Friday, September 30, 2011

Weekly Press Review (2011/09/30)

The same lingering around, depressing thoughts. Feels like going nowhere. I cannot get any work done, so I read and watch TV. I am still in the fourth book of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, A Feast for Crows. The least interesting one so far. Not enough action and we barely see most of the main characters that we got used to love (at least those who were not killed off). Instead, there's a bunch of new characters. I feel like Martin is stalling his story (like those Naruto filler episodes!). But there's only 198 days left before the start of the TV series' second season. And only two weeks before The Walking Dead TV series restart! I also read news on my iPad (while waiting for Apple's new announcement next week). Here's what I found interesting:

Anime & Manga related, Japan, Popular Culture
Apple & iPad news
Books, Digital Edition & Library
Economy, Environment & International Politics
Humour
Local News & National Politics
Media, Culture, & Society
Sciences & History
Technology, Gadgets & Internet
See also the “Suggested Links (Shared Items)” in the column on the right side

Friday, September 23, 2011

Weekly Press Review (2011/09/23)

Another depressing week spent mulling over the uncertainty of my job. As usual, more things to do than I have time or the energy to accomplish. I am so tired...

Anime & Manga related, Japan, Popular Culture
Apple & iPad news
Books, Digital Edition & Library
Economy, Environment & International Politics
Health, home & garden
Humour
Local News & National Politics
Media, Culture, & Society
Sciences & History
Technology, Gadgets & Internet
See also the “Suggested Links (Shared Items)” in the column on the right side

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Revue de Presse / Press Review (2011/09/15)

Nothing much this week, beside thinking and depressing about the uncertain future of my employment. It was also a slow week in the news, so I took the time the read a few more titles. I am tired and have so many things to do. So, when I finally get two days off in a row, what do I do? Nothing! I guess I need the rest...

Anime & Manga related, Japan, Popular Culture
Apple & iPad news
Books, Digital Edition & Library
Economy, Environment & International Politics
Health, home & garden
Local News & National Politics
Media, Culture, & Society
Sciences & History
Technology, Gadgets & Internet
See also the “Suggested Links (Shared Items)” in the column on the right side

Arcade rap

Last year I talked about Gyoko, a Japanese rock band promoting fish. This week, while watching a traveling show on NHK World, I found a similar story: a group of old ladies working in the Sakae-machi shopping district, located in Okinawa's capital Naha, decided to fight the economic slump and promote their local market by singing rap in a “music festival” regularly organized by the shopping arcade. They are called the “Obaa Rappers” (Granny Rappers). You can see them perform on YouTube:


(Also in this video).

Delirant isti Nipponi!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Con-fusion

Je pratique le syncrétisme: une doctrine faite de l'amalgame de plusieurs croyances ou philosophies. C'est l'adoration des “Cinq Crétins” (vous choisissez ceux que vous voulez et changez quand vous voulez: Bouddha, Jésus, Zoroastre, Epicure, Aristote, Descartes, Nietzsche, Platon, Confucius, Lao Zi, Kent, etc.; C'est l'ultime culte-cafétéria, le nec plus ultra des croyances à la carte) !!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Miroir, miroir

Je ne suis qu'un miroir...
Ma principale activité
est de réfléchir
Je suis très poli
Et réflète votre humeur
Mais s'il fait chaud et humide
Alors je m'embue...

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Revue de Presse / Press Review (2011/09/08)

After nearly three years working in several libraries I was happy to finally get a more stable schedule, all in a single library. It seems it will not last as, in January, I will probably be back (if I'm lucky) at working in several libraries, with a schedule varying from week to week. You realize that a society is really broken when the people in power start closing down libraries -- even if it's only a partial closing. I don't understand: while some boroughs are spending millions to build news libraries and expend their services, one is closing the adult section of its best, oldest and nicest library. And people (or at least the media) don't really care, focusing instead on the lost of a public pool or a few community centers. I know how to solve this city's budget problems: there're nineteen mayors (and a lot more related councillors) too many! While you ponder on that, here are my weekly news links...

Anime & Manga related, Japan, Popular Culture
Apple & iPad news
Books, Digital Edition & Library
Humour
Local News & National Politics
Media, Culture, & Society

See also the “Suggested Links (Shared Items)” in the column on the right side

Monday, September 05, 2011

Summer Press Review (June-July-August)

I swear I'll never work six days in a week anymore: it's too tiring. The good news is that I will have a more stable schedule for fall, so I should be able to completely recover AND be able to blog regularly. I should also be able to catch up a little more on all the articles and reviews that I started but never put online (including the comments on the latest—and past—Montreal World Film Festival !). Here I am sharing with you the last part of the news links that I saved this summer (either because they were quite interesting or to simply bookmark them for myself). I also just realized that The Gazette, on top of not keeping their articles online very long, are now limiting access to their web page at only thirty articles per month! I understand that the full electronic version should be accessible only with a subscription but, since the web version is already only a selection of articles, they should give a full access to it. That's really ridiculous! I guess I'll start reading something else...

Anime & Manga related, Japan, Popular Culture
Apple & iPad news
Books, Digital Edition & Library
Economy, Environment & International Politics
Health, home & garden
Humour
Local News & National Politics
Media, Culture, Society & Film Festivals!
Sciences & History
Technology, Gadgets & Internet

See also the “Suggested Links (Shared Items)” in the column on the right side

Une rentrée très japonaise

La rentrée culturelle de 2011 offre beaucoup aux amateurs du Japon cet automne...



Côté “littérature”, la Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) lance son année Manga. Les principaux événements sont les expositions “Manga: L'art du mouvement” (du 20 septembre 2011 au 30 septembre 2012, dans la salle d'exposition principale, niveau M) et “Raconte-moi un manga” (du 20 septembre 2011 au 13 janvier 2013, à l'Espace Jeunes).

Elles seront entourées d'une myriade d'activités tant pour adultes (voir le calendrier des activités culturelles: entretien avec Keiichi Hara et présentation de son film Un été avec Coo (22 sept., 19h à 22h), visite commentée de l'exposition (1 & 2 Oct, 14h à 16h; 2 Nov., 19h), Un mangaka à l'oeuvre (1er Oct., 13h30 à 16h30), L'homme qui ne voulait pas lire de mangas (6 Oct., 19h30), La petite histoire du manga au Québec (20 Oct, 19h30), Les poses du personnage manga (5 Nov, 14 h à 16h), Les secrets d'un atelier de mangaka: Stars et esclaves (15 Nov, 19h30), Le manga et la perspective (3 Dec, 14h à 16h), et Voyage au pays des mangas (15 Déc, 19h30))...

...que pour jeunes (voir calendrier des activités de l'Espace Jeunes: contes en origami (18 Sept, 13H30), Quel est ton type de manga? (18 Sept, 15h; 16 Oct, 14h; 13 Nov, 14h), Parle-moi BD pour voir! (2 Oct, 14h), Le visage manga et tous ses secrets (15 Oct, 14h), L'art du Kamishibaï (5 Nov, 13h), Le Kamishibaï et les contes populaires de nord de la France (19 Nov, 13h30), Les yeux et les expressions manga typiques (20 Nov, 14h), Le bonhomme Kamishibaï (27 Nov, 14h), Enfin réussir les cheveux manga! (10 Déc, 14h), Noël en origami avec Mme Sinto (17 Déc, 13h30), et le spectacle Manga-Théatre! (18 Déc, 14h)).

Il y en a vraiment pour tout les goûts! Pour plus d'information voir: manga.banq.qc.ca.



Du côté cinéma, la Cinématèque Québecoise présente, du 7 Septembre au 9 Octobre, “Un Mois de Cinéma Japonais”. On y fera un survol du cinéma japonais depuis les années 1960, ce qui incluera une série de soixante-douze projections (divisés en trois volets: “Expériences radicales : Rétrospective de l’Art Theatre Guild”, “Rétrospective Kore-eda Hirokazu” et “Panorama contemporain”) et l'exposition “Le cinéma japonais s'expose: Affiches de l'Art Theatre Guild.”



Finalement, côté théatre, Usine C présentera, du 7 au 10 Septembre, la pièce de Yasushi Inoué “Le Fusil de Chasse” (adaptée par Serge Lamothe et mise en scène par François Girard). On y retrouve la célèbre actrice nipponne Miki Nakatani. Fait étonnant, la pièce est présentée en version intégrale japonaise avec surtitres français. Pour plus d'information je recommande la lecture de l'article de Elsa Pépin dans Voir. Dépêchez-vous car il n'y a que quatre représentations!

Have a good Labour Day

I wish a good Labour Day to all. That's the day we celebrate the pains of all mothers, isn't it? (It's befitting that it is set in the ninth month of the year and marks the beginning of a new term or season!)