it's not life that matters but the journey...

You asked for questions; maybe this is the starting for another entry someday. Your observations of public information via ubiquitous loudspeaker in Japan calls up this question for me. In the US, a community that adopted such a system for information might be required (I'm not a lawyer, now) to provide simultaneous visual sources for the same invormation for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. I think along such a vein because my work week is full of providing such Americans with Disabilities Act services in telecommunications. I have some idea in dealing with my customers of what it's like to live with a disability in the United States. I'm wondering what it might be like to be deaf in Japan.

You've probably guessed who your anonymous responder is. Thanks for the heads up on your new journal site, and it's good to hear from you now that you're back over there.