Men’s evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water.
– Shakespeare
Category: 49 CR – Our role in culture
How a Japanese paper rose to the occasion in tsunami disaster
When the March 2011 tsunami struck, leaving 19,000 people dead or missing and triggering the Fukushima nuclear disaster, it also submerged the Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun’s presses. The 14,000-circulation paper had the biggest story of its 100-year existence on its doorstep, but no way of printing it. So its reporters did what monks in European monasteries once did with the bible by copying out their stories by hand.
Source : The Guardian
UN calls for overhaul of global financial system to benefit the poor
“Financial sectors have already returned to many of the old practices, even as public finances deteriorate and the recovery stalls,” he said. “Austerity measures are back on the agenda and resistance to financial regulation has begun in earnest.”
Source : The Guardian
Humble Friends to the Rescue
This research builds upon a growing body of evidence that humility is an important trait that results in a variety of pro-social and positive outcomes,” says the author. “It also suggests that if we can encourage humility in our communities, people may be more helpful to those in need.
Source : The Atlantic
A typical day for a Japanese bank
“There are interesting parallels between Japan and the UK. Both are islands with a limited and stable population. They have their own currency and they are a former power with lots of history. Their banks and corporations now make most of their profits overseas, which they repatriate for tax reasons.
Source : The Guardian
Arthur Brisbane and selective stenography
This isn’t merely the practice of journalists; rather, as Rosen points out, it’s virtually their religion. They simply do not believe that reporting facts is what they should be doing. Recall David Gregory’s impassioned defense of the media’s behavior in the lead-up to the Iraq War, when he rejected complaints that journalists failed to document falsehoods from Bush officials because “it’s not our role“ and then sneered that only an ideologue would want them to do so (shortly thereafter, NBC named Gregory the new host of Meet the Press).
Source : Salon
Collected Reading 