Feb. 10 - John Amari on Intellectual Property and Community Idenity Rights

February 10 (2013) --John Amari, who works within an intellectual property organization. He will talk about’ “Intellectual Property and the Right to Community Identity.  Should the terms "Parmigiano" and "Champagne" be used exclusively by people who live in those regions or also by similar producers who use the same processes and ingredients?  Originally a fight between old Europe and North America, as intellectual property laws and values spread, the issue will become more important in Asia, Africa, and South America.   As usual it is at the International House in Roppoingi at 3 p.m. on Sunday.   Everyone is welcome to

 

March 10 (although many will be away--please invite a friend!)  The Rev.Gene Reeves, tentative topic-- "A Unitarian in East Asia: Autobiographical Reflections on Liberal Religion."

April 14 Mizue Tsukushi, president of Good Bankers Co.Ltd., "Ethical Investment--potential for growth in Japan"  participate in the meeting.

Jan 13 meeting summary -

A Requiem is a musical piece composed for the consolation of the dead and those left behind.  Steven G. Morgan, well known conductor of the British Embassy Choir, took us through the process of his writing of “In pace: A Requiem of Peace” for the Rikkyo (St. Paul) University’s All Souls Day traditional concert.  With agreement by the school and alumni, he reached beyond the traditional Christian themes.  In addition to music adopted to parts of The Book of Common Prayer and the Compline Responsory, he included fascinating texts from Rabindranath Tagore’s Gintanjali, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Call Me by My True Names, and Black Elk’s The Sacred Pipe, and John Henry Newman.

In our room on the fourth floor above the wonderfully sunlit gardens of the International House, he played for us some of the pieces as song and played at Rikkyo by a mixed chorus, baritone and orchestra.  The Requiem has also been performed in Denver by a larger group with a CD coming out soon. 

From the second part, Because I Love this Life (words by Tagore)

“I was not aware of the moment when I first crossed the threshold of this life.  What was the power that made me open out into this vast mystery like a bud in the forest at midnight! 

When in the morning I looked upon the light I felt in a moment that I was no stranger in this world, that the inscrutable without name and form had taken me in its arms in the form of my own mother.

Even so, in death the same unknown will appear as ever known to me.  And because I love this life, I know I shall love death as well.

The child cries out when from the right breast the mother takes it away, in the very next moment to find in the left one its consolation.”

Ten of us heard the presentation; five joined the speaker for dinner for further exploration.  Anyone interested is always welcome at our little discussion group at the International House in Roppongi, usually at 3 p.m. second Sunday of the month.

Jan 13 Meeting - Steven Morgan on his Requiem of Peace

Dear Friends and members of the Unitarian Fellowship of Tokyo,

     A  Happy New Year to you and all you love! May the year bring health and peace.

 

 January 13

3:00 International House

      A presentation with musical excerpts by Steven Morgan, who has spoken to the fellowship before. He has become well-known in Tokyo for his teaching and work  with chorus groups and church choirs (as well as musical composing). He will talk about his recently completed Requiem. 

This is a work for baritone soloist, chorus and orchestra that he  composed for Rikkyo University last year entitled "In pace: A Requiem of Peace." 

  February 10 (2013) --John Amari, who works within an intellectual property organization. He will talk about’ “Intellectual Property and the Right to Community Identity. Should the terms "Parmigiano" and "Champagne" be used exclusively by people who live in those regions or also by similar producers who use the same processes and ingredients??Originally a fight between old Europe and North America, as intellectual property laws and values spread, the issue will become more important in Asia, Africa, and South America.

 

Dec. 9 Dr. Linda Semlitz, dir of Tokyo English Life Line

Greetings on the first Sunday in Advent (for those practicing a Christian faith and looking towards Christmas). Along with light-filled greetings on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, and finally best wishes for a happy holidays and the satisfactory completion of the Year’s unfinished business and housecleaning (literal and spiritual) especially for all you humanists, Buddhists and Scots among the friends and members of the Unitarian Fellowship of Tokyo.

from the moderator, Peggy Kanada

 

Next Meeting December 9 (2012)

3:00 International House  

   We welcome Dr. Linda Semlitz, director of TELL, who will talk about Tokyo English Life Line and its suicide prevention and counseling work, and a little about her personal journey as a psychiatrist and NGO administrator. Mary Donovan will lead us in songs for Christmas and the holiday season before the talk.

 

January 13, speaker not confirmed

 And we have confirmed for February 10 (2013) --John Amari, who works within an intellectual property organization. He will talk about’ “Intellectual Property and the Right to Community Identity.  Should the terms "Parmigiano" and "Champagne" be used exclusively by people who live in those regions or also by similar producers who use the same processes and ingredients??Originally a  fight between old Europe and North America, as intellectual property laws and values spread, the issue will become more important in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Nov. 10 Charles McJilton of Second Harvest

While possibly a third of food in Japan is thrown away because it is not perfect, pristine and presentable - or because of industry standards of disposing of food long before its expiration date, many in Japan, the elderly, children of single mothers, out-of-work immigrants and, yes, also, the homeless, do not get enough healthy and safe food to eat.

That was the message of Charles McJilton who spoke with us on November 10th.   And the organization he leads, Second Harvest, is trying to do something about it.  Already more than 250 food companies pass goods to his organization to be redistributed through the hot meal, emergency food package and food bank programs that has been set up by Second Harvest.

Charles told us how he got a look up close at Japan's poverty by living in a "blue sheet" cardboard shack along the Sumida River for 18 months, getting to know first hand about the pride, the honesty and the life style of those who make there homes out of cardboard and plastic and live invisibly in plain sight.   And how he decided that although he was not responsible for them being in that situation, he could decide to respond to it, and how with others built Japan's first food bank.

He also told stories of his efforts to get food to the areas in need during the Tohoku disaster, and how one of the problems of helping those in need get the food they need is not finding the food, but finding the needy and the organizations that can (and are willing) to deliver the food to them.

As always, his talk was enjoyable and inspiring.   http://www.2hj.org/

Comment by Chuck Olson

October 14 - Kizuna Child -Parent Reunion

Dear members and friends of the fellowship,

    Last time we had an interesting discussion about revitalizing agriculture and communities in the countryside through Prof. Akimi Fujimoto's talk about his Jonodai project in Niigata.

  

Next Meeting:

3:00 at International House  October 14th

Our speaker will be John Gomez who has recently founded a group "Kizuna Child--Parent Reunion." 

www.kizuna-cpr.org

He will talk about his efforts and  hopes to nudge Japanese society to change its consensus and laws towards divorce  that allow only  sole/single parental custody. Divorce in Japan also can be particularly difficult if it involves children in an international marriage. What is happening with Japan's  adoption of the 'Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction' (1980)? 

The discussion will look at  broader issues including children's, women's  and grandparent's rights.

 And most important let's consider with John how do we-- as concerned people--as Unitarians--work to bring about social change?

Peggy Kanada, moderator of the Fellowship

 

Sept 9 Double Program - Food Sustainability / Communication

Dear friends and members of the Unitarian Fellowship of Tokyo,

   We had a good turn out at our annual pot luck at the Kanada home on July 8th. 

Chuck Roberts, now our oldest fellowship member, joined us-- arriving on his bicycle in the heat! 

We also enjoyed the intellectually challenging remarks of gracious Father Leo Lefebure, professor at Georgetown Univ and guest of Miriam Levering.

 Later in the evening two Korean photographers (now living in Japan)  came by at Murata Nobuhiko's invitation. It was an unexpected and interesting opportunity to meet Ahn Sehong who was just finishing up his controversial show at Nikon Gallery (it went to court and was in the news) about his photos of "Sex Slave/Comfort Women" --that is  women of Korean heritage who are now in their eighties and living in China. We looked at his album of photos of women who have managed to survive but who have never received an apology or compensation and whose lives were blighted by their experiences at the hands of the Japanese. 

Next Meeting:

September 9     3:00 at International House. 

>>An Exciting "Double " Program<<

Prof Fujimoto Akimi: Revitalization, Sustainability and Education.

 He will talk about his recent initiative to start  and run a local company to re-develop idle land in Niigata for sustainable organic food cultivation with community/student  participation.

 It is an interesting story and may be an inspiring model for  other communities or NPO's that many of us work with or support. Also issues/data about  FOOD SAFETY seem even more relevant  since 3/11.

 Fujimoto is a professor at Tokyo Univ of Agriculture (Nodai). Please  check the web about his organization  called "Jonodai"  http://www.jnodai.co.jp/english/index.html

. 

 Helen Fujimoto,  who also  introduced Akimi to our fellowship , during our opening half hour will give us a brief introduction to Presence Based Communication or  "the Art of Being in Context". She is a certified practitioner and will lead us in this  opportunity to experience a kind of  meditation  (focusing and empowerment)  through  an exercise of "speaking circles".

We look forward to seeing our old friend and  member Bonnie McClure who expects to be in Tokyo on a short visit before starting a graduate school program.

Peggy Kanada, moderator

June topic Tagore--'Poet of a Defeated Nation'

Dear friends and members of the Unitarian Fellowship of Tokyo,

      

      Our next meeting>> June 10  3:00 at International House

       We are pleased to have as our speaker Vivek Pinto, an old friend of the fellowship, who is a professor, journalist and long term resident of Tokyo from India.

 He will speak about R.Tagore (1861-1941) --the great Bengali poet and composer, writer,educationalist, anti-imperialist and supporter of  Indian nation-building (and the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913).   Tagore was an important figure in introducing Indian culture to the west and other nations. Pinto in a recent paper (from which he will base his talk to us) examined the  visits and connections Tagore made with  Japan especially during the years when imperialistic Japanese were rushing headlong into  disastrous war and ultimate defeat. 

Rabindranath Tagore--'Poet of a Defeated Nation'.

Link to his paper:

 "Rabindranath Tagore and Japan: A Poet's Propehcy," on Sophia Univ. document website.

Step 1: Please access the following URL: http://repository.cc.sophia.ac.jp/dspace/handle/123456789/4943

Step 2: Once you come to the home page, then type 29 (in numerals) in the box SEARCH.

Step 3: This will bring up the current issue of The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies, vol. 29, 2011.

Step 4: Scroll down to find his paper.  On the right there is an icon OPEN. 

Peggy Kanada, moderator