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The success and integration of immigrant minority groups in North American labour markets have always been quite futile in comparison to their North-American and European-born counterparts. Recent findings from the 2006 census, released by Statistics Canada, show that the children of Chinese and South Asian immigrants to Canada fare much better over time than children of Blacks, Filipinos and Latin Americans. Second- and third-generation Chinese and Japanese Canadians have surpassed the income of all other groups of newcomers, including whites. The sociological concept, segmented assimilation, can help us understand why some children of immigrants may do better or worse than others. Segmented assimilation refers to the potential outcomes evolving out of adapting to particular groups in the host society. It suggests that people adapt to certain societal norms, but not others because of the groups they identify themselves with (race, class, etc.). So it could be that those who are doing better are associating themselves with the "right" groups. Many other factors contribute to the success and integration of immigrant groups, however, the groups we choose to associate ourselves with can open or close many doors.

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Peter S. Li on Earning Disparities between Immigrants and Native-born Canadians

aprenda con pincel al estilo japonés.

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Therefore, this 月曜日 (Monday) (十月十三日 (October 13)) is 体育の日 (Sports Day). So, 今日 (today) is the first day of a 三連休 (three-day weekend).

(You can see my short FAQ post about 体育の日 (Sports Day) here.)

There are many 秋祭 (Autumn Festivals) around 日本 (Japan) this weekend and next. We plan to go to a couple of them.

Today (土曜日 (Saturday)), though, we're just staying home because our daughters need to study for exams that they'll will have at school on 火曜日 (Tuesday).

*****
I'm part of "Generation X" (born in the late 1960s - late '70s). I was in Elementary school in the 1970s and a teenager in the 1980s.
I can remember (vaguely) the election of the US President Jimmy Carter. More vividly I remember when Rubik's Cube®, Sony Walkman® (that played cassettes), MTV®, "Nightmare On Elm Street", and Pac-Man® were big.

Growing up I loved Star Wars, The Incredible Hulk (TV show), Knight Rider (I've seen an episode of that old show recently...I can't believe I liked it as a kid!), Evel Knievel, The Fonz, and heavy metal music (some of my favorites were (and still are): KISS (see my post here), Judas Priest, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, and Scorpions).

Recognize any of those? Some things on that list were from the '70s (until I was ten years old) and others were from the '80s (when I was eleven years old til high school).

(BTW, all of the band logos above are copyright© of their respective owners. And I got the images from the Hard Rock Hideout website).

My three kids were born between 1993 and 1996. Their generation doesn't remember a pre-internet or pre-cell phone world. They were too young to understand the "9/11" attacks when they occurred.

---
Anyways...what was popular with you when you were growing up? (Write about it in the comments section!)

my bento was ready in about 10 minutes, so i went home eager to fill my stomach. this is what it looked like..

it was a very disappointing meal. i like the fish on my sushi to have a firm, crunchy texture, and this wasn't the case here. both the tuna and salmon were almost slimy, and the rice wasn't sushi rice but plain white rice. the teriyaki chicken was okay, but you'd have to be a pretty bad chef to ruin teriyaki chicken. the 2 spring rolls i got (apparently this was part of the tempura component) was stock standard, and the sweet potato tempura sat on top of a bed of salad that was slathered in a LOT of mayo making it pretty much inedible. the gyoza was average, but clearly store-bought and deep fried.

if it wasn't for the polite staff and green tea i think i'd be a lot more nasty in the way i was describing the food. but while i won't be going back there again, i'll be fair in saying that the rest of their offerings could be a lot better. just don't order the bento.

We gave the Prime Rib footlong a try two weeks ago, with pepperjack cheese, Chipotle Southwest sauce and all the fixings.  This new sandwich might breathe life to those who are getting sick of the $5 ones.  

The service is fine.  Located inside a small strip mall on Venice, parking here is relatively easy

http://www.yelp.com/biz/subway-los-angeles-91#hrid:BlAToLuZbcBNtx-4t27OEQ

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sanuki-sandou-los-angeles#hrid:VEbHNGftH61kfVy7MYxpJA

First stop was Shogun.  However, once we've arrived, it turns out this place closes at 4pm every working day.  It also seems like it doesn't open on the weekends or holidays.  What a way to do business huh?

Fortunately I anticipated this mishap, as these things seem to happen often.  We always seem to venture out to a place only to find them not open on the exact same weekday we visit.  My next choice is Noodle Express.

It was relatively easy to find.  There's a parking garage nearby too on Alberni Street, above the liquor store.  It costs $2.50 per half hour, and you can ONLY pick between half an hour or 24 hours parking.  Weird.

As with most ramen places, you have a choice between Miso, Shoyu and Shio soup base.

It wasn't busy at all the day of our visit.  It was a weekday afterall and it wasn't quite dinner time yet.  They have quite a selection on their menu, and there were items posted on the walls all around also.  This led me to the suspicion that this is not a japanese-owned restaurant, as we would've like for a ramen place.  My suspicion was confirmed later when the waitress talked to the cooks in the back in mandarin.

First up Hanz was enticed by the menu item Roasted Beef.  Upon reading I would think this is equivalent to the chinese style of five-spice marinated roast beef.  So we had high hopes for it.

Unfortunately, this was obviously reheated in the microwave (we could hear the beep of the microwave).  Despite the dark coloring of the meat, it was bland and dry.  The only good part was the part near the tendon, and that had barely tasteable flavor.  I suggested we leave it to dunk into the ramen soup later.

I ordered the Pork Toro Shoyu Ramen.  It came with succulent pieces of fatty pork belly meat.  They were the best part of the dish.  They were perfectly marinated and prepared, soft and melted in my mouth.  Good for my tastebuds, not so good for my arteries~

I like the fact that they serve their ramen they way sapporo style should be -with bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and corn.  The fact that Ezogiku changed their ways and serve it with cabbage, artificial crab and bak choy (sometimes) had disappointed me little by little.

The soup base was just okay.  It didn't live up to my expectations since that one time I had the best shoyu soup base at Ezogiku, and even THEY don't live up to it anymore.

Hanz's choice was Chicken Teriyaki Shoyu Ramen.  Everything else was the same as mine.  The chicken was not as flavorful though.  I found it rather bland.

Having said all that, I'll still come back, perhaps to try their miso soup base to see if it's any good.

whenever we come to little tokyo with no desire to be adventurous, here is where we go.

Today we got the tuna and tuna bowl (of course) and a bottle of Kikusui Junmai Ginjo Sake. I liked it

Miwakaya (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA)
Mochi Ice Cream.  the mochi ice cream with specialty flavors are called mochilato's and they are 25 cents more than the regular flavored mochi ice cream.

i would get the specialty flavors that you can't find in stores.  this time, we had the plum wine and cookies and cream.  The plum wine one has a plum inside!  

a good place for a very small but wonderful dessert

Mitsuru Cafe (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA)
Japanese.  Imagawayaki (azuki/sweet red bean paste-filled japanese pancake) is what you should come here for.  that's all i have been getting.  maybe one day i will try the skewers.

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 23, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Japan and the Vatican have a lot of reasons to intensify relations in the coming years, especially regarding cooperation in Africa, says the new Japanese ambassador to the Holy See.

Ambassador Kagefumi Ueno, who began his mission at the Vatican in November, adds that "there is a lot of scope for teamwork and coordination between Japanese aid agencies and some important Catholic players in Africa."

In this interview with ZENIT, the ambassador also offers a Japanese perspective of the Vatican, and some thoughts on why Catholics only comprise 0.5% of Japan's population. 

Q: Coming from Japan, what strikes you most about the Holy See?

Ueno: My impression is that the Holy See has four very distinct capacities.

First, it has a moral value or moral authority that is respected not only by Catholics but also by many authorities of non-Christian countries. 

For instance, when I extended my credentials to the Holy Father, he expressed his desire for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The next day, what he said to me was reported almost everywhere around the globe. 

Likewise, what he says about Darfur, Iraq, Palestine and so forth, always receives international attention.

The Pope is, in this context, a kind of "guardian" over the international situation. The international community expects him to talk about peace and justice. 

When the U.S. president or Russian president speaks on some international issue, it is taken for granted that he speaks from national interests. But that is not the case when the Pope speaks. The Holy See is detached from secular interests. 

Second, I regard the Holy See as an international unit like the United Nations. To some extent I deem the Pope as a kind of secretary-general of another United Nations, although with religious foundations. 

Third, the Church has a global network that is locally rooted in every continent, with its operational center at the Vatican. 

Fourth, they have a big communication power through Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano and other media to spread their message to every corner of the world. 

All in all, very unique and impressive!

For me, a man who comes from Japan, a country with a long-lasting imperial household, in fact, one of the oldest institutions in the world besides the Holy See, it is interesting to explore why and how the Holy See has succeeded in lasting for such a long time. 

Q: Are their areas of cooperation that the Holy See and Japan have in common?

Ueno: Before touching upon that, I like to repeat that the most important role to be played by the Pope is to spread the message of peace. 

So even personally, not just as ambassador of Japan, I expect him to talk about his views on peace and justice whenever and wherever necessary. 

Besides peace and justice, the priority areas of cooperation, coordination and communication between the two are global warming and Africa. 

Speaking specifically of Africa, as the second largest donor of assistance in the international community after the United States, Japan offers a lot in terms of aid to Africa. 

Up until some time ago, Japanese assistance was focused only in the Asian region. 

As many Asian recipients of our aid managed to develop their respective economies successfully over the last 2 or 3 decades, there is less and less urgency to direct our assistance there. 

From here, Japan started "a process of dialogue on development" -- called TICAD -- 15 years ago between Japan, African countries, other donor countries and international agencies. 

At a strategic and policy level, Japan, serving as the next chair of the group of eight summit in 2008, should do everything possible to urge the G-8 countries to substantially focus their attention to Africa in a concerted and coordinated manner. 

Japan is keen to hear the Holy See's view. The policy dialogue between Japan and the Holy See is expected to intensify. 

On a practical and operational level, there is a lot of scope for teamwork and coordination between Japanese aid agencies and some important Catholic players in Africa, such as Caritas International and the Community of Sant'Egidio, among others, in coming years. 

I always pay respect to endeavors of Catholic aid donors who, when taken together, make up the largest organization giving assistance to sub-Saharan Africa. 

It should not be overlooked, in passing, that one obvious additional advantage of Japan is that there is no historical "negative links" between Japan and Africa: Japan is very "free" in Africa, since they haven't had any experience of colonization there. 

Q: What is your view on interreligious dialogue?

Ueno: I like to say that, nowadays, whenever the Catholic Church talks about interreligious dialogue, it seems to me that in reality they mean dialogue with Islam. 

Of course, I fully understand that dialogue with Islam has paramount importance for Catholicism. But, dialogue with other religions such as Buddhism, Shintoism, and so forth, should be equally heeded. 

Actually, in Japan, when interreligious dialogue is spoken of, the preoccupation is also on Islam, not necessarily Catholicism or Christianity. 

So, I like to appeal to both sides -- to the Holy See and to Japanese society in general -- to think more and more about dialogue between Catholicism on one hand and Buddhism and Shintoism on the other. 

In this respect, it is noteworthy that Monsignor Felix Machado, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, participated in the Religious Summit Meeting on Mount Hiei, Kyoto, earlier this month. 

Q: Has Catholicism contributed in any significant way to Japanese society? 

Ueno: There are two aspects that should be pointed out.

First, in Japan the Catholic Church has established many universities, schools and other welfare facilities. 

Many of the graduates from these institutions occupy important positions in a variety of social segments. For instance, at my ministry, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, there are a number of graduates from those schools. 

Through these institutions many Japanese are to some extent familiar with Catholic virtues. 

Nevertheless, I must add that somehow not many of those educated in Catholic institutions are baptized. Actually, those who are remain a very small proportion. 

I believe there are two reasons why so few become Catholic. 

First, let me remind you that majority of Japanese have a mentality to perceive or find "souls" in plants, animals, mountains, waterfalls, fountains, rocks and so on, like, say, ancient Celtic people. 

This Japanese cosmology, typical of a polytheistic mentality, has a sharp contrast with the monotheistic vision of Christianity. 

Second, against this background, it appears to me that Christians tend to adhere to absolute values. 

For instance, when they talk about justice or evil, they mean absolute justice or evil -- a black-or-white approach. 

In contrast with them, when Japanese talk about justice, they mean relative justice -- gray-zone approach. 

Thus, there are some basic and fundamental philosophical differences between the two cosmologies, which, though vaguely, accounts for a relatively low proportion of Christians in Japan. 

However, we should not overlook another side of the coin -- that many Japanese accept 70%-80% of the teachings of Catholicism. 

For instance, they accept almost all of the Ten Commandments. There are a lot of common denominators between the two cosmologies. 

I would say Christianity has had many positive effects on Japanese society. 

..and no I'm not a crazy saleswoman who tries to throw upon you something just as worthless as any real saleswoman/man would.. THOUGH it is great (!)..

First response? "Aren't all animes done in japanese then?" Not necesseraly japanese, though I must admitt most of the animes come from Japan. To the answer though. Yes, they are done in japanese and most of the time they speak japanese as well.. (unless some dumbass has done the stupid choice of dubbing them into something fancy). But NO, you don't have to take language lessons to watch it, see, most of the animes done is usually broadcoasted for free over the internet, and therefor there are one and many "subs"-sites that picks them up to put subtitles on them. Usually in english, for those who wonder.

When an anime later on gets popular enough it usually gets sponsored in one way or another and therefore put under copyright laws. Which in turn means that they are, in the end, removed from the free-sites of the net.

A few of my favorite anime networks can be found below. All of them has free downloads of all of their content. And usually they are always busy translating new projects.

Doremi Fansubs ~ They have projects like Mai Otome, Strawberry Panic and Dai Mahou Touge.

Static Subs ~ They are currently working on Clannad after story and Mai HiME.

Animesuki ~ They feature a great library of torrents for a couple of my favorites: Oh! My Godess, Dai Mahou Touge, He is my master, Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien and Night Wizard!