My opinion of this week(520):
Irrelevant criticism against NHK by Finance Minister Omi
Many people in Japan and in US must have felt relieved to see the result
of Matuzaka's debut game at Major Baseball League yesterday. I was in
the bath yesterday morning when many math media including NHK reported
Matuzaka's victory pitching over Royals. So I did not see so much about
it in the morning TV news.
I missed again the good time to watch NHK and other news of TV station
at noon time but watched enough some good scene on Matuzaka's pitch in
many net news later on in the evening. I was quite excited about it,
of course.
I happened to watch NTV's TV news show at noon which reported how Japanese
professional baseball is now very popular in Korea. Many baseball funs
in Korea were exiting about game of Yomiuri Giants at public bars. I
never expect that happened in Korea and I was very surprised about it.
The reason for that phenomenon is obvious. Koreans famous ball player,
SeungYuop Lee, is now playing very well in Yomiuri Giants. So Gaiants is
now very popular in Korea. It is good to know that fact although I am not
a fun of Yomiuri Giants at all.
I read so many net news last evening about Matuzaka's debut game at Kansas
which were interesting for they were reported from various point of views.
I understood how mass media in Japan and in US have been paying so much
attention this news.
Among many of such interesting articles, I found one very strange article
in Mainichi Newspaper.
Finance Minister Koji Omi criticized NHK's coverage of Daisuke Matsuzaka ,
saying that such public broadcaster NHK should not devote too much time
to the Boston Red Sox star.
Omi said, "Considering the overall news balance, there's a problem with
taking up issues like this every morning on NHK's 7 o'clock news." He
continued saying , "It's very good that people are becoming global, just
like economy, and that good people are discovering new spheres." However,
he raised criticism about the time NHK spent on Matuzaka issue.
He said there many more important world wide issues which should be
reported in good balance by such public mass media like NHK. NHK lacks
the balance to spend time to report such important events.
My first reaction to hear what Omi said is how hard the head of Japanese
politicians are. The head of the Finance Minister is one typical one as such.
What is happening now in MLB is one typical phenomenon of globalization
as Omi personally admits. As a matter of fact, the phenomenon is not
only limited on baseball. The reason why Red Sox have invested so much
money on Matura may be various. They must have expected many other
economic effects which are good for Red Sox management and local community
like Boston itself.
According to various net news, many new Japanese restraints have been
opened in Boston expecting many visitors from Japan to this city.
There are many other social and cultural effects in addition to economic
effects when it comes to Matuzaka's effects. It would provide some big
impact both Japan and US in various fields. It was my intention to point
out the same effects exist between Japan and Korea when I mention the
the case SeungYuop Lee as above.
Matuzaka's effects is one typical example of globalization. It is not
the first time that we see this kind of phenomenon. Nomo was the first
starter and Ichirou and Matui followed. Matuzaka is just another big case
of globalization.
There is no problem for NHK to spend so much time to report on Matuzaka's
case. I even think it important work for NHK as public broadcasting
corporation. It is neither only on Matuzaka nor on Red Sox. It is the
issue of two different cultures such as Japan and US.
2007/4/7
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(521):
Importance of comments
There was NHK's education program called "Syumi Yuuyuu (Hobbies of Large
Variety)"which introduced how to challenge BLOG broadcasted in June-July
in 2006. I did not watch it at all personally, but one of our PC club
member provided me the text of that program and DVD video. He asked me to
talk about the contents of the program at our PC club regular meeting.
Having read through the whole text, I summarized several important points
of the text and talked about it on the regular meeting held on April 12th.
I presented some summary in seven times on Yahoo BLOG as referred below.
I would appreciate your comments on them.
Here I would like to write about importance of comments among several
key issues about BLOG explained in NHK text. In page 38 of the text,
Instructor Sasaki explained how to write, upload , and delete comments
at BLOG services provided by a number of portal sites and provider sites.
I pointed out the fact that it is more important to write what rather
than how when it comes to writing comments. You will master how to write
comments while you work on a BLOG day by day. I think it is more important
for you keep paying attention what you write comments concerning BLOG
messages.
What you write as a comment may be the followings:
・Some questions or confirmations on some uncertain points
・Some agreements or disagreements about writers view points
・Some additional views, opinion, or proposal to writers view points
・etc.
Writers' messages will become more significant in many ways by those
comments. Different from many of those existing media such as newspaper,
TV, radio and so on, this interactive communication of internet media
including BLOG is the most important advantages as a matter of fact.
Regardless their big name and big penetrating power, mass media's
communication style is one way basically. On the other hand, many of net
media such as home page, BBS, e-mail, and BLOG install two ways and
interactive communication style by itself.
Playing catch of words is done at BLOG which is the most important
characteristic advantages of communication different from a number
of mass media communication existed so far.
It is a game of play catch. Play catch is very basic practice for baseball
players. In the same manner, rally is very important practice for any
tennis players. You can judge how good players can play in each games by
watching their play catch or rally before the game starts. Same is true
with BLOG. The value of BLOG depends on how good messages and comments
are in any sites.
Good messages should come first to make it a good BLOG. But it gets better
by getting good comments on messages.
It is my suggestion to try to write comments in any of BLOGs of your net
friends if you want to start your BLOG of your own. You had better learn
the basic technique of play catch of words by writing comments of any
style.
2007/4/14
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(522)
Gun free country
It was such a big tragedy. A Korean student killed 32 people by gun
including students and teaching stuff at Virginia Technical Collge. I was
surprised with the news a little bit when I read the news in Maiinichi
Newspaper.
The article said and I quote:"The inspecting agency is trying to find out
the motives for the accident. They are investigating how the criminal
could get guns he used for mass murder."
"What are you talking about? It is quite easy for American citizens to
get guns in US different from any other countries". I mumbled myself.
I remember the shock when I saw various kind of guns were put on shelves
of gun sale counter at one of a big super market in Berkeley when I lived
there in 1963. Such huge super market store itself was an big surprise for
me. It was just about the time when Daiei, the first Japanese super market
chain in Japan started their business in Kansai district.
The shop sold all sort of goods which were so abundant in quantity. But
my biggest surprise was that various kind of guns were sold at the shop
together with all sort of real bullets. Any people could buy those guns
just by showing some kind of identifification cards.
I understand that various kinds of restrictions have been done as to
the purchase of guns guns even in US since then. But such restrictions
differ from states to states. It is easier to buy guns in some states.
Virginia may be one of such states where people can buy guns without so
much checks for security.
According to the ABC news in internet, gun stores were making sales
campaigns to sell guns. Sales leaflets says:
・No child safe lock necessary
・No safety lock necessary
・No investigation about the motive to buy guns
・No fingerprint registration necessary to buy guns
The criminal Korean student could have bought some number of guns
without any difficulty at a gun shop in the town. Many other
people in many other states can buy guns in US, while a number of
other American citizen are against such cicumstace and insist to
put some stronger restriction to buy guns.
Nevertheless, people and Government authorities are in general still
very generous about gun control. I don't understand about it.
I remember one big tragedy happened for Hattori, a Japanese high
student who visited US in 1992. He was killed by a shot gun when
he visited to the house of American for Halloween routine practice.
The owner of the house warned him to stop approaching to his house
any further. The boy could not understand the word when the owner of
the house appealed to stop him. The boy was killed by the gun.
The owner of the house was arrested and sent to the law court.But
he was released without any serious sentence. The case is typical
example about how Americans in general make judgment as to the use
of guns. They are very generous about it.
Criticisms about such very loose gun control in US have been raised
from various countries of the world including Japan. I just wonder
why Americans are so generous as far as gun control is concerned.
I just ask myself if US is really civilized as a cultural country in
that respect.
2007/4/21
Tadashi HAYASE
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