Jon Mitchell

This book provides a compellingly readable history of Japan's southernmost prefecture. It chronicles how indigenous Okinawans have suffered colonization, discrimination and slaughter from Japan and the United States - and explores mounting tensions with China which threaten to plunge the islands into conflict in the coming years. Once the thriving Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent state which grew rich from maritime trade between China, Japan, and southeast Asia, the islands were annexed by Japan in the late-nineteenth century - then sacrificed in 1945 to delay an Allied assault on the mainland. After the war, Okinawa was abandoned to US colonial rule for 27 years, during which residents were denied civil, labour, and democratic rights. Responding to these injustices, Okinawans engaged in widespread non-violent resistance which paralleled the African American civil rights movement unfurling at the same time in the United States. Okinawan protests grew so strong that, in 1972, they forced the return of the islands to Japanese control. But despite residents' wishes, the US military presence remained largely unchanged, accompanied by crimes, accidents and damage to the environment. Today, there are 31 US bases in Okinawa, which has a land mass half the size of Rhode Island, and Okinawans are the poorest people in Japan. In recent years, China has exacerbated tensions in the region, questioning Japan's control of Okinawa and dispatching ships to the disputed Senkaku Islands. Many Okinawans are angry at being pawns in the play of greater powers - whether Japan, the United States or China. Resistance continues to permeate Okinawan society, from mass protests and marches, to music, comedy and art. Okinawa offers a model of democratic participation and civic engagement for the rest of Japan and beyond.

For decades, US military operations have been contaminating the Pacific region with toxic substances, including plutonium, dioxin, and VX nerve agent. Hundreds of thousands of service members, their families, and residents have been exposed—but the United States has hidden the damage and refused to help victims. After World War II, the United States granted immunity to Japanese military scientists in exchange for their data on biological weapons tests conducted in China; in the following years, nuclear detonations in the Pacific obliterated entire islands and exposed Americans, Marshallese, Chamorros, and Japanese fishing crews to radioactive fallout. At the same time, the United States experimented with biological weapons on Okinawa and stockpiled the island with nuclear and chemical munitions, causing numerous accidents. Meanwhile, the CIA orchestrated a campaign to introduce nuclear power to Japan—the folly of which became horrifyingly clear in the 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture. Caught in a geopolitical grey zone, US territories have been among the worst affected by military contamination, including Guam, Saipan, and Johnston Island, the final disposal site of apocalyptic volumes of chemical weapons and Agent Orange. Accompanying this damage, US authorities have waged a campaign of cover-ups, lies, and attacks on the media, which the author has experienced firsthand in the form of military surveillance and attempts by the State Department to impede his work. Now, for the first time, this explosive book reveals the horrific extent of contamination in the Pacific and the lengths the Pentagon will go to conceal it.

For decades, the US military has been contaminating the Pacific region with toxic substances. Thousands of service members, their families, and local residents have been exposed—but the US has hidden the damage and refused to help victims. This book reveals the enormous extent of contamination and the lengths the Pentagon will go to conceal it.

This is the complete guide to finding the best available example of the classic front-engined Porsche 944. Insight from real ownership experience is coupled with unparalleled technical knowledge, resulting in the first dedicated guidebook for potential buyers of the Porsche 944. A comprehensive guide, including an inspection checklist that buyers can use when viewing a car, photos of key areas to check, and known issues for each model, and an overview of key specifications and potential upgrades. Market and value data are also supplied to help give an idea of what a specific Porsche 944 is worth. From whether a Porsche 944 is a suitable car for you, to the cost considerations to be taken into account when searching for and viewing a used model, the authors’ aim to arm the prospective buyer with enough knowledge and insight to be able to view a used Porsche 944, and quickly assess its quality, before considering whether to make a purchase. Take the first step towards finding your dream car, by reading this guide today.

Technology helps us with our hardest work. It can also offer us endless distractions. Can technology enable us, as individuals and communities, to do our greatest possible work, the hard work of being a good person? Jon Mitchell sets out to identify and explore the ways in which we can develop a more thoughtful relationship with technology. Rather than using technology as a medium for connecting with the world, he recommends we rethink our relationship with technology, using it as a resource that allows us to have a more intimate and personal relationship with the world around us, nature, and our loved ones. Mitchell offers concrete practices for the way we use technology in our daily lives. With an accessible and conversational, easy-to-read style, Mitchell uses his years of experience as both a tech journalist and a mindfulness practitioner to propose a rethinking of both the design of technology and its use.