Video : Black Lifestyle is a big thing in Japan

This is a video from Japan, which is a description on par with “a letter from the Unabomber” in terms of the potential danger that might come from viewing it. But in this case, the only thing exploding will be your head, figuratively speaking, we hope.
What you’re about to watch is a video about youths in Japan living the “black lifestyle.” It’s replete with wonderful captions and moments, like this one, for example…

That’s right, not content to just dress like Eminem or something, the people of Japan take their co-opting of black culture very seriously. How seriously? This seriously…

We’re not sure if you know this, but “for life” is quite a commitment. We know actual black people who aren’t this serious about being black. Japan does not fuck around.

Somewhere, this girl’s elders are jamming steely blades directly into their stomachs. Anyway, being black isn’t easy in Japan. Call it the Land of the Rising Sun all you want, but the fact remains, Japanese chicks hate bright lights. Don’t take our word for that, though…

See? Like a bunch of fucking mogwai. But an albino-like aversion to sunlight doesn’t have to mean you can’t be Japan’s answer to Nicki Minaj. Check it…

Yep, that’s a quote about a tanning bed. It’s cool though…

See, she’s fine! Tanning beds don’t cause cancer. WebMD begs to differ, but whatever. It’s a black thing. They don’t understand.
Luckily, the subject of this news report works at a department store located right across from a tanning salon. How great is that?

She sure as hell looks happy. But let’s hear more about that tanning salon…

Sure, we know that. Anything else?

Gross. So, with a completely safe tan baked upon her fragile Japanese skin, our hero is off…

Now, who’s excited to watch the video?

A pale skin resembles beauty in Japan, but that no longer doesn't count for everyone. Hina lives her life according to the 'B-style', or the 'black lifestyle'. This includes going to the tanning salon regularly to become as dark as American hip hop artists.

Rides : Nissan recovering from quake, ramps up Leaf deliveries

We have some good news from the Land of the Rising Sun -- a fresh batch of Leafs are on their way to American shores. At the New York Auto show, Nissan announced that the first shipments of post earthquake-produced EVs should be in the hands of American consumers by April 27th. The company still expects to fulfill current orders by the end of summer and on May 1st will begin accepting new reservations for vehicles in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Buyers in the southeastern US will be able to join the plug-in parade this fall, to be followed by a nationwide launch in 2012. Now that the auto manufacturing plants are getting back to business as usual following the tsunami that ravaged Japan, we can only hope the rest of the country isn't too far behind. 

 

Press Release

 

Nissan Accelerates LeafF Deliveries To U.S. Consumers; Reopens Reservations In Launch Markets May 1

- New Marketing Campaign Illustrates 'Value of Zero' –
- First post earthquake-produced Nissan LEAF's to arrive in the U.S. this month –
- Deliveries to total many thousands by end of the summer –
- Nissan LEAF featured in Hollywood documentary 'Revenge of the Electric Car' –

Nissan Americas today announced it will accelerate the U.S. market launch of the Nissan LEAF, the world's first and only affordable, all-electric vehicle designed for the mass market. Beginning May 1, the company will reopen reservations to select consumers as both vehicle production and U.S. deliveries move into the many thousands. Nissan completed its first reservation session in September 2010 after achieving its goal of 20,000 U.S. reservations, three months prior to the first Nissan LEAF delivery.

Reservations first will reopen in the launch states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Individuals who already have registered on the Nissan LEAF website – a group that now totals 340,000 potential owners – will be given the first opportunity to reserve a spot in line to purchase a Nissan LEAF.

More markets will follow, with market availability in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia) this fall, and nationwide ordering in 2012.

"Nissan is pleased to report that the first vessel carrying post earthquake-produced Nissan LEAFs is scheduled to arrive to U.S. shores April 27," said Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Nissan Americas, at the keynote address of the New York International Auto Show. "Nissan LEAF deliveries are about to grow from the few hundreds, to the many thousands, and all current customer orders will be fulfilled by the end of this summer."

This announcement comes on the heels of the April 18 debut of Nissan's new ad campaign for the all-electric car, titled "Value of Zero." The campaign is a celebration of the 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF, which uses zero gas and emits zero tailpipe emissions. The campaign tagline, "Zero is Worth Everything," highlights the car and reveals the true value of zero, through topical imagery arranged in the circular shape of a zero.

The Nissan LEAF also is featured in the highly anticipated documentary "Revenge of the Electric Car." Filmmaker and electric-car advocate Chris Paine directs the movie, which follows executives including Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in his industry-leading pursuit of zero-emission leadership. "Revenge" opens April 22, Earth Day, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

More than 500 Nissan LEAFs have been delivered to U.S. consumers since the December 2010 launch of this groundbreaking vehicle. With the help of CARWINGS, the advanced telematics system that comes standard on every Nissan LEAF, the company has compiled aggregate data about the use patterns of these first Nissan LEAF owners. The average trip length of these early adopters is 7 miles; most charge on a Level 2, 220-volt charger at their homes; and the average charging time is 2 hours and 11 minutes. Nissan LEAF owners are a combination of conscientious environmentalists and tech-savvy individuals. They are highly educated, have excellent credit, and are in the nation's top 15 percent for household income.

The week of New York International Auto Show marks the debut of the Nissan LEAF Nismo RC, a purpose-built prototype that wraps production Nissan LEAF components and technology in a dramatic, ready-to-go-racing carbon-fiber body. The Nissan LEAF also is a candidate for the prestigious World Car of the Year and World Green Car of the Year awards, which will be awarded April 21 during the show.

The week culminates in Earth Day, April 22, when the Nissan LEAF will participate in Earth Day 2011 in New York. Nissan, which is a sponsor of the festivities, is participating in a CO2 E Drive – an electric vehicle drive that winds through Manhattan and finishes in Times Square.

In Times Square, a select number of cars from the convoy, which includes the Nissan LEAF, will be profiled in a car runway show where the green features of the car will be described to the assembled media and public.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 and 2011 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information about Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.Infiniti.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

 

 

Entertainment News : Gilbert Gottfried Fired As Aflac Duck After Japanese Tsunami Tweets

With some wildly inappropriate tweets, the quack has been silenced.
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried sent out a slate of offensive twitter missives about the tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and instead of drawing laughs, it cost him his job. The longtime voice of the iconic Aflac Duck, Gottfried was fired by the insurance company on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Gilbert's recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," the company, which does 75% of its business in Japan, said in a statement. "There is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times."
Gottfried's tweets certainly didn't show compassion. Buzzfeed compiled screen captures of the tweets, which were later deleted from the comedian's feed. Amongst the worst:
"I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, "They'll be another one floating by any minute now."
"I was talking to my Japanese real estate agent. I said 'is there a school in this area.' She said 'not now, but just wait.'"

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Tech : Update : Japanese quake will likely affect the global supply of gadgets

Devastating. There are no words to effectively convey the human catastrophe suffered in Japan. Engadget would like to express our sincere condolences to those readers personally affected by recent events.

As a tech publication, we're obviously focused on the impact recent events will have on Japan's vast consumer electronics industry -- an industry that has responded with millions of dollars in cash, equipment and services to help with the relief effort. Thus far, Canon, Panasonic, and Sony have each pledged ¥300 million ($3.67 million) in donations. Sony is also matching employee contributions as will Mitsubishi who's donating a whopping ¥500 million ($6.1 million) in aid. On the equipment side, Sony is donating some 30,000 radios to relief efforts while Panasonic is providing 10,000 radios, 10,000 flashlights, and 500,000 batteries. NEC, Kyocera, and Epson are each donating ¥100 million in funds, computers, and telecoms and IT equipment.

While it's still too early to quantify the exact impact the earthquake, tsunami, and ongoing nuclear troubles will have on the global tech industry, the scope of the issues is becoming clearer now that the initial chaos has passed. Click through to see how everything from laptop batteries to iPads are at risk.

Already, we're seeing reports predicting shortages of components that could ultimately create delays and / or increase the prices of our favorite gadgets. 32-gigabit NAND pricing has already jumped 18 percent according to DRAMeXchange on news that Toshiba had suspended operations at a chip plant in the Iwate Prefecture. Remember, Japan manufactures over 40 percent of the worldwide NAND flash, much of that coming from Toshiba -- the very supplier found lurking inside of the iPad 2. While Tosh says that the plant doesn't seem to have suffered any significant damage, it's still assessing the situation against a series of aftershocks (likely to continue for one or two months) and doesn't know when it will be able to resume production.

Of course, the integrity of facilities is just one piece to the manufacturing puzzle. Plants still require raw materials that necessitate a working transportation system of rails, roads, and harbors, all of which presupposes the ready availability of fuel and electricity. Regarding the latter, Tokyo Electric has lost 27 percent of its electricity generation capacity leaving it 10 million kilowatts short of demand. As a result, Tokyo, where many of Japan's consumer electronics companies are headquartered, and eight other prefectures will begin rationing electricity until the end of April -- possibly longer as power demand spikes with summer air conditioner demands. The rolling outages will last anywhere between three and six hours. Toshiba and Sony (and likely others) have already announced their compliance with the government's request to shutdown all non-essential electricity-consuming facilities and operations unrelated to social and economic activities.

In addition to the impact on flash memory supplies, we're starting to see a more detailed view of other components impacted by recent events. Sony has stopped or limited production at eight manufacturing plants as it ascertains damage and waits for power to be restored. The disruption affects Sony-built magnetic tape, optical films, laser diodes, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs. Panasonic, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Canon have all shut down factories in the affected regions related to the production of digital cameras and lenses. Canon estimates that some of its facilities, including those that produce interchangeable lenses and inkjet cartridges for its printers, will be offline for up to a few weeks, possibly shifting production to alternative sites if its systems don't come online over the next month.

Photos : Earthquake In Japan

What happened in the northeast of Japan earthquake was the strongest in the history of the country, According to mmo country. Its magnitude was estimated as 8.8.

According to the USGS, the earthquake magnitude was 8.9. Its epicenter was 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the focus at the depth of 24 kilometers. A series of strong tremors in the north-east of Japan and the subsequent tsunami caused damage to Pacific coast of the country.