Robert Dahlberg-Sears
dahlbergsears.bsky.social
Robert Dahlberg-Sears
@dahlbergsears.bsky.social
PhD in Punk Stuff, Sendai dweller, ethno/musicology, folklore, and anthropology
Punk/alt. musics in Japan
he/him
Guess the couch next in this conversation with my five year old:

Me: So you think Pikachu having no eyes could stop it from stealing teeth?

5YO: Yes.

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(5YO has a lose tooth and are eating a pikachu donut)
November 14, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
you heard em 🫡
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.

Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Though I never met him directly, eminent USian folklorist (among many other hats he wore) died this past week, less than a month after his final(?) academic presentation at the American Folklore Society conference in late October.

americanfolkloresociety.org/bill-ivey-19...
Bill Ivey (1944–2025) - The American Folklore Society
Bill Ivey, past president of the AFS and former chair of the NEA, died on November 7, 2025 in Nashville, TN at the age of eighty-one.
americanfolkloresociety.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
I could try to make moral arguments about spending your Spotify fee on one Bandcamp album a month.

But let's go simpler. It is *so easy* to just switch from Spotify to Tidal, Apple, or Qobuz! You won't barely notice the difference! You can move your playlists! The audio quality is better!
Spotify is crashing HARD because of the boycott. Their stock dropped 11% in value over the last month. Let’s keep this going!

Tell everyone you know to boycott Spotify. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t run ICE advertisements and screw over artists.

We made it easy at boycottspotify.com.
November 7, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
If it goes up, don’t cross the picket line. Collective action is the only way we ever get things done.
BREAKING: After months of stonewalling by Starbucks, unionized baristas just voted 92% to authorize a ULP strike unless Starbucks finalizes fair contracts & stops union busting.

If forced, our baristas will strike in dozens of cities on November 13 – the company's busiest sales day of the year.
Starbucks unionized workers say they'll strike on Nov. 13 if coffee giant doesn't finalize contract
Union members say they are ready to strike on the chain's Red Cup Day if Starbucks doesn't finalize a contract with their union by then.
www.cbsnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:10 PM
And the article is open access!

(Couldn't make the talk from Japan but it seems interesting for thinking with archives and history in the digital age)
Join us at our first Critical Digital Humanities discussion, where we will explore @goran-gaber.bsky.social's recent paper Mind the gap: On archival politics and historical theory in the digital age.

More & registration: digitalscholarship.web.ox.ac.uk/event/critic...

#digitalhumanities
Critical Digital Humanities
digitalscholarship.web.ox.ac.uk
November 5, 2025 at 10:47 AM
While visiting Osaki Hachimangu shrine today, I met a chicken. One of several, its name was either "Chako" or "Taco" but either one was fitting.

This is a chicken at shrines appreciation post.
November 5, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Also found the other day: FUNGRY to gratify your curiosity
October 30, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
Are you interested in #Kona, #coffee, #glohalhistory, #Japanese #empire? On November 6, we
@modernjapanhist.bsky.social
will invite Prof. Mariko Iijima (Sophia Univ.) to a book talk about those themes. We will be joined by Prof. Nadin Heé (Leipzig) as a discussant. I will moderate the talk.
October 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
Happening in one week!

Alicia Volk (University of Maryland) discusses her new work, "In the Shadow of Empire: Art in Occupied Japan," as part of the MJHA's New Books on Japan series.

Information and Registration:
mjha.org/event-6314068
Modern Japan History Association - New Books on Japan: "In the Shadow of Empire: Art in Occupied Japan"
mjha.org
October 29, 2025 at 1:52 AM
My 5-year old, without promoting whileeating dinner: I don't want to be made of flesh!
October 28, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
Can you help rebuild the parts of Matsumoto Castle's palace destroyed after the Meiji restoration? Families, colleges and museums in the West may have photos and drawings made by foreign visitors to the Castle. Please share widely, deadline end March 2027. More info: mainichi.jp/english/arti...
'Seeking materials' -- Japan city looks abroad for clues to restore Matsuyama Castle palace - The Mainichi
MATSUYAMA -- This west Japan city is on the hunt for documents containing information on Matsuyama Castle's structures lost in the years after the end
mainichi.jp
October 25, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Tell me more about these punks...
Shimanekko, the mascot of Shimane Prefecture, made an appearance on stage yesterday at the raucous Shimane Jett Fest, alongside various punk acts.
October 12, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Montage:

2004, Christmas morning: I open lostprophets' new CD and my Mom says 'I think they're some local band?'*

*They were from Wales not Minnesota dear reader

2025: child abuser (and singer) Ian Watkins gets stabbed in prison and dies

Me, across time: Wow.
October 12, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
📣 Germany's close to reversing its opposition to mass surveillance & private message scanning, & backing the Chat Control bill. This could end private comms-& Signal-in the EU.

Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
signal.org
October 6, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
📢Call for Papers📢 ‘Folklore on the Move’: The Folklore Society’s annual conference 2026 in collaboration with the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen. In person conference: 5-7 Jun 2026; online conference day: 10 Jun 2026. Proposal deadline 14 Dec www.folklore-society.com/event/call-f...
October 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM
A great place for some folklorists I know to pitch something right here
October 2, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis
City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.
www.forbes.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
On October 14/15, we @modernjapanhist.bsky.social
invite Prof. Ko En/Gao Yuan (Komazawa Univ.) to a book talk about the #Japanese #empire, #Manchuria, and #tourism. We will be joined by two discussants, Ken Ruoff and Araragi Shinzo. Mark your calendars!
September 25, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Coming up tonight US and tomorrow morning Japan time.
Mark your calendars!

The 2025 MJHA Distinguished Annual Lecture will be given by Andrew Gordon (Harvard) on Monday, September 15, 2025, and is titled "After the Pandemic: Revising a Textbook and Rethinking History."

REGISTER FOR ZOOM HERE: mjha.org/event-6201539
September 15, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Bicycle space urban with the comfort a adulty could so easily be Tokyo's new bike plan motto
September 6, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Reposted by Robert Dahlberg-Sears
the community guidelines in question here include issues pertaining to adult content and LGBT+ identity, so please do fill it out and give them a BIG piece of your mind!!

kick up a fuss! we're not about to be pushed out!
bsky.app Bluesky @bsky.app · Aug 14
In the coming weeks, we're asking for feedback on our Community Guidelines. Your input will help ensure our Guidelines serve our users and are ready to support Bluesky's future.

To learn how to contribute, check out our blog post: bsky.social/about/blog/0...
Updated Terms and Policies - Bluesky
We’re updating the language in our terms and policies to better explain our approach and provide more detail.
bsky.social
August 17, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Guess who got some old-old-old-rice? Reiwa 3 heck yeah
September 1, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Saw Animals As Leaders opening for Meshuggah in 2013. The latter remains the most overpowering stage presence I've ever seen, hands down.
What is your biggest concert flex?
August 29, 2025 at 5:51 AM
It's worth noting: JP Post will stop delivering mail to the US worth more than $100 or for sale. Documents, books, and correspondence are still going to be delivered but may incur de minimis charges (not sure where that stands right now) depending on the item.
August 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM