Most of the Japanese population has always needed to live
along the coastlines as most of the inland prefectures are mostly
hills and mountains unsuitable for settlement.
Also, the Japanese never had a lot of natural resources or
native technology (by comparison of course).
Yet, the Japanese were colonizing other countries in 1900
while Africa was being colonized.
Self-imposed isolation and homogeneity apparently have their upsides. They invaded China, Korea, et al. About 50 years later, they out-sourced millions of Japanese jobs to the same places.
Movies haven't been a young medium for decades. They can't change largely because the people associated with them aren't adaptable....especially the select few who make the decisions.
Let games and other interactive media take their place.
...and let Hollywood continue to live in the past if that's what they want.
"The comparison with dictators is therefore not
really apt. Hitler and Stalin had no such assurance of
destruction hanging over their heads,..."
No matter how far removed from reality either of them were,
Stalin had to at least consider the possibility of destruction
and annihilation....and in Hitler's case that notion was rather
well justified, wasn't it?
"...and it's probable that they discounted any future
possibility of punishment for their actions."
Neither of the above had a rational grasp of actions and
consequences, which is the same argument we could make about a
LOT of people who hold so much power over other people.
Truth is this war in Iraq has cost the US almost a
trillion dollars. Think about the kickass health care system
ya'll would have if you invested alomst a trillian dollars into
it. How man American's lives would have been saved if the money
was better allocated back home, to health and education?
Considering the obscene amount of money that the federal,
state and local governments as well as private and faith-based
interests have poured in to health and education programs, we can
make a good case proving that we can't solve America's problems
by throwing money at them.
Invading and occupying Iraq (and arguably Afghanistan) was a
simplistic and mis-guided solution to a complex problem. Pouring
money down a frickin' bottomless hole is also simplistic and
mis-guided as the issues of health and education in America are
no less complicated....and just like those military solutions,
trying to buy our way out of every unfulfilled expectation always
seems to encourage bad habits and behavior.
Meaningful and lasting solutions involve the folks - who are
powerful enough to make decisions that will get things
going - actually and directly communicating with
the folks who need help with problems which they cannot solve by
themselves.
...and it doesn't always involve an exchange of money or
bullets.
Simple, fast, and dirty fixes are easier to formulate, easier
to implement and the bill can be passed along to future budgets.
They play out better on commercial TV and tabloid print media
where there isn't time nor space to go in to complex detail
anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
...a few interesting differences
Most of the Japanese population has always needed to live along the coastlines as most of the inland prefectures are mostly hills and mountains unsuitable for settlement.
Also, the Japanese never had a lot of natural resources or native technology (by comparison of course).
Yet, the Japanese were colonizing other countries in 1900 while Africa was being colonized.
Self-imposed isolation and homogeneity apparently have their upsides. They invaded China, Korea, et al. About 50 years later, they out-sourced millions of Japanese jobs to the same places.
Maybe avarice has downsides.
When American territory was attacked in 1941 by the Japanese, the first country they invaded was Italy.
...or possibly somewhere in North Africa. It was before my time.
...funny thing. I think the US still has troops in both countries.
This is not necessarily a bad thing.
Movies haven't been a young medium for decades. They can't change largely because the people associated with them aren't adaptable. ...especially the select few who make the decisions.
Let games and other interactive media take their place.
...and let Hollywood continue to live in the past if that's what they want.
"The comparison with dictators is therefore not really apt. Hitler and Stalin had no such assurance of destruction hanging over their heads,..."
No matter how far removed from reality either of them were, Stalin had to at least consider the possibility of destruction and annihilation. ...and in Hitler's case that notion was rather
well justified, wasn't it?
"...and it's probable that they discounted any future possibility of punishment for their actions."
Neither of the above had a rational grasp of actions and consequences, which is the same argument we could make about a LOT of people who hold so much power over other people.
Truth is this war in Iraq has cost the US almost a trillion dollars. Think about the kickass health care system ya'll would have if you invested alomst a trillian dollars into it. How man American's lives would have been saved if the money was better allocated back home, to health and education?
Considering the obscene amount of money that the federal, state and local governments as well as private and faith-based interests have poured in to health and education programs, we can make a good case proving that we can't solve America's problems by throwing money at them.
Invading and occupying Iraq (and arguably Afghanistan) was a simplistic and mis-guided solution to a complex problem. Pouring money down a frickin' bottomless hole is also simplistic and mis-guided as the issues of health and education in America are no less complicated. ...and just like those military solutions,
trying to buy our way out of every unfulfilled expectation always
seems to encourage bad habits and behavior.
Meaningful and lasting solutions involve the folks - who are powerful enough to make decisions that will get things going - actually and directly communicating with the folks who need help with problems which they cannot solve by themselves.
...and it doesn't always involve an exchange of money or bullets.
Simple, fast, and dirty fixes are easier to formulate, easier to implement and the bill can be passed along to future budgets. They play out better on commercial TV and tabloid print media where there isn't time nor space to go in to complex detail anyway.
...s'cuse me while I go microwave some lunch.