They're looking for the new Einstein. Maybe they are just hoping. One of things that they've had to point out was that Einstein had read a significant dose of philosophy in his formative years.
"The independence created by philosophical insight is — in my opinion — the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth," Einstein wrote in 1944. And he was an accomplished musician. The interplay between music and math is well-known. Einstein would furiously play his violin as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.
Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren't many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills to more practical — and rewarding — efforts.
Those who stay in science don't work alone. At labs like CERN, the world's largest particle physics center in Switzerland, 100 researchers collaborate on a single atom- smashing experiment. Publishing the results takes years. It's hard to imagine a renegade like Einstein tolerating it.
"Maybe there is an Einstein out there today," said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, "but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard."
Yeah. Or he's making money on the stock exchange. After all, who wants to contribute to the sum total knowledge of humanity when you can make big bucks?
Boss Loses It
I would too if I spent US$200million on payroll and got a 4-8 start to the season.
"Enough is enough," Steinbrenner said in a statement through his publicist, Howard Rubenstein. "I am bitterly disappointed, as I am sure all Yankee fans are, by the lack of performance by our team. It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk.
"They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around."
Steinbrenner, who watched the game from his home in Tampa, Fla., had time to work on his missive. This game was over early.
In his first start of 2005, Kevin Brown virtually repeated his disastrous effort in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series last fall. Brown gave up six runs in the first two innings, the last four coming on a grand slam by Miguel Tejada.
Aiyah. That's just not good. Fortunately for me, Jeter and Matsui are hitting okay. Unfortunately for George, the rest of them have been stinking it up.
Korean Sentiment
There's a Korea boom in Japan. Things South Korean are a bit of a fad. The Japanese are visiting their neighbouring country in unprecedented numbers. The South Koreans on the other hand feel that Japan is the number 1 threat to their Security. Yes, more than Kim Jogn-Il and his crazy nuclear programme to the north, Japan is the number 1 threat to their security.
It's a bit willfully wrong-headed, but there are crazies in every nation.
The analysis here is interesting from the Sankei paper (Sorry it's in Japanese):
≪強硬姿勢前面「得点稼ぎ」≫ 韓国政府が十七日、発表した日韓関係に関する声明は、竹島問題や教科書問題などでの日韓関係の悪化を踏まえ、盧武鉉政権の対日姿勢を整理し日本に注文したものだ。とくに竹島（韓国名・独島）問題で高まっている反日感情を背景に、当面の狙いとしては日本に対する「断固たる強硬姿勢」を示すことで国内世論をなだめる意味がある。 ただ声明は革新政権らしく「日本の良識ある知性や市民たち」といい「日本の良心勢力との連帯」「両国の市民社会間のネットワーク構築」などへの期待が強調された異色のものだ。対日外交で今後、政府・国家レベルよりそうしたＮＧＯ（非政府組織）を重視する姿勢を示したもので、日本政府としても対応が難しくなりそうだ。 新しい対日外交を目指すという今回の声明は、一九六五年の国交正常化以降、日韓の協力関係による成果には触れず、領土問題や歴史認識問題、さらなる過去補償など未解決あるいは対立部分をことさら強調している。これは過去の政権の対日外交を否定的に評価したもので、その結果、日本に対しあらためて「真摯な謝罪と反省」などを求めるという主張になっている。 声明は「人類普遍の価値」とか「普遍的常識」「われわれの大義と正当性」といった言葉を繰り返し強調し、韓国の要求や主張に従うよう求めている。しかし日本側の主張に歴史認識など韓国側の意見と合わない部分があるからといって、国家レベルで繰り返し「謝罪と反省」を要求することに日本としてはそのままうなずけないだろう。 外交は妥協の産物だということを考えれば、声明のような「普遍的」とか「大義」を大上段に振りかぶった外交には、なかなか歩調は合わせにくい。声明は日韓関係を「同伴者であり運命共同体」といいこれまでの交流、協力には変化はないとしているが、政権中枢には既存の対日外交のやり方を変え、日本を外交的に屈服させてそれを政権の業績にしたいという気分が強い。 革新政権として「過去否定」の政策を対日外交にまで広げたいというわけだ。米国に対してもこの間、「自主外交」と称してかなり大胆な言動が見られ“米韓摩擦”にまでなっている。盧政権の新・対日外交が言葉ではなく具体的にどういう形で現れるのかは今後を見なければ分からないが、日本としても“摩擦”は覚悟しておいた方がよさそうだ。（ソウル 黒田勝弘）
In a nutshell, it says that the Korean Govenrment is looking to score quick points by diplomatically humiliating Japan, turning it into a big win for the new left-leaning government. The 'change in direction' as the Korean government officials call it seems to be heading towards a more 'independent diplomacy' which seems to cnonsist of insulting old geopolitical allies such as the USA and Japan. Perhaps that is true, but I have a different take.
Historically speaking, there is much in Korean hisotry that has an emotional investment in a strong China; especially having paid so much in tribute to the Emperors of China for so many centuries, adopting Confuciansim slavishly, and generally appointing itsel China's number 1 friend. Maybe the geopolitical reality is that both Koreas should be part of China's 'spehere of influce, hurling insults at nations across the sea, protecting itself with the nuclear umbrella coming out of Beijing and not Washington DC. In this light, it can easily be understood as reverting to historic norms, rather than radically shifting diplomatic positions.
Chinese Sentiment
Meanwhile the sentiment keeps sinking in China.
“It shouldn’t be us who should apologise,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. “It is Japan who should apologise.”Simmering tensions over several issues came to a boiling point this month when Japan approved a new textbook that critics say whitewashes the country’s Second World War atrocities. Protesters in several
Chinese cities also have rallied against Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, with tens of thousands taking to the streets over the weekend.
Police in Shanghai stood by as rioters – some shouting “Kill the Japanese” - threw stones, eggs and plastic bottles at the Japanese
Consulate, and damaged restaurants and cars. Last week, demonstrators smashed windows at the embassy in Beijing and attacked at least two Japanese students. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao were arranging for a possible meeting in Jakarta over the weekend, where both will be attending the Asia-Africa summit.
But Koizumi, speaking to reporters in Tokyo, cautioned: “If it’s going to be the exchange of harsh words, it’s better not to meet”.
You'd think so. Especially when the Chinese foreign minister's contribution is: "You started it when you invaded in 1937..." Yes, Basil. Didn't they tell you "Don't mention the war"?
Oh, right, that's what got Japan into so much hot water - not mentioning the war enough... :)
- Art Neuro
2 comments:
Neurotic means "I Just Don't Get It"
The war crimes committed by Japan were not expiated by the seven years that they surrendered sovereignty, as Neurosis suggests. Admittedly, Japan has 'paid' for its part in the war, but Japanese people are still divorced from the reality of what their empire building nation attempted, and how.
The war crimes that followed in the bad faith of Japan's prosecution of war from the late '20's don't excuse present day Japan from its insensitivity. Truman should not have dropped the atom bomb twice on civilians. North Korea had no right to steal Japanese civilians. South korea's left wing government are a disgrace to that proud nation. Russia is not entitled to Japan's islands. What Japanese fail to realise, when they point to these markers of poor behaviour (or in the case of Truman, war crimes) is that poor behaviour does not excuse poor behaviour. Japanese people today that participated in the rape of Chinese cities and Indochinese peoples live in loving relationships with their families while their victims continue broken lives.
It is true that China is beating up this issue so as to prevent a security council seat of the UN going to Japan. Japan should have that seat. But Japan is failing to realise that it also has not faced the issue being beaten up.
Japan has a long and proud history, the years leading up to World War Two weren't the prouder years. In failing to address the issue in the past, Japan has been exposed for the present. But Japan is not going to be 'let off the hook' by China. Chinese administration don't care about the issue, they are only using a means to an end. It isn't the communists of China anymore, it is much older and worse that threatens Pax Western Culture: Chinese civil service administration, backed by the largest army the world has seen.
Well, well, well.
If it isn't for Conservative Weasel, coming back here to troll.
The last time you came here, you hurled a bunch of invectives at us and bolted. Clearly you've gotten over it or you are here with even more of your pent-up venom. That's okay. I'll take you up on your post. Just don't lose you temper again because that'd be mighty 'poor behaviour' (as you call it).
First up:
The War Crimes were 'not expiated by seven years loss of soverignty' as you state I suggest. (and by the way, this is the kind of misrepresentation of other people's positions that gets you into hot water. You really shouldn't do it.)
The Japanese War-time government members were charged and tried for these crimes in the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.
Now, it has to be said, bieng a court of law, 'Double Jeapardy' holds even in these Tribunals as they do in the Hague as they do in our courts: You can't try somebody for the same crime twice - and they WERE tried.
Regarding the War Crime tribunal,
I do recommend you find those transcripts and read them. Particularly of interest is when the Nationalist Chinese prosecutor get up and brings forth the accusations regarding the Nanking Massacre. Then they can't bring forth a witness. I won't go into the verasity claims of the said massacre, but it seems the Nationalists did do their propaganda job in the Tribunals and have stuck to their guns. Funny to see the Communist Chinese keep with that line.
I do suggets you read it. You wouldn't be so sure about your moral certitude about 'War Crimes' when you're finished. Then again, you have been known to argue things in the face of facts, so I don't know.
Secondly, I get incredulous with sentences like these:
Japan has 'paid' for its part in the war, but Japanese people are still divorced from the reality of what their empire building nation attempted, and how.
I'm glad you feel they've paid up. At least we agree on that. If they have paid up, then really they should be off the hook for the debt.
If you damaged somebody's car and you paid up for the damages, isn't that it? Or does the victim somehow earn *eternal whining rights*?
And if they called you on the phone everyday to say you haven't looked contrite enough, wouldn't you sort of say, "Uh, is this reasonable?"
So I ask you, who is out of touch with 'reality' here? The victim who keeps calling up demanding more apologies, or the guy who says, "screw this"?
Maybe the unpleasant truth that nobody wants to admit to is that these things have a use-by date and the use-by date kind of went up with the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII? It certainly feels that way in Japan.
Thirdly, I don't even begin to see how you could construe this:
The war crimes that followed in the bad faith of Japan's prosecution of war from the late '20's don't excuse present day Japan from its insensitivity.
How could it?
The Japanese aren't pointing to the poor behaviour of its neighbours as an excuse to what it is doing - whatever it is. All it did was approve a textbook that omitted the mention of war-time atrocities.
Well Mr. Weasel, do you think a discussion of wartime rape & prostituion is a good topic to learn in years 7,8, &9? Like, let's cut straight to the chase, do you discuss rape and massacres in history with your year 7,8 & 9 students? Is this *normal* for you? Do you think history teachers in Australia should discuss the rape and massacre of Aborigines with their Year 7,8 &9 students?
If so, I would actually worry about you more than the Japanese or the Chinese.
And maybe I do.
Maybe there's a point in 0.01% of the textbooks not discussing it, that is on the whole, not 'political' concerning WWII, but 'political' in other ways?
Fourthly:
This business of war criminals living in loving relationships while their victims piece together broken lives is a fine piece of rhetoric (nicely done, old boy! Boffo!), but this issue is still covered in the War Crimes Tribunal.
Double Jeopardy holds - Those bad people faced the music, to the satisfaction of the Allied Command of the time. If people don't like the results, they should've taken it up with Douglas MacArthur. It was his idea.
The Tribunal put away a lot of people. Others, they let off because they had sensitive information, BUT THAT's NOT JAPAN's FAULT. On this issue... I suggest you watch 'Blood Oath' as the issue of culpablity for wartime atrocities gets dissected. It's a really nice DVD. I don't agree with ALL of it, but it's at least one of the few Australian texts that tackle this issue.
At some level one must accept that bad shit happens; that not all justice gets done properly. Did those people get thier just desserts? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not a good judge of it, but I certainly don't think you are any better based on the ignorance of the facts you display. So where does that leave us?
Even so, a lot of people related to the survivors are saying it wasn't enough. Well, I didn't personally do it, so I feel all I can say is "I'm sorry for your losses," but I don't feel *personally* responsible. Because, really I'm not.
I'm okay to say, 'I'm Sorry it happened', but I don't think I owe a brass razoo to those people. That's how most poeple on the stret in Tokyo feel.
At best, the goevernemnt was responsible (a non-elected Military regime at that) and as we've established, they got tried at the Tribunal. (Yay General Douglas MacArthur!)
Certainly, YOU don't feel *personally* responsible for the White conquest of Africa and Australia; so why should the present day Japanese feel personally responsible for all that? Naturally, they don't. So isn't it a little bit one-sided to keep demanding that apology?
It's history. It got done. It's easy to call that cynical, but honestly, you can't claim that you don't exercise the same cynicism when it suits your causes, big and small. To even call it cynicism is a little disingenuous as it glosses over one's own cultural heritage, and everybody's got one of those from which to build their gripes of wrath.
Fifthly:
Korean Pride. Chinese Pride. Why do they get to have a monopoly on pride in this debate?
Why is that the Japanese aren't allowed to exercise theirs?
Oh, because the Japanese did Korea and China never did the atrocities? I see. So they never did any atrocities in their history that they don't mention in their textbooks?
It's not helpful to be prideful in all of this.
Note carefully, the Japanese aren't saying, "our pride, our naitonal pride" as the Koreans and Chinese do.
They're saying, it's our own internal domestic policy issue and it's none of your business.
It's the Chinese demonstrators who are making it their business to throw rocks at the Japanese Embassy and Consulates.
The Japanese are asking, "Why aren't you prtoecting these as a sovereign state?"
The Chinese are saying "It's your own fault for WWII".
How is that even a rational thing to say for a state? Mr Weasel, if it happened to an Australian emabssy, you'd be the first to write one of your Ackerman-esque slams on your blgo.
Sixthly:
In failing to address the issue in the past, Japan has been exposed for the present. But Japan is not going to be 'let off the hook' by China. Chinese administration don't care about the issue, they are only using a means to an end.
Well, the Japanese keep saying they did address the issue and they have the receipts to prove it. And the Chinese and Koreans keep coming back and saying It wasn't enough - we want you to eat more humble pie. You don't think that's bad faith? If you don't, then remind me NEVER to apologise to you.
In the mean time, the rocks being thrown at and the people hurt are the Japanese. If this was 1933, the Japanese Army would've marched into the Shanghai Bund and kicked their sorry asses... as they did which started this mess. So I don't think there's really any comparison between the Tokyo government before the war and now. To pretend it to be so is like willfully ignoring what's there and trying to force an interpretation out of nothing; which is essentially what the Koreans are doing when 37.4% think Japan is their largest security threat or China organising these violent demonstrations.
I've spoken to some of Tokyo's intelligentzia and there's a bit of ennui and disgust over all of this that's leading to disillusionment with Japan's long-standing Asian economic development policies. As in, "why don't we just stop paying them ODA now?"
Well, why not indeed? All it has done is continued to buy this much ill-will. It hasn't even worked as making cultural bridges with Asia.
If the Japanese announced to cut the ODA, I'm sure there'd be howls of resentment even louder than what we're seeing. Which is to say, Money Talks And Bullshit Walks.
Finally, I'm glad you came back and posted because it allowed me elaborate on some points I've wanted to write down. Feel free to troll again. Just don't whine *victim* when the torches come out - they're simply the wages of trolling.
You certainly don't see me trolling your armada of blogs.
Post a Comment