Beautiful Blue Sky View in Beijing China

Via The Atlantic January 30, 2013

Here is a photo of a bright color video screen in Tiananmen Square, Beijing on a recent dangerous day of very high pollution levels. Today the Beijing government announced emergency measures to reduce the heavy smog that has overwhelmed the city. The measures include the temporary shutdown of 100 factories and halting one third of the government vehicles from driving on the streets. Estimates now state that there are some 5 million automobiles in Beijing. There were approximately 3 million autos in the capital in 2008. China's Communist Party has praised Beijing as a showcase capital, but until now has never addressed the city's pollution problems.

See also:

The Truth on China's Dangerous Holes

Why, China Why? Because China

Wakakusayama Mountain Burning Nara, Japan

XXX Large Size

Here is a beautiful photo of the Wakakusayama Mountain Burning in Nara, Japan during the festival known as Yamayaki (山焼き literally "mountain roast" or "prescribed burn"). This festival is held on the fourth Saturday of every January. It begins with a fireworks display and then the dead grass of the mountain is burned. Folklore has it that this tradition is done as a territorial dispute and to kill all of the wild boars or pests in the mountains. Photo taken with a Sony RX100 by deepfriday.

See also:

Japanese Cherry Blossoms Near Mt. Fuji

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Kyoto, Japan

Fukushima Housewife's Story of Nuclear Meltdown

Via Energy News January 23rd 2013

In a chilling testimony, the wife of a Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant worker, Takumi Takano, tells us about the meltdown, the hardships her family had to go through and the many Japanese government failures that followed. Knowing beforehand about the impending disaster, her husband evacuated their family from their Tomioka home just nine kilometers from the power plants on March 11, 2011. They all escaped to southerly Saitama Prefecture and then later on moved back to Koriyama, Fukushima.

"The day of the quake he told us right away that we should evacuate. My 80 y/o father lived close by. So we escaped together to the south. My husband said the wind was blowing north. He knew even before the government announced. When we were on the run he said the plant would melt down."

In this exclusive and very personal account of the Fukushima collapse, Takano blames the Japanese government for "lying to us from the get-go." Spoken in Japanese with English subtitles:



Related:

Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo @ NO NUKES

Japanese Government & TEPCO Have Lied & Failed

PBS Documentary "Nuclear Aftershocks"

Tommy Lee "Net Alien" Jones Returns to Japan!

Last year we thought that Tommy Lee Jones had done his final Japanese TV commercial for Suntory's Boss Coffee. But, now, SURPRISE! We were wrong and Tommy Lee "Net Alien" Jones has returned to Japan to star in this new funny WTF Japan Boss coffee commercial!

In this chapter of the ongoing seven-year saga, TLJ is working as a pizza delivery guy slowly flying through the neighborhood. He finds the apartment for the pizza delivery with his super human night-vision eyesight. Then suddenly Tommy Lee gets spotted by a guy (comedian Hiroki Konno) with a digital camera who just took a video of him in action. Then that video of TLJ as the flying "Space Alien Pizza Delivery Guy" gets uploaded to Youtube. The video goes viral and becomes very popular in Japan and then the rest of the world.

A few days later, Tommy Lee is going on another delivery and he's followed by a crowd of netizens with smartphones and cameras ready! The "Space Alien Pizza Delivery Guy" then tries to frighten the crowd but it doesn't work and they say "ooooh" and "aaaah". The rest of the commercial features a popular "Handstand Cat" so check it out!



Related:

Tommy Lee Jones Acts Like a Boss for Suntory

Tommy Lee "Space Alien" Jones in Outer Space

A Cool North Korean Named "Danny"

Produced by Liberty in North Korea here is the trailer from a new documentary movie about a cool North Korean guy named "Danny". In 2005 Danny escaped to China and then to the USA:

He escaped a life of indoctrination, routine public executions, and starvation.

This is a documentary about Danny's story-- from his challenging life in North Korea, to his brave escape to China, and his resettlement journey in the United States.

To see this film, it is necessary to request a screening for your community. You can find out more about that process here.

About LINK: "Liberty in North Korea (LINK) is the only full-time grassroots organization in North America devoted to the North Korean human rights and humanitarian crises. LiNK provides protection and aid to North Korean refugees hiding in China and, utilizing a modern-day underground railroad through Southeast Asia, rescues refugees and helps them to reach freedom."

Continued...



See also:

The Making of "Nothing To Envy" Film

Premiere of "Camp 14 - Total Control Zone"

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

Ichiro Suzuki Begins Spring Training

Via The Washington Post January 15, 2013

Not wasting any time, Ichiro Suzuki has started this new year off with early spring training in Kobe, Japan. Last year he was traded to the New York Yankees and batted .322 with five homers, 27 RBIs and 14 steals. Prior to being traded he was batting .261 with the Seattle Mariners. This jump in performance helped earn him a new $13 million, two-year contract with the Yankees.

“Signing with the Yankees has given me a new sense of determination,” the 39-year-old outfielder said Tuesday after a workout in Kobe. “This is a unique team, a team that can have a player like Alex Rodriguez as a pinch hitter is special and to be part of that is exciting.”

This season could be another All-Star performance for the 10-time Golden Glove outfielder.



See also:

Ichiro Suzuki's Baseball Throwing Demo Videos

Bowie's "Where Are We Now?" #6 on UK Top 40

In addition to the recent high ranks on the iTunes charts, David Bowie's new single "Where Are We Now?" is currently #6 on the The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart. This is Bowie's highest UK chart entry in the past 20 years when 'Jump They Say' reached Number 9 in 1993. The album that includes this single "The Next Day" has also performed very well on the iTunes charts and will be officially released on March 8th.

Related:

New David Bowie Single & Album Comeback

David Bowie Concert Tickets 2013?

David Bowie Concert Tickets 2013?

Earlier today we discovered this page for email updates on David Bowie Concert Tickets! As stated in the above screen grab "Sign up to be notified as soon as David Bowie tour dates are announced." This appears to be good news for Bowie fans, but we cannot confirm the possibility of a Bowie concert tour at this time.

UPDATE: A second site with possible Bowie concert tickets has been discovered here.

Related:

New David Bowie Single & Album Comeback

New David Bowie Single & Album Comeback

On this day his 66th birthday, January 8th 2013, David Bowie has made a long-awaited, surprise comeback into the spotlight with the release of a new single "Where Are We Now?" and a pre-release announcement of his upcoming new ablum entitled "The Next Day" on his official website and iTunes.

NEWS UPDATE: Via iTunes Store Top 10 Songs January 8, 2013 "Where Are We Now?" is currently #1 on the UK and Sweden iTunes charts. Also it is now rated at #2 in Finland and #4 in The Netherlands.

Here is the music video "Where Are We Now?"



Here is the official press release:

New York, NY--January 8, 2013--In the early morning hours of Tuesday the 8th January, Iso/Columbia Records released a new single by David Bowie titled 'Where Are We Now?' exclusively launching in the iTunes Store in 119 countries. David Bowie's first new album in ten years and his 30th studio recording, THE NEXT DAY is also available as a pre-order on iTunes with a wide release scheduled for March. January the 8th is of course David Bowie's birthday, a timely moment for such a treasure to appear as if out of nowhere.

Throwing shadows and avoiding the industry treadmill is very David Bowie despite his extraordinary track record that includes album sales in excess of 130 million not to mention his massive contributions in the area of art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary. It goes without saying that he has sold out stadiums and broken ticket records throughout the world during this most influential of careers.

In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumor and wishful thinking ....a new record...who would have ever thought it, who'd have ever dreamed it! After all David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants...when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell. Today he definitely has something to say.

Produced by long term collaborator Tony Visconti, 'Where Are We Now?' was written by Bowie, and was recorded in New York. The single is accompanied by a haunting video directed by Tony Oursler which harks back to David's time in Berlin. He is seen looking in on footage of the auto repair shop beneath the apartment he lived in along with stark images of the city at the time and a lyric constantly raising the question Where Are We Now?

"The moment you know, you know you know" resonates from the new single's lyric. Now we all know...David Bowie has been in the recording studio...just when we least expected it!!

And here are the track listings for the new album:

The Next Day tracklisting

Standard Version:

01. The Next Day 3:51
02. Dirty Boys 2:58
03. The Stars (Are Out Tonight) 3:56
04. Love Is Lost 3:57
05. Where Are We Now? 4:08
06. Valentine's Day 3:01
07. If You Can See Me 3:16
08. I'd Rather Be High 3:53
09. Boss Of Me 4:09
10. Dancing Out In Space 3:24
11. How Does The Grass Grow 4:33
12. (You Will) Set The World On Fire 3:30
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die 4:41
14. Heat 4:25

Total (Approximately) 53:14

Deluxe Version

01. The Next Day 3:51
02. Dirty Boys 2:58
03. The Stars (Are Out Tonight) 3:56
04. Love Is Lost 3:57
05. Where Are We Now? 4:08
06. Valentine's Day 3:01
07. If You Can See Me 3:16
08. I'd Rather Be High 3:53
09. Boss Of Me 4:09
10. Dancing Out In Space 3:24
11. How Does The Grass Grow 4:33
12. (You Will) Set The World On Fire 3:30
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die 4:41
14. Heat 4:25

Bonus tracks:
15. So She 2:31
16. I'll Take You There 2:44
17. Plan 2:34

Total (Approximately): 61: 03

For more information visit davidbowie.com

Related:

David Bowie Reflects on Comeback

David Bowie Comeback Part II

Best Japanese TV Commercials of 2012

Since the world did not end on December 21st, we can now safely look back and laugh at some of the Best Japanese TV commercials of 2012! This nine plus minute collection of some of the funniest, most bizzare and seriously WTF TV ad spots is brought to us by youtuber JPCMHD. And, for sure, these classic commercials will be taken down soon so check them out now!



See also:

VPN's "Midnight Cooking" Enka TV Show

Japanese TV Fishing = Tentacle Porn (NSFW)

This is Japanese TV. That is All.