Joyce Lebra's Blog
May 13, 2016
SOLO COOKING FOR A SUSTAINABLE PLANET
Solo Cooking for a Sustainable Planet is a cookbook I wrote in part as a protest because of friends who said to me, "I live alone so I don't cook," as if one is not worth cooking for. Or worse, a doctor's wife said to me, "I don't care what I put in my stomach. That really did it.
So, since I am also concerned about sustainability of our fragile planet facing multiple assaults on all fronts, I began working on this book. Because meat-eating on the American scale is unsustainable and leads to the highest rates of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity in the industrial world, this book contains no meat recipes. Rather, the approach is vegetarian and pescetarian, a diet approximating the Mediterrranean or traditional Japanese diet. There is a reason why the record for longevity is held by Okinawans living on the island south of the Japanese main island.
Recipes in this book are simple enough for the most reluctant cook to follow, and again, the book is designed for reluctant cooks, though anyone can profit from its use. The book also encourages experimentation in the kitchen, with suggested variations with many of the recipes. The idea is that cooking is fun, and it often produces the most delicious results.
Since I have spent many years in Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, many of the recipes reflect those influences. Those who use this book have a good chance of living to a healthy old age.
So, since I am also concerned about sustainability of our fragile planet facing multiple assaults on all fronts, I began working on this book. Because meat-eating on the American scale is unsustainable and leads to the highest rates of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity in the industrial world, this book contains no meat recipes. Rather, the approach is vegetarian and pescetarian, a diet approximating the Mediterrranean or traditional Japanese diet. There is a reason why the record for longevity is held by Okinawans living on the island south of the Japanese main island.
Recipes in this book are simple enough for the most reluctant cook to follow, and again, the book is designed for reluctant cooks, though anyone can profit from its use. The book also encourages experimentation in the kitchen, with suggested variations with many of the recipes. The idea is that cooking is fun, and it often produces the most delicious results.
Since I have spent many years in Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, many of the recipes reflect those influences. Those who use this book have a good chance of living to a healthy old age.
March 24, 2016
REACHING NINETY
Ninety is a big number, so close to one hundred. I never expected to reach this advanced age. I guess I thought 75 would be my lifespan, the year 2,000 a nice round number. That years I made a photographic autobiography.
So now, reaching ninety, how does it feel? a friend asked. It means some reassessment, some musing on what this long life has meant to me or to anyone else. I can't speak for others--my family, friends, former students.
I can speak for myself. I know that I now have an acute Buddhist sense of transience, of the major importance of each day, each hour, often each minute. Live aware of the importance of each day, hour and minute, and live the best possible way that I can. Extreme mindfulness. Of course my body doesn't do at this age what it used to do. But I am walking still, not sitting in a wheelchair. I still enjoy life, good friends and food, nature. I still have fun.
I also know that it's imperative that I tell friends and family, those I care about, how much they mean to me, have meant to me. I am now doing this. I said, for example, to Paul Wood, that I could never forget how he helped me craft The Scent of Sake and Sugar and Smoke, or the imaginative poetry class he taught, when he thanked me for remembering him. He helped me follow my correct path. I know this is what I'm here on the planet to do: tell the stories of the voiceless, the subjugated. He was one of my most significant teachers. Some people remember grade school teachers. I don't, and of high school teachers I remember only Miss Glenn, who taught journalism, and Miss Denzel, choir director. University teachers I recall with varying degrees of gratitude.
And of gratitude, it is something I feel strongly at 90 because I have been so blessed, so lucky, during my long odyssey. I recall that Al Lagunero once said to me that he feels gratitude constantly. I think I do too, though maybe not as consciously or consistently as Al does. More of this later.
At 90, I'm also more aware of things of the spirit, that mysterious realm. Many examples have impressed me acutely: being unable to get out of bed one day in London though I was perfectly healthy. It turned out to be the day my mother died in Minnesota; the Easter morning when a dove walked into my Maui apartment as my friend Sue died; my two unexpected out-of-body experiences; or hearing Zsuzi's voice call me while swimming a few days after she died.
One evening sitting in bed with a yet unopened book in my hand, I had a sudden epiphany: it came to me that time and death are gifts, because if we had limitless time nothing we do would have the poignance or meaning they have given limited time.
Awareness suddenly of our mortality always causes people who recover from a near death illness to say, "Now I know what's important."
I must say that I have been so blessed, so lucky beyond luck, that I feel I must acknowledge my gratitude further. Too many examples come to mind to mention them all. In India I had the help of Col.G.S. Dhillon during my research in north central India on the Rani of Jhansi, research I could not have done without him. He was one of three national heroes tried for treason by the British for fighting for independence.
Or being offered a fellowship age 82 to the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies in Singapore simply by asking Director Kesavapany if he knew where I might find funding to research the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army. Then being given research and translating assistance by a Malay-speaking Indian woman who also had me hosted by her daughter and five teen-age grandchildren in a town in Malaysia.
Or yesterday when I fell on the moving walkway in the Kahului Airport and was immediately picked up by a strong man behind me and never broke a bone!
Are these examples part of some unseen master plan protecting me, or simply plain luck? Psychics always tell me I have spirit guides, that we all have spirit guides who help us on our way. In any case, I am always grateful.
March 16, 2016
So now, reaching ninety, how does it feel? a friend asked. It means some reassessment, some musing on what this long life has meant to me or to anyone else. I can't speak for others--my family, friends, former students.
I can speak for myself. I know that I now have an acute Buddhist sense of transience, of the major importance of each day, each hour, often each minute. Live aware of the importance of each day, hour and minute, and live the best possible way that I can. Extreme mindfulness. Of course my body doesn't do at this age what it used to do. But I am walking still, not sitting in a wheelchair. I still enjoy life, good friends and food, nature. I still have fun.
I also know that it's imperative that I tell friends and family, those I care about, how much they mean to me, have meant to me. I am now doing this. I said, for example, to Paul Wood, that I could never forget how he helped me craft The Scent of Sake and Sugar and Smoke, or the imaginative poetry class he taught, when he thanked me for remembering him. He helped me follow my correct path. I know this is what I'm here on the planet to do: tell the stories of the voiceless, the subjugated. He was one of my most significant teachers. Some people remember grade school teachers. I don't, and of high school teachers I remember only Miss Glenn, who taught journalism, and Miss Denzel, choir director. University teachers I recall with varying degrees of gratitude.
And of gratitude, it is something I feel strongly at 90 because I have been so blessed, so lucky, during my long odyssey. I recall that Al Lagunero once said to me that he feels gratitude constantly. I think I do too, though maybe not as consciously or consistently as Al does. More of this later.
At 90, I'm also more aware of things of the spirit, that mysterious realm. Many examples have impressed me acutely: being unable to get out of bed one day in London though I was perfectly healthy. It turned out to be the day my mother died in Minnesota; the Easter morning when a dove walked into my Maui apartment as my friend Sue died; my two unexpected out-of-body experiences; or hearing Zsuzi's voice call me while swimming a few days after she died.
One evening sitting in bed with a yet unopened book in my hand, I had a sudden epiphany: it came to me that time and death are gifts, because if we had limitless time nothing we do would have the poignance or meaning they have given limited time.
Awareness suddenly of our mortality always causes people who recover from a near death illness to say, "Now I know what's important."
I must say that I have been so blessed, so lucky beyond luck, that I feel I must acknowledge my gratitude further. Too many examples come to mind to mention them all. In India I had the help of Col.G.S. Dhillon during my research in north central India on the Rani of Jhansi, research I could not have done without him. He was one of three national heroes tried for treason by the British for fighting for independence.
Or being offered a fellowship age 82 to the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies in Singapore simply by asking Director Kesavapany if he knew where I might find funding to research the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army. Then being given research and translating assistance by a Malay-speaking Indian woman who also had me hosted by her daughter and five teen-age grandchildren in a town in Malaysia.
Or yesterday when I fell on the moving walkway in the Kahului Airport and was immediately picked up by a strong man behind me and never broke a bone!
Are these examples part of some unseen master plan protecting me, or simply plain luck? Psychics always tell me I have spirit guides, that we all have spirit guides who help us on our way. In any case, I am always grateful.
March 16, 2016
December 28, 2015
THE BUREAUCRATIZATION AND CORPORATIZATION OF AMERICAN ACADEME
Over the past seven decades a continually escalating bureaucratization and
corporatization of American higher education has occurred. Accompanying this
process has been a dramatic escalation in the cost of a university degree, with a consequent rise in student debt. This process has also raised questions in public perception about the value of this expensive education in terms of access to higher paying jobs.
The root cause of this escalation in the cost of a university degree can be traced not simply to the increase in all costs associated with the general rise in the cost of living. A more fundamental explanation is the burgeoning number of university administrators--university presidents, provosts, chancellors, vice chancellors in an ever-increasing number of areas. These university administrators who formerly were more academicians with specific educational specializations have morphed more recently into individuals without academic specialties but rather who are bureaucratic administrators dedicated more to the concerns of a corporation, an organization focused on economics rather than the academic mission. As such, these university administrators often award themselves with salaries and raises many times the salaries of the university faculty. The result is a distortion of the goal of higher education and an escalation of student debt. Students and faculty are basically paying the high salaries of university administrators.
corporatization of American higher education has occurred. Accompanying this
process has been a dramatic escalation in the cost of a university degree, with a consequent rise in student debt. This process has also raised questions in public perception about the value of this expensive education in terms of access to higher paying jobs.
The root cause of this escalation in the cost of a university degree can be traced not simply to the increase in all costs associated with the general rise in the cost of living. A more fundamental explanation is the burgeoning number of university administrators--university presidents, provosts, chancellors, vice chancellors in an ever-increasing number of areas. These university administrators who formerly were more academicians with specific educational specializations have morphed more recently into individuals without academic specialties but rather who are bureaucratic administrators dedicated more to the concerns of a corporation, an organization focused on economics rather than the academic mission. As such, these university administrators often award themselves with salaries and raises many times the salaries of the university faculty. The result is a distortion of the goal of higher education and an escalation of student debt. Students and faculty are basically paying the high salaries of university administrators.
November 6, 2014
ON DEATHI know from experience that the physical body and...
ON DEATH
I know from experience that the physical body and the spirit are not identical, that the spirit exists apart from the body and does not die together with the body. What's my evidence? As follows:
Twice my spirit left my body unintentionally. I was lying in bed on my back when suddenly my body became totally stiff and I felt my spirit leave from my feet, go up my body and out the top of my head. Another spirit came into the room and I tried to have a casual conversation, but didn't like
this red-headed male spirit. Fortunately, later my spiirt returned to my body. This experience was
repeated the second night. I was rather frightened and spoke to an Edgar Cayce devotee, a friend.
She told me to put my cat out, sprinkle salt in the room and in the bath, recite the Lord's Prayer,
23rd Psalm, and another Psalm, which I did. The experience was not repeated the third night.It happened during a full moon.
The day my mother died I was in London, unaware that she was dying that day, but I was, though
healthy, unable to get out of bed that day. When I returned to Boston my brother told me that was
the day my mother died.
When my close friend Sue died on Maui, it was Easter morning and my brother was visiting.
The patio door was open and just as she died, a dove walked into my living room, the first
and only time that happened. The dove is a symbol of the human spirit, I later realised was
Sue's spirit saying good-bye as she died that Easter morning. When a couple of week later I went to church and was returning,a dove flew along beside my car on the driver's side.
Another friend who was regarded as the "Upcountry Mayor": on Maui, having brought water
to parts of the Island, died. Her children took part of her ashes to scatter on some pipes that
were on the road. Though there was no wind that day, when they scattered some ashes,
they rose straight up in a circle. Later, when her son was shaving one morning, the light went
out. He said, "Mom, if you did that, please turn the light back on." The light went back on.
These events serve as a constant reminder to me that the human spirit does not die with the body, which is a temporary vehicle for the spirit.
My friend, Pastor Heather Mueller, commented that these experiences were a gift, giving me the
assurance of the enduring life of the spriit.
I know from experience that the physical body and the spirit are not identical, that the spirit exists apart from the body and does not die together with the body. What's my evidence? As follows:
Twice my spirit left my body unintentionally. I was lying in bed on my back when suddenly my body became totally stiff and I felt my spirit leave from my feet, go up my body and out the top of my head. Another spirit came into the room and I tried to have a casual conversation, but didn't like
this red-headed male spirit. Fortunately, later my spiirt returned to my body. This experience was
repeated the second night. I was rather frightened and spoke to an Edgar Cayce devotee, a friend.
She told me to put my cat out, sprinkle salt in the room and in the bath, recite the Lord's Prayer,
23rd Psalm, and another Psalm, which I did. The experience was not repeated the third night.It happened during a full moon.
The day my mother died I was in London, unaware that she was dying that day, but I was, though
healthy, unable to get out of bed that day. When I returned to Boston my brother told me that was
the day my mother died.
When my close friend Sue died on Maui, it was Easter morning and my brother was visiting.
The patio door was open and just as she died, a dove walked into my living room, the first
and only time that happened. The dove is a symbol of the human spirit, I later realised was
Sue's spirit saying good-bye as she died that Easter morning. When a couple of week later I went to church and was returning,a dove flew along beside my car on the driver's side.
Another friend who was regarded as the "Upcountry Mayor": on Maui, having brought water
to parts of the Island, died. Her children took part of her ashes to scatter on some pipes that
were on the road. Though there was no wind that day, when they scattered some ashes,
they rose straight up in a circle. Later, when her son was shaving one morning, the light went
out. He said, "Mom, if you did that, please turn the light back on." The light went back on.
These events serve as a constant reminder to me that the human spirit does not die with the body, which is a temporary vehicle for the spirit.
My friend, Pastor Heather Mueller, commented that these experiences were a gift, giving me the
assurance of the enduring life of the spriit.
March 1, 2014
The Two Most Important Things I've Learned in Life
I decided recently to ask all my friends, relatives and even people I meet casually this question:
what are the two most important things you've learned in your life? The variety of responses has been fascinating. I quote them here as I heard them, without editorial comment. My own two things appear after all the other quotes. I do not identify any respondent or the respondent's work in life. I quote the two together for each respondent. In some cases a respondent could give only one reply. The response the importance of family was so frequent that I have not repeated it unless it was accompanied by a more unusual response. I discovered that people under about forty are usually unable to reply meaningfully.
Most of the things I was taught are wrong.
Raising two sons successfully far outweighs the satisfaction of any award I've received.
My word is my bond.
Take each day at a time. The importance of family.
Love is a spiritual dimension. The importance of strategizing and prioritizing.
If you have love and work you have everything.. The need to prioritize in life.
Having the courage to do what I want to do. Having respect for friends, family, all whom I meet.
The importance of patience. That there's a limit to tolerance.
The Importance of friendship and compassion.
My brothers are from Mars and I'm from Venus and I need to accept them for what they are.
No matter how hurt you are, time does heal.
Don't build your whole life around one person. It's more important to make memories with your children
than to buy them things.
Everyone wants the same thing: love.
Don't take anything for granted. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Life is to be shared--requires love. Stay the course--requires faith.
You can find good people wherever you go. Nothing in life is final; everything can be worked on.
To love my wife. That I can arise each day.
Not to harbor resentment--let it go. To do the most I can to make others happy.(102 year old person)
Be nice to your kids. They'll choose.
Just be yourself. Treat everyone as you want to be treated.
To be with Jesus Christ. To love my husband.
To love my wife. This life is just a small slice of eternal life.
Showing consideration in everything you do. Being on time.
You have to train people how to treat you.
I can do whatever I put my mind to. Exercise improves both my physical and mental health.
Religion is nonsense. Death is no big deal.
Relationships are the most important to me.
Luck is the most important determinant of success: good genes, growing up in a democracy, access to education, loving parents.
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Importance of work.
Never stop learning and share what you know. Remember how it felt when you first figured something out.
shaare that feeling with others.
Be nice. You don't have to be kind. Nice is good enough. But kind is good too.
To speak my mind. To know when to shut up.
To work. Gratitude to my parents for letting me do what I wanted to do.
To be able to meet people from a variety of backgrounds and relate to them.
To appreciate each day.
Take each day at a time. Nothing is more important than family.
The older I get, the more compassionate I am.
It's important not to judge, to separate the act from the person.
You need to decide your goal for the future by age 21 or so. Life is a series of random events, and despite planning, you should take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
The separation of nature and nurture is artificial; the two are intertwined and can't be separated.
Life is a crapshoot.
To focus on what you're doing or thinking. Time and death are gifts; if we had limitless time nothing we do
would have any meaning.
what are the two most important things you've learned in your life? The variety of responses has been fascinating. I quote them here as I heard them, without editorial comment. My own two things appear after all the other quotes. I do not identify any respondent or the respondent's work in life. I quote the two together for each respondent. In some cases a respondent could give only one reply. The response the importance of family was so frequent that I have not repeated it unless it was accompanied by a more unusual response. I discovered that people under about forty are usually unable to reply meaningfully.
Most of the things I was taught are wrong.
Raising two sons successfully far outweighs the satisfaction of any award I've received.
My word is my bond.
Take each day at a time. The importance of family.
Love is a spiritual dimension. The importance of strategizing and prioritizing.
If you have love and work you have everything.. The need to prioritize in life.
Having the courage to do what I want to do. Having respect for friends, family, all whom I meet.
The importance of patience. That there's a limit to tolerance.
The Importance of friendship and compassion.
My brothers are from Mars and I'm from Venus and I need to accept them for what they are.
No matter how hurt you are, time does heal.
Don't build your whole life around one person. It's more important to make memories with your children
than to buy them things.
Everyone wants the same thing: love.
Don't take anything for granted. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Life is to be shared--requires love. Stay the course--requires faith.
You can find good people wherever you go. Nothing in life is final; everything can be worked on.
To love my wife. That I can arise each day.
Not to harbor resentment--let it go. To do the most I can to make others happy.(102 year old person)
Be nice to your kids. They'll choose.
Just be yourself. Treat everyone as you want to be treated.
To be with Jesus Christ. To love my husband.
To love my wife. This life is just a small slice of eternal life.
Showing consideration in everything you do. Being on time.
You have to train people how to treat you.
I can do whatever I put my mind to. Exercise improves both my physical and mental health.
Religion is nonsense. Death is no big deal.
Relationships are the most important to me.
Luck is the most important determinant of success: good genes, growing up in a democracy, access to education, loving parents.
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Importance of work.
Never stop learning and share what you know. Remember how it felt when you first figured something out.
shaare that feeling with others.
Be nice. You don't have to be kind. Nice is good enough. But kind is good too.
To speak my mind. To know when to shut up.
To work. Gratitude to my parents for letting me do what I wanted to do.
To be able to meet people from a variety of backgrounds and relate to them.
To appreciate each day.
Take each day at a time. Nothing is more important than family.
The older I get, the more compassionate I am.
It's important not to judge, to separate the act from the person.
You need to decide your goal for the future by age 21 or so. Life is a series of random events, and despite planning, you should take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
The separation of nature and nurture is artificial; the two are intertwined and can't be separated.
Life is a crapshoot.
To focus on what you're doing or thinking. Time and death are gifts; if we had limitless time nothing we do
would have any meaning.
January 5, 2014
LETTER FROM TOKYONovember 16, 2013I decided to make anoth...
LETTER FROM TOKYO
November 16, 2013
I decided to make another trip to Tokyo this year to show my friends there who had visited me in the hospital last year when I had my hip replacement that I'm not disabled. I stayed as usual at the elegant International House of Japan situated in a famous ancient garden, a serene oasis in the midst of Tokyo's frantic pace. The most exciting event at I House during my stay was the appearance of the Empress to attend a meeting. As I stood at the railing of the stairs up which she was scheduled to climb, I was moved back from the railing by one of the forty-man security detail, since no one is ever allowed to look down on a member of the Royal Family.
The day following my arrival, Caroline Kennedy, our new ambassador tro Japan, as well as the Dalai Lama arrived. And on November 16th Bill Clinton and Adam Powell both arrived to participate in an international conference. This confluence of world power and wealth is a daily feature of Tokyo. The choice of Caroline Kennedy for ambassador was greeted enthusiastically, people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of her as she rode in a horse-drawn carriage to present her credentials to the Emperor. Papers report that she has been studying the language, including the world's most difficult writing system. Japanese have a fondness for the last survivor of Camelot, and her choice as ambassador was propitious.
Beyond this confluence of wealth and power at the top, drastic cultural changes are ocurring at other levels of society, amounting to a social revolution. Many young women turn their backs on the traditional role of
wife and mother, and this extraordinary negative attitude toward marriage is shared also by men. While they may choose to live together, co-habiting does not include choosing to have children, as in the U.S. I pointed out to a successful career woman that this demographic shift would have drastic consequences for Japan as the government struggles to provide health cafre for the elderly. She replied, "Why should I care about the future of Japan?" This absolutely shocked me, such a shift in attitude toward one's nation. She, like many in her position, feels no sense of responsibility for the consequences of her choice.
The broader range of life choices for women today, accoding to economists, has not provided women with greater equality.. Wealth and powoer still gravitate to men in what remains an androcentric society. If women choose a university course in the arts rather than in sciences, this choice perpetuates a track leading either to clerical employment or to marriage and children.
There is general scepticism about what the government is telling citizens, something aggravated by the tsunami and nuclear disaster and fall-out, with the accompanying dissembling by Tepco. One friend said to me, "It's like World War II, when the government told us we were winning."
I had two opportunities to walk around on the sidewalks, one day in the Nippori kimono and fabric area in old Tokyo, and another on the Ginza on a Sunday, when the whole street is closed to traffic and the resulting surge of pedestrians offers arresting sights. The contrast between the two areas was stark: the Nippori district marked by rows of small shops, vestiges of old Edo, and then the Ginza with rows of up-scale stores selling designer goods from Paris, Milan, and other fashion centers.
Walking in Tokyo can be hazardous, since apart from the crowds, many pedestrians have their heads down, eyes glued to the phones in their hands. Collisons are inevitable, and the general response is just to keep walking rather than to apologize.
On the Ginza I spotted many men carrying babies in chest slings and not one woman carrying a baby on her back, the traditional method that allowed her to keep working. Several women had small dogs, each dog coated despite the warm weather. One young man had a baby carriage for his little dog. Chairs and tables dotted the center of the road, where people sat enjoying the weather and the passing scene. Another Ginza sight attested to the prosperous consumer economy: shoppers not only carrying large bags but also trundling suitcases to hold their many purchases.
Japan has long been known as a country whose people are so honest that if someone loses a wallet, not to worry. Some kind, honest soul will take it to the nearest koban, where it will be kept safely until the owner appears to claim it. The Japanese community police system, with a police box at every major intersection, has been cited as a model for other countries. This too is changing. The crime rate has risen dramatically,
in particular for cell phones and other high-tech products. I gained insight into this phenomenon when I could not find my new iPhone and reported it stolen. This necessitated international phone calls to my insurance company, to Apple, and to AT&T. I had to visit the ward police station to report it stolen. For two hours I sat in a grubby interrogation room while a young police officer spent the entire time re-writing the same page by hand on endless pieces of paper, jumping up and down to get more paper as he balled up many he had written with errors. When I asked why he didn't use a copy machine, he vigorously replied, "no copy." At the end of two hours all I gained was a case number. I was left wondering what had happened to the vaunted police efficiency in Japan, and whether this paper-pushing frenzy could ever result in solving a crime.
I later found my iPhone in an unobtrusive pocket in my carry-on, much to my chagrin.
As I prepared to leave Tokyo I told friends this was my last trip. I said the same thing last year, but this time it somehow felt different.
Aloha,
Joyce Lebra
November 16, 2013
I decided to make another trip to Tokyo this year to show my friends there who had visited me in the hospital last year when I had my hip replacement that I'm not disabled. I stayed as usual at the elegant International House of Japan situated in a famous ancient garden, a serene oasis in the midst of Tokyo's frantic pace. The most exciting event at I House during my stay was the appearance of the Empress to attend a meeting. As I stood at the railing of the stairs up which she was scheduled to climb, I was moved back from the railing by one of the forty-man security detail, since no one is ever allowed to look down on a member of the Royal Family.
The day following my arrival, Caroline Kennedy, our new ambassador tro Japan, as well as the Dalai Lama arrived. And on November 16th Bill Clinton and Adam Powell both arrived to participate in an international conference. This confluence of world power and wealth is a daily feature of Tokyo. The choice of Caroline Kennedy for ambassador was greeted enthusiastically, people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of her as she rode in a horse-drawn carriage to present her credentials to the Emperor. Papers report that she has been studying the language, including the world's most difficult writing system. Japanese have a fondness for the last survivor of Camelot, and her choice as ambassador was propitious.
Beyond this confluence of wealth and power at the top, drastic cultural changes are ocurring at other levels of society, amounting to a social revolution. Many young women turn their backs on the traditional role of
wife and mother, and this extraordinary negative attitude toward marriage is shared also by men. While they may choose to live together, co-habiting does not include choosing to have children, as in the U.S. I pointed out to a successful career woman that this demographic shift would have drastic consequences for Japan as the government struggles to provide health cafre for the elderly. She replied, "Why should I care about the future of Japan?" This absolutely shocked me, such a shift in attitude toward one's nation. She, like many in her position, feels no sense of responsibility for the consequences of her choice.
The broader range of life choices for women today, accoding to economists, has not provided women with greater equality.. Wealth and powoer still gravitate to men in what remains an androcentric society. If women choose a university course in the arts rather than in sciences, this choice perpetuates a track leading either to clerical employment or to marriage and children.
There is general scepticism about what the government is telling citizens, something aggravated by the tsunami and nuclear disaster and fall-out, with the accompanying dissembling by Tepco. One friend said to me, "It's like World War II, when the government told us we were winning."
I had two opportunities to walk around on the sidewalks, one day in the Nippori kimono and fabric area in old Tokyo, and another on the Ginza on a Sunday, when the whole street is closed to traffic and the resulting surge of pedestrians offers arresting sights. The contrast between the two areas was stark: the Nippori district marked by rows of small shops, vestiges of old Edo, and then the Ginza with rows of up-scale stores selling designer goods from Paris, Milan, and other fashion centers.
Walking in Tokyo can be hazardous, since apart from the crowds, many pedestrians have their heads down, eyes glued to the phones in their hands. Collisons are inevitable, and the general response is just to keep walking rather than to apologize.
On the Ginza I spotted many men carrying babies in chest slings and not one woman carrying a baby on her back, the traditional method that allowed her to keep working. Several women had small dogs, each dog coated despite the warm weather. One young man had a baby carriage for his little dog. Chairs and tables dotted the center of the road, where people sat enjoying the weather and the passing scene. Another Ginza sight attested to the prosperous consumer economy: shoppers not only carrying large bags but also trundling suitcases to hold their many purchases.
Japan has long been known as a country whose people are so honest that if someone loses a wallet, not to worry. Some kind, honest soul will take it to the nearest koban, where it will be kept safely until the owner appears to claim it. The Japanese community police system, with a police box at every major intersection, has been cited as a model for other countries. This too is changing. The crime rate has risen dramatically,
in particular for cell phones and other high-tech products. I gained insight into this phenomenon when I could not find my new iPhone and reported it stolen. This necessitated international phone calls to my insurance company, to Apple, and to AT&T. I had to visit the ward police station to report it stolen. For two hours I sat in a grubby interrogation room while a young police officer spent the entire time re-writing the same page by hand on endless pieces of paper, jumping up and down to get more paper as he balled up many he had written with errors. When I asked why he didn't use a copy machine, he vigorously replied, "no copy." At the end of two hours all I gained was a case number. I was left wondering what had happened to the vaunted police efficiency in Japan, and whether this paper-pushing frenzy could ever result in solving a crime.
I later found my iPhone in an unobtrusive pocket in my carry-on, much to my chagrin.
As I prepared to leave Tokyo I told friends this was my last trip. I said the same thing last year, but this time it somehow felt different.
Aloha,
Joyce Lebra
October 2, 2013
BOULDER'S THOUSAND-YEAR RAIN
For many months, in fact over two years, Boulder had been suffering from, if not drought, at least insufficient
rain. Everyone hoped for rain. Then on Monday, September 9th, it began to rain, not a gentle rain but a genuine monsoon rain. This was not the formerly common gentle afternoon rain of Boulder summers, but a torrential rain. Tuesday all day and night the rain continued. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it continued
and residents of much of northern Colorado were horrified.
The results of this monsoon were catastrophic, especially in areas of Boulder that sat in a flood plain.
And Boulder was not alone. Whole mountain towns were obliterated. Rushing rivers changed course, destroying over two hundred miles of highways. Houses were uprooted and people scrambled to
safety. The town Lyons was totally cut off from the outside. Mountain towns such as Jamestown
were a thing of the past. The Red Cross opened a shelter in the YMCA to accommodate evacuees,
and some churches also provided shelter for those who had lost their homes.
Boulder's most costly retirement residence, Frasier, had to evacuate all assisted living and total care
residents to other facilities, not only in Boulder but in Denver and environs. Some residents in independent living there had to evacuate apartments flooded with mud and grease. There is at this time no known plan to rebuild these destroyed facilities.
In the nearby Bramford, where I live, we were high and dry and feel very fortunate. We were totally
spared, just a block from the trashed Frasier, where the flooded garage also destroyed cars in the
mudslide.
It will be many years before Boulder and surrounding towns can be restored to normal and also
until Colorado residents can breathe more easily in this region so subject to flooding and also
to forest fires. It is in large part due to the warnings of internationally known geologist Gilbert
White that Boulder did what planning it did to avert even more serious consequences of this
disastrous flood.
rain. Everyone hoped for rain. Then on Monday, September 9th, it began to rain, not a gentle rain but a genuine monsoon rain. This was not the formerly common gentle afternoon rain of Boulder summers, but a torrential rain. Tuesday all day and night the rain continued. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it continued
and residents of much of northern Colorado were horrified.
The results of this monsoon were catastrophic, especially in areas of Boulder that sat in a flood plain.
And Boulder was not alone. Whole mountain towns were obliterated. Rushing rivers changed course, destroying over two hundred miles of highways. Houses were uprooted and people scrambled to
safety. The town Lyons was totally cut off from the outside. Mountain towns such as Jamestown
were a thing of the past. The Red Cross opened a shelter in the YMCA to accommodate evacuees,
and some churches also provided shelter for those who had lost their homes.
Boulder's most costly retirement residence, Frasier, had to evacuate all assisted living and total care
residents to other facilities, not only in Boulder but in Denver and environs. Some residents in independent living there had to evacuate apartments flooded with mud and grease. There is at this time no known plan to rebuild these destroyed facilities.
In the nearby Bramford, where I live, we were high and dry and feel very fortunate. We were totally
spared, just a block from the trashed Frasier, where the flooded garage also destroyed cars in the
mudslide.
It will be many years before Boulder and surrounding towns can be restored to normal and also
until Colorado residents can breathe more easily in this region so subject to flooding and also
to forest fires. It is in large part due to the warnings of internationally known geologist Gilbert
White that Boulder did what planning it did to avert even more serious consequences of this
disastrous flood.
August 29, 2013
THE ARROGANCE OF POWER
The United States has given the world numerous examples of the arrogance of power in the last few decades, refusing to heed President Eisenhower's prescient warning about "the military-industrial complex."
I write now about the most recent example of such arrogance, a proposal by President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Defense Secretary Hagel, to launch a military strike against the Syrian regime to protest the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.
I also note the relevant fact that, as described in Mark Leibovich's book This Town, Washington is a place where an elite political class operates in isolation from the rest of the country and operates primarily to ensure its own self-preservation rather than to promote policies beneficial to the populace of the country.
Apparently the trio, Obama, Kerry and Hagel, have forgotten that the U,S. is the only world power to use nuclear weapons of mass destruction against civilians. What basis does the U.S. have for claiming to have the moral high ground in the face of what the U.S. has itself done?
Though I do not often quote Republican House Speaker Boehner, in fact there is no legal basis for launching such an attack, as he has noted in a communication to the White Hosue.
Is the trio willing to ignore the fact that the Security Council will not support such a venture, given the opposition of Russia and China?
Have none of the trio learned any lessons from wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, wars which have been extremely costly in American lives and treasure and have failed to result in anything that could be claimed as "victory" for the U.S.?
What, if anything, does the trio see as a danger by the Syrian regime to the security interests of the US?
We have seen repeatedly that there is no way to predict what the blowback will be from other powers once the U.S. launches a military action somewhere in the world. There is simply no way to predict what the response of other powers in the Middle East and elsewhere would be to such a military action.
Has the trio forgotten that a "limited military action with limited objectives" generally leads to an expanded are of operations and a much larger war? There is no way to predict or control what other powers in the world would do in response to a U.S. action, whether accompanied by Britain and France or not.
Has the trio forgotten that taking action against the Syrian regime would put the U.S. on the side of
the Al Queda opposition?
To show the world yet another example of the arrogance of power of the U.S. would also be an example of the height of irresponsibility and failure to take account of the opposition of much of the population of this country to such a policy.
I write now about the most recent example of such arrogance, a proposal by President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Defense Secretary Hagel, to launch a military strike against the Syrian regime to protest the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.
I also note the relevant fact that, as described in Mark Leibovich's book This Town, Washington is a place where an elite political class operates in isolation from the rest of the country and operates primarily to ensure its own self-preservation rather than to promote policies beneficial to the populace of the country.
Apparently the trio, Obama, Kerry and Hagel, have forgotten that the U,S. is the only world power to use nuclear weapons of mass destruction against civilians. What basis does the U.S. have for claiming to have the moral high ground in the face of what the U.S. has itself done?
Though I do not often quote Republican House Speaker Boehner, in fact there is no legal basis for launching such an attack, as he has noted in a communication to the White Hosue.
Is the trio willing to ignore the fact that the Security Council will not support such a venture, given the opposition of Russia and China?
Have none of the trio learned any lessons from wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, wars which have been extremely costly in American lives and treasure and have failed to result in anything that could be claimed as "victory" for the U.S.?
What, if anything, does the trio see as a danger by the Syrian regime to the security interests of the US?
We have seen repeatedly that there is no way to predict what the blowback will be from other powers once the U.S. launches a military action somewhere in the world. There is simply no way to predict what the response of other powers in the Middle East and elsewhere would be to such a military action.
Has the trio forgotten that a "limited military action with limited objectives" generally leads to an expanded are of operations and a much larger war? There is no way to predict or control what other powers in the world would do in response to a U.S. action, whether accompanied by Britain and France or not.
Has the trio forgotten that taking action against the Syrian regime would put the U.S. on the side of
the Al Queda opposition?
To show the world yet another example of the arrogance of power of the U.S. would also be an example of the height of irresponsibility and failure to take account of the opposition of much of the population of this country to such a policy.
August 1, 2013
OUR INJUSTICE SYSTEM
I have for most of my life held the believe that our justice system would provide justice under the law.
I myself have in some of my writings given voice to the voiceless or the underdog, often those who
are subjected to suppresion by the structures of power. This I did in my firm conviction that justice must prevail in the world. This is apparent in my two novels set in Hawai'i, where plantation workers are exploited by sugar and pineapple barons. The novels are: Sugar and Smoke, under the pen name Napua Chapman,
and Cane Fires, under my name, Joyce Lebra.
We have had numerous examples in recent years, however, of how our "justice system" operates to subvert justice and provide the opposite.. Most blatant was the O.J. Simpson trial a few decades ago, and we have the more recent example of the Zimmerman trial. What we see in many, if not most trials, is a game between lawyers, both prosecution and defense attorneys doying their best to win the game.
One example is in the novel, The Fifth Witness, by Michael Connelly,wherein the aggressive defense attorney is asked by his team assistant, "Do you believe she's guilty?" He replies, "That's beside the point," and in this trial the defense attorney's aggressive tactics succeed in getting his client off from a charge of murder. Later he realizes that in fact she was guilty and has gone free as a result of his efforts.
Or take the example of an actual case related in The Injustice System, by Clive Stafford Smith, again from the viewpoint of a defense attorney. An ethnic Indian was accused of a double murder in Miami in 1986.
This defense attorney employed every tactic available in the legal system to try to free the defendant,
whom he is convinced is innocent, but this man languished for over forty years in prison, part of the time
on death row. Here we see another example of manipulation of the law by a conviction-hungry prosecutor who witholds evidence and a judge who solicited bribes from the defendant. The victims in this case, depicted in court as respectable businessmen, had been laundering money for a drug cartel. After over forty years, the defense attorney saw no remedy for this hapless Indian defendant, who continued to be held in prison.
More recently we have the case of the Zimmerman trial, much in public view on the media for several weeks. In this case, the murder of an unarmed teen-age African American, the prosecution's pallid efforts were overcome by the effective tactics of the aggressive defense attorneys. Jurors were instructed by the judge not to use the phrase "racial profiling," though this was obviously what happened when Zimmerman, acting as an over-zealous neigthborhood watchman, followed the victim, accosted and shot him, even though police instructed him not to get out of his car. Zimmerman was quoted as saying, "These people always get away with everything." Strict instructions by the judge led jurors to believe that they had only one option::to free Zimmdfmzn.. Had I been on the jury I would have hung it, necessitating a further trial in the hope that justice might prevail in the end.
In general the system does not operate equally for prosecuting and defense attorneys. Prosecuting attorneys cannot be sued, whereas defense attorneys can be. Prosecutors are often over-eager to get a conviction,
which will advance political careers. It would seem that defense attorneys are at a distinct disadvantage in this situation. The attorney's game then proceeds under this unequal paradigm, in which defense attorneys attempt to prevail with this disadvantage.
For an African American, the only hope of success in a trial is generally if he or she has unlimited financial resources, as with O.J.Simpson. In fact, this is true with most individuals who become involved in a trial--the advantage goes to the person with the most money to hire the best, or most aggressive attorney.
I myself have in some of my writings given voice to the voiceless or the underdog, often those who
are subjected to suppresion by the structures of power. This I did in my firm conviction that justice must prevail in the world. This is apparent in my two novels set in Hawai'i, where plantation workers are exploited by sugar and pineapple barons. The novels are: Sugar and Smoke, under the pen name Napua Chapman,
and Cane Fires, under my name, Joyce Lebra.
We have had numerous examples in recent years, however, of how our "justice system" operates to subvert justice and provide the opposite.. Most blatant was the O.J. Simpson trial a few decades ago, and we have the more recent example of the Zimmerman trial. What we see in many, if not most trials, is a game between lawyers, both prosecution and defense attorneys doying their best to win the game.
One example is in the novel, The Fifth Witness, by Michael Connelly,wherein the aggressive defense attorney is asked by his team assistant, "Do you believe she's guilty?" He replies, "That's beside the point," and in this trial the defense attorney's aggressive tactics succeed in getting his client off from a charge of murder. Later he realizes that in fact she was guilty and has gone free as a result of his efforts.
Or take the example of an actual case related in The Injustice System, by Clive Stafford Smith, again from the viewpoint of a defense attorney. An ethnic Indian was accused of a double murder in Miami in 1986.
This defense attorney employed every tactic available in the legal system to try to free the defendant,
whom he is convinced is innocent, but this man languished for over forty years in prison, part of the time
on death row. Here we see another example of manipulation of the law by a conviction-hungry prosecutor who witholds evidence and a judge who solicited bribes from the defendant. The victims in this case, depicted in court as respectable businessmen, had been laundering money for a drug cartel. After over forty years, the defense attorney saw no remedy for this hapless Indian defendant, who continued to be held in prison.
More recently we have the case of the Zimmerman trial, much in public view on the media for several weeks. In this case, the murder of an unarmed teen-age African American, the prosecution's pallid efforts were overcome by the effective tactics of the aggressive defense attorneys. Jurors were instructed by the judge not to use the phrase "racial profiling," though this was obviously what happened when Zimmerman, acting as an over-zealous neigthborhood watchman, followed the victim, accosted and shot him, even though police instructed him not to get out of his car. Zimmerman was quoted as saying, "These people always get away with everything." Strict instructions by the judge led jurors to believe that they had only one option::to free Zimmdfmzn.. Had I been on the jury I would have hung it, necessitating a further trial in the hope that justice might prevail in the end.
In general the system does not operate equally for prosecuting and defense attorneys. Prosecuting attorneys cannot be sued, whereas defense attorneys can be. Prosecutors are often over-eager to get a conviction,
which will advance political careers. It would seem that defense attorneys are at a distinct disadvantage in this situation. The attorney's game then proceeds under this unequal paradigm, in which defense attorneys attempt to prevail with this disadvantage.
For an African American, the only hope of success in a trial is generally if he or she has unlimited financial resources, as with O.J.Simpson. In fact, this is true with most individuals who become involved in a trial--the advantage goes to the person with the most money to hire the best, or most aggressive attorney.
July 17, 2013
HARA-KIRI IN TOKYO, 1970
Wednesday, November 25th began like any other day at the Headquarters of the Ground Self-Defense Forces at Ichigaya, Tokyo. This is where I went each Wednesday for research in Japanese military history during World War II. What happened that Wednesday, however, was far from ordinary, and created a sensation that is still discussed in Japan.
As I sat in the War History Library just before noon, I heard helicopters flying overhead and a commotion in the compound in front of the administration building. As the noise grew louder, I decided to go out and see what was happening. Soldiers were milling around in front of the building, and I asked one of them what was going on, why people were crowding the compound. He told me that the well-known novelist Yukio Mishima was inside the building. Soon an officer with a megaphone asked the soldiers to gather around in front of the building. Soon I saw why.
Out on the balcony of the building appeared Mishima and four of his followers dressed in Meiji-era uniforms, hachimaki around their foreheads. They stepped forward and hung a huge banner over the balcony. Mishima began his harangue, saying that Japan needed a real army and a new constitution (since the US occupation had imposed a no-war clause in the new constituion). He exhorted the assembled soldiers to rise up and act as he directed. His tirade lasted exactly seven minutes, with Mishima glancing at his watch from time to time.
I felt uneasy as a tall foreign woman directly in his line of vision, and I moved to one side.
As I listened, I was incredulous as the military words from the 1930's echoed through the throng. The soldiers, similarly astonished, made remarks like, "Go take a cold shower." After seven minutes Mishima raised his arms and shouted, "Tenno heika, banzai," "Hail to the Emperor." A few faint voices replied in kind, but most stood dumbfounded. Mishima and his followers then retreated into the office of the Commanding General behind the balcony doors. Without knowing what was to come, I was nevertheless incredulous that I stood there hearing a historic speech. It was as if five soldiers went into the Pentagon and held the General and his staff hostage as they staged the act.
I went back into the library, and it wasn't long before we heard police cars leaving the area. What I heard a few minutes later was incredible: Mishima and one of his soldiers had committed hara-kiri, or seppuku, before General Mashita, whom they had tied in his chair. Mishima's second was to lop off his head as soon as he d isemboweled himself, as tradition dictated, but he missed and hit Mishima's back. A third soldier
then performed this duty, whereupon the second's head was lopped off by another of the men. Police cars took away the surviving soldiers, one in each car.
I hesitated to leave the area, as I knew the whole compound would be surrounded by right-wing Mishima sympathizers. I finally left after 4:00 and returned via subway to International House, where I was staying.
That night I was unable to sleep. I had gone into the I House library and taken out Mishima's book Sun and Steel, which contained his ideas about an ideal death, combining art and life in a final act. The word 'death' appeared on nearly every page.When I finished the book I still was unable to sleep, so I wrote down my impressions of the extraordinary events of the day.
The next day my Australian friend Perpetua stopped by my room, and I told her that I had been at Ichigaya the day before and showed her what I had written. She said that we should go and offer my words to the press. As it happened, the New York Times published my eyewitness acount, as also did the Maichichi Shimbun. In fact it was the main topic of conversation in Tokyo for weeks, and each monthly magazine and weekly issued special editions on the subject.
Mishima had planned his last act for over two years, during which he recruited and trained his volunteer force in the training areas used by the Ground Self-Defense Forces, which had given him permission.
On the fatal day he and his soldiers had permission to carry their samurai swords into military headquarters, where he had an appointment with General Mashita. The general resingned his office, taking responsibility for failing to prevent this catastrophe. Mishima was demonstrably extremely eccentric, having held an exhibit in a major department store of nude photos of himself in various poses featuring swords and other macabre props. He hated the thought of growing old, with a sagging body, and wanted to die with the results of his body-building on full display for the world. Mishima's last act electrified Japan and was featured in headlines around the world.
As I sat in the War History Library just before noon, I heard helicopters flying overhead and a commotion in the compound in front of the administration building. As the noise grew louder, I decided to go out and see what was happening. Soldiers were milling around in front of the building, and I asked one of them what was going on, why people were crowding the compound. He told me that the well-known novelist Yukio Mishima was inside the building. Soon an officer with a megaphone asked the soldiers to gather around in front of the building. Soon I saw why.
Out on the balcony of the building appeared Mishima and four of his followers dressed in Meiji-era uniforms, hachimaki around their foreheads. They stepped forward and hung a huge banner over the balcony. Mishima began his harangue, saying that Japan needed a real army and a new constitution (since the US occupation had imposed a no-war clause in the new constituion). He exhorted the assembled soldiers to rise up and act as he directed. His tirade lasted exactly seven minutes, with Mishima glancing at his watch from time to time.
I felt uneasy as a tall foreign woman directly in his line of vision, and I moved to one side.
As I listened, I was incredulous as the military words from the 1930's echoed through the throng. The soldiers, similarly astonished, made remarks like, "Go take a cold shower." After seven minutes Mishima raised his arms and shouted, "Tenno heika, banzai," "Hail to the Emperor." A few faint voices replied in kind, but most stood dumbfounded. Mishima and his followers then retreated into the office of the Commanding General behind the balcony doors. Without knowing what was to come, I was nevertheless incredulous that I stood there hearing a historic speech. It was as if five soldiers went into the Pentagon and held the General and his staff hostage as they staged the act.
I went back into the library, and it wasn't long before we heard police cars leaving the area. What I heard a few minutes later was incredible: Mishima and one of his soldiers had committed hara-kiri, or seppuku, before General Mashita, whom they had tied in his chair. Mishima's second was to lop off his head as soon as he d isemboweled himself, as tradition dictated, but he missed and hit Mishima's back. A third soldier
then performed this duty, whereupon the second's head was lopped off by another of the men. Police cars took away the surviving soldiers, one in each car.
I hesitated to leave the area, as I knew the whole compound would be surrounded by right-wing Mishima sympathizers. I finally left after 4:00 and returned via subway to International House, where I was staying.
That night I was unable to sleep. I had gone into the I House library and taken out Mishima's book Sun and Steel, which contained his ideas about an ideal death, combining art and life in a final act. The word 'death' appeared on nearly every page.When I finished the book I still was unable to sleep, so I wrote down my impressions of the extraordinary events of the day.
The next day my Australian friend Perpetua stopped by my room, and I told her that I had been at Ichigaya the day before and showed her what I had written. She said that we should go and offer my words to the press. As it happened, the New York Times published my eyewitness acount, as also did the Maichichi Shimbun. In fact it was the main topic of conversation in Tokyo for weeks, and each monthly magazine and weekly issued special editions on the subject.
Mishima had planned his last act for over two years, during which he recruited and trained his volunteer force in the training areas used by the Ground Self-Defense Forces, which had given him permission.
On the fatal day he and his soldiers had permission to carry their samurai swords into military headquarters, where he had an appointment with General Mashita. The general resingned his office, taking responsibility for failing to prevent this catastrophe. Mishima was demonstrably extremely eccentric, having held an exhibit in a major department store of nude photos of himself in various poses featuring swords and other macabre props. He hated the thought of growing old, with a sagging body, and wanted to die with the results of his body-building on full display for the world. Mishima's last act electrified Japan and was featured in headlines around the world.
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