Latest videos from Our World 2.0

Here are my latest videos from Our World 2.0.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. 

Plastic to Oil Fantastic!

Plastic to Oil Fantastic from UNUChannel on Vimeo.

The Japanese company Blest has developed one of the smallest and safest oil-to-plastic conversion machines out on the market today. It's founder and CEO, Akinori Ito is passionate about using this machine to change the way people around the world think about their plastic trash. From solving our landfill and garbage disposal issues to reducing our oil dependancy on the Middle East, his machine may one day be in every household across Japan.
While holding up a bag of trash, he states, "It's a waste to throw away, isn't it? This is a treasure."

Read the article:
http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/2009/04/14/plastic-to-oil-fantastic/

The Case of the Diminishing Drift Ice

The Case of the Diminishing Drift Ice from UNUChannel on Vimeo.

The Sea of Okhotsk has long been the southernmost spot in the Northern Hemisphere where polar sea ice is found. After spreading southward out of the Arctic each winter and along the eastern edge of Sakhalin Island, the ice typically arrives in Hokkaido in mid to late January. The best time to see it is the latter half of February but it stays until late March or early April. However, over the past twenty years the drift ice has been slowly diminishing. Some say this is the result of global warming. The people of Abashiri have come together to take action.



To read more about this http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/2009/05/26/tourism-meltdown/

My First OW2.0 Video: Will you eco-marry me?

My first Our World 2.0 story is up on the ourworld hompage. To read the article that goes a long with the article click here. Please visit the website and leave your comments there! Thank you!

Will you eco-marry me? from UNUChannel on Vimeo.

"Tokyo couple Shigeru Komori and Tomoko Hoshino embraced the chance to create a beautiful wedding day without leaving behind a huge environmental footprint. Both of them are passionate about the environment and so practicing their eco-philosophy on their wedding day was a true reflection of who they are and what is important to them."

Goodbye Providence, Hello Japan for now

My time in Providence is coming to an end. I haven't been as active blogging or involved in local peace activities as I would have liked but my life here has seemed to have taken its own course. As my first foray into doing more commercial work, I have to say that I have enjoyed it immensely. I don't know when I turned away from looking (or if I ever considered) working in the narrative storytelling side of this industry but the four months on this job has given me a greater appreciation for the talent, artistry and care that goes into producing what some might consider "fluff."

When I haven't been jaunting off to New York on the weekends, I've been traveling to New Hampshire. Swing-state New Hampshire that chose John McCain over GW Bush in the 2000 primaries. The New Hampshire that preferred Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008 primaries. My friends and I have knocked on hundreds of doors, talking to locals about a much needed change in the white house, in America and in the world. And while it was my nerves that kept me up on the night of the 3rd, it was excitement of all the possibilities that kept me up on the 4th. I cannot express with enough eloquence what I believe Obama means to history and to what we all know is possible in our hearts for a better world. I also know that while he can be a great catalyst, he cannot single-handedly change the world. Each and everyone of us, regardless of our citizenship, has a chance to participate in fulfilling our true potential. I look forward to what the next eight years bring.

So I have a few things up my sleeves as I jump on a plane back to Japan. For several of them, it's still too early to post here (and I'm very excited for when I do) but I can share that my short film Peace Begins with Me and You will be at the Artivist film festival in Tokyo, Japan on Dec 12th. Here's the event link of FB. More details to come but here's a good start:

Artivist Film Festival Tokyo ・ アーティビスト映画祭 in 東京

Japanese premieres of 13 amazing short and feature films from around the world.

Friday, Dec. 12th at 7 P.M.
Saturday, Dec. 13th at 7 P.M.
Sunday, Dec. 14th All Day - 11 A.M. to 9 P.M.

12月12日（金）、19:00〜21:00
12月13日（土）、19:00〜21:00
12月14日（日）、11:00〜21:00

Detailed programming schedule to come.
プログラムはまもなく決定します。

Admission is FREE! Arrive early for good seats.

"ARTIVIST" is the only international Film Festival dedicated to raising awareness for the interdependence between Humanity, Animals, and the Environment. Since 2004, Artivist has screened more than 300 international films and has reached more than 25 Million People with its Public Relations Campaigns. Merging Art & Advocacy for Global Consciousness is our Mission. Artivist is a Charitable Organization endorsed by the UNITED NATIONS and the International NOBEL PRIZE.

「アーティビスト国際映画祭」は、人権・子供の 権利・動物の権利・環境保護への社会意識を高めることを目的とした初の映画祭で、今年で5周年をむかえます。2004年より通算2500万人以上に300 本以上の映画を紹介してきました。本映画祭の使命は、地球規模の問題への社会意識を高める一方で、国際的に活躍するアーティスト兼活動家（アクティビス ト）＝「アーティビスト」達の声を高めることです。アーティビストは、国連とノーベル平和賞からも支持を得る非営利団体です。

This year's films making Japanese premieres include:

One Water
They Turned Our Desert Into Water
Zeitgeist Addendum
Stolen Childhoods
Tibet: Beyond Fear
& many more

Map: http://tokio.cervantes.es/es/donde_esta_instituto_cervantes.htm

アクセス： http://tokio.cervantes.es/jp/microsite/mapa.htm

I'm boycotting Victory Day

Today is Victory Day in the state of Rhode Island. It is a state holiday and many Rhode Islanders have the day off. Why you may ask? to celebrate their victory over Japan 63 years ago. I just learned about this holiday a week ago and I'm none too please to hear that RI is the only state left in the US that celebrates this day. The last state to remove this holiday was Arkansas back in 1975. For as liberal a state as RI supposedly is, any attempts to remove this holiday has been met with strong reactions from WWII veterans. Even attempts to change the name to World Peace Day (which I would still have a huge problem with), Remembrance Day( much better) or RI Veterans Day have been met with opposition.
While I know that August 15th is a controversial date for many around the world, choosing to celebrate it as a victory over another country is what I have a problem with. Korea commemorates this day as their liberation day- this is understandable to me. People have a right to celebrate their liberation, their freedom from oppression. However, to glorify the defeat of another country, especially to glorify a day that came just a few days after one of the greatest crime against humanity- the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki-- must be questioned.
Of course, the average Rhode Islander most likely is just enjoying the day off from work and doesn't think twice about the meaning behind the day. Well, at least its cold and gloomy today, so people can't enjoy it that much. Hrmph!

Summer plans 2008

Is it possible? Have I completed a 100 page thesis on media and peace? Have I defended my thesis in front a panel of professors? Am I graduating with an MA in peace and conflict studies at the end of June? Is my Rotary World Peace Fellowship coming to an end?


What's next, what's on the horizon, what are you plans? you ask.

Here are some concrete and not so concrete plans for the summer of 2008:

June 7th- Annual Seminar
Each year at the beginning of June, the graduating class of Rotary World Peace Fellows at ICU presents their research over the past two years to the Rotarians. What's exciting about this is 1) for many moons we fellows have all respectively locked ourselves to our computers and have not seen the light of day, so it will be nice to all be together again. 2) While all of us are in the business of peace our interests are far and wide, so I am looking forward to hearing the details of our various research.

June 25- Refusenik, the documentary film I worked on while living in LA, will be making its Japan premier at Refugee Film Festival. I will be speaking at the Q & A after the screening.

June 30th- graduation. I didn't go to my undergraduate and I'm not so keen on making it to my graduate graduation... I don't know why I get so anti- about these sorts of things... My mom still feels guilty about not going to my undergrad, so I may be posting photos from it a month from now.

Month of July- It is still unconfirmed but I am tentatively shooting footage for Rotary International over the summer. The footage will show Rotary World Peace Fellows in action in Geneva, Israel and East Timor. If this happens, this will be an exciting opportunity to further challenge myself as a filmmaker. I never really thought of myself as a camera woman before last year, but I am quickly falling in love with trying to capture the best image possible. Last year, Rotary sent me to Cambodia to film the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Field Study Trip to Cambodia.

August- I intend on attending the Power of Peace Network forum at the University of Waterloo this summer. I blogged about it here.

Regardless if the two last points happen, this summer I plan to keep myself busy by working on my reel, build a website through drupal, and making a short documentary on Article 9. Then by the fall I will most likely be moving back to the US. While looking for work, I hope to volunteer for the democratic national campaign.

Report from the Global Article 9 conference!

The Global Article 9 Conference was held at Makuhari Messe (just outside of Tokyo) on May 4-6th. Over 10,000 people turned up for the opening ceremony. 1100 people from Hiroshima, 2500 from Sendai, and 8000 people from Osaka participated in the event locally in their respective cities. There were also 150 people from 40 countries in attendance. In total, there were 30,000 participants over the three days! On the opening day, the main event hall reached its capacity while a line stretched out the door and people had to be turned away. What an amazing turn out. In my peace activism career I have been to many workshops and conferences before but this event by far blew the rest out of the water. WTG Peace Boat!

I unfortunately could not stay for the entire three-day event due to the impending thesis deadline of May 15th. I did try to get some footage of the opening remarks and various workshops which I hope to use in a film I'm planning to make this summer. I'll be updaiting with more clips over the next couple of months now that my graduate studies are winding down.

Here's a short clip of Yoshiyoka Tatsuya, Peace Boat Director, as he opens the conference. (In Japanese) Enjoy!

To give you a quick translation (my first real attempt):

"Welcome to the Article 9 conference. It's amazing to see this many people, in fact there are still many people standing outside waiting. All these people coming here for the Article 9 Conference... this is a truly historic event at this moment in time. As the co-chair for the Global Article 9 conference and of Peace Boat, I am here to give opening remarks. First though I want to respond to that, even at this time, there are many people because of war, conflict, disaster, sickness who are losing their lives. I believe that there are huge numbers of people from World War II and the conflicts before that were lost and as a result, from the desires of not just Japanese people but the victims of all of Asia--from these wars and colonization--that Article 9 was born.

I have met many people from around the world and have spoken to them about Article 9. And every time I speak about the spirit of Article 9, that it will really abolish war, that it will really abolish military... that spirit is in fact a desire of most people in the world. They deeply feel for it and desire it. Particularly, the people who have been affected by conflict like the Palestinians, the Kosovars, Africans or those from East Timor. People around the world want to create a world without war and without military as soon as possible. They truly desire this. Those people from around the world have come to this conference today. Please welcome them..."

(please message me if I've incorrectly translated anything)

Anyways here are some links to English press coverage:

Japan Today (Kyodo): Thousands convene for int'l Article 9 conference
→ http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/thousands-convene...

AP: Thousands rally for Japan constitution
→ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080504/ap_on_re_as/japan_constitution

Japan Times: Nobel Peace Prize winner hits moves to change Article 9
→ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080505a3.html

Rotary International Peace Park and Hiroshima film

On April 17 and 18th, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Rotary International will be inaugurating the Upstate Rotary International Peace Park. Kola Badejo, the senior adviser on Africa in the United Nations Global Compact Office, will be the keynote speaker at a Peace Symposium as well as two Rotary World Peace Fellow alumni Carla Fantini and Jenny Favinger. My documentary film on Hiroshima will be screened on the 18th. To find more about this event click here.

Article 9 Conference and Party

On May 4-6th, the Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War will hold a conference on Japan's peace constitution (see previous blog on Article 9 here) and more specifically "to realize the principle of Article 9, through promoting disarmament, demilitarization and a culture of peace." Already, big names in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution will be in attendance, such as:

Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, Peace People, Northern Ireland;

Cora Weiss, Lifelong peace activist and President of the Hague Appeal for Peace, USA;

Ban Zhong Yi, movie director and strong advocate of justice for Chinese former "comfort women" of the Japanese imperial army, China;

Emmanuel Bombande, Executive Director of the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Ghana;

Beate Sirota Gordon, co-writer of the Japanese Constitution and author of the disposition granting equality between men and women;

Kasim Turki, former soldier in the Iraqi Republican Guard, journalist and peace activist, Iraq;

Hans von Sponeck, former UN Assistant Secretary General & United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq;

Carlos Vargas, Vice-President of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms and professor of International Law, Costa Rica;

CG Weeramantry, former judge in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and President of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, Sri Lanka;

Ellen Woodsworth, former Vancouver City Councillor, co-founder of the World Peace Forum (2006), and President of WILPF-Canada;

Ann Wright, retired US Army colonel and diplomat, now antiwar activist;
(taken from the Global Article 9 newsletter)

I have been helping out a little bit editing short video clips of some of the participants on their views on Article 9. If you are interested in attending or learning more about the upcoming conference visit the website at Why Not 9?

Also on Sunday, Feb 24th, Parties4Peace, which aims to promote peace through music and dance, will be having an Article 9 party in Shimokitazawa. The peace art exhibition party will be showcasing artwork on the theme of the environment and its connection to peace. If you are interested in submitting any artwork, send an email to them by Feb 14th. They'll be showing three of my short films at the event, so don't miss out!


------------
ARTicle 9 Festa vol.3
「peace x art = eARTh」
------------------------------------------
Date: February 24, Sunday
18:00（DOOR OPEN）18:30（EVENT START）

Venue: Shimokitazawa Alley Hall
2-24-8, Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Shimokitazawa Alley Building 3F
**3 minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station

Women's Active Museum on War and Peace

Since my summer in Berlin, I have been wondering about the differences between how the Germans and the Japanese dealt with their war aggressions in the aftermath of WWII. Take a walk around Berlin and it is easy to see the remembrances to the Holocaust- the Jewish museum, the Jewish memorial, names of Jews embossed on to the pavements- but here in Tokyo no such memorials are to be found.

Sure, Japan is all about peace. Earlier in 2007, I traveled to Hiroshima with my classmates to learn about that atomic bomb and meet with hibakusha-radiation victims. (See my film on this trip here.) I've also heard somewhere that Japan has supposedly the largest number of peace museums in the world. Yet, due to the devastation of the atomic bomb, the Japanese state has perpetuated a victim consciousness that still remains strong today. Japan has never properly come to terms with the its responsibility for its past deeds.

However, there is one museum here in Tokyo which is aimed at educating the public of Japan's World War II aggressions against women. Over the weekend, my friends and I visited the Women's Active Museum on War and Peace in Waseda. WAM is dedicated to the issues of comfort women which is one of the most controversial topics when it comes to the Japanese aggression during World War II.



These comfort women were recruited through out the Japanese empire from rural areas to work in "comfort stations." Often under 20 years old, these women would be repeatedly raped throughout the day to "comfort" the Japanese military men. Even after the war was over, these women lived in shame and remained in silent suffering until 1991 when Kim Hak-Soon from Korea spoke out.

Demands for apology and compensation continues even today. Every Wednesday in Seoul, the comfort women victims from South Korean demonstrate in front of the Japanese embassy. While an apology was offered in the 1992 Kono Statement, the Japanese government has refused to claim any legal responsibility. As recently as March of 2007, when US Congress demanded that Japan offer a formal apology to the comfort women, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated, '"There is no evidence to back up that there was coercion as defined initially" in the role of "the Japanese military or government" in the recruiting of comfort women. '1



At the museum, you can browse through portraits of the comfort women, read their stories, learn about the fights and tribunals on their behalf, and watch an array of films in their library. Unfortunately the museum itself is only in Japanese, and due to size constraints it seems unlikely that much effort will be made to incorporate information in English. But there are a few videos in English that may be helpful in familiarizing you with the issue.

Source:
1. Norhteast Asian History Foundaiton, The truth of Japanese military "Comfort Women" 2007

Utah!

Woo ha! We're (and by that I mean the Rotary World Peace Fellows at ICU) are headed to Salt Lake City, Utah this Thursday to attend the three-day Rotary World Peace Symposium!

I don't believe I ever been to Utah before (even though I always wanted to make it to Sundance) so I'm excited to check out Mormon Country.

The symposium is from the 14th to the 16th, and many of the RWPF alumni will be giving presentations on their research and their post-RWPF experience. It's going to be a major peace networking bonanza. Here's the tenative schedule. Woo hoo!!

Unfortunately, they won't be showing my film about ICU RWPF's trip to Hiroshima due to scheduling issues but I plan on brining many copies to pass out. Perhaps, I can set up a make shift screening in one of our hotel rooms. I hope so.

Okay, I've got a few papers left to crunch out! Yay, Utah!

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

Alright, I have been in Japan too long to have not written anything in regards to Article 9.

It states, "The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes."

The second clause goes on to say, "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potentials, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."

This constitution has remained unchanged for sixty years since it was adopted when the US occupied Japan after World War II but now is being challenged by the current Abe administration. They plan to abolish the second clause so that Japan can posses a military.

Being Japanese, this is something that I take a lot of pride in. While there is a debate as to whether the US enforced this constitution on the Japanese people or the Japanese co-authored it, the fact is that it exists and should not be abolished.

Many of the arguments to abolish it has been so that Japan may play a more active role in world politics and supporting US troops in their military endeavors. Instead, what I feel strongly is that not only should Japan maintain Article 9 but that similar pacific clauses should be adapted by constitutions around the world.

Anyways, so I am currently making a documentary film on Article 9 and am trying to focus on it from the youth movement perspective. This is something that I would very much like to have screened nationally in the United States on Current TV.

Anyways, much more to come on this timely issue!