Archive for October, 2009

October 27, 2009

Nakamura-san is not a Japanese: Sustainable Urbanism and Its Political Consequences [1]


By Marco Kusumawijaya[2]

Last night I met a man by the name of Nakamura. His bloodline is purely Japanese. Both his mother and father have pure Japanese bloodlines. He speaks impeccable Japanese. But, he is not a Japanese.

He has lived in Japan for about 40 years, and worked and paid tax continuously, and proportionally at least in equal amount to any working Japanese, in the same town of Kawasaki for over 25 years. He is married to a Japanese woman and has a grown-up and a teenage children. But he has no voting right in Japan. He cannot participate in decision making process that would effect his lifelihood in the past 40 years and the future. He is not represented in anyway. He has continuously feel no job security. His wife and children are Japanese citizens. But, he is not a Japanese not. His attempt to apply for Japanese citizenship has been given discouraging comments from officials in charge. That stopped him for trying again. Ironically, he has a voting right to ellect public officials in Canada, a country that has very little thing to do with him for the last 40 years.

October 3, 2009

Earthquake

IMG_2899

 

Earthquake

The International Herald Tribune this morning:

Fine arts and fine wine auction in one place and moment,

Affandi, Hendara Gunawan and their league, together with Petrus 1995.

Young women 40 hours in the dark and pain. Maybe more if no excavator came soon enough.

Crying for help from under the rubbles in Padang.

 

I am here listening to the faint drizzles

Having international dialogues

And planning my lunch and park event.

 

 

A Measure of Pain

 

Any sisters, brothers, relatives or friends in West Sumatera?

Yes, one million of them…

My tears diluted by hissing shower and liquid soap.

 

I cannot measure if a thousand or more of them pain more than the rest and us.

October 3, 2009

A Letter to You

After three weeks and a night stray in Roppongi I notice the glass is always clear.
But the sky is not.

Between them the green shades of the garden, who is indifferent.
Before me an empty reserved table for two.

I decided to write to you in New York.

And then go to the library for more books on Tanka.
Or maybe the city. I am not sure.

October 2, 2009

The Movement Begins

Four-story flats ideal: Experts

Prodita Sabarini , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/02/2009 2:22 PM | City

Forget landed houses or high-rise apartments, four-story flats are the best way to accommodate Jakarta’s growing middle-class population, an urban development expert says.

Landed houses take up a lot of land to accommodate a limited number of people, Pelita Harapan University architecture lecturer Elisa Sutanudjaja said recently.

The sprawling suburbs on Jakarta’s outskirts also takes its toll on homeowners working in Jakarta’s business districts, since must spend several hours commuting every day, she said.

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