For the Greater Good

Disclaimer: this is not an article about politics. 

I would like to begin with a small story about current Australian politics, so bear with me. Australia has long had a refugee problem, coming to Australia via boat seeking asylum and often exploited by people smugglers; the problem exacerbated by the various conflicts going on in much of the Middle East. Our parliament has had a lengthy history of debate surrounding what to do with the increasing influx of refugees. The (current Labor) government proposed, and strongly favours, the so-called "Malaysia solution", whilst the (Coalition) opposition prefers Nauru instead (not only is Malaysia not a signatory to the UNHCR, aspects of the policy was ruled unconstitutional by the High Court). The Greens, meanwhile, strongly advocate neither and insist on onshore processing (on the mainland).

Saving the Red Roo overseas.

Disclaimer: I am, by no means, an expert in the aviation industry, let alone someone highly versed in aviation economics. Just throwing out a suggestion from what I understand of the industry, that's all.

Some of you might not realise my interests also lie with other industries beyond groups of girls singing and dancing in theaters and stages all over. If you only care about that latter aspect of me, I suggest you give this article a pass. On the other hand, if you'd like to see me discuss about airplanes, beyond my comfort zone, read on.

Musings on AKB48 promos

Corporate Japan. 2012. aka. The Land of the Cash Cow.

This is more a light take on the AKB48 group's promotional activities with its business partners than a real analysis. At this rate, one could seriously live their daily lives using only AKB48 group-endorsed products and services... 

Sashihara: Postscript.

Rino Sashihara. The name alone conjures images not just of a failure, idol-loving, no-can-do character but also of a tainted reputation and managerial incompetence.

A case of centers

Space for rent. At 110k+ votes a pop.

"Center", in AKB48 parlance, defines the member who not only enjoys significant popularity but also is representative of the group as a whole, like an image or mascot character of sorts. It is one of the most revered and sought-after positions in the entire 48-verse, and discussions surrounding who is best to be the next center flood many a bulletin board and forum the world over. With Atsuko Maeda's graduation creeping ever closer, many fans have decided to revisit the issue, as the choice of "who should be the next center" will set the direction for AKB48's image, popularity and growth for the months and years to come.

Piracy and Asian Media Consumption Overseas

The only sort of advertising campaigns on trucks that we get in Australia are of the political kind.

"Piracy is theft!" "Stop the bootlegging and torrenting of music, TV shows and movies!" 

It's an age-old issue: the proliferation of piracy and digital media. After reading some fairly hard-lined opinions recently on piracy as it relates to Asian pop cultural media, let's take a brief and simple look at some of the common arguments made by proponents of anti-piracy.

AKB48 and 2012: Past, Present, Future.

If you're wondering what the relevance of this is: I'm getting old. And so is this person. 

I check my calendar. I think to myself, "Wow, it's already July". Damn, I'm getting old. A lot has already happened so far this year in the AKB48 world, and there's so much more coming up. But it certainly hasn't been smooth sailing for Yasushi Akimoto Inc. My aim in this post is to briefly look at the events of the past, the status quo now and what lies ahead.

Hello, world.

I do wish I had my own personal catchphrase, though.

I write a lot of things in my spare time, putting in the effort to type up posts ranging from the mundane to a self-perception of being analytical and hence contributing to the various online communities I participate in. It's had a fair degree of success and criticism alike. Some beneficial, others constructive or just plain downright rude.

But I think it's time that my voice needed its own platform. I'm a novice at these things - my previous "blog" of sorts (aka. Tumblr) fell flat after more than a year of dismal decay - but let's see how this effort of mine goes.

And I do like to keep my blog designs clean and minimalistic, so don't expect an epic tiled background of Mayu or whoever. Just to keep things, well, real.