A Short Documentary

Good news! Mike and I have found someone to interview us about the Cali Cares journey. Our goal is to digitally document this project and have it subtitled in Japanese. We hope that victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami will appreciate our sincere condolences. Our wish is that you can  look out towards the ocean with optimism in your heart. Remember, when you look west, you are also looking towards us, your friends.  We care about you and your struggle. We look forward to a brighter future for Japan and California.

-Zane

Looking for an Interviewee

Hello everyone!

Zane and I are very excited to annouce that we are have compiled all the footage from the ride and are now juxtaposing it in proper order!  We know the feel and direction we are taking this, and want to make a short documentary to share with all of you!  Our next step is looking for someone who is both energetic and compassionate to help us out.

We are putting out the word, looking for someone who is a media studies student or whom has had experience interviewing people ON Camera.  If you, or know of anyone who would be interesting in this fun task have them contact us. We wish you all the best and please stay in touch.

Michael

What a mess. A Pacific migration of tsunami debris.

Reports are coming in that a large amount of debris, originally homes, boats, and appliances from Japan’s coast, are floating towards the island of Hawaii.  For more info read the full article at Yahoo News.

-Mike and Zane

Going to Japan?

Hey everyone,

Mike and I are considering going to Japan next year as a way to finalize the Cali Cares journey.  The idea came to us when we heard about this opportunity:

Japan Tourism Agency to give out 10,000 flights to would be tourists

The Japan Tourism Agency plans to ask would-be travellers to submit online applications for the free flights, detailing which areas of the country they would like to visit, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

The agency will select the successful entrants and ask them to write a report about their trip which will be published on the internet.

Needless to say, we were going crazy over the idea of actually going to Japan.  After researching this news more I found out that this opportunity is not a for sure thing yet.  In any case, Mike has been editing the video footage from his trip and is making a short video.  We plan on submiting this, with our personal interviews, and crossing our fingers.

I get the goosebumps thinking about Mike being able to ride a stretch of the Japanese coast on the same bike he road down our coast.  I can’t think of a more fitting end for this journey.

For more on the travel opportunity check out this article from the Telegraph.

-Zane

Connected compassion

I begrudgingly picked up the newspaper this morning expecting a 10 year remembrance of the terrorist attacks.  I still get angry when I see those photos, I don’t know anybody who died on September 11th, but my sympathy goes out to those who did lose friends & family- I may never know your pain.

In 2008 I went to ground zero on September 11th to pay respect. It was very intense to see people walking around crying.  I felt an overwhelming need to console them. But I didn’t know them or how to help them.

 

What I didn’t realize when I began reading the paper was today is also the 6 month anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I began to wonder if survivors in Japan were feeling like me, going to their own ground zero and wanting to console strangers. And I realized that even though both the attacks on 9-11 & the earthquake/ tsunami were different & effect our cultures differently, we both hurt & have the compassion to console others, to ease their pain. If you see somebody who looks like they could use some help today, offer it. -Michael

Who’s the boss?

Yoshihiko Noda was chosen as Japan’s next prime minister, the country’s 6th leader in 5 years. Japan’s previous and “unpopular” P.M. Naoto Kan stepped down after just 15 months of service after handling last winter’s nuclear crisis. Noda’s tasks will be challenging as he humbly accepts the role to lead Japan on the road to recovery, a daunting expectation to the struggling citizens of Japan. I support Noda’s optimism & determination and wish the best for the people of Japan.

-Michael

Hitting close to home (run)

Being a baseball player & fan I couldn’t be any more excited for the little league world series. I’ve been pulling for both teams- my home town of Huntington Beach & the Japanese little league team!

The faint memories of the woman’s world cup still linger in my head and to me this is a similar situation. My hat tips to both teams for making it this far. Play ball!

-Michael

Ocean family helping each other.

I was wondering around at the US Open in my town of Huntington Beach last week and came upon a tent with a large Japanese flag hanging off it, so naturally it attracted my attention. As I approached I was greeted by a tall, thin Japanese man offering me an inviting smile. He introduced himself as Mituteru, and he is a Japanese citizen and avid surfer, being a surfer myself we share an unspoken bond of the ocean, and in this bond we know how vulnerable we are to the magnitude of the ocean.  He explained his foundation and I did with Cali Cares, when he bowed saying thank you I was immediately convinced of his genuine gratitude and appreciation.  I donated a humble amount, hugged him and  I told him I would spread the word of his campaign. So for all my surfer friends out there who see this and feel the tides of giving please contact MitsuteruKamio@wavehunt21@aol.com

-Michael

“Live in the moment, for everything we are and everything we have is but ticking away” J.Powers

Wheres the beef?

I came across this article and tried to figure out a solution if I was the authority figure in charge of this dilemma but it seems there is no easy way around compensating for the brutal effects of mother nature.

My heart goes out to those farmers who are taking a devestating blow to their buisiness and their productive source of income.

Japanese farmers from Fukushima disaster zone.file://localhost/Users/michaelcoleman/Desktop/165540938.jpg

-Michael

Sharing a blog

Hello,  I hope everyone is doing well.  Take a look at this blog, written by a Belgian couple living in Japan for a year.  Just days ago, on July 31st, they experienced what it is like to feel an earthquake for the firs time.

http://thejapans.wordpress.com/

Mike and I are both working on other projects but we will keep updating the blog from time to time.  If you are interested in my next blog endeavor check out Thought Metabolism over the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by and as we say;  may you always be close to someone who cares.

-Zane