Sparky: The Guru scooped Newsweek?! Are they reading the blog!? And raiding it for ideas? Spooky - eh? Anyway lots of real news too ...
Remember when our Guru went to town about the faboo Famina Marts? Guess what's in the current issue of Newsweek? That's right!
Sparky: When Strikes FamilyMart!
Wired says:Catering to an affluent demographic, Famima's ambitious agenda to change the way today's busy consumer shops is being hailed by the media as a needed transformation. Wired magazine calls Famima!! "convenience luxe...[for busy urbanites]" and The Food Channel agrees that the economies of this transformation appeal to a more upscale generation of shoppers. Instead of drip coffee, consumers come in for lattes and panini and sushi has replaced microwaved burritos. Famima!! offers the perfect fusion of premium groceries, fresh and healthy gourmet foods, and a deli cafe? The store carries specialty and trendy merchandise, pharmaceuticals and DVDs and each store offers digital printing and ATM services.
For some ungodly reason - the Guru believes this will interesting to our readers ... I go to the Santa Monica store all the time - Maria is a good manager. I personally like the drink selection but am not enamored of the sushi - the sandwiches below rock - however:
Smoked Turkey & Havarti - 5.50And I've yet to see this but hope to:
Smoked Turkey, Havarti Cheese, Red Pepper, Lemon Caper Aioli on Focaccia Herb & Tomato Sub.
Tuscan Turkey - 4.75
Turkey Roasted, Provolone, Roma Tomatoes, Garlic Butter on Focaccia Plain Sub.
Publications
Trendy, interesting publications and difficult to find "anime" from Japan.
Famima!!
Osaka City Sekime station FamilyMart Convenience Store.
FamilyMart TYO: 8028 is a "konbini" or convenience store franchise chain in Japan. Established September 1, 1981. FamilyMart is owned and overseen by FamilyMart Co., Ltd. All of the usual Japanese convenience store goods such as magazines, manga, soft drinks, contraceptives, onigiri and bento are available.
FamilyMart's official motto is "Family Mart, Where You Are One of the Family."
FamilyMart also has franchise stores in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Shanghai, China. Worldwide, it operates over 12,000 stores, with fast growth in Asia outside of Japan. In Japan, it operates over 6,000 stores.
As of this writing, FamilyMart also opened a store in Los Angeles, the United States, in July 2005, the first of 250 planned in the USA. The North American brandname will be "Famima!!".
On January 30, 2006, FamilyMart will begin a trial operation of an automatic cashier station at one Tokyo location, in cooperation with Itochu and Toshiba. Special tags on each item in a shopping basket can be sensed remotely and instantly at the register, and the total cost is immediately displayed.
FAMIMA CORPORATION
Established: Sept. 17, 2004
Major activities: Operating a chain of specialty stores in U.S. using the Famima name and franchise system.
Address: 20000 Mariner Avenue, Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90503
Tel: 310-214-1001
Fax: 310-214-7200
FamilyMart Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Established: Sept. 1, 1981
Capital: Yen 16,658 million (Approx. US$151million)
Major activities: Operating a chain of conveniece stores using the FamilyMart name and franchise system
Employees: 2,318
Number of stores: 11,003 including area franchise stores
Net sales of total Family Mart stores: 954.4 billion as of FY2003 (Approx. US$8.7 billion)
Web Site: www.family.co.jp/
ITOCHU Corporation (Japan)
ITOCHU International Inc.(US)
Founded as a trading and trading services company, ITOCHU is also a leader in telecommunications,technology, internet, retail and media
• Consumer-Related Products and Services
• Distribution
• Operations, Service and Maintanance
• Financial Services
• Information Technology and Aerospace
• Healthcare
• Security Solutions
Web Sites: ITOCHU Corporation (Japan) & ITOCHU International Inc.(US)
By 2006, 30 more stores will be added in North L.A., South Bay, and Southwest. By 2009 Famima!! will have 250 stores.
External links
- FamilyMart official homepage in Japanese.
- FamilyMart official English homepage in English.
- Famima Corporation (USA) homepage
- FamilyMart INDIA hompage link title
- News release (Japanese) on electronic tag trial
AP: ALEXA OLESEN: China's Tibet Railway Ready to Go
“... Tibetans loyal to the exiled Dalai Lama and other critics say the $4.2 billion railway is part of a campaign by Beijing to crush Tibetan culture by encouraging an influx of Han Chinese, China's majority ethnic group. And environmental groups worry about the railway's impact on the Tibetan highlands. The train "will mean more environmental destruction for Tibet, more unemployment for Tibetans and of course our culture will be devastated," said Ngawang Woeber, a member of Gu Chu Sum, a support group for former Tibetan political prisoners based in India. On Friday, three women from the United States, Canada and Britain were detained after unfurling a banner at Beijing's main train station reading, "China's Tibet Railway, Designed to Destroy." Pro-independence groups plan to wear black armbands in protest and demonstrate outside Chinese embassies Saturday, a campaign they call "Reject the Railway." ... ”
Facts about the China-Tibet Railway
As with previous railways built by China in Mongolia and East Turkestan, the Tibet railway will greatly speed colonization of the area. It will allow vastly increased numbers of Chinese settlers and military troops to be brought in, and more natural resources to be exploited and removed from Tibet, with most economic benefits bypassing the many Tibetans who live on the outskirts of Tibet's centrally controlled economy, beyond the reach of the railway. The cost of the railway is almost triple the amount Beijing spent in the Tibet Autonomous Region on healthcare and education between 1952 and 2000. Some important points about the railway:
- At the admission of Chinese government leaders, the Gormo-Lhasa railway is politically motivated, with a goal of consolidating China's control over Tibet. It is opposed by Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet.
- The railway will facilitate increased population transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet, further marginalizing Tibetans physically, socially, and economically and posing a threat to the survival of their culture and identity.
- The railway will facilitate the exploitation and removal of natural resources that belong to Tibetans.
- The railway will improve China's military maneuverability, enable rapid troop deployments, and facilitate the expansion of People's Liberation Army bases and increases in nuclear weapons stockpiles and missile deployments on the Tibetan plateau.
- The railway is expected to cause widespread erosion, damage to vegetation, disruption of migration patterns, and contamination of water bodies including the Drichu (Yangtse), Ngochu (Salween), and Zachu (Mekong) rivers, sources of water for more than one billion people.
The New York Times: SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and SHAILA DEWAN: In Memphis, Two Heads of Government Visit the Home of Rock 'n' Roll Royalty
“..."It's like a dream," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan said to President Bush in the Jungle Room of the Presley home here. Amid the faux leopard print chairs and green shag carpet covering both floor and ceiling, the prime minister then serenaded the president.
"Loooovve mee tenderrrrr," Mr. Koizumi crooned, as Priscilla Presley, Elvis's former wife, and Lisa Marie, his daughter, looked on.
When Priscilla Presley pointed out the oversize gold-rimmed sunglasses once worn by the King of Rock 'n' Roll, the prime minister eagerly donned them, thrusting his hips and arms forward in imitation of a classic Elvis move.
"I knew he loved Elvis," Mr. Bush said afterward. "I didn't realize how much he loved Elvis." ...
One part of the house the Bushes and Mr. Koizumi missed was the upstairs, Elvis's living quarters. Elvis insisted they be kept private, said David Beckwith, a spokesman for Graceland.
"Nobody goes upstairs," Mr. Beckwith said.
Not even Japan's best-known Elvis impersonator and the president of the United States. ”
More candy ass than hound dog - but what the hell ...
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that planned Guantanamo Bay military tribunals are illegal.
Yui Ichikawa
Yui Ichikawa (Ichikawa Yui, born 10 February 1986), is an actress and model from Tokyo, Japan. She is also known by her nickname, Yui-nyan. As an actress she has appeared in several dramas (doramas), and in recent years she has concentrated more on her film career. She played a lead role in the movie The Grudge.Ichikawa is commonly considered to be kawaii (cute) by japanese.
Cover of her CD Ame
Profile
- Nickname: Yui-nyan
- Profession: Actress, singer and 'gravure idol' (japanese term: swimsuit/bikini model)
- Date of Birth: 10 February, 1986 (Aquarius)
- Birthplace: Tokyo
- Height: 158 cm
- Measurements: B85 W55 H80 cm (B33.5 W21.5 H31.5 inches)
- Blood type: A
- Talent Agency: Ken-On
Filmography
Movies
- Siren (Japan, 2006)
- SchoolDaze (Japan, 2005)
- About Love (Japan, 2005)
- JU-ON 2 (Japan, 2004)
- The Grudge (Japan, 2003)
Dramas (japanese: dorama)
- H2~Kimi to itahibi - H2 (TBS, 2005)
- Hotman 2 (TBS, 2004)
- Wonderful Life (Fuji TV, 2004)
- Taiho shichauzo - You're under arrest (TV Asahi, 2002)
External Links
- Official Homepage (mainly Japanese, some English
- DramaWiki page
- Yui Ichikawa at the Internet Movie Database
- Yui Ichikawa Picture Gallery
More is happening but let's leave it to the Guru ... - Sparks
posted by Coat @ 9:47 PM
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