News in Japan

Recently Donald Trump came to Japan and met with President Abe, but did this meeting go well? They discussed many things including North Korea and Asian trade among other things, ate food, and played golf. Who won by the way? Did they talk about Pearl Harbor or the California concentration camps? Probably. Again, and again, and again. I read in a web article that Trump made a mistake (presumed by the Japanese) by dumping in a whole box of fish food when they went to feed the koi (not that he knew or cared). It didn't surprise me. Neither did it surprise me when I learned that Trump didn't bow when he met Emperor Akihito. Why not, was he afraid to show that bald spot on his head? What will happen next? Will Trump offend a singer like Utada Hikaru? Or try to kiss the hand of Amuro Namie only to have it ripped away? Well, those actions wouldn't surprise me either. One thing we certainly can be sure of: it's a different ball game when someone becomes president from outside the "groomed" political community. However, this might only be the beginning. After Trump's reign, whenever that might be, I'm sure we'll have many businessmen coming out of the woodwork to try their hands at the presidency. I myself however think a little grooming is best. What's wrong with a little spit and vinegar like they used to have back in the day?

Anne's Quest

This summer vacation was very busy for me and my daughter. Anne Mikiko's quest was go to the US to study there for a short time. So, we left for the United States on August 10th to take Anne Mikiko to study at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlotte is a big city in the Southwest part of North Carolina state. My younger sister, Heather, lives in Winston-Salem, about an hour north of Charlotte, with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Lilly. We stayed with Heather's family for the first week of our trip, to help Anne get ready to move into her dorm at the the university. There, we ate great food, went shopping, went mountain biking and swimming, and had a great time with Heather, Peter, and Lilly. We even went to church.

Then Anne and I went to Charlotte where we stayed for one night and got her moved into the dorm room. The dorm is very nice and the university is very large - about 29,000 students go there. The first day, we went to the mall to go shopping and ate at the Cheesecake Factory, and then went to our hotel. The second day we went to the university, met with the staff, got her identification card, and got her moved in to the dorm room. After getting her moved in, we went and had lunch at her university cafeteria. Tons of food, and a great atmosphere! Finally we had dinner together, and I said goodbye. I was very sad to say goodbye because I was only there for a short time. After returning to Japan, I was very exhausted. I will stay longer the next time I go, that's for sure!

Summer 2017

This past summer was quite a busy one for many people. There were a few changes in America with the new Trump presidency. For example, there was a travel ban instituted for travelers from certain countries. This is difficult because many people had been living in the US, legally or illegally, for many years, and long before Trump took office. For this presidency to suddenly ban people from entering the US is a bit "too little, too late." And then he started talking about sending illegal immigrants back to their home countries, with certain exceptions. This is still an ongoing process. In addition, there is the Russian  probe, and the cabinet members who have resigned or been fired. Yes, it was truly a busy summer for those involved with Trump, that's for sure!

Economic Disillusionment? Cambodia and its Reliance on Aid Money

What is economic disillusionment? It's akin to economic development, but looks at the development issue from the backdoor. I believe that the quest for development is just that. A quest. All the development in the world we are doing now - think about it - does it make a difference? I mean does it really make the huge difference that it's supposed to be making? Some people put huge money into development projects that either seem to go nowhere or get stifled along the way. Sometimes something else happens - sometimes governments and organizations begin relying on that aid money like it's their second, and sometimes only, salary.

Cambodia is a good example. During the 1980' and 90's, many organizations from developed countries (not to mention government agencies themselves) flooded the streets of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap setting up NPO's and research projects after the dark days of Pol Pot. In addition, many countries gave Cambodia billions (yep billions) of dollars over the past three decades for development efforts. But guess what. Cambodia is still one of the least developed countries in the world. Of course Cambodia's gone through a rough time. It's true, Cambodia may be cursed (there are millions of people that have PTSD), but it's gotta get back on it's feet and shake it off. Harsh words? Its neighbor Vietnam was the main country invovled in the Vietnam War - it lost millions - but still got back on its feet and is rapidly marching up the ladder towards becoming a "developed" country.

My main point is that Cambodia has become disillusioned by the massive amount of aid dollars it has received over the years. I was surprised to learn that some down-on-their-luck communities and organizations began to use that money for every day living after Pol Pot, and actually have for years. Of course some of that was okay way back then when people were trying to get back on their feet. But now many people are just waiting with open hands for the next NPO to spring up that will keep donating money. This is one reason Cambodia is still on the list of LDC's (least developed countries). And at this rate, it might be for a long, long time, until something kicks it in the butt and gets it back in gear.

Less Rain?

In many parts of the world, there seems to be less rain than normal. This is especially evident in tropical climates with rainy seasons. Here in Southwestern Japan, we have a four-seasonal climate, but it also has many sub-tropical elements as well. Those include plant-life, insect habitation, and rainy seasons. Rainy seasons are essential for the upkeep of plant and animal life during the normal, or non-rainy seasons. However, if we have an abnormal rainy season with less or even no rain, it wreaks havoc on plant, animal, and plant ecosystems. Gree vegitation becomes dry and the output of green plant for food is small and minimal. Corn becomes small and thin. Brocolli gets dry and crumpled.

We certainly don't want to see any of these things happen. I'm not sure if there is actually less or no rain, because our rainy season has just begun, and we got about 2 or 3 days of solid rain in the past two weeks or so. Believe me, I'm not a fan of the rainy season. But I AM a fan of beautiful and tasty green and colorful vegetables and good delicious water. So I'm willing to put up with a few weeks of torrential rain to give us sustenance, life, health. And everyone else should be too.

See What's On the Horizon

On the horizon of what, you might ask. Everyday is a new day, and with every new day comes new challenges. These challenges shouldn't die out, even when someone gets older. Did you know that the famous fast food franchise restaurant chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken, was started by Colonel Sanders after he retired, with a newly cut social security check of $99? When I heard that I was truly inspired. It just goes to show that anybody can do anything at any age, really. I love to wake up every morning and ask, "What challenges are out there today?" I've done a lot of things I've wanted to accomplish in my life, and yes, for me, accomplishing things is important. It's a big deal for me. I started a business, got a PhD, played guitar in bands, written songs, wrote a novel, had articles published, started several podcasts, traveled, and the like. And hey, I might even do a new business, write another book or two, make a documentary video, travel, and who knows what else when I retire. It's not the end of a life when we retire. It could be the start of an amazing new existence doing something entirely new and enriching!

Summer of Seventeen

Hello! This year marks number seventeen of 2000. It has been almost one year since the earthquakes of 2016. That time was quite horrendous - it is still a memory nagging in my mind. It's good that it nags actually...this means I won't forget. I kind of want to forget because it was a negative time. But I shouldn't because it just may happen again. This time I will be more prepared. During that time we had no water for about two weeks. Fortunately our house wasn't that badly damaged, but I can't say the same for other homes. People's lives were tragically affected. People lost homes and possessions. I know several people who are now living in shelters. Too bad. Anyway, this summer is already starting out much better than that, fortunately. I think it is time to "look on the bright side of life." Let's move on with a brighter 2017!

Introducing a New School Year

Hi!! Welcome to Jeff's Place, a writing and English blog devoted to helping students get motivation to learn English, especially writing. I like to post things that are easy to read and follow, and hopefully students will follow my lead and write and post things that are interesting and easy to follow as well. By the way, what does interesting mean? Well, anything can really be interesting, even thought we don't think it is. Our lives, hobbies, hopes, dreams, and desires may be interesting for others to read. Just because we can't write something extremely funny, informative, or exciting doesn't mean it's not interesting. Many of the world's best selling books are about something simple in someone's life, or about an experience (good or bad) that someone has had at one point in their lives. So don't worry about being the funniest, the boldest, or the prettiest blog post in history. Write what you know and what you've experienced. It is sure that others will be able to connect with what you've written. They will identify with you and follow you long into the future. Cheers.

I Know Why Donald Trump Was Elected

It's a new year and a new president was sworn in last Friday. Granted, he is not really the president some people wanted, me included. He's pompous, arrogant, and is kind of like the bully you hated at school. He lacks the finer points of explaining things in a reasonable manner, and lacks the skills, well, of just being likeable. So far he's done a lot of things to dishevel the things that were already set in place for years. Abortion rights may change for the worse. The TPP  in Asia with America in it is virtually gone. Who know what will happen with NAFTA. But he got elected and is moving forward, and I know why. Being from Western Pennsylvania, I grew up with steel factories and blue collar workers. I was lucky actually that my father was a doctor in a regional hospital so I was out of that loop. But that doesn't mean I didn't witness glass factories and steel factories and mills closing. I did. It doesn't mean I didn't see friends whose fathers had been downsized or restructured, it doesn't mean I didn't see the hardships faced by small town life that revolved around the local factory. I did. And then those factories closed but are still there collecting dust, huge vacant memories of a time that has long passed, huge dinosaurs as a reminder of the jobs that went away. And the life of the downtown that revolved around the factory and that small town feeling of knowing everybody, of walking up and down a busy downtown street also went away. The people woke up to virtual shells that had once been active. And they have to continue to pass these enormous empty factories every day. To go where? To do what? To work in some little mom and pop restaurant that stands on a street so different from its former self? To work 2 jobs to make ends meet and pay medical bills and college tuition? Yes. And many of the sons of those proud factory workers have no future while that dinosaur looms over their every move on their ways to pick up their next batch of drugs. It's shameful. And it's also why Donald Trump got elected. Can he bring back jobs? Can he turn small town America around? Time will only tell. But we should be willing to give him a chance and ignore his shortcomings for a change into something good. Let's see what tomorrow brings.