Sunday, April 27, 2003

'Empire' creeps into analyses of U.S. world role. On June 8, 1982, Ronald Reagan memorably referred to the Soviet Union as "the evil empire." His choice of "empire"-as opposed to words such as nation or state - revealed more than just a yen for alliteration. [Arizona Daily Star: Front Page] 11:42:48 AM

Empires rose, fell based on array of factors. Empires rose and fell according to their times and cultures, but all shared one characteristic: hubris. Some of the things that made empires dominant - sprawling size, often brutal subjugation, a sense of superiority - eventually made them vulnerable. [Arizona Daily Star: Front Page] 11:41:22 AM

Little Scrowlie Hits the Big Time. I chanced upon a copy of the small press version of Little Scrowlie last year, and this highly stylized comic made for a very enjoyable read. Now they've been picked up by Slave Labour Graphics who will reprint the first four mini-comics and carry on thereafter. Also, this month Sequential Tart have an interview with the creators, Jennifer Feinberg and Todd Meister. [BugPowder] 11:08:02 AM

From Joi Ito's Web: 131st Annual Miyako Odori. Mizuka and I attended the 131st Annual Miyako Odoro. We have attended every year since we met. It is the annual event where the geisha of the Gion district perform their traditional dance. The event is open to the public, but is a lot about the patrons of the tea houses getting a chance to see the geisha and maiko perform their art that they practice so hard to perfect through the year. I've written about geisha and Gion here and here. The geisha, and maiko are given tickets that they must sell to their patrons. The tea houses pick up many of these tickets and distribute them to their clients. Mizuka and I always buy a pair from Kaoru. The show consists of a plot that changes every year, but it all is framed in four sections and there is a scene for each season where all of the maiko come out in a line. On the left hand side of the theater, the Japanese drums and the Japanese flutes play. The geisha playing the flute in this picture is our good friend Fukunami. On the right side of the theater are the geisha who play the shamisen and sing. The geisha third from the left is Kimiya-san and the geisha second from the left is Komomo-san. Both good friends. And everyone shows up for the grand finale! The geisha also do a tea ceremony for the guests. The Japanese green tea made and served by the geisha is nice and you get to keep the plate that the snack comes on. (Sorry again Dr. Atkins!) By Joichi Ito jito@neoteny.com. [Joi Ito's Web] 11:04:49 AM

Venus' Once Molten Surface (2003 April 27 ) [Astronomy Picture of the Day] 10:58:35 AM