Jonathan and the Boys

http://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2013/10/7/oist-board-governors-present-future-plans-prime-minister-abe

I don’t like to talk about my women but I’ll do it anyway. A bit of professional life, which I try to keep out of this blog, is going to creep in. Last Friday Jonathan and the Boys had a 30 min meeting with Japan’ s Prime Minister Good Ol Abe.  We are currently a 50 faculty  Grad Skool and would like to be a 300 faculty Grad Skool. We also want to double our budget next year. Abe said the government would decide. He is the head of the government.  He said this. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit the Prime Minister’s Office, kantei, today. I visited OIST in early 2013 and I was convinced by the high level of aspiration of the Graduate University. By meeting outstanding OIST faculty members and students, I was convinced that Okinawa’s new future and Japan’s new future rests in OIST…….In promoting Japan’s innovation, I have high hopes for OIST. As world-renowned scholars have gathered here tonight, I would like to listen to your opinion about the future of OIST.”

Off we go to Kyoto for the STS Forum. http://www.stsforum.org/index_html?language=english&this_page=home#.UlUzFeAaSNk

This a very big deal affair opened by none other than Good Ol Abe. He ends his speech thus,

“I’m determined to turn Japan into a country where innovation takes place easily. As much as the global society is in need of Japan’s wisdom, our nation also requires the world’s knowledge.

One example of this is the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. I would like researchers and students from around the world to continue joining OIST. Mr. Omi is a founding father of this university. It will be almost two years since the establishment of the OIST Graduate University. It will continue to grow together with their researchers from nearly 30 countries and students from 23 countries. I believe this is exciting.”

OIST rocks

We have lunch with French Minister of Science Stuff.

Which two French towns are like a sailor’s trousers?
Toulon and Toulouse.

Then the Japanese Minister of Science stuff gets up in another plenary and goes on and on and on about how wonderful OIST is. All this is pretty trippy for someone in my line of work.

Battle scarred or is that scared veterans

1000 delegates. No wifi so people actually had to listen.

Benjamin Bunny

So all very satisfactory. It gets er better.

Fly home to find that Higgs won the Nobel. For 12 years my pen hovered over the page to make that announcement . Never did. Oh well. Congratulations Peter and all at CERN

Roger had a lot to do with it

Good few days. A couple of typhoons ripped through the island while I was away. As they were only category 3 it doesn’t seem worth writing about them.