Tag: Japan
Happy Sunday everybody, and welcome to the last Sunday Smack of 2014! This is going to be sort of a holiday edition, since most of my favorite bloggers were off this week too. I am still planning at least one end of the year post, but in the meantime, here’s what I’ve read this week. Thawing of US-Cuba Relations: What to Expect Next? A really great overview of what’s possible to come in the bilateral and international context of the new US-Cuba policy. Why 2015 Will Be a Huge Year for Humanity 2015 indeed will be a very exciting year for…
I used to know a professor at law school, who was very proud that he has never been to vote at any elections. Ever. Not once. He talked about politics a lot, teaching administration law, he had stuck quite a few political comments to each and every topic. He kept repeating his conviction that not voting entitles him to criticize all political sides as he wishes. I always thought just the opposite! If you don’t care to share your opinion on the one single occasion it actually counts, then shut the f#@$ up all other times. As a sociologist, I…
The annual G8 summit has wrapped up earlier this week. On Monday I posted about its expected agenda, now I’d like to briefly go through what’s been decided in Lough Erne in those two days. The EU and US came to an agreement to launch negotiations about what could be “the biggest bilateral trade deal in history” both in worth and in significance. After their main economic discussion, the G8 leaders highlighted the fight against unemployment as a priority in fostering global recovery. They agreed that after bright prospects in 2012, economic and financial difficulties remain in 2013 that require…
The annual G8 summit is about to kick off on Monday, so I thought I would do a few educational/informational posts about the G8 in general and about this year’s meeting in particular. So this is the first one in a series, watch out for the rest in the coming days. The G8 summit is held annually to gather eight world leaders in order to discuss current economic and political issues affecting their countries and the world. G8 stands for the Group of 8, that is, the eight most prosperous countries of the world. Almost. To be more specific, G8=G7+1….
I know I am very late with this, but I wanted to cover the rest of the general debate same as I did with the first day, and then I wanted to do it properly, so at last I decided not to post it in pieces. That’s why this is going to be a long one. So, my thoughts on the general debate part 2 as follows. Whether Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad heeded the Secretary General’s warning or this speech was the original plan anyway, I – someone who expected nothing but the worst from him – thought he moderated…
Japan Marks Quake and Tsunami Anniversary one more thing to remember this day thenuclearblog: 11 March 2012 Japan is marking the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck the north-eastern coast, leaving 20,000 dead or missing. The magnitude 9.0 quake, Japan’s most powerful since records began, also triggered a serious nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Thousands of people were evacuated as radiation leaked from the plant. There were memorial services, and a minute’s silence was observed at the moment the quake hit, 14:46 local time. The main memorial ceremony was held at Tokyo’s National…
