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Whatever happened to the “spaceplane”?
NASA ended the US’s interest in spaceplanes when it scrapped the shuttle fleet a decade ago. But other space agencies and private companies in other countries are very much in the game. ESA, India, even the UK. And, of course… Whichever future the spaceplane does have, it will involve China. “We know very little about […]
Blue Jets, Red Sprites, Trolls, and Elves in Space
“Blue jets” rise up from clouds. Above the lightning, “red sprites” can be seen (plasma discharges). Known about since 1886, not photographed until 1989….and now known to occur on Jupiter. Check out this page for some amazing photos… “NASA captures blue jets and red sprites above thunderstorms from space” (somebody needs to help Forbes with […]
Bringer of Light, Chapter 11: Ceres (Part Two)
(Weng and his “assistant” Gen have arrived at Ceres, where after some difficulty they convinced the Ceres Mining Council to give them water supplies for an increasingly crowded Mars. None of them realize what the water will do…) “Smells like the ocean,” Weng muttered. “Yes,” Talbot said. “This used to be the Sea of Salt.” […]
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Category Archives: Japanese culture
Ten Years of Taking Leave
Looking back, it’s amazing to me now that I dared to even apply for a year of paternity leave while living in a foreign country. But I’ve never regretted the decision. As I told an audience of university students and … Continue reading
Posted in book, day care, education, gender roles, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese society, parenting, Paternity leave, school
Tagged bilingualism, blogging, child care, child-raising, children, education, family, family leave, fatherhood, gender roles, haafu, Japan, Japanese, Japanese kids, parental leave, parents
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First Year Wall (Part 2) – The (not-so voluntary) parent-teacher conference
In mid-April, I went to a parent-teacher conference. Actually, it was more like an enforced PTA committee, which one parent per kid had to attend. As a group. We sat at our kids’ desks (tiny!) and introduced ourselves. This was … Continue reading
Posted in education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese law, Japanese society, parenting, school
Tagged education, elementary school, Japan, micromanaging, names, parents, PTA
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Death of a Cherry Tree
This past Monday, city workers came to cut down a cherry tree near our house. It had been there for years. We found out later that a neighbor had complained that leaves falling in her backyard were a nuisance to … Continue reading
Posted in death, Japan, Japanese culture, nature, spring
Tagged children, family, inspiration, Japan, life, trees
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