1 person missing after falling through ice at California reservoir

Why are we always championing people willing to tear everything down but not those who wish to bring something positive into this world. When I read that the “Person of the Year” was the protester… my eyes went red…. my collar tightened and I started to blow steam out the top of my head (or did I just dream that?). I did get really upset and instead of complaining about it, I thought I would try to make my point of what is needed most in the world today. Please send me your thoughts.

China lets the Yuan trade more freely. In consequence, we risk losing the dollar’s strategic advantages.

In some ways news coming out of Japan seems to paint a less than rosy picture, but to hear two American expatriates – Matthew Alt of AltJapan and Brian Salsberg of McKinsey and Company – talk about their daily lives while offering views of the country they have come to love, brings perhaps a much needed perspective to examining Japan as a whole. Alt is awaiting the release of his new book, ‘Yurei Attack,’ forthcoming this summer, and again treated us with a discerning analysis of contemporary Japanese culture. Salsberg, a principal at one of the world’s largest management consulting firms, provided a comprehensive portrayal of the Japanese consumer, a subject that’s often at the focal point of his professional research in the last five years. Both felt fortunate to partake in Tokyo life, a cosmopolitan city that – as they both agreed – is still one of the greatest, if not the greatest city in the world.

Behind every book is a life, or lives, as is the case of the business title “Reimagining Japan.” Actually many lives, over 80 in total, including the editors that brought the book to life and published, during one of the most challenging eras in recent Japanese history. When the earthquake reached Tokyo on the afternoon of March 11, Brian Salsberg was busily transmitting the final manuscript of Reimagining to an overseas printer. That wouldn’t be the last time the disaster and Salsberg’s book would cross paths. As news of trouble at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima began to develop, and the crisis deepened, Salsberg and his team agreed on a comprehensive revision and the results paid off. A book born in an hour of crisis was suddenly the book that many readers sought for answers.

As people increasingly began to explore other nations and their cultures, opportunists struck gold by satisfying the urge of tourists looking to experience the world. It was a win-win for both tourists and tourism organizations; while one made money, the other felt happy that S/He added to the economy of the country that they visited. Little did they know that theirs was a negative influence on the local people, their culture and of course their environment!