put up some facts about radiation and have explained their reasoning behind their decisions. It seems that people who write blogs in Japan are more intelligent and enlightened than all the news reporters in the world, but then, we already knew that. The nuclear plant is a sideshow. It's a horrendous mess for Tokyo Electric but the long term issues from it are insignificant compared to the other aspects of the disaster.

More laughable reporting from the NZ herald this morning which described the town of Minami Sanriku as "a coastal paradise" before the tsunami. I have never been there but if its anything like the rest of the Honshu coast it certainly wouldn't qualify as my idea of paradise.

Damage report - All OK

Another natural disaster and another flood of phone calls and emails. Once again we have been fortunate in that everybody we know is OK although the ones in Tokyo have had to deal with some discomfort. Shizuka's brother was on a train at the time which stopped and he had to walk a long way. The rest of the family are in Aichi and report that there are no problems there. Friends in Osaka didn't feel anything so we are assuming our house is OK. I will probably go up there in about 6 weeks time. Interestingly, the only way to contact the family on friday night was by Skype. Seems the internet is more durable than the phone system.
The NZ rescue team has already left for Japan so we will get to repay the favor for assistance in Christchurch. Although this is a small country without great resources NZ always does what it can. Hopefully they can achieve some good results there.

What will be interesting is the effect on the Japanese and world economies. Before this event the Japanese government looked like their days were numbered but this is a great opportunity to regain some much needed momentum and popularity if they handle this emergency well. More worrying is the situation with the Nuclear power plants. I do wonder whether the world is being told all thats going on there.

Once again, thanks to all who contacted us.

A Voyage for Madmen

I haven't written much on this blog for the last few days because I've been stuck in a book called A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols. It's about the first round the world singlehanded nonstop yacht race. Normally I find these endurance type books are quite depressing and tedious but this one is very different. The 1968 Golden Globe race is an extraordinary story and this author has turned it into compelling reading. Once again Non fiction proves to be stranger and more interesting than fiction....you couldn't make this stuff up. This has shot straight into my "best books I've ever read" category. Back then there were no GPS, Sat phones or electronic chartplotters. A ten month journey alone and unassisted through the ferocious Southern ocean and around the fearsome Cape Horn was thought to be beyond the capabilities of  most small boats and their captains. In fact, many claimed that it wasn't even possible. It's all the more remarkable when you think that singlehanded round the world yacht trips are now so routine that teenage girls can do them. You don't have to be a sailor or even interested in sailing to understand and enjoy this book as it's a story of human drama. Next time you are at the library, check it out! If you can't be bothered with reading, the film documentary Deep Water which was based on the book, can be found on You tube. While it focuses more on the haunting tale of Donald Crowhurst, it still gives a great account of the race and and the stories of the other competitors. If you have an hour or so to spare I thoroughly recommend it. Its a lot better than the mindless garbage you will see on TV these days.

Armchair Experts

The Christchurch earthquake has dominated the news here since it happened and has got a lot of coverage around the world judging by the amount of emails we have received. Fortunately everyone we know in Christchurch is OK. One friend was in the Cathedral a few minutes before the quake and had just left  and crossed the street when the steeple collapsed. Here in Auckland everything is normal and we are all fine. Thanks to everyone who sent messages. 

Apparently some Japanese journalists have been critical of the NZ rescue people saying that they were too slow and didn' t do enough for the foreign students who were in the CTV building. I believe that's totally unjustified and unfair of them. NZ is not prepared for such an earthquake because it simply has not happened before. Earthquakes that flatten cities are pretty rare here so it follows that we don't have the same resources as Japan where it happens more regularly. There is also complaints from the family members who have come here. They complain that they are not well informed of whats happening. Again this is simply not true. The TV stations here devoted all their resources to covering this event and TV1 and TV3 ran no other programming from 7AM to 11PM for the first few days. It is their lack of English ability that is the problem. Anyone who feels they were not well informed is being unreasonable. The Japanese doing the complaining should have devoted that energy to finding translators who could have told them exactly what was going on. The focus for the first week was finding and rescuing survivors not on identifying bodies. The government here was very quick to ask for international assistance and to their credit the Japanese government was quick to respond by sending a large team to assist. The fact is the CTV building collapsed and then caught fire. There was no chance that anybody could have survived this. The Japanese government was informed of this but the  Japan media it seems, did not report this and is responsible for creating false hope and the following disappointment and criticism. It was a tragedy for certain but there was nothing anyone could do about it and to second guess the rescue people after the fact is unfair and unreasonable. 

The other point of discussion is the construction of the CTV building and the codes it was built to. This is an old building that was constructed in the 70's before any earthquake code was formulated. Just as happened in Kobe in 1995, this old building just was not able to stand tup to his event while the newer ones around it were much less affected.

I am not a great fan of the current NZ government but I think they handled this event very well and I doubt anyone could have done any better. The NZ journalists and reporters also rose to the occasion and their performance was much better than usual. The international assistance was prompt and high quality. Search teams came from Australia, US, UK, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Japan. A team from Mexico also came but were not allowed to work in the city centre because of some stupid UN accreditation rule. These guys have had experience all over the world in places like Haiti and Chile and paid their own airfares to come here. Luckily the Kiwis in the suburbs don't have any time for UN bullshit and the Mexicans help was gratefully accepted in these areas. Apart from that silly episode, I think this is probably a textbook example of how to deal with an Earthquake in a modern city and that other countries, including Japan would do well to study it.

Train manners #3

Heres some more helpful tips from the people who run Tokyo's subway system. Here we see to correct way to ride the train while intoxicated. As you can see lying down is encouraged with at least one foot in an elevated position. Remain in this position until your skin colour has returned to a healthy yellow like the other passengers. Your brief case will make a handy pillow and you should loosen your shirt and tie to avoid breathing difficulties. Shoes and drink cans can be conveniently stowed on the floor next to you. Should you feel sick please try to vomit under the seat.