'The frightening power of TV'

The other day, the TV show NHK made on the Pop Class aired. Everyone had been looking forward to it, of course, but apparently they were all really saddened and suprised by how the completed show turned out. Instead of capturing the hope and joy of the Pop kids in LoveJunx, it somehow turned it into something really depressing, yet another show all about how the poor kids with Down's Syndrome should be pitied, and how hard it is for them, and for their parents. I don't really understand how they twisted things around like that, since whenever I've seen the Pop Lessons, they are just all having so much fun, but apparently Anna-san isn't in the show at all, which I think is just weird. I was expecting her to have a section introducing LJ and talking about the Pop Kids enthusiastically like she always does. One of the parents said that while they were watching it, their son, one of the Pop kids, got angry, and said, 'They keep saying 'Down's Syndrome', 'Down's syndrome', how rude! We are ourselves!' (Down-sho, Down-sho tte shitsurei naa! boku-tachi ha boku-tachi da!!'. And that also makes me sad.
And apparently the impression you get from the show is so depressing and gloomy, that the Japan Down Syndrome Society is being inundated with calls from people like this one woman who, after seeing the show, was so worried she couldn't sleep. What was she worried about? Her son is marrying a girl who's brother has Down's Syndrome, and now she is afraid that hher son's life will be gloomy and hard because of his new brother in law...
It's just really sad. Because these kids and their parents don't need another thing telling people just how pitiful they are, and how hard it all is. They needed a show letting people know, you know that's not everything that it's about. Sure, things may be harder, but children with Down's Syndrome can live happy, joyful lives. As one of the father's mentioned earlier, 'Even the doctors, they focused so much on telling us what our children couldn't do...that they never mentioned all the things they *can* do.' And I think that's what everyone needs...

Models, Yankees, Lolitas oh my

Finally started reading my magazines from Sasuga. Now I love all the pretty pretty spring clothes, and want to be cool and womanly and grown up and all like Seri. (You know you read a magazine too often when you're on a first name basis with all the modesls ^^; ) So many nice things that I want. I wish I could be nice and dressed up all the time, and not be so schlepping around the house in my jeans and sneakers-y.
Also, thanks to prior interest, and there being like 60 articles on her in the new ViVi, I just love love Tsuchiya Anna, who is a really funky 20 yr old ha-fu tarento, model and singer in a rock band.
I aspecially love her because she in the movie version of 'Shimozuma Monogatari', which is the book I bought with JWU's money in Japan, by the Novella Bara, the cross-dressing idol author of all the Gothic Lolita girls. It's pretty on crack, and was pretty difficult to read with lots of big words etc, but it's about this Lolita girl Momoko who moves to this tiny hick town (Shimozuma), and meets this Yankee girl Ichigo, and about all their high jinks. I am dying to see the movie now.